IELTS Writing Task 2: what Band 7 actually requires

The distance between Band 6 and Band 7 in Task 2 is the most consequential half-metre in IELTS, and it is widely misunderstood. Candidates assume it is about harder vocabulary or longer sentences. The band descriptors say otherwise: the Band 7 essay presents a clear position throughout, develops a small number of ideas fully, organises paragraphs around single central topics, and keeps grammatical errors from interfering. Each of those is a trainable behaviour, and each has a characteristic Band 6 failure.

Position: answer the question asked, everywhere

Task Response at Band 7 requires a position that is clear in the introduction, sustained through the body, and consistent in the conclusion. The Band 6 trap is the drifting essay: it opens with 'both sides have merit', discusses both sides symmetrically, and concludes with a preference that appeared from nowhere. Fix it mechanically — decide your position during planning, state it in one sentence in the introduction, and make sure each body paragraph's first sentence visibly serves that position. 'To what extent do you agree?' invites a measured stance ('largely, with one exception'), but a measured stance is still a stance you must then defend.

Development: two ideas deep beats four ideas wide

Band 6 essays list; Band 7 essays develop. Compare the same point at two depths. Listed: 'Remote work saves commuting time. It also reduces office costs. Furthermore, it improves work-life balance.' Developed: 'The clearest benefit of remote work is the elimination of commuting. An employee who previously spent ninety minutes a day travelling recovers more than seven hours a week, and that time tends to flow into either extra rest or focused work — both of which employers ultimately benefit from.' One idea, extended through consequence and example, satisfies 'extends supported ideas' in a way three headlines never can. A reliable paragraph recipe: claim, explanation, concrete example, link back to the question.

Know your question types before test day

Task 2 questions come in a small set of shapes, and each one defines the jobs your essay must do. Agree/disagree questions need a stance and its defence. Discuss-both-views questions need both views represented fairly plus your own verdict. Advantages/disadvantages questions may or may not ask whether one outweighs the other — read for the word 'outweigh', because it changes the required conclusion. Problem/solution questions need problems that logically connect to the solutions offered. Two-part questions simply staple two of these together, and every part left unaddressed caps Task Response no matter how well the rest is written. Classifying the question in the first thirty seconds is what makes the five-minute plan possible.

Structure: one central topic per paragraph

• Four paragraphs are enough: introduction, two body paragraphs, conclusion.
• Give each body paragraph one central topic stated in its opening sentence — the Coherence descriptor rewards exactly this.
• Use cohesion quietly: 'this shift', 'such policies', 'that saving' bind sentences better than a drumbeat of 'Moreover' and 'Furthermore'.
• The conclusion restates position and main reasons in fresh words; it introduces nothing new.
• Plan for five minutes before typing. Essays that die in paragraph three almost always skipped the plan.

A five-minute plan, worked

Question: 'Some believe university education should be free for all students. To what extent do you agree or disagree?' Minute one: decide the position — largely agree, with a funding caveat. Minutes two and three: choose two body ideas and one supporting detail each. Paragraph one: free tuition widens access — talented students from low-income families currently self-select out of applying. Paragraph two: the caveat — fully free systems need sustainable funding, so a graduate-contribution model preserves access while protecting quality. Minute four: note one concrete example per paragraph from your own knowledge. Minute five: write the one-sentence position for the introduction. The essay now writes itself paragraph by paragraph, and — crucially — the conclusion was decided before the first word was typed, which is what 'a clear position throughout' looks like from the inside.

The Band 6 traps, named

• The memorised introduction: 'In this contemporary era, it is an undeniable fact that…' — examiners discount formulaic language and it delays your actual answer.
• Overclaiming: 'This will destroy society' is harder to defend than 'this tends to weaken local businesses'; precise claims are easier to support and read as more academic.
• The example that is really a repetition: 'For example, many people work remotely' does not exemplify 'remote work is common' — a real example adds a specific case or consequence.
• Word-count padding: 250 words is a minimum, and 270–300 focused words routinely outscore 380 rambling ones; extra length adds error opportunities, not marks.
• Ignoring both parts of a two-part question — 'discuss both views AND give your opinion' means three jobs, and skipping one caps Task Response.