Task 2 · Build the essay · Step 6
Check whether the essay answers the prompt before spending time polishing individual words. Review from Task Response to language control in a stable, evidence-based order.
Official criteria and WeLearn strategy
Official format: IELTS assesses the complete response through Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. No official rule prescribes one review checklist or a fixed review time.
WeLearn strategy: WeLearn reviews high-impact decisions first: instructions, position and paragraph jobs. Cohesion and sentence-level language come after the answer is secure.
Review focus: Use the remaining time to verify that the response addresses every instruction, progresses logically and communicates with sufficient control.
Explained answer: Every tick must be supported by visible evidence in the essay. This practice explains revision choices and does not award an automated band score.
The five checks
Reviewing in this order prevents surface corrections from hiding a larger Task Response problem.
Did I answer every instruction and make any required position visible?
Does each paragraph perform one necessary and distinct job?
Do the thesis, body links and conclusion preserve the same judgement?
Are relationships clear without mechanical or excessive linking phrases?
Can I fix specific vocabulary, grammar or punctuation errors without rewriting blindly?
Five question families
Instruction: State and maintain one visible degree of agreement.
Decisive check: Can a reader underline the same position in the thesis and conclusion?
Review rule
Do not tick a box because the idea is “somewhere” in the essay. Point to the exact thesis, paragraph or sentence that proves it.
Watch one · then do four
The first case demonstrates the thinking. The next four require you to choose the priority before seeing the revision.
Some people believe that schools place too much pressure on students to achieve high grades. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Thesis: “I largely agree that schools place excessive pressure on students.” … Conclusion: “In conclusion, both sides of this debate are equally convincing, and each family must decide for itself.”
I agree in the thesis, but the conclusion says that both sides are equally convincing.
Read the draft above and you can see itA changed position makes the response internally inconsistent.
The first check it failsRestate the same degree of agreement in the conclusion.
Repairs that one thing, and leaves the rest aloneDecide which check fails first, then reveal the revision.
Governments should spend more money on public transport than on new roads. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
A city can widen every road it has and still move fewer people than a single busy railway line. Whether public funds are better directed towards buses and trains than towards new road capacity has become a central question of urban policy. I strongly agree that public transport deserves the larger share, both because it carries far more passengers per square metre of city and because it widens access to work, study and healthcare.
Public transport deserves greater investment because it can move large numbers of people without consuming as much urban space as private cars. A reliable bus or rail network reduces the need for every commuter to occupy a separate vehicle. As more travellers share the same corridor, cities can use limited land for housing, pavements and public areas instead of continually widening roads. For instance, adding frequent buses to an overcrowded route can increase its capacity without demolishing nearby buildings for extra lanes. Transport spending should therefore prioritise shared systems when urban space is limited.
Public transport investment also gives more residents reliable access to essential opportunities. Unlike new roads, shared networks serve people who cannot drive because of age, income or disability. This broader access can connect whole communities to employment, education and healthcare. A frequent bus route to an industrial district, for example, can make available jobs reachable without a private car. Public transport therefore deserves priority not only for efficiency but also for social access.
In conclusion, public transport should receive priority over further road expansion in crowded cities. Shared networks use limited urban space more efficiently and provide essential access to residents who cannot depend on a private car.
“Public transport spending has risen in many cities, while road building continues to absorb large budgets. This essay will examine how governments divide transport funding and what each choice involves.”
Choose one of the checks to see whether it is the one.
WeLearn progressive engine
Move from identifying one issue to running the complete pre-submission sequence.
Level 1 of 8
Read this extract. Which check does it fail first?
“Public transport spending has risen in many cities, while road building continues to absorb large budgets. This essay will examine how governments divide transport funding and what each choice involves.”
Frequently asked questions
Start with the prompt and every instruction. A missing answer cannot be repaired by better vocabulary or punctuation.
No. It helps you find visible revision priorities. Writing and scoring still require expert evaluation of the complete response.
Usually not during a final timed review. Correct the highest-impact issue that can be fixed safely without creating new contradictions.
Task 2 requires at least 250 words. Do not add filler: identify the least-developed required idea and extend its reasoning purposefully.