How should I structure an IELTS Writing Task 2 essay to reach Band 7?
Use four paragraphs and fix what each one does. The introduction paraphrases the prompt and states your position in one sentence. Each body paragraph takes one main idea and runs it through the same three moves: a topic sentence, an explanation of why the idea holds, and a specific example.
Use four paragraphs and fix what each one does. The introduction paraphrases the prompt and states your position in one sentence. Each body paragraph takes one main idea and runs it through the same three moves: a topic sentence, an explanation of why the idea holds, and a specific example. The conclusion restates your position in new wording and adds nothing. Band 7 requires logically organised ideas with clear progression throughout, cohesive devices used flexibly, and paragraphing that matches your topic organisation. A quick self-check: read only the first sentence of each paragraph; if those four sentences do not form the spine of your argument, the structure needs rewriting, not the vocabulary.
Before you write, draw four lines on the question paper and label them position, reason one, reason two and conclusion. That takes about forty seconds and it prevents the most common failure at this band: a body paragraph that repeats the introduction instead of adding an idea. After writing, underline the sentence in each body paragraph that explains why the idea holds; if no sentence can be underlined, the paragraph is still only an assertion.
IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Structure with Band 7–9 Samples →