Types of Tests in IELTS Writing Task 2
IELTS Writing Task 2 is the part that makes IELTS test takers spend a lot of time and effort practicing, but it is also a skill that makes many of you bored.
Many of you are entirely disoriented when learning this skill; some do not know where to start and how to learn. In addition, most IELTS test takers find it too challenging to learn this skill independently. Therefore, to practice IELTS Writing task 2, you should start with the first step to identify the types of tests in IELTS Writing Task 2!
I. Introduction to IELTS Writing Task 2
In the writing test, Writing task 2 takes ⅔ of the score as well as the time to do the test. Therefore, the level is rated as difficult task 1 with more complex requirements.
1. General requirements
The article has a minimum length of 250 words.
Task 2 questions from many areas such as life, education, health, environment, etc. These topics often receive the attention of many people.
2. Scoring Criteria
There are four factors to score IELTS Writing task 2:
- Task achievement: correctly complete the article requirements. Candidates need to answer all the essentials, give reasonable opinions, and thoroughly explain and have real examples to support their views. Articles are highly appreciated for having good ideas and being logical and correct when presenting their opinions.
- Coherence and Cohesion: coherence and coherence. A good IELTS essay must have a connection of ideas and fluency. The structure of Writing IELTS task 2 must have an introduction, body, and conclusion, reasonable division of each paragraph, and proper focus to avoid rambling. When looking for examples or explanations, there must be a connection. Besides, the article requires candidates to use diverse vocabulary, synonyms, and antonyms to avoid repeating words in the sentence.
- Lexical Resource: IELTS writing vocabulary on a variety of topics, especially synonyms used in a coherent and reasonable manner, is a highly appreciated factor when doing task 2.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Grammar must be used correctly if it is not easy to lead to misunderstandings. A good article must have correct and varied grammar, a simple compound sentence or a passive sentence, and the sentence structure should be changed to suit the semantics you want to express in the article. Also, spelling mistakes are easy to make. You need to pay attention to avoid this basic mistake.
3. Post layout
An IELTS task 2 essay consists of four essential parts:
Introduction: open the article.
Body
- Main Body Paragraph 1: Body 1.
- Main Body Paragraph 2: Body Paragraph 2.
Conclusion: conclude the lesson.
The function of each section is to state an opinion, explain and give real examples to prove the point of view most appropriately. Connecting words or other words used to connect sentences and ideas is significant to help the paragraph’s coherence, combining the meaning of the whole article. The general structure is straightforward, but it takes practice on many different writing topics to reach fluency when doing Writing task 2.
II. Types of Tests in IELTS Writing Task 2
Summary of the types of Writing task 2 IELTS includes the following five main types:
1. Argumentative/Opinion/Agree Or Disagree
For the opinion form, the question is that the candidate must give his or her personal opinion on the idea mentioned in the question. Make sure your opinion is stated and explain your opinion in the body of the essay.
The telltale signs are that the question words often appear as:
What is your opinion?
Do you agree or disagree?
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Example: The growing number of overweight people is putting a strain on the health care system in an effort to deal with the health issues involved. Some people think that the best way to deal with this problem is to introduce more physical education lessons in the school curriculum. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
2. Discussion format (Discuss both views)
How to write Writing Task 2 for the type of article with 2 points of view on 1 issue, you must state your opinion on these 2 points of view. Each view must be of equal length. If the topic requires a personal opinion, it is not necessary to separate a paragraph but only need to integrate it into the introduction or conclusion.
Recognizing signs:
Discuss both points of view and give your opinion.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Example: Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good members of the society. Others, however, believe that school is the place to learn this.
3. Causes/ Effects/ Solutions
This topic requires the writer to point out the cause and give a solution to a certain problem. One of the body paragraphs is about the cause, and the other is the solution.
Recognizing signs:
Problem and solution.
Cause and solution.
Example: The internet has transformed the way information is shared and consumed, but it has also created problems that did not exist before. What are the most serious problems associated with the internet and what solutions can you suggest?
4. Type of Advantage And Disadvantage
Advantage and Disadvantage is a very easy to recognize and layout card format—one body paragraph for Advantage and the other for Disadvantage.
Recognizing signs:
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own opinion.
What are the advantages and disadvantages…?
Example: The development of tourism contributes to English becoming the most prominent language in the world. Some people think this will lead to English becoming the only language to be spoken globally. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having one language in the world?
5. Two-Part Question Essay
In IELTS Writing task 2, this type of question is relatively simple. The test will have two questions and ask candidates to answer each question. Also, give reasons and examples to support your answer. The answer to each question is each body paragraph.
Recognizing signs:
One introductory sentence and two follow-up questions.
Example: In education and employment, some people work harder than others. Why do some people work harder? Is it always a good thing to work hard?
IELTS Writing Task 2: Format Advantages And Disadvantages
IELTS Writing Task 2: Agreement Or Disagreement
IELTS Writing Task 2: 4. Causes/ Effects/ Solutions
IELTS Writing Task 2: Discussing Both View And Giving Your Opinion
III. How To Do IELTS Writing Task 2
1. Analyze the topic
Read the requirements carefully to analyze the following elements in the topic:
Keyword: keyword in the title.
Micro-keyword: the minor keyword in the title.
Instruction word: the request keyword, the instruction of the subject.
2. Make an outline
To write a complete, well-thought-out, and well-connected essay, candidates should make an outline before proceeding with the essay. This way of writing Writing task 2 helps you save time and significantly reduce the number of mistakes made because you already have enough ideas in the outline; you just need to deploy them to complete the article. From there, you can focus on vocabulary and sentence structure for your essay.
3. Writing introduction
The introduction always has two elements: Background Sentence and Thesis Statement.
Background Sentence is the sentence that introduces the topic of the article. Candidates will paraphrase the topic by changing vocabulary or grammatical structure.
The thesis Statement is the answer to the question in the title or gives information that signals the content of the article. This second sentence usually goes straight to the point with phrases that often appear, such as: In my opinion, I believe that, In my view, etc.
4. Write the body of the essay
Two paragraphs in the body of the essay include the following ideas:
Topic sentence: topic sentence.
Explanation: explain the problem.
Example: demonstrated example.
5. Conclusion
The conclusion of the essay is to repeat the answer to the question of the topic. Do not give out information that the subject does not ask for. Phrases that often appear in the conclusion of an essay such as: In conclusion/In conclusion/To sum up/All in all/In a nutshell/…