GETTING TO KNOW - TASK 2

You will be presented with a topic and will be tested on your ability to respond by giving and
justifying an opinion, discussing the topic, summarizing details, outlining problems,
identifying possible solutions and supporting what you write with reasons, arguments and
relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Assessment Criteria
Task response

Coherence and cohesion

Lexical resource
Grammatical range and accuracy

Essay Tip
Every essay will involve an evaluation of ideas. That simply means that you need to say
whether an idea or concept is good or bad, or better or worse than another one.

Types of essays

Agree or disagree

Opinion

Advantages/Benefits outweigh Disadvantages/Drawback

Discuss two views plus your opinion

Discuss two views, no opinion

Causes/Problem and Solution

Two questions or two-part questions

How to write IELTS Writing Task 2

1) Look at this sample TASK 2:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Some people think that schools should select students according to their academic
abilities, while others believe that it is better to have students with different abilities
studying together.

Discuss both views and state your own opinion

Write your answer in at least 250 words.

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 2) Analyse the Task and Brainstorm ideas: What are the two main points?

Complete the spidergrams with the two main points and ideas that support them. You can
expand them writing reasons for them.

3) PLAN your essay!! Choose your best ideas to support the main points and organize
them into paragraphs. Each paragraph should develop and expand your main ideas.

Text

BODY PARAGRAPH 1=
weakest point

BODY PARAGRAPH 2 AND /

OR 3= STRONGEST POINT

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 4) The paragraphs:

Introduction: MAKE IT SHORT AND DIRECT

It's nice to finish your essay with a conclusion, but I'd say that the conclusion is the least important
part of your essay. Don't worry too much if you don't have time to write one; your main body
paragraphs are much more important.

I advise people to write short, fast conclusions. Just paraphrase the overall answer that you gave in
your introduction

You can answer these questions to help you:

1) What’s the current situation?

2) Why is that important?

Focus on your country, the whole world, or both.

• Point out a situation that has got worse: In recent years our diet has become increasingly
poor
• Point out a situation that is regularly in the newspapers: Almost any day of the week you
can look at a newspaper and read stories about youth crime.
• Point out a change in politics: many governments now recognize the need to protect the
environment
• Point out how this affects the reader: Overpopulation is perhaps the biggest global
problem that our generation will face
• Point out the benefits / disadvantages to the reader: Almost all of us would benefit from
taking more exercise in our lives.

Body Paragraphs (2-3 paragraphs)

PARAGRAPH EXAMPLE 1

1) Start with a Topic Sentence: an argument

• Many experts agree that television has a negative effect on the development of children
• According to recent research, the number of people suffering from heart disease has
reached record levels
2) Illustrate this: There are many health problems such as poor eyesight, backache and obesity,
which are related to spending a long time watching television.
3) Accept that there is another argument against your point: Although there are many good
educational programmes around, these do not tend to be popular among children.
4) Discuss the implications: The problems caused by watching television a great deal in
childhood might be impossible to reverse once the child is old enough to make properly
informed decisions about their lifestyle and health.

PARAGRAPH EXAMPLE 2

1) Decide your opinion (agree/disagree/neither) and start with that

• In my view, there are many benefits to walking
• On the whole, spending a number of years in prison does tend to have a positive effect
on the criminal
2) Add additional explanations or reasons: In fact, most criminals leave prison with far fewer
opportunities to earn money in an honest way than they had before they went in

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 3) Summarize what you have said at the end: This all suggests that prison may not be the
most effective form of punishment for criminals; The arguments in favour of walking seems
persuasive.
4) The end of one paragraph should link to the next:
• For example, you can begin the next paragraph with a contrast:

However, the purpose of prison is not only to reform the criminal;

While I agree that walking is beneficial, I do not believe that it is the best for of
exercise

Final Paragraph

1) Summarize your opinion: As we have seen, there are many arguments on both sides of the
debate; In the final analysis, I believe that prison is a valid way of dealing with crime
2) Give the reason why you hold this opinion (paraphrase your most important argument)
3) Do NOT introduce new ideas

IELTS WRITING TASK 2 - TIPS

IELTS WRITING SKILLS TASK 2 – GUIDELINES TAKEN FROM Terry, M. 2005.IELTS Practice Tests Plus 2. Pearson

WRITING TASK 2 – ESSAY WRITING

GENERAL GUIDELINES

BEFORE YOU START TO WRITE

• IDENTIFY THE ISSUES
• BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO
• PLAN YOUR ANSWER

IDENTIFYING KEY ISSUES

THESE ARE NOT ALWAYS STATED EXPLICITLY SO YOU NEED TO READ THE QUESTION
CAREFULLY

TICK THREE IDEAS THAT ARE IMPLIED IN THE TASK 2 BELOW

1) Traffic in cities today is a problem.

2) There are too many people living in cities so some should move out.
3) There is not enough transport for everyone to use.
4) Traffic problems are mainly due to individuals travelling for work, study or shopping
purposes.
5) There are not enough jobs in the economy today.
6) Today people can work, study or shop from home.

BEING CLEAR ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

This question type asks you to agree or disagree with the statement. Do you agree or
disagree with the three ideas you identified? Do you agree that this is the only way to
reduce traffic problems?

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IELTS WRITING SKILLS TASK 2 – GUIDELINES TAKEN FROM Terry, M. 2005.IELTS Practice Tests Plus 2. Pearson

It is likely that you will agree with some ideas but probably not all of them. USE SIGNALS TO
INDICATE THIS. (Clauses of contrast, concession,etc)
FOR EXAMPLE:
Even though…, nevertheless,…
It is certainly true that… However,…
It may be case that …, but…

PLANNING YOUR ANSWER

The logical organization of your ideas and the way you signal the relationships between
ideas are assessed in this module, so plan your answer before you start to write.

Put the paragraph topics below in a logical order:

1- Agree: home working may reduce problems, but not the only solution
2- Causes of traffic problems in cities
3- Limitations of this solution
4- Distance working, studying and shopping possibilities

WRITING THE INTRODUCTION AND CONCLUSION

-KEEP IT SIMPLE-

INTRODUCTION: PARAPHRASE THE TASK AND GIVE YOUR OPINION / ANSWER THE
QUESTION IN 2/3 SENTENCES AND NO MORE THAN 4 LINES

CONCLUSION: PARAPHRASE THE INTRODUCTION AND GIVE YOUR OPINION IN 2/3

SENTENCES AND NO MORE THAN 4 LINES. DON’T INTRODUCE NEW IDEAS OR EXAMPLES.

SIGNALLING ORGANIZATION

USE LINKERS AND SIGNPOST LANGUAGE TO CONNECT YOUR IDEAS BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS

USE BETWEEN 2 AND 3 BODY PARAGRAPHS OF 5/6 SENTENCES IN NO MORE THAN 8 LINES.

IDEAS SHOULD BE BALANCED AND SO SHOULD PARAGRAPHS.

START EACH PARAGRAPH WITH A LINKER AND A TOPIC SENTENCE (YOUR IDEA)

Look at the following opening expressions. Put them in a logical order to reflect your
argument.
A) It is also true that today…
B) In terms of other solutions, we need to…
C) Probably these are mainly due to …
D) So, in conclusion, I think that…

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 IELTS WRITING SKILLS TASK 2 – GUIDELINES TAKEN FROM Terry, M. 2005.IELTS Practice Tests Plus 2. Pearson

E) However, even if …
F) It is certainly true that today…

SUPPORTING YOUR IDEAS

IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO STATE YOUR POINT OF VIEW. YOU HAVE TO JUSTIFY YOUR IDEAS BY
SUPPORTING THEM WITH EVIDENCE.

a- Look at the supporting ideas below and match them to the three ideas you chose
above.
1- The options IT gives us today
2- The number of vehicles on our roads and the amount of pollution they cause.
3- The rush hours we experience every morning and evening
b- Write supporting sentences for the ideas you chose using these phrases:
1- This is obvious from…
2- This is evident in…
3- We can see this in…

USE LINKERS TO CONNECT YOUR IDEAS TO THE SUPPORTING STATEMENTS

YOU CAN SUPPORT YOUR IDEAS WITH EVIDENCE, EXAMPLES, CONTRASTING IDEAS.

YOU CAN CLOSE YOUR PARAGRAPH WITH A CONCLUDING STATEMENT

USING ACADEMIC LANGUAGE

Giving your opinion DOES NOT MEAN that you always write I think. Use impersonal
expressions for a more academic style.

e.g. It is obvious that…

It is believed that…
Working from home is believed to….

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SCORE IN WRITING TASK 2

EXERCISE 1: Look at this sample answer:

a) Does the introduction paraphrase the TASK?

b) Does the conclusion paraphrase the Introduction?

c) How does each paragraph start? How are ideas supported?

d) Which band score do you think it is?

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 Start with a
general
statement
Topic general in your own
Question Introduction words
Opinion between 3 and 5 sentences your thesis
Reasons
ur Some people contend that mixed ability classes are more beneficial for children’s
e y o v i ew development than streaming them on the basis of judgement about their
t f
Sta int o academic abilities. However, from my perspective, I disagree with this
o
p arly contention.
cle

Admittedly, mixed ability classes provide a better environment for children’s all-
round development. In such classes, children with different abilities study
together and in turn they can learn from one another. From example, a student,
who is good at academic study but weak in dancing or painting, can learn how
to dance or paint from his peers. In this sense, mixed ability classes allow
students to develop their abilities in different subjects instead of only academic
abilities.

Despite the argument above, I believe streaming students brings more benefits
to teachers and students. As for teachers, separating children with better
academic abilities from others facilitates effective teaching. This practice helps
teachers to control their students more conveniently and easily. Compared with
mixed ability in which teacher should consider students’ differences when they
are using teaching methodologies, streaming makes this situation simpler. To
be more specific, students are at the same level of academic ability in a class,
and in turn teachers can use the same methodologies for them all. In this way,
the narrower the spread of ability in the class, the more convenient the
teaching can be.

On top of this, streaming enables students to learn in an effective way. According

to students’ different abilities, they are taught in different ways that are more
suitable for them. In the top streams, students use more difficult materials,
therefore, they can learn more. In sharp contrast, teachers can explain the
material more slowly to those in bottom streams. Under this circumstance,
students with different academic abilities can study effectively and efficiently.

Conclusion –short- you should have proved your thesis

Include your opinion if the task requires it
Summarise your
In the final analysis, mixed ability classes are beneficial for students’ versatile argument, don’t
development, but in my opinion, segregating students based on different include any new
academic ability is better for both teachers and students. information.

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EXERCISE 2-

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EXERCISE 3-
A) Look at this sample Task 2

C) Brainstorm ideas: Think about these questions

C)How many paragraphs will the essay have? What information will include in each
paragraph?

WRITE IDEAS (KEY WORDS) IN YOUR PLAN.

DO NOT WRITE SENTENCES IN YOUR PLAN
USE THE STRUCTURE YOU CHOSE AS HEADINGS FOR YOUR PLAN
DECIDE HOW YOU ARE GOING TO DIVIDE THE BODY
(TWO OR THREE PARAGRAPHS)

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 D) Read this sample paragraph and write the other paragraph

INTRODUCTION

SECOND PARAGRAPH

CONCLUSION

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USE CONNECTORS TO IMPROVE YOUR SCORE!!

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Band Task response
9 • fully addresses all parts of the task
• presents a fully developed position in answer to the
question with relevant, fully extended and well
supported ideas
8 • sufficiently addresses all parts of the task
• presents a well-developed response to the question
with relevant, extended and supported ideas
7 • addresses all parts of the task
• presents a clear position throughout the response
• presents, extends and supports main ideas, but
there may be a tendency to over-generalise and/or
supporting ideas may lack focus
6 • addresses all parts of the task although some parts
may be more fully covered than others
• presents a relevant position although the
conclusions may become unclear or repetitive
• presents relevant main ideas but some may be
inadequately developed/unclear
5 • addresses the task only partially; the format may be
inappropriate in places
• expresses a position but the development is not
always clear and there may be no conclusions
drawn
• presents some main ideas but these are limited and
not sufficiently developed; there may be irrelevant
detail
4 • responds to the task only in a minimal way or the
answer is tangential; the format may be
inappropriate
• presents a position but this is unclear
• presents some main ideas but these are difficult to
identify and may be repetitive, irrelevant or not well
supported
3 • does not adequately address any part of the task
• does not express a clear position
• presents few ideas, which are largely undeveloped
or irrelevant
2 • barely responds to the task
• does not express a position
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• may attempt to present one or two ideas but there is
no development
1 • answer is completely unrelated to the task
0 • does not attend
• does not attempt the task in any way
• writes a totally memorised response
IELTS Scores Explained
Coherence and cohesion
• uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention
• skilfully manages paragraphing
• sequences information and ideas logically
• manages all aspects of cohesion well
• uses paragraphing sufficiently and appropriately
• logically organises information and ideas; there is clear
progression throughout
• uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately
although there may be some under-/over-use
• presents a clear central topic within each paragraph
• arranges information and ideas coherently and there is
a clear overall progression
• uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion within
and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical
• may not always use referencing clearly or appropriately
• uses paragraphing, but not always logically
• presents information with some organisation but there
may be a lack of overall progression
• makes inadequate, inaccurate or over-use of cohesive
devices
• may be repetitive because of lack of referencing and
substitution
• may not write in paragraphs, or paragraphing may be
inadequate
• presents information and ideas but these are not
arranged coherently and there is no clear progression
in the response
• uses some basic cohesive devices but these may be
inaccurate or repetitive
• may not write in paragraphs or their use may be
confusing
• does not organise ideas logically
• may use a very limited range of cohesive devices, and
those used may not indicate a logical relationship
between ideas
• has very little control of organisational features
• fails to communicate any message
IELTS Writing Band Descriptors: Task 2 (public version)
Lexical resource
• uses a wide range of vocabulary with very natural
and sophisticated control of lexical features; rare
minor errors occur only as ‘slips’
• uses a wide range of vocabulary fluently and flexibly
to convey precise meanings
• skilfully uses uncommon lexical items but there may
be occasional inaccuracies in word choice and
collocation
• produces rare errors in spelling and/or word
formation
• uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some
flexibility and precision
• uses less common lexical items with some
awareness of style and collocation
• may produce occasional errors in word choice,
spelling and/or word formation
• uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task
• attempts to use less common vocabulary but with
some inaccuracy
• makes some errors in spelling and/or word
formation, but they do not impede communication
• uses a limited range of vocabulary, but this is
minimally adequate for the task
• may make noticeable errors in spelling and/or word
formation that may cause some difficulty for the
reader
• uses only basic vocabulary which may be used
repetitively or which may be inappropriate for the
task
• has limited control of word formation and/or spelling;
errors may cause strain for the reader
• uses only a very limited range of words and
expressions with very limited control of word
formation and/or spelling
• errors may severely distort the message
• uses an extremely limited range of vocabulary;
essentially no control of word formation and/or
spelling
• can only use a few isolated words
Grammatical range and accuracy
• uses a wide range of structures with full flexibility
and accuracy; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’
• uses a wide range of structures
• the majority of sentences are error-free
• makes only very occasional errors or inappropriacies
• uses a variety of complex structures
• produces frequent error-free sentences
• has good control of grammar and punctuation but
may make a few errors
• uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms
• makes some errors in grammar and punctuation but
they rarely reduce communication
• uses only a limited range of structures
• attempts complex sentences but these tend to be
less accurate than simple sentences
• may make frequent grammatical errors and
punctuation may be faulty; errors can cause some
difficulty for the reader
• uses only a very limited range of structures with only
rare use of subordinate clauses
• some structures are accurate but errors
predominate, and punctuation is often faulty
• attempts sentence forms but errors in grammar and
punctuation predominate and distort the meaning
• cannot use sentence forms except in memorised
phrases
• cannot use sentence forms at all