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IELTS Academic Writing Task 2

Build an introduction that controls the whole essay

Learn to analyse the instruction, paraphrase its meaning and write a thesis that creates the correct route for each essay type. The introduction is not a memorised opening: it is the first working part of your argument.

250+minimum words for the complete Task 2 response
≈40 minrecommended time for the complete Task 2 response
2×the weighting of Task 2 compared with Task 1
4 criteriaTask Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Official format and WeLearn strategy

Know what IELTS requires and what this lesson recommends

Official format versus WeLearn strategy

Official format: IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 requires a connected essay of at least 250 words. IELTS recommends spending about 40 minutes; an introduction is part of that response, not a separate official task.

WeLearn strategy: WeLearn usually builds the introduction from a precise paraphrase and an aligned thesis. A position or roadmap is added only when the prompt needs it.

Essay architecture

The same blocks perform different jobs in different questions

IELTS does not prescribe one universal paragraph template. Start with the instruction, then choose only the blocks that help answer it.

Opinion

Introduction: Optional context + Paraphrase + Position + Reason preview

Body 1: Develop the first reason supporting the position.

Body 2: Develop a second reason, or concede and rebut the strongest opposing point.

Body 3: Optional when a genuinely distinct third reason is needed and can be developed within the time available.

Discussion

Introduction: Optional context + Paraphrase both views + Position + Roadmap

Body 1: Explain the first stated view and why people hold it.

Body 2: Explain the second stated view and connect it to the writer's judgement.

Body 3: Optional if the writer separates personal evaluation from the two view paragraphs, but a four-paragraph essay can usually integrate it efficiently.

Problem & solution

Introduction: Optional context + Paraphrase the issue + Scope thesis + Solution link

Body 1: Analyse the requested causes or consequences rather than merely describing the topic.

Body 2: Develop feasible solutions and show how they address the preceding causes or problems.

Body 3: Optional when the prompt asks separately about causes, effects and solutions and each part needs adequate development.

Advantages & disadvantages

Introduction: Optional context + Paraphrase the development + Evaluation thesis + Contrast frame

Body 1: Develop the most relevant advantage or group of related benefits.

Body 2: Develop the main disadvantage and, for an outweigh task, compare its significance with the benefits.

Body 3: Optional when several genuinely distinct effects require development; avoid turning the essay into a list.

Direct questions

Introduction: Optional context + Paraphrase the shared topic + Answer map + Position

Body 1: Answer the first question directly.

Body 2: Answer the second question directly and maintain any stated evaluation.

Body 3: Optional if one question contains two separate demands that cannot be developed adequately in one paragraph.

Prompt analysis

Choose the question family before you write

The wording of the instruction determines the thesis, the body route and whether a personal position is required.

Opinion: agree, disagree or evaluate an extent

Prompt signal: To what extent do you agree or disagree? / Do you agree or disagree?

What the answer must do: State and maintain a clear position on the proposition. A qualified position is possible, but it must remain easy to identify.

Position: Required. The thesis should reveal the writer's answer rather than merely announce that an opinion will appear.

Conclusion: Restate the position and synthesise the main reasons without adding a new argument.

Common Task Response trap
Writing a discussion essay that presents both sides but never answers the extent question.

Optional context · optional

State the claim the essay will prove, in one arguable sentence.

Paraphrase

Reframe the proposition accurately.

Position

Answer agree, disagree or extent directly.

Five guided examples per question family

Watch the same method adapt to different prompts

Each model reveals the prompt instruction, the body route and the exact function of every introduction sentence.

Academic pressure

IELTS-style prompt

Some people believe that schools place too much pressure on students to achieve high grades. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Prompt analysis

Choose an extent and make it visible.

Body 1: wellbeing. Body 2: depth of learning.

Optional context

A school system can raise its grades and lower its learning at the same time.

Paraphrase

High academic expectations have become a defining feature of many school systems.

Position

I largely agree that the pressure to secure top marks is excessive because it can damage student wellbeing and encourage superficial learning.

Read as one paragraph

A school system can raise its grades and lower its learning at the same time.High academic expectations have become a defining feature of many school systems.I largely agree that the pressure to secure top marks is excessive because it can damage student wellbeing and encourage superficial learning.

  • “Largely agree” answers the extent precisely.
  • The two reasons create a clear route for the body paragraphs.

Sentence types as Lego blocks

Choose a sentence for its job, not for its complexity

A higher band comes from accurate, purposeful control. A complex sentence that hides the answer is weaker than a clear simple sentence that performs the right function.

Simple sentence

One independent clause. Useful when a direct position needs maximum clarity: “I strongly oppose this policy.”

Compound sentence

Two balanced independent clauses joined accurately. Useful when two direct answers carry equal weight.

Complex sentence

A main clause plus a dependent clause. Useful for cause, condition, concession or qualification, not for decoration.

Paraphrase sentence

Purpose: Reframes the precise topic without copying a long phrase or changing the claim.

Placement: Usually the first sentence of the introduction.

Best for: All five essay families.

[Topic] has become / remains / is increasingly [accurate reformulation].

The prompt both attempts answer
Some people believe that modern technology is making people less sociable. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Weak attempt
Nowadays, technology is very important in our lives.

Stronger attempt
It is often claimed that digital devices are eroding face-to-face social contact.

Meaning that must not change
The claim is that technology REDUCES sociability. Lose that and the essay answers a different prompt.
Wording that moved
“modern technology” → “digital devices”; “making people less sociable” → “eroding face-to-face social contact”.

The revision names the exact area of impact and removes a memorised opening.

Guided practice

Build one introduction before the engine

Separate the three essential jobs — paraphrase, answer and route — from optional context. IELTS does not require or separately reward a hook.

Guided introduction workshop

You build it before WeLearn reveals it

The prompt: Some people believe that schools place too much pressure on students to achieve high grades. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Step 1Identify the optional context

Which sentence frames the issue before the prompt is paraphrased?

Step 2Choose the paraphrase
Step 3Now write the whole introduction, one job at a time
WeLearn progressive engine

Practise the introduction by level

Move from recognising sentence functions to transferring the introduction into a complete timed response.

Level 1
Exercise 1 of 2
Opinion

I largely agree that the policy would reduce inequality because it removes the financial barrier faced by low-income families.

Which introduction block is this sentence performing?

Frequently asked questions

Use this lesson as part of a complete Task 2 response

Is this page a separate official IELTS task?

No. It is a WeLearn learning resource for practising a skill or prompt type used within IELTS Academic Writing Task 2.

How should this practice be used in a complete response?

Practise the target skill, review the explanation and then transfer it to a complete Task 2 essay of at least 250 words.

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