ENGLISH BARRIER BREAKER
Academic Writing Task 2
If you're struggling with the IELTS writing task 2, I've got your back. I've been teaching IELTS for over 5 years, and I know exactly what the examiners are looking for.
Below, I have organized some of the most important information that you will need to start preparing for the exam.
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Free Resources & Study Materials
Task 2 Practice Questions (& model Answers)
Task 2 Skill Training
Vocabulary
Grammatical Structures
Free Resources & Study Materials
Task 1 Practice Questions (& model Answers)
Task 1 Skill Training
Task 1 Vocabulary
Task 1 Grammatical Structures
Key Information About The IELTS Task 2:
What You Need To Know...
The IELTS task 2 is an opinionated essay
This is different from task 1, which is a report based on a graphic. In Task 2, you will need to express your opinion in an academic essay format.
You need to write 250 words
You need to write at least 250 words. While you can write much more than that, you should practice writing less than 350 words because it will waste time and increase your odds of sounding repetitive or writing meaningless sentences.
You are graded on 4 criteria
1. Task response:
This refers to your essay being relevant to the question provided. You must address the question(s) fully and stay focused on it.​​
2. Coherence and cohesion:
This refers to how your ideas are structured and if they are easy to understand. You should use cohesive devices (linking words and phrases) to connect ideas, and they must be coherent (understandable).​
3. Lexical resource:
This refers to your vocabulary. You should use a variety of uncommon vocabulary, and they should be used appropriately and not sound strange.​
4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy:
This refers to your grammar ability. You will not be tested on grammar in the IELTS, but you will be assessed (and scored) on your use of grammatical structures, and on whether you can use them appropriately and without mistakes.
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View the official IELTS Scorecard here.
The writing Task 2 accounts for more of your writing score than Task one
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IELTS Task 1 = 1/3 of your writing score.
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IELTS Task 2 = 2/3 of your writing score.
What Kind Of Questions Are Asked?
There are 5 types of questions that you may recieve:
How Should I Structure My Essay?
This is a universal structure that works for all question types. The only thing that you would change is that your main bodies will be slightly different for problem & solution, advantage & disadvantage, and two-part questions:
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For problem & solution questions, the first paragraph would be dedicated to the problems and the second to the solutions.
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For advantage & disadvantage questions, one paragraph would be about the advantages, and one would be about the disadvantages
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For two-part questions, one paragraph would be dedicated to each question.
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I recommend using this structure at first until it feels natural, and then you can begin developing your own style.
Do I Need To Outline Before I start Writing My Essay?
Before you begin writing, it is best to spend at least 3 minutes outlining and/or brainstorming. This is an essential step and will help you write more clearly and quickly. An essay that was not brainstormed or outlined before it was written is very likely to be of poor quality.
