As you might know, there are two tasks in the Writing section of IELTS Academic:
– in Task 1 you have to describe a one or two graphs/ processes/ maps etc. in at least 150 words
– in Task 2 you have to write an Academic Essay on the given topic, minimum 250 words.
You have 60 minutes to complete both tasks, and we recommend you to spend 20 minutes on describing a visual and 40 minutes on writing an essay. Remember that Task 2 contributes twice as much to the Writing band score. Therefore, test takers who fail to attempt to answer this task will greatly reduce their chance of achieving a good band.
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Unlike Task 1, where there are a limited number of question types and some are more common than others, if you want to do well in Task 2 you should prepare ideas for common topics and then practice applying them to tasks given. These essay questions vary according to the essay type and their number is unlimited, but the number of essay types remains the same:
- opinion essay
- discussion essay
- solution essay
- advantage/disadvantage essay
- direct question essay (two question essay).
WE ALSO WROTE ABOUT: 5 easy steps to complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
There are about 20 different topics for IELTS Academic Writing Task 2, which you cannot change even if you do not like them or are not familiar with them. In other words, we recommend to research, prepare and practice writing on various topics before your exam. Here are the most common ones:
- Art
- Communication and Personality
- Crime and Punishment
- Culture and Society
- Economics
- Education
- Entertainment
- Environment
- Family and Children
- Food and Farming
- Global Issues
- Health
- Language
- Media and Advertising
- Money and Business
- Reading
- Science and Technology
- Space Exploration
- Sport
- Transport
- Travel
- Work
In addition, each topic is divided into subtopics that you should prepare.
READ ABOUT: IELTS Academic Writing tasks in 2020
Let’s have a look at “Art”. What subtopics should you consider? Think about censorship of art and artists, creativity, art at school, the benefits of art for individuals and society, funding etc..
What kind of task will you have to complete? Here are a few examples:
- Studying art in school improves students’ performance in other subjects, because it is easier for multi-skilled students to learn new things. That is why art should be obligatory in schools. Do you agree or disagree?
- Many museums and historic sites are mainly visited by tourists, not local people. Why is it the case? What can be done to attract local people?
- Many countries spend a lot of money on art. Some people think investment in art is necessary, but others say the money should be spent on improving health and education. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
- Many museums charge an admission fee while others are free. Do you think that the advantages of charging admission to museums outweigh the disadvantages?
As you can see, there can be thousands of essay questions for you to answer at your IELTS exam. Moreover, questions are changing from test to test and there are no chances you will get the same question as your friend answered a couple of years ago. However, you can practice writing essays using the ideas from previous tests and keeping in mind the algorithms of answering different question types.
Here is a list of websites where you can find Academic Writing Task 2 questions submitted by test-takers from all over the world:
Academic Writing Task 2 Topics
100 IELTS Essay Topics for IELTS Writing
IELTS Essay Topics Jan & Feb 2020
Recent IELTS Writing Topics and Questions 2020
We highly recommend you reading about How to write IELTS essay.
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