What Task 2 asks you to do
Write a relevant, developed response to the question. The official task requires at least 250 words, with approximately 40 minutes recommended within the Writing test. Task 2 carries more weight than Task 1. Read the exact instructions: an opinion question, a discussion of two views and a problem-and-solution question do not ask for the same answer. IELTS Academic Writing format.
Try an original practice prompt
Some universities require students to complete a group project in every semester. Others allow students to choose between a group project and an individual assignment. Discuss both approaches and give your own opinion.
This is an original PrepEx teaching example. It is not an official IELTS question. Before writing, make three decisions: why a university might require group work, why a choice might be useful and which policy you support. If you discuss only the difficulties of group work, you have left part of the task unanswered.
Move from a claim to a developed paragraph
A thin paragraph says, “Group projects teach teamwork. Teamwork is important for jobs. Therefore, group projects are useful.” The idea is relevant, but repeating its importance does not explain how it works.
Worked paragraph: Requiring a group project can give students practice in coordinating work that depends on other people. In a research assignment, for example, one student may collect survey responses while another analyses the results. They have to agree on a deadline and a common method; otherwise, the final report may contain incompatible evidence. A carefully designed project therefore teaches a practical form of cooperation that an individual essay cannot test in the same way.
The paragraph explains a mechanism, gives a concrete example and connects it to the policy being discussed. It is a paragraph demonstration, not a complete 250-word essay or a guaranteed band-level answer. A second body paragraph still needs to address the benefit of choice, and the essay needs a consistent personal position.
A workable planning routine
- Underline each instruction in the prompt. Write a plain-language answer to every part.
- Choose a position you can support. It can be qualified, but it should not change halfway through.
- Assign one main job to each body paragraph. Add a reason and an example before drafting.
- Leave time to check whether your conclusion matches what the paragraphs actually argued.
You do not need invented statistics or elaborate quotations. A plausible example with a clear connection to the argument is more useful than an unsupported claim that “research proves” your position.
Use essay feedback to make a visible revision
Looking for individual correction after studying with Liz? Our IELTS Liz essay-feedback guide checks the current service notice and walks through an original paragraph revision before your next Task 2 attempt.
Already studying with IELTS Liz? Use our lesson-to-practice study plan to apply a lesson to a fresh essay.
Choosing between a writing checker and a teacher? Read the community’s IELTS Writing feedback guide: AI, tutors and costs for a sample-report checklist, a cost comparison and questions to ask before paying.
If your recent Writing result is 6.5, use the community's IELTS Writing 6.5 to 7 revision guide to compare the criteria, review a paragraph rewrite and plan a week of focused practice.
In IELTS Writing practice, choose a Task 2 prompt and write your own response. Review task response, coherence and cohesion, vocabulary, and grammar as separate questions. Any AI band is a practice estimate, not an examiner's official result.
See a real AI IELTS Writing assessment and an explained revision. The example shows how to check a correction against the original essay, question unsupported advice and develop a clearer paragraph.
For feedback from other learners, the IELTS community guide explains how to ask a focused question, review peer suggestions and use the community alongside your writing practice.
- Task response: Did I answer every instruction and support the position?
- Organisation: Can a reader explain the purpose of each paragraph?
- Vocabulary: Did an ambitious word make the meaning less precise?
- Grammar: Which repeated sentence error can I correct in the next attempt?
Revise one paragraph, then try a different prompt using the same improvement. Memorising this example will not help you answer an unrelated question. For the other writing task, use the Academic Task 1 guide; for a timed baseline, choose an IELTS Academic mock test.
Plan from the exact instruction
Use the Task 2 question-types guide to practise distinguishing an opinion, a discussion, an evaluation and two separate questions before drafting.
Browse the IELTS guide directory for other tasks and decisions.