What are the five IELTS Task 2 essay types, and how do you structure each?
The short answer
Every Task 2 question is one of five types, and the type decides what your position has to be. Opinion ("to what extent do you agree") needs your view, stated in the introduction and held. Discussion ("discuss both views and give your opinion") needs both views explained fairly and then your own. Advantages and disadvantages needs both sides, and if the word "outweigh" appears, a verdict on which is heavier. Problem and solution needs causes or problems and then answers that match them. Two-part asks two direct questions and needs a direct answer to each. Misreading the type is the single most common reason a well-written essay scores 6 on Task Response, because the examiner marks whether you answered the question set, not whether you wrote a good essay.
How do you recognise the type from the wording?
| Type | Wording to look for | What you must do |
|---|---|---|
| Opinion | "To what extent do you agree or disagree?" "Do you agree?" "Is this a positive or negative development?" | Give your view, in the introduction, and hold it. |
| Discussion | "Discuss both views and give your own opinion." | Explain each view with a real argument, then give yours. |
| Advantages and disadvantages | "What are the advantages and disadvantages?" or "Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?" | Both sides. With "outweigh", a verdict and the reason for it. |
| Problem and solution | "What problems does this cause and what measures could be taken?" "What are the causes and solutions?" | Problems or causes, then solutions that answer those specific problems. |
| Two-part | Two direct questions: "Why is this? Is it a positive or negative trend?" | Answer each question directly, one paragraph each. |
Read the last sentence first
The instruction is in the final sentence of the prompt and the type is in that sentence. Candidates who plan from the topic sentence write about the topic and miss the instruction, which is the fastest route to a 6 on Task Response.
Opinion: how strongly should you agree?
- Introduction: paraphrase the statement, then state your view plainly. "I largely agree" or "I disagree" is fine; "there are many views on this" is not a position.
- Body 1 and 2: one reason each, extended with an example or consequence. If you partly agree, make the partial agreement the argument, not a hedge: say exactly where you agree and where you do not.
- Conclusion: restate the view in different words. No new ideas.
- The mistake: writing one paragraph for and one against when the question asked for your view. That is a discussion essay, and it reads as no position.
Worked model answer: should university education be free.
Discussion: how do you give both views and still have one?
- Introduction: paraphrase both views and say which you hold. Stating it early does not weaken the discussion; it tells the examiner you read the whole instruction.
- Body 1: the view you do not hold, argued properly, in the third person ("supporters of this view argue").
- Body 2: the view you hold, argued more fully, in the first person where your own opinion enters.
- Conclusion: your view, and in one sentence why it beats the other.
- The mistake: giving the opposing view one dismissive sentence. The descriptor for a fair discussion needs both views developed; a strawman costs Task Response and reads as unable to see the other side.
Advantages and disadvantages: when do you need a verdict?
- Without "outweigh": both sides, developed equally, and a conclusion that summarises. Your opinion is optional.
- With "outweigh": both sides, then a verdict in the introduction and the conclusion. The conclusion must say *why* one side is heavier, not merely that it is. The best essays explain the relationship: one side is fixed while the other can be mitigated, or one affects everyone while the other affects a few.
- The mistake: answering an "outweigh" question with "there are both advantages and disadvantages". The question asked which is greater, and that answer is a 6.
Worked model answer: do the advantages of working from home outweigh the disadvantages.
Problem and solution: how do you keep them matched?
- Introduction: paraphrase, then say in one sentence that the essay will identify the main problems (or causes) and propose measures.
- Body 1: two problems or causes, each with a sentence of explanation. Specific beats general: "traffic in cities" is a topic; "commuting times that leave no hours for family" is a problem.
- Body 2: a solution for each problem, in the same order, with who would do it (government, employers, individuals). Solutions that do not address the problems in body 1 are the classic failure.
- Conclusion: one sentence summary; optionally which measure matters most.
- The mistake: writing three problems and one vague solution ("the government should take action"). The question has two halves and both are marked.
Worked model answer: plastic waste, causes and measures.
Two-part questions: answer both, in order
- Introduction: paraphrase the situation and give a one-clause answer to each question.
- Body 1: the first question, answered directly and developed.
- Body 2: the second question, answered directly and developed.
- Conclusion: both answers in one sentence.
- The mistake: spending the whole essay on the first question because it is easier, and giving the second a sentence. Each unanswered question is marked as a part of the task not addressed.
How do you plan in the first five minutes?
Identify the type from the last sentence
Underline the instruction words. This decides your structure before you think about the topic.
Decide your position, if the type needs one
Pick the side with the stronger arguments, not the one you believe; you are not marked on sincerity.
Write one line per body paragraph: the central idea
If you cannot state a paragraph's idea in one line, it does not have one, and Coherence will show it.
Note one example or consequence per idea
Development is what separates 6 from 7 on Task Response. An idea stated is a 6; an idea extended is a 7.
Only then start writing
Five minutes of planning saves ten minutes of rewriting and is what makes the position consistent from introduction to conclusion.
How each of the four criteria is then scored, with the same paragraph shown at band 6, 7 and 8, is in IELTS band descriptors explained.