Writing Task 2 – Getting Ready to Write
In this unit you will practise understanding the task, planning and organising your ideas, improving your Task Response score, and writing an introduction.
Understanding the task
Writing Task 2 consists of:
- one or two statements on a topic, OR a direct quotation giving someone's opinion on a topic
- a specific task or question for you to answer
- the types of idea you need to include in your answer.
The words below appear again and again in Task 2 instructions. Knowing exactly what each one asks you to do is the first step to writing a relevant answer.
Practice 1.1
The words and phrases 1-8 are often used in Writing Task 2. Match them with their correct meanings A-H.
to what extent
positive trend
a factor
an approach
to regard
to outline
to discuss
relevant
Different statements ask you to do different things. Reading the statement carefully helps you choose the right kind of answer and the right essay structure.
Practice 1.2
Read statements 1-6 carefully and make sure that you understand them. Then match the statements to questions A-E.
You may use any letter more than once.
Children have to be educated, but they also have to be allowed to learn things for themselves.
'Advertisements spoil our enjoyment of today's entertainment.' 'I think the adverts are often more enjoyable than the programmes they interrupt.'
The world would be a happier place if we all enjoyed our work.
Computers allow us to stay connected with each other. However, they also encourage people not to go out and socialise.
Some countries reduce inner-city traffic by increasing public transport. Others impose a tax on people who drive in the city.
Nowadays, more people are travelling to remote places, spreading their own language and culture as a result.
Planning and organising your ideas
Before you begin to write, it's important to make a plan. If you don't do this, your ideas will be disorganised and you will lose marks.
Step 1: decide on your own position or attitude
2.1Look at the statements from 1.2 again.
- For statements 1, 3 and 6, decide how much you agree.
- For the statements in 2, 4 and 5, decide which one you agree with.
- For each of the statements in 1.2, explain why you agree or disagree. Then give your own opinion on the topic.
2.2Study the following Writing Task 2 question.
The internet allows us to stay connected with each other no matter where we are. On the other hand, it also isolates us and encourages people not to socialise.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
The final part of the question is very important. It tells you what you must include in your answer.
You must include
- your own opinion about the statements.
- the reasons for your opinion.
You can include
- examples from your own personal experience. BUT these must be relevant to the question.
2.3Look at the question in 2.2 again.
- Decide on your own point of view.
- Think about your own personal experience of this topic. Make notes.
Test Tip The score you get for Writing Task 2 is two thirds of your total writing score, so it is very important that you spend a full 40 minutes on this part of the IELTS Writing paper. You are given more time than for Writing Task 1 because you need to write 250 words, and also because you have to use your own ideas. Spend at least four or five minutes planning your ideas before you start writing.
Step 2: note down any ideas about the topic
The examiner will mark your Writing Task 2 based on specific criteria. One of these is Task Response. To achieve a good Task Response score, you must:
- explain your own opinions on the topic
- support your opinions (e.g. with personal examples or your knowledge of the world)
- include only relevant ideas
- write 250 words.
Practice 2.4
Cross out four ideas that are not relevant
You will lose marks if you include ideas that are not relevant to the question. Look at these ideas that a candidate noted to answer the question in 2.2. Cross out four ideas that are not relevant to the task and should not be included.
2.5Check your answers, then look back at your own ideas from 2.3. Are there any you need to cross out?
Study TipArticles that contain opinions can help give you ideas to use in the Writing tasks. The letters page of a newspaper usually contains people's personal opinions about different topics. Read them and decide whether you agree or disagree. Decide what your own opinion is.
Step 3: organise your ideas into paragraphs
It is important to produce a balanced answer that looks at both sides of the question equally. It is also important to organise your ideas into separate paragraphs.
Practice 2.6
Sort the remaining ideas from 2.4 into the correct paragraph
Decide which of the remaining ideas from 2.4 can be put together into the same paragraph. Put each idea into the correct box.
For: the internet helps us to stay connected
Against: the internet isolates us
1Instant communication (e.g. emails/text messages) means that it is difficult to escape from work.
4A friend of mine uses a social-networking site a great deal but we rarely see her.
5Virtual friends made on the internet cannot be compared to our actual friends and family.
7My cousin travelled for a year but kept in touch with his family every day.
9Through the internet, we can share memories with people who are far away.
Test Tip Your answer will also be marked on coherence (are your ideas clearly linked?). You need to make sure your ideas are organised into separate paragraphs. To help group your ideas together logically, make notes under different headings that show both sides of the discussion. These can then form the middle paragraphs of your answer.
Step 4: check that you have enough ideas
If you do not have enough ideas for both sides of the question, then your ideas will not be fully developed.
Practice 2.7
Which side of the argument do we need to add more to?
Practice 2.8
Which of the following ideas would be best to add?
Getting started – writing an introduction
A clear introduction restates the question in your own words and signals what your answer will cover.
Once you have your ideas planned out, you can begin to write. Your answer must be clearly developed, and so it needs a clear start. The best way to start is by restating the question in your own words.
Practice 3.1
Match introductory sentences A-D to the Writing Task 2 statements 1-6 from 1.2.
Two of the statements have no matching introduction — leave those blank.
Children have to be educated, but they also have to be allowed to learn things for themselves.
'Advertisements spoil our enjoyment of today's entertainment.' 'I think the adverts are often more enjoyable than the programmes they interrupt.'
The world would be a happier place if we all enjoyed our work.
Computers allow us to stay connected with each other. However, they also encourage people not to go out and socialise.
Some countries reduce inner-city traffic by increasing public transport. Others impose a tax on people who drive in the city.
Nowadays, more people are travelling to remote places, spreading their own language and culture as a result.
3.2In this introduction for the Writing Task in 2.2, too many words have been copied from the question. Improve it by replacing the underlined phrases. Use the words from the box.
The internet is a wonderful tool that helps us to [1] stay connected with each other [2] no matter where we are. [3] On the other hand, some websites [4] encourage us not to socialise.
Practice 3.2
Match each underlined phrase 1-4 to the best replacement from the word box A-F.
Two words in the box are not needed.
stay connected with each other
no matter where we are
On the other hand
encourage us not to socialise
Test Tip You will lose marks if you copy words from the question. Make sure to paraphrase the ideas.
Once you have restated the question, the rest of your introduction could:
- give your interpretation of the words or ideas used in the question
- explain what you intend to write about
- give a brief reaction to the question
- summarise the question or topic through a new question.
Practice 3.3
What suggestions above (1-4) do sentences A-D relate to? Match each sentence to a suggestion.
A. Does the internet really help us to develop relationships?
B. We need to consider both the benefits and the drawbacks of the internet.
C. I think the word 'tool' is important here. In my view it shows how impersonal this contact is.
D. These statements summarise my own mixed feelings towards the internet.
Practice 3.4
Look at sentences 1-4 below and decide which would make a good final sentence for the introduction.
Study TipDon't learn whole answers and expect to use them in the exam. You will receive a very low score if you do this. Candidates who receive a higher band score in writing are able to show flexible use of language. The more you practise writing and reading, the more flexible your writing will become.