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

Writing Task 2 asks you to produce a 250-word discursive essay in about 40 minutes. Examiners score it against four criteria: task response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. Each is worth a quarter of your Task 2 band.

A dependable four-paragraph structure

A dependable structure is four paragraphs: an introduction that paraphrases the question and states your position, two body paragraphs that each develop one main idea with an example, and a short conclusion that restates your position. Structure is free marks, because it feeds the coherence criterion directly.

The band 6 trap: under-developed ideas

The most common band 6 trap is under-developed ideas: naming three or four points but explaining none of them. One well-extended idea per body paragraph, pushed through explanation and example, scores higher than a list of unsupported claims.

Practice with real prompts under timed conditions, and get your essays assessed against the official criteria rather than by feel. Compass IELTS gives you structured practice and band estimates so you know exactly what to fix next.