How to Structure IELTS Writing Task 2 for a Band 7+

Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1 to your Writing score. You write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes source: ielts.org.

General Training has the same Task 2 length and time source: ielts.org. The word counter checks a draft against the 250-word minimum.

Examiners mark Task 2 on four criteria: task response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource and grammatical range and accuracy. The criteria are weighted equally, and the task score is their average source: ielts.org.

So each criterion is a quarter of your Task 2 score. A clear structure helps two of them directly: coherence and cohesion, and task response.

A four-paragraph plan

In the introduction, paraphrase the input language, the words from the question source: IDP.

Changing one word of the question for a synonym is not a paraphrase.

A position stated at the start, and never contradicted later, is worth more than any clever opening. How IELTS Writing Is Marked covers how the four criteria fit together.

The plan on a real prompt

A smoking ban in public places is one of IELTS's own example topics for General Training Task 2 source: ielts.org.

The sentences below were written for this page, to show what each paragraph is for. The body paragraphs show only their opening sentence. This is not a marked answer, and no band is claimed for it.

Some people believe that smoking should be banned in all public places. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

In many countries, the rules on where people may smoke have become stricter, and some people now want smoking banned in every shared space.^{note 1} This essay will argue that a complete ban is justified, mainly to protect people who do not smoke.^{note 2}

The clearest argument for a ban is that the harm is not limited to the person who chooses to smoke.^{note 3}

A ban also changes behaviour in a way that health campaigns have found difficult.^{note 4}

Public smoking bans are therefore justified, above all as a protection for people who never chose the risk.^{note 5}

1. In the descriptors, any "copied rubric must be discounted" source: ielts.org. Copied rubric means wording copied from the task, and discounted means it is not counted. This sentence keeps the idea of the question and reuses only its topic words, "smoking" and "banned". The rest is new.
2. At band 4, the reader "has to read carefully to find it". At band 7, "a clear and developed position is presented" source: ielts.org. Here the position comes in the second sentence of the essay.
3. You can extend an idea with an explanation, an example, a consequence or a concession source: IDP. A concession accepts one point on the other side. This opening sentence names one idea only, and the rest of the paragraph would extend it.
4. The second body paragraph brings a different idea, so the essay develops two ideas rather than listing many.
5. A conclusion reviews your position and your main points, and can end with a final thought or suggestion source: IDP. This one repeats the position in new words.

There is no third body paragraph in this plan, and no list of five reasons. Two developed ideas in 40 minutes is a realistic target, and development is what the examiner is reading for.

How the plan changes with the question

What goes inside the four paragraphs depends on the instruction. Misreading it can cost you marks, even if your grammar and vocabulary are good source: IDP.

Opinion, discussion and multi-part questions each ask for something different. Our guide to Task 2 question types shows each type and what the answer needs.

The four-paragraph plan works for Academic and General Training alike.

Stay on the exact topic

If the topic is a particular aspect of a wider topic, focus on that aspect only. Do not write about the wider topic in general source: ielts.org.

Your examples can come from your own experience, as the first question below shows.

General Training Task 2 uses a topic of general interest source: ielts.org.

The band 6 problem: ideas that are not developed

At band 6, some main ideas "may be insufficiently developed" source: ielts.org.

In practice, that often means naming three or four points and explaining none of them. One idea for each body paragraph, explained and supported with an example, does more.

Take two versions of one paragraph about free public transport. The weaker one has no topic sentence and gives cost, fairness and crowded transport one sentence each. The stronger one takes cost alone and extends it with a concession, an explanation, a consequence and an example source: IDP.

The two paragraphs are about the same length. Only the second one develops its idea. Both are in the IDP article linked at the end of this page. Our task response guide shows the same difference in a short example.

If Writing is the section that holds you back, our Writing improvement plan shows where to start.

How long should the essay be?

You must write at least 250 words. You are not penalised for writing more than 250 source: ielts.org.

So if you have been told that 350 words will cost you marks, that is wrong.

With a very long answer, you may have no time left to check and correct it. Some of your ideas may not be directly relevant to the question source: ielts.org.

If your answer is too short, there may not be enough evidence of your language to award a higher band source: ielts.org.

So writing less than 250 words is the bigger risk. IELTS publishes no fixed penalty for an answer that is short of 250 words. The risk is that a short essay shows too little of your English.

The other rules on form are in our task response guide: write connected text, stay on the topic and write your own essay.

The word counts, timings, weighting and length rules come from the Academic and General Training Writing format pages on ielts.org, the equal weighting of the criteria from IELTS scoring in detail, and the band wording from the public Writing band descriptors. The sample responses with band scores are on the British Council's Academic Writing practice page. The paraphrasing advice and the paragraph comparison come from IDP's article on Task 2 essay types. Descriptors updated May 2023. Last checked on 27 September 2026, and the topic wording on 15 October 2026. The example sentences were written for this page and are not from any test.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use examples from my own experience?

Yes. Your examples can come from your own experience, if they are relevant source: ielts.org.

How many paragraphs should Task 2 have?

Four is a reliable answer: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. The number is not a rule, so five is fine if you really have a third idea you can develop. What does not work is a paragraph you have nothing to put in.

Is there an official sample answer I can read?

Yes. The British Council publishes responses to a sample Academic Task 2, with band scores and examiner comments source: British Council. Reading marked responses shows you what examiners reward. A template cannot.

Is there a list of Task 2 topics?

General Training gives three example topics, such as whether smoking should be banned in public places source: ielts.org. The Academic page gives none, and no page we read gives a full list.