In IELTS Writing Task 2, you encounter different types of essays, some requiring you to give your opinion and others not. It is common for students to find it confusing to identify the essay type, leading to uncertainty. Let’s clarify this confusion.

Carefully Read the Question

A common mistake students make in IELTS Writing Task 2 is immediately starting to write without carefully reading the question. This approach hinders your ability to score well in the task response criterion. By writing without considering the objectives of the question, you may go off-topic. Therefore, it is crucial to read the question at least 2-3 times to fully understand it.

Underline Keywords and Identify Tasks

During your second reading of the essay question in IELTS Writing Task 2, underline the main keywords. This will help you focus on the key points and the main topic of the essay. Additionally, it allows you to identify the tasks presented in the question. Here’s an example to illustrate this:

Global warming is increasing at an alarming rate.

What are the reasons for global warming?

What are its possible solutions?

In the above IELTS Writing Task 2 question, you can observe the underlined keywords. The statement “Global warming is increasing at an alarming rate” serves as the topic or essay statement. The following two questions, “What are the reasons for global warming?” and “What are its possible solutions?” indicate the tasks you need to address in your essay. In the first body paragraph, discuss the reasons for global warming, and in the second body paragraph, present possible solutions.

Indicators of Opinion-Based Essays

To determine whether your personal opinion is required in the question, look out for the pronoun “you” in the question. For example:

To what extent do you agree with this statement?

The presence of “you” indicates that you should express your views on the topic. In some IELTS training institutes, it is advised not to use a personal tone using “I,” “we,” “you,” etc. and to write the opinion in a passive tone. However, reputable tutors online do not see a problem with using a personal tone. Therefore, you can write your opinions in either way.

For instance, if the question is as follows:

Burning fossil fuels is the most important factor contributing to global warming.

To what extent do you agree with this statement?

To answer in a passive tone, you could write:

Though there are many causes of global warming, it is considered to be mostly caused by the consumption of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum.

To answer in a personal tone, you could write:

Though there are many causes of global warming, I believe that it is mostly caused by the consumption of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum.

Other Forms of Opinion-Based Questions in IELTS Writing Task 2:

What do you think about this statement?

Do you agree?

Do you think so?

What is your opinion?

Discuss the two views and provide your own opinion.