What you Need to Know about Academic Writing Task 2 (British Council Academic IELTS: Writing): Study Material

Overview of Academic Writing Task 2

IELTS Writing Task 2 is the second task in the IELTS Writing test.

• In this task, you are asked to write an essay about a current issue and express your point of view

• Your essay must be at least 250 words

• You usually need to:

• present your ideas clearly

• support your opinion with reasons

• use examples where relevant

• The topic is given in the question paper, and you cannot choose a different one

• The subjects are familiar and about everyday or general issues

• The five main types of IELTS Writing Task 2 essays are:

  • Opinion essays (also known as Agree/Disagree essays or Argument essays)

  • Discussion essays

  • Problem/solution essays

  • Advantages/Disadvantages Essays

  • Two-part question essays (or Direct Question essays)

• Common topics include:

  • Technology

  • Culture

  • Education

  • Family

  • Health

  • Friendship

  • Transport

  • The environment

  • Travel

  • Crime

  • Work

  • Entertainment

• You should use a neutral or academic style

How is IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 assessed?

• Writing Task 2 is worth 2/3 of your total mark on the Writing test, so you should spend about 40 minutes on this task 

• The examiner is not judging your opinions

• They are judging how well you express your ideas in English

• Writing Task 2 is assessed using four assessment criteria:

  • Task Response

  • Coherence and Cohesion

  • Lexical Resource

  • Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Task Response

This criterion assesses how well you:

• answer the question fully

• present a clear position throughout your essay

• develop your ideas with explanations and examples

• support your opinion with relevant reasons

• avoid irrelevant or unclear ideas

Coherence and Cohesion

Coherence and cohesion refer to how clearly you:

• organise your ideas logically

• connect your ideas in a clear sequence

• group ideas into well-structured paragraphs

• use linking words (e.g. however, in fact, indeed, etc.) appropriately

• make your essay easy to follow

Lexical Resource

This criterion assesses how well you:

• use a range of words and expressions

• choose words that are clear, accurate and appropriate

• avoid repeating the same words too often

• spell words

• express your ideas precisely

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

This criterion refers to how well you:

• use a mix of simple and complex sentences

• write sentences that are clear and mostly error-free

• use punctuation effectively and accurately

• use grammar correctly

• make your meaning easy to understand