How to Get a High Band Score for General Writing Task Two

How to Write an IELTS General Essay – Task 2

🤔1) Determine your opinion on the topic

Usually, IELTS essay is one of the following types:

Giving your opinion
Agree/disagree
Suggesting a solution
Pros and cons
Depending on the topic, decide what is your opinion on it and why. Have a clear position, don’t hesitate between two opinions! Then find examples you will use for this task. You should spend a few minutes on planning.

2) Write an answer using the following structure:

Introduction

Paraphrase the topic and briefly give your opinion.

Body

Develop your point, giving reasons and supporting them with appropriate examples. Write at least 2 and no more than 5 paragraphs.

Conclusion

Sum up what you have written and give your final thoughts on the problem. They should not differ from those in the introduction.

Note that this description is very general. To learn more specific answering strategies, look at the different question types.

3) Style your essay

Use various words and structures, linking devices and avoid repetition.

Use some words from academic word list .

Do not use informal style and avoid irrelevant information, you will receive less points for your work.

Also, don’t forget to write at least 250 words, writing less will affect your mark negatively. You should aim at 260-280 words. You won’t get more points for a longer essay.

Other things that might affect your mark:

Fluency: if your handwriting is not illegible for the examiner and he/she can’t read it properly, you are likely to lose points.
Unoriginal answer: if you learnt a topic by heart and wrote it, you might get a low score for your essay. IELTS examiner assesses only your own thoughts and opinions.
Limited answer: if you only answer half of the question and don’t expand your opinion, you will not get more than a band score 5 for the task.