WritingGlossary
Writing Task 2
Also written as Task 2
The second Writing task, an essay with a minimum of 250 words. It is the same task type on Academic and General Training. It carries twice the weight of Task 1 in your Writing band.
Guides that use this term
IELTS Writing Task 2: Question Types and How to Approach Each
Task 2 gives you a point of view, an argument or a problem. This guide shows seven question types and what each one asks your essay to do.
Writing
IELTS Writing Task 1: What It Asks and How to Answer It
Task 1 asks for at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. On Academic you describe a graph, chart, table, map or diagram. On General Training you write a letter.
Writing
Checked against ielts.org's Academic and General Training Writing format pages on 8 September 2026.