The 5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Types (And How to Structure Each One)

You can write a beautiful essay and still walk away with Band 6

Plenty of candidates stall at 6 or 6.5 in Writing with better English than that. Often the problem is not grammar or vocabulary — they answered a slightly different question from the one on the paper.

Task 2 asks one of five question types, and each demands a specific number of things. Give a balanced discussion when the question wanted a verdict, or cover one view when it named two, and you are marked down under Task Response — the criterion polished English cannot repair. For the sentence-level mechanics underneath the plans below, see how to structure a Band 7 Task 2 essay.

Why the wrong structure caps your band before you write a word

Task Response is 25% of your Task 2 score — and Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1 in your reported Writing band. The May 2023 descriptors ask, at Band 7, that "the main parts of the prompt are appropriately addressed" and that "a clear and developed position is presented"; at Band 5 they are "incompletely addressed", and structure is what moves you between them. Nothing is capped mechanically — the examiner rates the whole response — but a 7 for coherence, vocabulary and grammar next to a 5 for Task Response averages 6.5 on that task, and no column exists where good English pays for a misread prompt. How IELTS scoring actually works has the roll-up.

The 60-second rule: identify the type before you plan

Every prompt has a topic statement — a sentence or two about the world — and an instruction line, the last sentence or two telling you what to do. Only the instruction line names the type. Underline it and count the deliverables: the separate things you must produce. That count, not a memorised template, decides your essay — and finding it costs a minute.

The frame is identical for all five types — 40 minutes, a 250-word minimum (aim for 260–290), four paragraphs, and the routine in how to plan and write a Band 7+ essay. Only the contents of those paragraphs change.

The trigger-word decision tree

Stop at the first match.

• Asks whether you agree or disagree, or what your opinion is → Opinion (Type 1). Check this first: "measures", "steps" and "problems" also appear inside agree/disagree lines, so hunting keywords alone sends you to the wrong essay.
• Says "discuss both view(s)", "discuss both these views" or "discuss both sides" → Discussion (Type 2)
• Contains "outweigh" → Advantages and disadvantages, judgement variant (Type 3b)
• Says "advantages and disadvantages" or "benefits and drawbacks" with no "outweigh" → balanced variant (Type 3a)
• Asks a direct question about origins or remedies — "What are the causes?", "What measures could be taken?" → Problem and solution (Type 4)
• Asks for two different jobs, typically a "why" plus a judgement or prediction → Two-part (Type 5)

Type 1 — Opinion essay (agree or disagree)

The instruction line asks only for your view: "To what extent do you agree or disagree?", "What is your opinion?" One deliverable — your position, supported.

• Introduction: paraphrase the statement, then state your position.
• Body 1: your first reason, with an explanation and one concrete example.
• Body 2: your second reason, same treatment. (Partly agreeing? Body 1 is what you accept, body 2 what you reject.)
• Conclusion: restate the same position. No new arguments.

The failure that costs the most: no sustained position

Fence-sitting — "there are arguments on both sides and it depends" — leaves the examiner no position to reward. So does arguing one way for 250 words and hedging in the conclusion: Band 7 asks for "a clear and developed position", and a stance you walk back is neither.

Some people believe unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programmes. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Thesis: I strongly agree that community service should be compulsory, because it teaches practical skills the classroom cannot and strengthens students' ties to their local area.

Type 2 — Discussion essay (discuss both views and give your opinion)

"Discuss both views and give your own opinion." Count the deliverables: three, not two — view A, view B, and your view.

• Introduction: paraphrase both views, then state your own opinion.
• Body 1: the view you find less convincing, presented fairly.
• Body 2: the view you support, presented more fully.
• Conclusion: restate your opinion.

Putting your own side second is the more common choice, though leading with it is not penalised. Either way the third deliverable gets no paragraph of its own — it lives in the introduction and conclusion.

The failure that costs the most: never giving your own opinion

A very common one: a neat, balanced essay covering both views that never says what the writer thinks. One of three deliverables is missing, the prompt is "incompletely addressed", and you are in Band 5 territory. Arguing only your own side costs the same.

Some people think children should begin formal education very early; others believe they should not start school until at least seven. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Thesis: While early enrolment can accelerate literacy, I believe children benefit more from beginning formal schooling at around six, when they are developmentally ready to concentrate for a full day.

Type 3 — Advantages and disadvantages

Both variants mention advantages and disadvantages, so most people stop reading there. These are two different essays:

• "Discuss the advantages and disadvantages" — balanced coverage, no verdict. Two deliverables: intro naming both sides → advantages → disadvantages → conclusion summarising both.
• "Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?" — three deliverables: advantages, disadvantages, verdict. Intro ending in the verdict → the weaker side, briefly → the stronger side, developed → conclusion restating it. As in Type 2, the third deliverable rides in the introduction and conclusion.

"Outweigh" means greater in importance, not greater in number: one decisive advantage can outweigh three minor drawbacks, and saying so beats counting.

The failure that costs the most: listing when you were asked to judge

A tidy two-sided list with no verdict leaves you with no position at all. The second failure is proportion: wildly uneven coverage of the two sides.

More and more people are choosing to work remotely rather than commuting to an office. Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

Thesis: Although remote work can weaken team cohesion, its advantages — greater autonomy and the elimination of the daily commute — clearly outweigh this drawback.

Type 4 — Problem and solution (causes and solutions)

"What are the causes of this problem?" is not "What problems does this cause?" Two deliverables either way, but which two depends on the wording:

• Causes + solutions: explain why the situation arose, then propose remedies. Solutions need not map one-to-one; one good measure can address several causes.
• Problems + solutions: name the consequences, then solve them. Here the mapping matters — each solution must visibly answer a problem you named.

Signal both halves in the introduction, give body 1 to one cause (or problem) explained through its mechanism rather than asserted, and give body 2 to the solution, with who does it and why it works. Two causes plus two solutions rarely fit 260–290 words without going thin, and Band 7 rewards main ideas that are "extended and supported", not counted.

The failure that costs the most: generic solutions with no mechanism

"The government should raise awareness and take action" is not a solution; it is a sentence shape.

Weak: Governments should do more to reduce traffic and educate people about the environment.

Strong: A congestion charge on vehicles entering the city centre during charging hours, as London operates, both funds public transport and prices the least necessary journeys off the road.

It names the measure, the actor and the mechanism.

Type 5 — Two-part (direct question) essay

Two question marks are a signal, not the test: problem-and-solution prompts are often punctuated as two questions too, and some genuine two-part prompts carry one question mark plus an imperative. The real test is whether you are asked for two different jobs — usually a "why" plus a judgement or prediction. Two questions serving one job ("What problems does this cause? What can be done?") are Type 4.

One body paragraph per question. Do not merge them, and do not invent a third.

• Introduction: paraphrase, then answer both questions in a sentence or two.
• Bodies 1 and 2: one full answer each, with a reason and an example, developed to the same length.
• Conclusion: both answers restated.

The failure that costs the most: the second question left unanswered

Three paragraphs on question one and a single hedged sentence on question two. It is a mechanical failure and the easiest to avoid: check your word split before you write the conclusion.

Many people now buy their groceries online rather than in supermarkets. Why is this happening? Is this a positive or a negative development?

Thesis: Online grocery shopping has grown mainly because it saves time for households where both adults work, and on balance I consider it a positive development, despite the pressure it puts on small retailers.

What if the question mixes two types?

Hybrids exist: an opinion question with a second sub-question attached, or a problem-and-solution prompt that also asks whether the change is positive. Do not force one into a memorised template. Count the deliverables, then make sure each is visibly delivered somewhere — a third one usually lives in the introduction and conclusion rather than in its own paragraph, exactly as in Types 2 and 3b. The five types are patterns for common cases, not a closed list.

Frequently asked questions

Are the essay types the same for Academic and General Training?

Near-identical. Same task, same 40 minutes, same 250-word minimum, same band descriptors — but General Training topics are more everyday and the register can be slightly less formal, where Academic expects a semi-formal tone. Task 1 is what really differs — a chart or diagram for Academic, a letter for General Training — as the complete Academic Task 1 guide shows.

Do I always have to give my own opinion?

No. Opinion, discussion and "outweigh" questions require one. Balanced advantages/disadvantages and problem/solution questions do not, and an unrequested opinion there wastes words. Two-part questions require one only if one of the questions asks for it.

Can I memorise one structure, or a ready-made introduction?

A four-paragraph shape is universal, and an introduction skeleton — paraphrase, then thesis — is fine. Memorised sentences are not: examiners are trained to spot learned language and discount it when they rate you, and a response judged wholly memorised can be reported as zero. Words copied straight from the prompt are also not counted towards the 250-word minimum.

Quick Summary

• Five question types, and the instruction line — not the topic statement — tells you which you have. Underline it in the first minute.
• Check for agree/disagree wording before you react to keywords like "measures" or "problems", which appear inside opinion prompts too.
• The wrong structure is a Task Response penalty: 7/7/7 with Task Response 5 averages 6.5 on that task, and no vocabulary work buys it back.
• The costliest misreadings are "outweigh" (a verdict, not a list) and "causes" versus "problems" (origins, not consequences).
• Count the deliverables and deliver each visibly — a third one usually lives in the introduction and conclusion, not a third paragraph.
• Academic and General Training share the task and the five types; GT topics are just more everyday, the register slightly less formal.