IELTS Writing Task 2: A Structure That Scores Band 7+

Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1, and it decides most writing scores. A high band is less about fancy words than about a clear, well-built argument. Here is a structure you can reuse for almost any Task 2 prompt, and what the examiner is actually marking.

What Task 2 asks of you

You get 40 minutes, you write at least 250 words, and you respond to a prompt: an opinion, a discussion, a problem and solution, or a two-part question. Spend the first five minutes planning. Examiners do not reward length. They reward a focused answer to the exact question.

The four things examiners mark

Each is worth 25 percent. A Band 7 needs all four working together.

1. Task Response. Did you answer the precise question, take a clear position, and develop your ideas?
2. Coherence and Cohesion. Is it organised, with logical paragraphs and linking that does not feel forced?
3. Lexical Resource. The range and accuracy of your vocabulary. Precise beats fancy.
4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy. A mix of sentence types, with few errors.

A structure that works for almost any prompt

Four paragraphs.

1. Introduction (2 to 3 sentences). Paraphrase the question, then state your position clearly. No memorised filler.
2. Body 1. One main idea. State it, explain why it matters, give a specific example.
3. Body 2. A second main idea, same pattern.
4. Conclusion (1 to 2 sentences). Restate your position. Add nothing new.

For discuss-both-views prompts: Body 1 is view A, Body 2 is view B, and your own opinion stays clear throughout and in the conclusion.

How to lift each criterion fast

• Task Response: answer every part of the question, and keep your position consistent from first line to last. Off-topic content caps your band.
• Coherence: one idea per paragraph. Use linkers naturally, not as a checklist.
• Lexical: use precise words you actually control. One wrong advanced word hurts more than a plain correct one.
• Grammar: mix simple, compound, and complex sentences. Accuracy over risk.

Common mistakes that cap the band

• Memorised templates examiners recognise on sight.
• Not answering the actual question. This is the most expensive error.
• One giant paragraph, or no clear position.
• Sentences so long that grammar control slips.

Practise the right way

Write under the clock, then check each essay against the four criteria above, not just whether it reads okay. That is the gap between a 6 and a 7. At Writers Kernel we mark IELTS Task 2 essays against the official criteria and show you the two fixes that will move your band the most.