Writing Task 2: essays that reach Band 8+ · IELTS

The five question types

Type	Prompt signals	What you must do	Common structure
Opinion	To what extent do you agree or disagree?	Give a clear position and hold it from the introduction to the conclusion	2 body paragraphs supporting your view, or 1 concession + 2 support
Discussion + opinion	Discuss both views and give your own opinion.	Explain both views fairly and state your own	View A, view B (with your view clear), conclusion
Advantages and disadvantages	Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?	Weigh them and say which is greater, if asked	Weaker side first, stronger side second
Problem / cause and solution / effect	What are the causes? What can be done?	Answer both parts with specific causes and matching solutions	One paragraph per part
Two-part (direct) questions	Two separate questions	Answer each question directly	One paragraph per question

Analyse before you plan

Underline three things: the topic (public transport), the specific issue (making it free), and the instruction (to what extent do you agree). Most Task Response losses come from answering the topic instead of the issue.

The 40-minute routine

Minutes	Job	Output
0–5	Analyse, choose a position, plan	Position, 2 topic sentences, 1 specific example for each
5–9	Introduction	40–60 words: paraphrase the issue and state your position
9–31	Body paragraphs	2 × 100–120 words (or 3 × 80–90)
31–35	Conclusion	30–50 words: restate the position and the reasons behind it
35–40	Check	Position consistency, every part answered, your personal error list, word count

Aim for 270–320 words. Beyond that, length earns nothing and adds errors.

Developing a paragraph to Band 8

Give each body paragraph one central claim and build it:

Point: a topic sentence that makes the claim and ties it to the question.
Explain: the mechanism. Why is it true?
Example: something specific, such as a type of person, a realistic scenario or a policy.
Consequence: what follows, and why it supports your position.

A developed body paragraph

Question: Some people think cities should make public transport free. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

The strongest case for free fares is that they change behaviour at the moment it matters: the decision about how to make a journey. Car owners tend to compare only the immediate cost of a trip, so even a modest fare makes the bus look like the dearer option. Consider a family of four crossing the city at the weekend: four return tickets can easily cost more than fuel and parking, so the car wins by default. Remove the fare and that calculation reverses. The result is not only cheaper travel for the family but fewer cars on the road, which benefits everyone who still has to drive.

One claim (fares shape travel choices), a mechanism (only immediate costs are compared), a specific scenario (a family of four), and a consequence that reaches beyond the individual.

Introductions and conclusions

Introduction: one sentence that paraphrases the issue, and one that gives your position and previews your reasons. No background history and no memorised openers.
Conclusion: restate the position in new words and bring the two reasons together. Add no new ideas.

Criterion-by-criterion upgrades from 6.5 to 8.5

Criterion	Band 6.5 habit	Band 8+ upgrade
Task Response	Three or four reasons, each one or two sentences long	Two ideas, each explained, illustrated and followed to a consequence
Task Response	Position stated only in the conclusion, or softened halfway through	Position in the introduction, reflected in every paragraph and repeated in the conclusion
Coherence and Cohesion	Firstly, Moreover, Furthermore at the start of most sentences	Ideas linked by logic and reference: This shift…, Such costs…, The latter…
Coherence and Cohesion	Paragraphs that mix two claims	One clear central claim per paragraph, stated in its first sentence
Lexical Resource	General words: good, bad, a big problem	Precise collocations: ease congestion, a disproportionate burden, erode public trust
Lexical Resource	Memorised idioms and phrases: a double-edged sword, in this day and age	Topic-specific vocabulary chosen to fit the exact meaning
Grammatical Range and Accuracy	Long complex sentences with errors in them	Varied structures (conditionals, concessive and relative clauses, passives) that are controlled
Grammatical Range and Accuracy	Recurring slips in articles, countability, agreement and comma splices	A personal error list checked in the last 5 minutes

Idea generation in two minutes

If ideas don’t come, run the question through different perspectives: individuals, families, businesses, government, society as a whole, and short term versus long term. Choose the two perspectives that give you the most specific examples, not the two that sound most impressive. Practise with Courselo’s idea banks for the recurring themes: education, technology, environment, health, work, cities, government and society.

Common traps

Quick recap

Identify the type and every part of the question; answer the specific issue, not the topic.
Spend 5 minutes planning: a position, two topic sentences and an example for each.
Develop each paragraph through point, explanation, example and consequence.
Link ideas with logic and reference rather than stacked linkers, and use precise collocations.
Write 270–320 words and keep 5 minutes to check your position and your personal error list.