Task 2 is the longer essay in the IELTS Writing test, and it carries more weight than Task 1, so improving it is one of the fastest ways to raise your overall Writing band. You are expected to write at least 250 words, and a sensible target is about 40 minutes.
How Task 2 is marked
Examiners score four equally weighted criteria: Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Every tip below supports at least one of them.
7 tips
1. Identify the question type
Is it an opinion, discussion, problem-and-solution, advantages-and-disadvantages or two-part question? Answer exactly what is asked, or you lose marks on Task Response.
2. Plan for five minutes
Decide your position and write two or three main ideas with a short example for each. A clear plan makes the essay easier to organise.
3. State your position clearly
Make your answer obvious in the introduction and keep it consistent in the conclusion.
4. One main idea per paragraph
Start with a topic sentence, explain it, and support it with a specific example. This helps Coherence and Cohesion.
5. Use natural vocabulary
Accurate, topic-appropriate words score better than rare words used incorrectly. Avoid memorised phrases that do not fit the question.
6. Keep your grammar controlled
Mix simple and complex sentences, but prioritise accuracy. Short, correct sentences beat long, error-filled ones.
7. Leave three minutes to check
Look for missing articles, subject-verb agreement, spelling and repeated words. Also check your word count and that every paragraph supports your position.
Practise with feedback
Writing alone only gets you so far, because you cannot easily see your own repeated mistakes. In one-on-one IELTS coaching at REME Academy, your essays are corrected line by line and mapped to the four scoring criteria. Book a free discovery call to get started.