IELTS Writing Task 2 Guide: Question Types, PEEL Structure, and Topics

IELTS Writing Task 2 is an essay question. It carries more weight than Task 1, so doing well here is critical for a strong writing band score.

The 5 IELTS Task 2 question types (with examples)

1) Opinion essay (Agree or Disagree)

You must clearly state your position and support it.

Example: “Some people believe that university education should be free for everyone. To what extent do you agree or disagree?”

2) Discussion essay

You discuss two views and then give your own opinion.

Example: “Some people think children should start school as early as possible, while others believe they should begin later. Discuss both views and give your opinion.”

3) Advantages and Disadvantages essay

You evaluate benefits and drawbacks. Sometimes you also need to say whether advantages outweigh disadvantages.

Example: “Many people now work from home. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend?”

4) Problem and Solution (or Causes and Effects)

You explain why a problem exists and suggest realistic solutions (or analyse causes/effects).

Example: “Traffic congestion is becoming a serious issue in many cities. What are the main causes of this problem, and what solutions can be implemented?”

5) Two-part (Double) question essay

You must answer two different questions fully in one essay.

Example: “More people are choosing to live alone these days. Why is this happening? Is this a positive or negative development?”

Recommended structure: PEEL (same core logic as TEEL)

A reliable structure for Task 2 is PEEL:

P - Point: your main idea for the paragraph.
E - Evidence/Example: a specific example, explanation, or brief evidence.
E - Explanation: show how the example supports your point.
L - Link: connect back to the question and lead into the next idea.

You may also see TEEL in other places. In practice, PEEL and TEEL follow the same paragraph logic. The labels differ, but both require clear ideas, support, explanation, and cohesion.

Recommended Task 2 essay shape:

Introduction: paraphrase the question and state your position.
Body paragraph 1 (PEEL): first main argument.
Body paragraph 2 (PEEL): second main argument.
Conclusion: restate your position clearly and briefly.

Most common IELTS Task 2 topics

These topics appear frequently in IELTS Task 2:

Education (appears in roughly 25% of Task 2 exams)
Technology
Environment
Health
Society and Culture
Economy and Work
Government and Politics
Crime and Policing

To master these topics, build a daily reading habit. Spend 20-30 minutes per day reading current news and opinion articles.

Useful sources:

You can also study real examples from our essay library:

Word count requirements (and why you must stick to them)

Task 2 requires at least 250 words.
Writing under 250 can reduce your Task Response score.
A practical target is 260-290 words.
Writing much more than needed can increase grammar mistakes and time pressure.

Stay within the requirement, keep your response focused, and leave time to check grammar and clarity before you finish.