IELTS Writing Task 2 Structure, With a Full Example Essay

What Task 2 is

Structure earns marks directly in TR and CC, half of the Task 2 score. The official descriptors also set ceilings: leave out a main part of what the question asks and TR cannot go above 5; write without paragraphs and CC cannot go above 5. Vocabulary and grammar take time to build, but structure can change in your very next essay.

The four-paragraph structure

Aim for 260 to 290 words in total. Below 250 there is too little evidence for the higher bands, and writing far more does not raise the score. The descriptors never set a number of paragraphs, but two body paragraphs are the right size for explaining and illustrating two reasons in 40 minutes.

Introduction: two sentences

1. Sentence one paraphrases the question. Change the sentence structure rather than swapping a few synonyms: wording copied from the question is discounted.
2. Sentence two gives your position, or what the essay will do. For an opinion question, say plainly whether you agree or disagree, and preview your two reasons.

With the position in sentence two, the examiner reads both body paragraphs as support for it. Background openers such as Nowadays, with the development of… fit any question, which is exactly why they add nothing. Examples for every question type are in Task 2 introductions and conclusions (Korean).

Body paragraphs: one reason each

Both body paragraphs follow the same order.

The band 6 descriptor for CC warns that "the central topic may not always be clear"; the band 7 descriptor for TR asks for main ideas that are "extended and supported". The topic sentence takes care of the first; the explanation and the example meet the second.

After the example Once you have given an example in an essay, add one sentence saying why it supports your position. Without that sentence, the example floats free of the argument and the paragraph ends on a story.

Conclusion: one or two sentences

Restate the position from your second introduction sentence in new words, and if it helps, fold your two reasons into one clause. No new ideas and no new examples. The band 6 descriptor for TR describes conclusions that "may be unclear, unjustified or repetitive": a conclusion that copies the introduction almost word for word, or one that brings in a reason the body never discussed.

A complete example essay (282 words)

Here is one opinion question answered with this structure. The essay was written to show the structure a band 7 answer has; it has not been officially marked. An essay that agreed would be built the same way.

Question: Some people think that governments should pay the university tuition fees of every student, whatever their family's income. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

The five-minute plan

Type: opinion (agree or disagree)
Position: disagree (not free for all)
Body 1: money goes to families who can pay
  e.g. two students, same course
Body 2: does more if aimed at those in need
  e.g. small town to Seoul, rent
Conclusion: fund according to need

The test centre gives you paper and a pen for notes like these, and they can be in Korean: only what you type on screen is marked.

The essay

There are calls for the state to cover university tuition for all students, rich or poor. I disagree, because paying every student's fees would spend public money on families who do not need it rather than on students who do.

The main problem with a universal scheme is that much of the money would go to families who could easily afford the fees. For these households, free tuition would be a welcome saving rather than a new opportunity, since their children would enrol anyway. Consider two students on the same course: one whose parents are both well-paid professionals, and one whose mother runs a small shop with an unpredictable income. The state would pay both students' fees in full, even though only the second might need help to enrol. In other words, a large part of the budget would be spent without changing who is able to study.

By contrast, support aimed at students from low-income families could tackle the costs that actually keep them out of university. Tuition is only part of the cost; rent, food and transport can be just as hard to pay for. A student from a small town who wins a place at a university in Seoul, for example, may pay almost as much in rent as in tuition. Free tuition alone would leave this problem untouched, whereas a grant that also covered living costs would address it directly. Directing the money to such students would therefore widen access far more than paying everyone's fees.

Overall, I believe tuition should be funded according to need rather than for every student, because public money does the most good when it reaches those who could not study without it.

Word count: introduction 40, body 1 108, body 2 102, conclusion 32, for a total of 282.

Taking the essay apart, sentence by sentence

Introduction (2 sentences, 40 words)

1. There are calls for… Paraphrase. Governments becomes the state, pay … tuition fees becomes cover university tuition, and the sentence gets a new frame. The key move is carrying over the condition at the end of the question, whatever their family's income, as rich or poor: that condition is where the argument lies. (TR, LR)
2. I disagree, because… Position and preview. The first half (families who do not need it) becomes body 1, and the second half (students who do) becomes body 2. (TR, CC)

Body 1 (5 sentences, 108 words): the money goes to families who can pay

1. The main problem with a universal scheme… Topic sentence. Names this paragraph's single reason in its first line. A universal scheme picks up paying every student's fees from the introduction in different words. (CC, LR)
2. For these households… Explanation. For a student who would go to university anyway, free tuition is a discount, not an opportunity. These households points back to families. (TR, CC)
3. Consider two students on the same course… Example. Two hypothetical students instead of an invented statistic; the two whose clauses side by side make the contrast visible at a glance. (TR, GRA)
4. The state would pay both students' fees in full… The point of the example. The same money goes to both students, but only one of them needs it. Even though introduces a concession. (TR, GRA)
5. In other words… Link. Says what the example proves and returns to the position. Without this sentence the paragraph would end on a story. (TR, CC)

Body 2 (5 sentences, 102 words): support aimed at those in need does more

1. By contrast… Topic sentence. Two words tell the reader that this paragraph sets an alternative against body 1. (CC)
2. Tuition is only part of the cost… Explanation. Why removing fees alone falls short. A semicolon joins the two clauses. (TR, GRA)
3. A student from a small town… Example. A scene any candidate in Korea can picture. May keeps it from overclaiming, and win a place (be offered admission) is a precise collocation. (TR, LR)
4. Free tuition alone… The point of the example. This problem points back to the example, and whereas sets the two policies against each other. (CC, GRA)
5. Directing the money to such students… Link. Back to the position. (TR, CC)

Conclusion (1 sentence, 32 words)

Overall, I believe… It restates I disagree as funded according to need, and folds both reasons into a single because clause. Nothing new is added. (TR)

The essay uses only five linking words (By contrast, for example, In other words, therefore, Overall). The rest of the joining is done by reference words such as these households, this problem, such students: the "reference and substitution" named in the band 7 descriptor for CC.

Read the spine In a Task 2 essay, read only the second sentence of the introduction, the first sentence of each body paragraph, and the conclusion. If those alone show your position and both reasons, the essay has a structure.

When the question type changes

The frame stays. What changes is the job of the two body paragraphs and where your position goes. Identify the type from the last sentence of the question and the number of question marks.

If a discussion question ends with and give your own opinion, the opinion is required, and a two-part question needs both questions answered. The traps for each type, with examples, are in Task 2 question types (Korean).

The 40-minute plan

Skip the five-minute plan and you run out of things to say in body 2 and end up rewording body 1, which costs marks in TR and CC at the same time. Protect the five-minute check too: the computer test has no spell check, and spelling is marked under LR. The word count is always on screen.

You can do the two tasks in either order; I recommend Task 2 first, because it is worth twice as much. For how to divide the full 60 minutes, see Writing time and word count (Korean).

Learn a skeleton, not a template

To everyone searching for an "IELTS writing template", the honest answer is: memorise the structure, not the sentences. A prewritten sentence such as This essay will discuss both sides and give my opinion. says nothing about the question and only takes up words. The official descriptors also list memorised phrases and formulaic language as features of low bands. Memorise what each sentence does instead:

Introduction
  1. Paraphrase the question
  2. Position + preview two reasons

Body 1 and Body 2 (same order)
  1. Topic sentence: one reason
  2. Explanation: why
  3. Example: one concrete case
  4. Link: back to the position

Conclusion
  1. Same position, new words
  2. (optional) both reasons, one line

Sentence patterns with blanks (While it is true that ___, ___.) are fine to learn, because filling the blanks is the skill being tested. Where the line falls is covered in Why memorised language costs marks (Korean).

Five mistakes that break the structure

These are the structure problems I correct most often, shown with the question above.

1. The position changes between introduction and conclusion

✗ Introduction: I disagree, because paying every student's fees would waste public money.
✗ Conclusion: In conclusion, free tuition has both advantages and disadvantages, so it depends on the country.

Retreating to neutral at the end means the position is not clear throughout, so TR suffers. Just before you write the conclusion, reread introduction sentence two.

2. Two reasons in one body paragraph

✗ Free tuition costs taxpayers a great deal, and it also lowers the quality of teaching because classes become too large.

Two reasons (the cost to taxpayers, the quality of teaching) in one paragraph means each gets half an explanation. Keep one; if the other is stronger, move it to body 2.

3. An example that does not connect to the claim

✗ Claim: Free tuition for everyone would mainly benefit wealthy families.
✗ Example: For example, my cousin studied in Australia and spent a lot of money.

The example shows that studying abroad is expensive. It does not show that wealthy families benefit. Ask first whether the scene demonstrates the claim, then add the link sentence after it.

4. A new idea in the conclusion

✗ Overall, I disagree with free tuition for all. Universities should also offer more online courses to reduce their costs.

The second sentence is a claim that appears nowhere in the body, so it stays unexplained. Keep only the introduction's position and the body's two reasons.

5. An introduction copied from the question

✗ Some people think that governments should pay the university tuition fees of every student, whatever their family's income. I disagree.

The first 18 words are the question itself. The official descriptors state that "any copied rubric must be discounted", so those 18 words count neither towards your 250 nor as evidence of your English. The on-screen word count, however, does include them: an essay showing 260 may really be under 250. Techniques for rewriting it are in Paraphrasing for IELTS (Korean).

A five-minute final check

1. Do introduction sentence two and the conclusion state the same position, with nothing in the conclusion that the body did not say?
2. Does the first sentence of each body paragraph carry one reason, and are the two different?
3. After every example, is there a sentence that returns to your position?
4. Counting the question marks and the condition at the end of the question, have you answered every part?
5. Is the word count over 250? If your introduction copied part of the question, subtract those words.
6. With the time left, scan spelling, articles, plurals and subject-verb agreement.

For a fuller routine when practising on your own, see Self-editing your writing (Korean).

What to remember

• A two-sentence introduction, two body paragraphs, a one- or two-sentence conclusion. More important than the number is one central idea per paragraph.
• State your position in introduction sentence two and say it again in new words in the conclusion.
• Body paragraphs run topic sentence, explanation, example, link. The link sentence ties the example back to your position.
• When the question type changes, the jobs of the body paragraphs change. Read the last sentence of the question first.
• Memorise what each sentence does, not the sentences.
• Plan for 5 minutes, write for 30, check for 5. With no spell check on screen, protect the check.

What to read next

1. Task 2 question types (Korean): how to spot each type, which decides what your body paragraphs do, and the trap in each.
2. Task 2 introductions and conclusions (Korean): introductions and conclusions with examples for every type.
3. Generating Task 2 ideas, with a bank of 12 topics (Korean): finding two reasons and an example inside the five-minute plan.
4. Using examples in an essay (Korean): four kinds of example to use instead of invented statistics.
5. Linking words and Coherence and Cohesion (Korean): joining sentences with reference words instead of linkers.
6. Complex sentences and the grammar score (Korean): relative and concessive clauses without errors.
7. The four Writing criteria (Korean): where 6 and 7 divide on each criterion. If you are stuck at 6.5, read Writing from 6.5 to 7.0 (Korean) first.