Understand and practise the
requirements for IELTS Writing
Task 2
Why should I practise for IELTS WT1 and
WT2? Aren’t they both just essay writing?
It is important to learn about IELTS essays because there are different essay types
and these will require different ways to answer them.
IELTS Writing Task 2
You can prepare for WT2 essays because they all follow the same basic
structure.
These are some types of IELTS essays you may see:
Agree / disagree
Discuss two opinions
Advantages & disadvantages
Causes (reasons) & solutions
Causes (reasons) & effects
Problems & solutions
Not every essay will fit one of these patterns, but many do.
You may get some of these tasks mixed up. For example, you
could be asked to give your opinion on an issue, and then
discuss the advantages or disadvantages of it.
The golden rule is to ALWAYS read the question very carefully
to see exactly what you are being asked to do.
In groups, discuss possible strategies for
the WT2 past paper question you receive.
Keep the IELTS Writing band descriptors in
mind as you discuss your question.
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ideas need to be fully extended and well supported
writing must “flow” (use of connectives and paragraph
structure)
confidently use a wide range of vocabulary
make use of a wide range of accurate grammatical
structures
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Government investment in the arts, such as music and
theatre, is a waste of money. Governments must invest
this money in public services instead.
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant
examples from your own experience or knowledge.
Write at least 250 words.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
A growing number of people feel that animals should not
be exploited by people and that they should have the same
rights as humans, while others argue that humans must
employ animals to satisfy their various needs, including
uses for food and research.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Write at least 250 words.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Many old buildings protected by law are part of a nation’s
history. Some people think they should be knocked down
and replaced by news ones.
How important is it to maintain old buildings?
Should history stand in the way of progress?
Write at least 250 words.