IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Structure
IELTS writing task 2 is a test of writing, and is difficult as compared to task 1 where you have to write an essay of 250 words in 40 minutes. If you want to get desired bands in IELTS writing task 2, you have to organize a great structure for your essay. In this test, examiner also checks your procedure that how you write an answer. If he is satisfied, then it’s good; if not then it means you cannot get bands more than 7.
Therefore, IELTS writing task 2 essay structure is essential to know for getting desired bands in IELTS writing. In this article, I will share the importance of essay structure in IELTS writing 2, essay types, and also discuss all about the structures for these essay types. Tips to organize good structure will help a lot in this regard.
Importance of IELTS writing task 2 essay structure
Before understanding the structure of IELTS writing task 2, it is essential to understand that why it is important. As IELTS writing test is assessed by IELTS writing assessment criteria, you are awarded bands on the basis of four criterions that are:
- Task achievement
- Cohesion and coherence
- Lexical resources
- Grammatical range and accuracy
Task achievement means how you achieve all the requirements in your essay. Cohesion and coherence talk about the ideas connection that how well these are connected to each other. Lexical resources and grammatical range and accuracy talk how your words are interlinked with each other and there should be no mistakes regarding grammar, and provided information is accurate or not.
Summary
IELTS writing task 2 is an essay question in which you have to write an essay of 250 words in 40 minutes. Generally, IELTS writing task 2 essay structure is same four all kinds of essay questions that are asked in IELTS writing task 2.
There are four components of essay structure in IELTS writing task 2, that are introduction, body paragraph 1, body paragraph 2 and conclusion. You have to paraphrase the question statement in introduction and add main points. In body paragraph 1 and 2, write an essay on the topic given in the question statement, if it is advantages and disadvantages, then write body paragraph 1 for advantages and 2 for disadvantages. In last, conclude all details by providing major ideas. Sample are given in the article to help you a lot to know the structure of each essay. While tips help you to make your essay an effective to get higher bands in IELTS writing.
All of these factors are the main components to analyze the structure that how well you structured your essay. Because you will be awarded by scores with these criterions and these four criterions make your essay structure an effective piece.
Types of IELTS writing task 2 essays
There are five types of essays in IELTS writing task 2, mentioned below:
- Opinion essay
- Advantages and disadvantages essay
- Problem and solution essay
- Double question essay
- Discuss both views essay
Opinion essay is also called argumentative essay in which you are required to provide information in answer sheet that you agree or disagree from the question statement.
In advantages and disadvantages essay, you are assigned to write advantages and disadvantages of a particular incident given in the question statement.
Problem and solution essay means you have to discuss the solutions of a specific problem given in the question statement. You can describe multiple solutions in your essay.
Double question essay is also called direct question or two type essays. In this type of essay, you have to describe both of the questions that are given in the question statement. These two questions are asked in one question statement. It may be linked or not with each other.
Discuss both views essay is a three-part essay in which you have to write two views and opinions about the question statement given in the test.
These types are also called IELTS writing task 2 question types in which a question statement is given to write one of the essay types from above.
Opinion essay structure
In opinion essay, there are three types of question usually asked in the test.
- What is your opinion?
- Do you agree or disagree?
- To what extent do you agree or disagree
The structure of opinion essay consists of four parts:
- Introduction
- Body paragraph 1
- Body paragraph 2
- Conclusion
You must write your answer according to this structure. First of all, write introduction, then body paragraphs, and conclusion is necessary to write in the end of the essay.
In introduction of the essay, you have to write three things. First of all, paraphrase the question. Write your own opinion and sum up major ideas in introduction of opinion essay.
If I talk about the body paragraph 1, write topic sentence. After it, mention supporting sentences in your body paragraph 1 for topic sentence and include at least 1 example where necessary.
Turning to body paragraph 2, as like body paragraph 1, write topic sentence. Then, provide supporting sentences for topic sentence and finally write an example in body paragraph 2.
In case of conclusion for opinion essay, conclude all above mentioned information in the quantity of one third or one fourth. Write main features and opinion in the conclusion. If you face doubt about word limit, you can write some of the more ideas to cross the minimum limit.
A sample, how to write an opinion essay, is given below to guide you more about that specific topic.
Opinion essay sample
| You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Some people believe that violence on television and in computer games has a damaging effect on the society. Others deny that these factors have any significant influence on people’s behavior. What is your opinion? Write at least 250 words. |
Sample answer:
Nowadays, violence is increasing in media. But, some of the people believe that this trend will be very dangerous in coming years while other argue that it is not harmful for our society. I believe that this trend is not wounding in most of the cases.
As it is the rule of nature that every action has a reason but it does not mean that a person can get spoiled by watching television or playing computer games. Because, an individual can harm society when he is not educated or disciplined. The main reason is character, if he is good in character and well educated, he cannot harm anybody. Watching television or playing games is just an entertainment. It does not affect people. Fictional stories just reflect our society and the nature of people that how they live there and how they deal with each other. But it does not mean all are same as described in the stories, few cases can be possible.
Furthermore, I believe that most of the positive perspectives are also there. By media, people will get to know about modern trends. By playing computer games, those who are furious they can vent their anger in games by defeating opposite cartoon. It reduces the violence in society as well as makes good personality.
To sum up the whole discussion, I would say violence in media does not have any specific influence on behavior of people. Television and computer are not responsible for the behavior of people, even it can reduce the violence by playing video games or watching fictional stories.
Word count: 263
Advantages and disadvantages essay structure
Three types of questions are also asked in this type of essay:
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of …?
- Do you think advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your opinion.
As like other IELTS writing task 2 essay structure, the components are divided into four parts in advantages and disadvantages essay structure,
- Introduction
- Body paragraph 1
- Body paragraph 2
- Conclusion
Write your essay according to prescribed structure. In introduction, paraphrase the question statement first and sum up main ideas of the question.
In body paragraph 1, write two advantages. After it, explain first advantage and then second one. It is also good to add an example in the end of the body paragraph.
Turning to body paragraph 2, mention two disadvantages. Explain first and second disadvantage in a sequence. Add an example in the last of body paragraph 2.
In case of conclusion, you have to summarize main points in this passage of your essay. If the word count is less than 250, add some more points to meet the required word limit.
A sample, how to write an essay for advantage and disadvantage, is given below. It will help you more to know structure to write an advantages and disadvantages essay.
Advantages and disadvantages essay sample
| You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. A lot of places in the world rely on tourism as a main source of income. Unfortunately, tourism can also be a source of problems if it is not managed correctly. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of tourism in the modern world. Do you think that benefits of tourism outweigh its drawbacks? Write at least 250 words. |
Sample answer:
Nowadays, tourism is one of the main sources of income in many countries, but there are drawbacks too in case of tourism. This essay will provide analysis of advantages and disadvantages of tourism in the world and also give logical conclusion about that.
The two main advantages of developed tourism organization are to increase the economy of country and also create different types of jobs for national individuals. First of all, tourists spend their money for initial needs such as hotels, food, travelling, tour guides, and for medical services. In this way, a lot of local people as well as government get benefits from them. Secondly, it increases the employment because when tourism increases, the number of people to serve them also increases with respect to hotel staff, tour guides, and travel agencies etc.
If I talk about disadvantages of tourism, the main disadvantages are about damaging the ancient sites and increases the chances to illegal economic activities. When tourism increases, different types of people come. It is a chance to damage the sites such as temples, ancient buildings, monuments etc. by this type different types of people. Tourists having valuable things like jewelry and other rare products which attract criminals and result in robbery. It can be decreased by the proper management of hospitality and best usage of tourism revenue.
To sum up the whole discussion, there are positive effects of tourism- new employment and boosting the economy of government as well as tourism industry. But there can be negative effects like destructive impacts increasing the chances of crime rate. I believe that advantages of tourism overweigh its drawbacks.
Word count: 270
Problem and solution essay structure
If I talk about the question type of problem and solution essay, there are some instructions that can be in different manners. Some of them are mentioned below:
- What suggestions would you suggest?
- What are the solutions?
- What can be done to deal with this problem?
- What problem can this cause?
- What can be done about this?
The structure for problem and solution essay also consists of four parts, mentioned below:
- Introduction
- Body paragraph 1
- Body paragraph 2
- Conclusion
You need to paraphrase the question statement and summarize main ideas in introduction of the essay. While in body paragraph 1, first of all mention the problems. Explain first problem and then second problem in your body paragraph 1. It is also necessary to add an example in order to influence an examiner.
In case of body paragraph 2, interrelate it with body paragraph 1. You have to provide solutions of the problems mentioned in body paragraph 1. Explain solution of first problem and then mention solution of the second problem. After explaining solutions, provide example in the last of body paragraph 2.
Turning to conclusion, you have to summarize the major points discussed above in order to end the essay.
A sample, how to write problem and solution essay is given below to guide you more about the structure of problem and solution essay.
Problem and solution sample essay
| You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. In some countries, the average weight of people is increasing, and their levels of health and fitness are decreasing. What do you think are the causes of these problems and what measures could be taken to solve them? Write at least 250 words. |
Sample answer:
Nowadays, the weight of people is increasing while the level of health and fitness is increasing. The main reasons of obesity are the inactivity of your physical body and bad eating habits. It is a global problem in these days. If it remains same, some of the fatal diseases such as heart attack and stroke attacks start in youngsters. I will discuss solutions of one of the most common and dangerous diseases in the following paragraphs.
One of the most common reasons of overweight is using electronic gadgets such as smartphones, laptops and other gadgets hindering them to involve in physical activities. They just like to play indoor games instead of outdoor games. Video games and watching videos are also the main reasons of obesity. Using these things for long hours and not engaging in outdoor activities results in mental sickness and obesity. Working people also do not have time to do outdoor games. Another reason is the habit of eating unhealthy food. They just focus on eating instead of its bad impacts such as health issue.
In order to talk about solutions for this problem, parents need to engage their children to play outdoor games and physical activities. Because, if you perform activities, children will learn from you speedily. We need money, but first preference should be health. Health is the greatest wealth; therefore, it is also important to maintain your health in your working days. Eating healthy food like fruits and vegetables helps a lot to maintain your health.
In a nutshell, obesity is a main problem nowadays that is caused by unhealthy lifestyle. It is important to maintain your health by applying different strategies like eating healthy food, playing outdoor games and physical activities.
Words count: 287
Double questions essay structure
There are two different types of questions with main question statement. To identify the double question essay, you have to,
- Check it that provided statement has two questions
- Check that questions are interlinked with each other or not
The structure of double questions essay is divided into four parts:
- Introduction
- Body paragraph 1
- Body paragraph 1
- Conclusion
In introduction, paraphrase the question statement using different synonyms and write about both of the questions in the introduction of double question essay.
While in body paragraph 1, write answer of the first question. Provide reason and write more explanation in the passage of body paragraph 1. Mention example too in your body paragraph 1.
In case of body paragraph 2, you have to apply the same procedure of body paragraph 1 to justify second question. Mention the answer of the second question in body paragraph 2. Give reason and explain second question. Example is also important to add in body paragraph 2.
In the conclusion of double questions essay, you have to summarize main points.
A sample for double questions essay is given below to tell you more clearly about how to write double questions essay in IELTS writing task 2.
Double questions sample essay
| You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. In many countries, the number of animals and plants is declining. Why do you think this is happening? How can this issue be solved? Write at least 250 words. |
Sample answer:
The decreasing number of animals and plants is one of the main issues in most of the countries in the world. According to my point of view, it is because of human activities. We can solve this issue by adopting some of the initiatives.
It is one of the human issues that the number of animals and plants is declining. One of the main reasons is deforestation. We use wood in many fields, so the rate of deforestation is increasing day by day. With the deforestation, both animals and plants are declining because when we cut trees, the place of animals is also affected. The release of harmful chemicals into rivers and oceans disturbs the marine life leading to marine deaths. Another important reason is human activity of illegal smuggling of plants and forest animals.
Reforestation is very important in order to make our world good for animals as well as for plants. Biodiversity is one of the very useful conversational programs. Reforestation initiative aims to plant trees in deforested areas to make again good place for animals and plants. It is essential to protect the marine areas to protect marine lives.
Decreasing number of animals and plants is one of the critical issues that impact a lot on ecosystem. It needs to take strong actions against it because it is not an issue of one person, it is a global issue. It is our duty to protect plants and animals by taking different initiatives which will be really very useful to increase the number of animal and plant species.
Word count: 260
Discuss both views essay structure
Three types of questions that can be asked in this essay type are given below:
- Discuss both views
- Discuss both views and give your opinion
- Discuss both sides of the argument and give your opinion
In order to know the structure for ‘discuss both views essay’, the components are same like other essays but the content in these components is different. These four components for ‘IELTS writing task 2 discuss in terms of both views essay structure’ are mentioned below with explanation.
- Introduction
- Body paragraph 1
- Body paragraph 2
- Conclusion
If I talk about introduction, you have to write an introduction by paraphrasing the question statement by using different synonyms instead of same words. It is also good to change the word order while paraphrasing the question statement. Secondly, mention both view points in the introduction of your essay.
In body paragraph 1, write about first viewpoint. In this passage, you have to discuss first view point by providing reason and example.
In case of body paragraph 2, you have to write about second viewpoint. First of all, write second viewpoint. Then discuss it in detail. It is necessary to add reason and example.
Turning to the side of conclusion, you just have to sum up the major points that you discussed above in the essay. Always remember, if the word limit is less than 250, you can add more points in the conclusion to meet the requirement.
A sample to learn more in detail about the structure of discuss both views essay is provided below.
Discuss both views sample essay
| You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Modern lifestyles are completely different from the way people lived in the past. Some people think that changes have been very positive, while others believe they have been negative. Discuss both these points of view and give your opinion. Write at least 250 words. |
Sample answer:
There is a remarkable change in lifestyle of the people as compared to ancient time. There are two manners in case of modern lifestyle – positive and negative. In this essay, I will share the positive views of the people and negative views as well along with sharing my own views about modern lifestyle.
In case of positive side, people of past times did not have internet. While in modern life, we have access of internet. We use internet to do a lot of jobs such as we talk live from one corner of the world to other. Another positive impact is technology. With the help of technology, we can travel very fast. There was a time when travel time was in days and months. But now we reach to our destination just in minutes or hours. New and different types of job opportunities are also created too much extent as compared to ancient time when there was just the most common job- the agriculture field.
On the other hand, there are also many disadvantages in modern life. Just like the example of internet, is very useful and requirement of modern age, but if misused, it is very harmful such as hacking, spamming, and a lot of other negative impacts. Same is in the world of technology, people believe on machines rather than human beings. Technology is useful and time saving, but the talent of people is disappearing rapidly.
In short, I believe that positive views are more than negative views. It is true that we face different types of issues like climate change, decreasing animals, plants and natural environment etc., but there are a lot of advantages in modern life.
Word count: 280
Tips for IELTS writing task 2 essay structure
Following tips are very much useful for writing IELTS writing task 2 essays:
- Use cohesive devices such as however, furthermore, in addition to etc. in your essay.
- Use wide range of vocabulary and do not repeat same word again and again.
- Use connectors to separate two terms or points.
- When you write solutions, keep in mind it should be valid and applicable.
- Revise your essay before conclusion.
- Regular practice and feedback help a lot in order to make your essay a masterpiece of writing.
In a nutshell- IELTS writing task 2 essay structure
IELTS writing task 2 is an essay question which has further five types of essays. The main structure of IELTS writing task 2 is same for all kinds of essay, just information is different in each essay. IELTS writing task 2 essay structure is divided into four components: introduction, body paragraph 1, body paragraph 2, and conclusion. All of these four components are specified in each essay to answer the question statement.
All about the structure for IELTS writing task 2 is there to help regarding the case of IELTS writing task 2. Samples will help you a lot about structuring an essay. Tips boost your strategies to perform well in the structure and format of IELTS writing task 2.
