IELTS Writing Task 2: The 5 Question Types and How to Answer Each (2026)

Task 2 is where the writing band is won or lost. It carries twice the weight of Task 1, asks for at least 250 words, and you get about 40 minutes for it. I have written timed Task 2 answers to every question type below, because the only honest way to recommend a structure is to have written under the clock with it. What follows is the five question types IELTS actually uses: how to spot each in the first ten seconds, the paragraph skeleton I use for each, and the trap that costs people a band on each type.

The 5 question types at a glance

Before the deep dive, here is the whole system on one screen. If you only memorize one thing from this article, make it this table — recognizing the command words fast is most of the battle, because the type tells you the structure.

Question type	Command words / signals	Structure	Typical topic range
Opinion (Agree/Disagree)	"To what extent do you agree or disagree?", "Do you agree?"	Intro + 2 body paragraphs arguing one side + conclusion	Work, education, technology, media, government policy
Discussion (Both views)	"Discuss both views and give your own opinion."	Intro + body 1 (view A) + body 2 (view B) + your opinion + conclusion	Social issues, environment, health, law and crime
Advantages / Disadvantages	"What are the advantages and disadvantages?", "Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?"	Intro + body 1 (advantages) + body 2 (disadvantages) + (outweigh variant: weigh them explicitly)	Globalization, transport, tourism, the internet
Problem / Solution	"What problems does this cause? What solutions can you suggest?"	Intro + body 1 (problems) + body 2 (solutions) + conclusion	Environment, city life, education, public health
Two-part (Double question)	Two direct questions joined in the prompt, e.g. "Why is this? What can be done about it?"	Intro + body 1 (answers question 1) + body 2 (answers question 2) + conclusion	Anything — the format is question-driven

Note that IELTS never labels the question for you — there is no "Type 3" on the paper. You read the command sentence and decide, which is why each section starts with recognition.

Type 1: Opinion (Agree / Disagree)

How to recognize it

The prompt makes a statement and asks: "To what extent do you agree or disagree?" The key signal is that there is one claim and you owe the examiner a position on it — not a survey of arguments.

Structure template

Introduction: paraphrase the statement in one or two sentences, then state your position — "I largely agree that..." Body 1: your strongest reason, developed with an explanation and a specific example. Body 2: a second, different reason, same development. Conclusion: restate your position in new words; no new ideas here.

Two things that actually help

• You do not have to agree 100%. "I agree up to a point, but..." is a real band-7+ position as long as your body paragraphs match it. What fails is agreeing in the introduction and then writing about the other side for two paragraphs.
• Anchor every paragraph to the statement's exact claim. If the statement is about remote work and productivity, every reason must be about productivity — not "technology in general."

The common trap

Writing a balanced essay when the question asked for a position. Candidates read "some people think X, others think Y" where there is none and hedge their way to a vague conclusion. The Task Response criterion punishes this directly: a partially developed or unclear position caps you regardless of how good your grammar is.

Type 2: Discussion (Both Views + Opinion)

How to recognize it

"Some people think A, others think B. Discuss both views and give your own opinion." The command does two jobs at once: fair treatment of both sides and your own view. Ignore either half and the response is incomplete.

Structure template

Introduction: name both views in one sentence each, then say you will discuss both and give your opinion. Body 1: view A — its best version, with a reason and example. Body 2: view B — same treatment. Final paragraph or end of Body 2: your opinion, explicitly, with a one-line justification. Conclusion: one sentence that resolves the discussion.

Two things that actually help

• Be genuinely fair to the side you reject. Summarizing the weaker side in one dismissive sentence is not "discussing" it. Give it its best argument first, then answer it.
• Put your opinion somewhere findable. "In my view, the second argument is more convincing because..." costs you eight words and buys you Task Response credit.

The common trap

Picking a side in the introduction and then only arguing it. If your essay argues A for 230 words and dismisses B in one sentence, you have written an Opinion essay in disguise. The reverse mistake — discussing both beautifully and never stating your own view — also loses marks. This is the type I see most often misread, which is why I covered it separately in the trap types that quietly cost IELTS candidates a band.

Type 3: Advantages / Disadvantages

How to recognize it

"What are the advantages and disadvantages of X?" — or the harder variant, "Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?" Both start the same way; the second demands a judgement at the end.

Structure template

Introduction: paraphrase the phenomenon; for the "outweigh" variant, hint at your judgement. Body 1: advantages, developed. Body 2: disadvantages, developed. Outweigh variant only: end with an explicit weighing sentence — "the benefits clearly outweigh the drawbacks because..." Conclusion: a one-line summary that matches your weighing.

Two things that actually help

• Count your points honestly. One well-developed advantage and one well-developed disadvantage beats two thin ones each. Depth is what coherence rewards.
• "Outweigh" is a comparison, not a list. At least one sentence must directly compare the two sides against each other, not just restate them.

The common trap

Turning the "outweigh" question into a plain advantages/disadvantages essay. Candidates write two neat paragraphs, conclude with "in conclusion, there are advantages and disadvantages," and lose Task Response marks for never answering the actual question. If the prompt says outweigh, someone has to outweigh something.

Type 4: Problem / Solution

How to recognize it

Two questions, both about cause and remedy: "What problems does this cause? What solutions can you suggest?" The first looks at effects; the second looks at fixes. The close cousin "What problems are caused by X? How could these be solved?" is the same structure in different words.

Structure template

Introduction: paraphrase the situation; signal that you will cover problems and solutions. Body 1: the problems — usually two, each with a sentence of development. Body 2: the solutions — matched to the problems where you can. Conclusion: an optional one-liner; both questions are equally weighted, so keep it short.

Two things that actually help

• Match solutions to problems. If Body 1 names traffic congestion from single-occupancy cars, Body 2 should name fixes for exactly that — congestion charges, transit investment — not generic environmental advice. The parallel structure reads as coherence.
• Keep solutions concrete and plausible. "The government should educate people" is a slogan, not a solution. "Schools could add cycling proficiency to the curriculum" is one.

The common trap

Spending the whole essay on problems because problems are easier to write about. The second question then gets two rushed sentences, or none. Budget your 40 minutes so the solutions half gets real space.

Type 5: Two-part (Double question)

How to recognize it

The prompt asks two direct questions in a row: "Why is this the case? What problems might this cause?" or "Is this a positive or negative development? Why?" If you see two question marks doing different jobs, this is your type.

Structure template

Introduction: one sentence of context, then say the essay answers both questions. Body 1: answer question one, fully. Body 2: answer question two, fully. Conclusion: one sentence, optional. There is no need to force an argumentative thread — this type rewards directness.

Two things that actually help

• Answer in order, and visibly. Question one's paragraph should open with something like "There are two main reasons this is happening." The examiner should tick off both questions in ten seconds.
• Do not merge the questions. If Q1 asks why and Q2 asks what problems, a paragraph that mixes reasons with problems confuses the marking on both counts.

The common trap

Answering only the easier question — usually the first — at full length, and bolting the second on as a conclusion. Task Response is marked on how fully you answer all parts of the task; a brilliant answer to half the prompt is a half-scored prompt. This is the most mechanically punishing of the five types, and the easiest to avoid once you know it exists.

Who this is NOT for

Honest boundaries, because an article that helps everyone helps no one:

• If you are below roughly band 5 in general writing, question-type templates will not fix your grammar or vocabulary, and they will distract you from the fundamentals. Get your sentences clean first; the structures here are scaffolding for ideas, not a substitute for them.
• If you want memorized band-9 answers to reproduce, examiners are trained to detect memorized language, and it hurts your Lexical Resource score. Use templates as paragraph logic, never as scripts.
• If you are preparing for General Training Task 1 letters or the Academic report, this article does not cover either. Task 2 is shared between the two modules, so the content here applies to everyone, but the sibling tasks have their own formats.
• If your test is in the next 48 hours, skim the comparison table and nothing else. Learning five structures overnight is stress, not strategy.

The honest verdict

There is nothing glamorous about the advice: identify the command words, pick the matching paragraph skeleton, develop each paragraph with a reason and an example, and never let the structure drift from what the prompt literally asked. What makes it work is repetition — I got faster at recognizing these five types only after writing timed answers until recognition took seconds instead of minutes. If you do nothing else from this article, take the comparison table, print it, and write one timed answer per type over the next five weeks. The structures are free; the practice is the actual product.

If this helped, the companion piece on the 7 IELTS trap types that cost you a band covers the reading and listening traps that pair with the writing ones here.

Questions, corrections, or a question type you keep getting wrong? Write to me at nandminc2020@gmail.com — I read everything.