How to Improve Your Writing Task 2 in Just 5 Minutes

18 Jun

What if I told you that you could improve your writing in only 5 minutes? Well, you can. I will show you how taking just 5 minutes to fully understand the question and braining storming can lead to a better score.

IELTS Writing Task 2 is marked on 4 areas: Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Many candidates aiming to improve their IELTS Writing Task 2 scores find that most issues arise in the Task Response criterion. Task Response assesses how well you address all parts of the question, develop a clear and relevant position, and provide supporting ideas and examples. Focusing on improving your Task Response can significantly boost your band score. So, what are the examiners looking for in the Task Response Criterion? Here’s a brief explanation:

    
Task Response 

        Band 5
        Band 6
        Band 7
        Band 8
    
            You don’t answer all parts of the question.
        
            You answer the main parts of the question (though some parts are explained better than others).

            You answer the main parts of the question fully.

            You answer the main parts of the question properly and fully.
        
            The format may be inappropriate in places.
        
            The format is correct.
        
            You write your opinion but it’s not always easy to understand.
        
            Your opinion is clear and relevant to the question, but the conclusions might be unclear, not well supported, or repeated.

          You give a clear and well-developed opinion.

                      A clear and well-developed opinion is given in response to the questions.

            You share some main ideas, but they are not explained well and sometimes include unnecessary information.

            Your main ideas are relevant, but some are not fully explained or clear, and some supporting arguments might not be very relevant or strong enough.
        
                      Your main ideas are explained and supported, but sometimes they are too general.
        
                      Your main ideas are relevant, well explained, and supported.
        
You might repeat some points.

Band 5	Band 6	Band 7	Band 8
You don’t answer all parts of the question.	You answer the main parts of the question (though some parts are explained better than others).	You answer the main parts of the question fully.	You answer the main parts of the question properly and fully.
The format may be inappropriate in places.	The format is correct.
You write your opinion but it’s not always easy to understand.	Your opinion is clear and relevant to the question, but the conclusions might be unclear, not well supported, or repeated.	You give a clear and well-developed opinion.	A clear and well-developed opinion is given in response to the questions.
You share some main ideas, but they are not explained well and sometimes include unnecessary information.	Your main ideas are relevant, but some are not fully explained or clear, and some supporting arguments might not be very relevant or strong enough.	Your main ideas are explained and supported, but sometimes they are too general.	Your main ideas are relevant, well explained, and supported.
You might repeat some points.

Tips to improve your task response:

1. Fully Understand the Question:

Ensure you read the question carefully and identify all parts of the question. For example, if the question asks you to discuss both sides and give your opinion, note that there are three parts to address: both sides and your opinion.

2. Address All Parts Equally:

Make sure to address all parts of the question equally. Provide clear and detailed explanations for each part without neglecting any section.

3. Write Academically:

Avoid using numbered lists or bullet points. Write in a cohesive and coherent manner, ensuring that your essay flows logically from one point to the next.

4. Clearly State Your Opinion:

Make your opinion clear and provide reasons and examples to support it,

5. Develop and Support Main Ideas:

Ensure your main ideas are relevant to the question. Explain each idea clearly and support it with examples and evidence. This strengthens your arguments and makes them more convincing.

How to do this:

Spend 5 minutes planning before writing:

 Underline key parts of the question

Some people think that using bicycles as the main form of transport has a lot of advantages. Others believe that it has many disadvantages. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Topic: Bicycles as main form of transport

3 parts to write about: 1. Advantages

2. Disadvantages

3. Opinion

 Brainstorm main ideas and supporting details

Advantages:

1. Environmentally friendly

- no harmful gases, reducing air pollution.

- Less traffic congestion and reduced carbon footprint.

2. Cost-effective

- Bicycles cheaper to maintain.

- No fuel costs.

Disadvantages:

1. Safety Concerns

- Higher risk of accidents

- no protective features compared to cars.

2. Weather

- Bicycles impractical in extreme weather.

- delayed commutes, risk of slip and fall in ice

Opinion:

Disadvantage to use bike as transport

- many cities don’t have enough bike lanes = dangerous

- overcome disadvantage with better cycling infrastructure (e.g., Amsterdam government initiative = improved safety)

Start writing

Now when you write you with have a well structured paragraph with a main idea with supporting details that related directly to the question:

Example main body paragraph:

One benefit of using bicycles is that they are environmentally friendly. Bicycles do not emit harmful gases, which helps reduce air pollution and combat climate change. For example, a study by the Environmental Protection Agency found that cities with higher bicycle usage have significantly lower levels of carbon dioxide emissions. This demonstrates how cycling can contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment. Another benefit is . . .

Main Idea: Using bicycles as a main form of transport is environmentally friendly.
Supporting detail (explanation): Bicycles do not emit harmful gases, which helps reduce air pollution and combat climate change.
Supporting detail (example): For instance, a study by the Environmental Protection Agency found that cities with higher bicycle usage have significantly lower levels of carbon dioxide emissions

Improving your Task Response involves understanding the question fully, planning your response, addressing all parts of the question equally, writing academically, stating your opinion clearly, and supporting your main ideas with relevant examples. So, take just 5 minutes to underline the key parts of the question and brainstorm ideas and then you can boost your IELTS Writing Task 2 band score!

Laura Bonini