Best IELTS Writing Task 2 Tips for Achieving Band 9

Scoring a band 9 in IELTS Writing seems impossible? Use our smart IELTS Writing Task 2 tips and impress the examiners by putting your best foot forward.

In IELTS Writing Task 2, candidates are asked to write an essay of at least 250 words, in 4-5 paragraphs based on the given topic. The task is similar for both IELTS Academic and General Training, based on the type of questions and the scoring. However, the topics given for General Training will be slightly easier than Academic.

Hence, the key to achieving a band 9 in IELTS Writing Task 2 is to understand the IELTS Writing Task 2 band descriptors, read more authentic IELTS essay examples and practice the right techniques to impress the examiner with your vocabulary.

Best IELTS Writing Task 2 Tips for Achieving Band 9 in 2024

The key to a Band 9 in Writing Task 2 is a combination of strong writing skills, strategic planning, and attention to detail. Since Writing Task 2 is similar in content and format, IELTS writing task 2 academic tips and tips for IELTS general writing task 2 are also the same. So, you can follow the ones given below for both.

Here are the best IELTS Writing Task 2 tips to help you reach this goal:

1. Understanding IELTS Writing Task 2 Band Descriptors

The IELTS Writing band descriptors outline the criteria used by examiners to assess your essay writing performance. Let’s check out the table below for a quick look!

2. Understand what you need to do

• Read the task carefully and make sure you get it.
• Figure out what type of essay you have to write, like sharing your opinion, discussing a topic, or suggesting solutions.
• Pay attention to any rules about how many words you can use or specific points you must cover.

3. Make a plan and organize your ideas

• Take a few minutes to think of ideas about the topic.
• Make a simple outline with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
• Decide what to write in each part of your essay and organize your thoughts logically.

4. Start with an interesting introduction

• Begin your essay with a sentence that grabs attention.
• Give a bit of background information to help the reader understand.
• Clearly state your main idea or argument.

5. Write clear body paragraphs

• Start each paragraph with a sentence that tells the main point.
• Make sure your essay flows well from one paragraph to the next.
• Support your arguments with relevant examples, data, or personal experiences.
• These examples should be specific and well-chosen to illustrate your points effectively.

6. Use clear language and vocabulary

• Use different words and advanced grammar structures for IELTS.
• Show you can express ideas accurately and clearly.
• Use words that help connect your ideas, like “however” or “on the other hand.”

7. Conclude well

• Summarize the main points in your essay.
• Repeat your main idea and give it a final thought.
• Leave the reader thinking or asking questions.

8. Check and fix mistakes

• Take time to read through your essay and correct any mistakes in spelling or grammar.
• Make sure your ideas make sense and are connected.
• Improve anything that could be clearer or better.

9. Manage your time

• Use your time wisely for each part of the test.
• Practice essays from IELTS writing practice papers in the time you’re given to get faster.
• Keep track of how long you spend on each task and adjust if needed.

10. Get feedback to keep getting better

• Share your essays with someone who can give you advice.
• Find out what you need to work on and practice those skills.
• Keep writing essays regularly to improve more and feel more confident.

Bonus IELTS Writing Task 2 Tip

• Read IELTS band 9 essay samples to understand what makes them successful.
• Pay attention to the structure, vocabulary, and coherence of these essays.
• Try to incorporate similar techniques into your own writing.

Prepare Yourself to Pen Down an IELTS Writing Task 2 Band 9 Essay

Apart from the band descriptors and IELTS writing essay tips, there are certain aspects like the structure of the IELTS Writing Task 2 essay, common topics for Task 2, mini sequences of functions, IELTS connectors for Writing tasks and lots more that might help you achieve the top IELTS band score.

Check out the details on everything you need to know to maximize your IELTS Writing Task 2 band score. Read ahead!

How Can You Structure Your IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay?

For IELTS Writing Task 2, both Academic and General, you should follow a particular structure. You need to write an introduction to the topic. It should be followed by a paragraph with logical analysis. You should also give an appropriate conclusion.

Introduction

The introduction should tell the examiner what the rest of the essay is about and also answer the question directly. This tells the examiner that you know what you are doing straight away and helps you write your main body paragraphs.

Task 2 Tips to Write the Introduction:

• Keep the introduction crisp and short.
• Write no more than two or three sentences – about 30 words.
• Connect your introduction and title. Write a general statement relating to the topic.
• Then write a sentence which contains the parts of the questions you are asked about: … factors contributing to… etc.
• Where you can, use synonyms to rephrase the question.
• Cross out any notes in the plan you made.
• Remember that quality is better than quantity.
• Do not panic if other people are writing more than you.

Supporting Paragraphs

This is where you give the examiner more detail. You do this by stating your main points and supporting them with explanations and relevant examples.

Additionally, writing a statement with a focus word is the key! E.g. The main cause/factor is … Alternatively, you can just state the cause or begin to explain the situation.

Task 2 Writing Tips for Supporting Paragraphs

• As a rough guide, write about 75/80 words for each paragraph – about 7/8 lines if you write 10 words per line.
• Mark this on the answer sheet and write towards this mark.
• Repeat this for the subsequent paragraphs.
• As you write, use a pencil, but try not to rub out corrections or changes, as this wastes a lot of time.
• Cross out any changes with one line. Write above if you have space.
• Only rub out the text you want to change if you don’t have space to write above.
• Make sure each paragraph is connected with the previous one, as you are marked according to how you organize each paragraph.
• You only need to use a limited range of sentence/clause types to write effectively.

Conclusion

Here you provide a summary of what you have already said in the rest of the body paragraphs.

• Once you are done giving the for and against opinions, summarise the points briefly.
• You need to prove to the examiner that you have a good command over the language, IELTS grammar and IELTS vocabulary.

Common IELTS Writing Task 2 Topics

Given below are the most common IELTS Writing Task 2 sample essay topics of 2024, Read the list and look at band 9 sample answers related to them as well!

IELTS Connectors for Writing Task 2

In IELTS Writing Task 2, your ability to link words accurately, creatively, and within a range will be assessed. In order to get a high band score on IELTS Writing Task 2, connectors/linking words for writing are necessary.

They assure the examiner about your command over the language and help you to receive a high score on the Coherence and Cohesion criterion, which accounts for 25% of your final grade.

Proper Sentence Structures for Your IELTS Essay

Practice combining the functions in different ways is one of the most effective IELTS Writing Task 2 tips. Therefore, learn how to write complex sentences and other sentence types that you use. For example, think of sentences in pairs. Then think what would come after the second function in the pair and so on.

• Practice this until it becomes a fluid and automatic technique.
• The more organized you are in your writing, the more fluent and flexible you will be.
• So make sure you know and can use a wide range of connections and functions.
• The more organized you are, the fewer mistakes you will make.
• If you do not have to think about the organization of a question in the exam, you will be able to concentrate on avoiding repetition and expressing your ideas.
• Mark out the end of each paragraph before you write an essay and aim for that point. It helps you to focus your ideas and stops you from rambling.
• Take a blank sheet and then write down everything you know about a specific aspect of Writing Task 2: what you know about introductions; what common sentence functions you use; what common connecting words and phrases you know – for, but, and, so, etc.
• This will show you what you know and what you don’t know. It will help you organize your thoughts and increase your confidence and hence your speed.
• Above all know yourself, your strengths, your limitations and your common mistakes. Then push your limitations and correct your mistakes.

Common Mini Sequences of Functions In IELTS Writing Task 2

As you become more confident, you can build these sequences and write and learn to combine them in whatever way suits you.

• Measure/result/reason; general example; specific example
• Condition (if/unless); result; real example
• Problem; cause; solution; reason; general and specific example
• Opinion; explanation; reason; general example; specific example; my opinion

The following checklist is only a guideline and can be adapted in many different ways. You can combine the information in endless different ways. You can take parts from one checklist and add them to another.

Try and think about these sequences without writing them down. You can combine and recombine them. In this way, developing your flexibility helps develop fluency in connecting text and prevents over-generalizing.

How to Write an IELTS Writing Task 2 Band 9 Essay Using the Writing Task 2 Tips and Tricks?

Question

A breakdown of the given IELTS writing task 2 band 9 essay:

Step 1: You are given an opinion essay which means you have to state your point of view regarding the question.

Step 2: Once you understand the question and decide your opinion, you can start planning your essay and then writing it. Don’t forget to state your opinion on it.

Step 3: Introduction

• State your opinion clearly. Explain in brief what you are going to write in the body paragraphs.

Many argue that the government should look after elderly people and provide them with pensions after they are 60 years old. However, others say that people themselves should save money for later use. I agree with the former viewpoint because savings would not be enough to support people, and residents pay taxes to the government all their life.

Step 4: Body Paragraph 1

The main reason why the government must take care of old people is that their savings would not be able to support their medical bills, house rent, and monthly groceries. This is because the inflation rate has been quite high in the last few decades and there are no signs that the inflation rate will go down in the coming years.

Step 5: Body Paragraph 2

Another reason behind this is that people pay taxes to the government authorities while they are working. The government collects taxes from residents as an income tax, service tax, and property tax. Therefore, people already have paid enough to the state that they can pay monthly pensions to all elderly people.

Step 6: Conclusion

Restate your opinion in clear and direct sentences.

IELTS Band 9 Writing Task 2 Sample Answer

Many argue that the government should look after elderly people and provide pensions after they are 60 years old. However, others say that people themselves should save money for later use. I agree with the former viewpoint because savings would not be enough to support people, and residents pay taxes to the government all their lives.

The main reason why the government must take care of old people is that their savings would not be able to support their medical bills, house rent, and monthly groceries. This is because the inflation rate has been quite high in the last few decades and there are no signs that the inflation rate will go down in the coming years. This will lead to people who have a small amount of money to pay their bills. For example, a recent study in the US found that in the coming years, the prices of housing, medical, and other necessary items will go so high that it would be very difficult for people to buy certain items. Therefore, the authorities must look after elderly people.

Another reason behind this is that people pay taxes to the government authorities while they are working. The government collects taxes from residents as an income tax, service tax, and property tax. Therefore, people already have paid enough to the state that they can pay for monthly pensions to all elderly people. To illustrate, the UK government imposes a 30% tax on income, and the government earns millions of pounds. A small portion of this income should be distributed to people in the form of pensions to older people.

In conclusion, the government should take responsibility for their citizens for their health and financial assistance because monthly savings will not be able to cover their monthly bills, and taxes are paid to the taxation authorities by people all their lives.

To read more IELTS Band 8 Essay samples, you can check out the post: 30 IELTS Writing Recent Actual Tests in 2016 & Model Essays

Useful Resources

• Tips to write great writing essay
• Tips to Improve IELTS Writing Skills
• 10 Useful Structures to Express Contrasting Ideas in IELTS Speaking & Writing Task 2
• Popular IELTS Opinions Synonyms to Use
• Unbeatable IELTS Writing 2024 Tips
• Score BAND 8+ in IELTS Writing Very Easy
• IELTS Writing recent actual test
• IELTS Writing Task 2: Tips to Write an Effective Introduction