What are the different IELTS Writing Task 2 types of questions?

IDP groups Task 2 prompts into five common formats. Opinion or agree–disagree questions ask you to take one position and defend it throughout, so a fence-sitting conclusion becomes a Task Response problem. Discussion questions ask you to present two views fairly in separate paragraphs and then state your own opinion explicitly. Advantages and disadvantages questions ask you to weigh both sides, and when the prompt asks whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, a balanced list without a verdict does not answer the question. Causes and solutions questions want explanation and remedy in different paragraphs, ideally linked so that each solution answers a cause already established. Two-part questions mean two body paragraphs and no skipping, because the type decides where your position has to appear.

The quickest way to identify the type is to read the instruction verb at the end of the prompt: «discuss both views» signals a discussion question, «to what extent do you agree» signals an opinion question, and «outweigh» signals advantages and disadvantages. Two-part prompts are the easiest to misread, because the second question often sits in a separate sentence after the first one.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Structure with Band 7–9 Samples →