60 real exam-style essay prompts across all 4 question types, with detailed examiner-style feedback after every submission. Tests 1 and 2 are free with a free account — sign in to get started.
Practise with real exam-style essay questions and receive detailed examiner feedback — band score, grammar corrections, vocabulary upgrades and a personalised study plan. Tests 1 and 2 are free — sign in to begin.
Expert strategies to improve your band score across all four criteria.
Spend the first 3–4 minutes planning your essay. Identify your position, two main body paragraph ideas, and key supporting examples. A clear plan prevents going off-topic — the biggest cause of Task Response penalties.
Paraphrase the question statement in your own words, then give a clear thesis sentence stating your overall position. Never copy the question — examiners do not count copied text toward your 250-word minimum.
Linking words must be used correctly and varied — not repeated. Use discourse markers like "Furthermore", "Consequently", "In contrast" and "This is because" to connect ideas logically across paragraphs.
Replace common words: use substantial instead of "big", detrimental instead of "bad", mitigate instead of "reduce". Lexical Resource is 25% of your score — academic alternatives make a significant difference.
Use a mix of simple, compound and complex sentences. Passive voice, conditionals, relative clauses and nominalisations all demonstrate Grammatical Range — one of the four Band 7+ criteria you must satisfy.
An essay without a conclusion loses marks for Task Response and Coherence. Your conclusion should restate your position and summarise the main arguments — two to three sentences is enough. Never introduce new ideas here.
Everything students ask about IELTS Writing Task 2