Writing Task 2 — Understand the Question

Learn to make a task map before planning a Task 2 essay: identify the topic, what the instruction asks you to do, the limits of the topic and each required part.

A complete test response is an essay of at least 250 words. Here you practise analysis and short planning responses, not a full timed essay. The focus is Task Response: an elegant paragraph cannot compensate for answering a different question. You do not need a memorised label before you can understand a task. Read the actual instruction, even when a prompt resembles a familiar preparation category.

Topic means the issue being discussed. Instruction means the action required: for example, explain causes, evaluate a proposal, compare viewpoints or give your opinion. Scope means the people, places or circumstances that limit the discussion. Required parts means the substantive questions or views the response must address.

A single instruction sentence can ask for several things. “Discuss both views and give your opinion” requires fair treatment of each view plus a position; it is not an invitation to write only about your favourite side.

Opinion, discussion of both views, advantages/disadvantages, problem/solution and two-part questions are useful preparation categories. They are not an exhaustive official taxonomy. A prompt may combine actions. Underline the actual verbs and limit words rather than forcing every question into a fixed essay template.

After making the map, test each proposed idea: does it help answer this instruction within this scope? A generally true claim can still be irrelevant.

Original TutorLand prompt:

A district council is considering free evening use of school sports halls for local residents. What benefits could this provide, and what practical difficulties would the council need to address?

Weak map: “Topic: sport. Instruction: say whether sport is good. Scope: everyone. Plan: exercise is healthy, elite athletes earn money, international tournaments attract tourists.”

The map loses the evening opening proposal, the local users and the required discussion of practical difficulties. Elite sport and international tourism might be relevant to another essay, but this proposal concerns existing school spaces outside lesson hours. A response can contain accurate sentences while failing to address the question.

Improved map:

Topic: opening school sports halls to residents in the evening without a usage charge. Instruction: explain potential benefits and practical difficulties. Scope: local residents, school halls and evening access; not sport in general. Required parts: benefits to users or the community, and obstacles the council would need to manage.

A relevant benefit is affordable indoor exercise for residents. Develop it by explaining how a free local venue could remove cost and travel barriers. A relevant difficulty is arranging supervision and cleaning before the next school day. Develop it by explaining who would cover evening staffing and how bookings could prevent overcrowding.

Why better: each idea connects to a feature of the proposal. The map separates benefit from implementation difficulty and creates room for both. It does not assume that the hall has infinite capacity or that free access has no operating cost.

Compare these original instructions about public libraries:

“Should libraries reserve some seats for students preparing for examinations?” asks you to take and justify a position on a proposal.

“Some users favour reserved study seats; others prefer all seats to remain available to everyone. Discuss both views and give your opinion.” requires both viewpoints and your own judgment.

“Why do some users struggle to find a seat, and what could libraries do to improve access?” asks for reasons and possible responses. It does not expressly require a debate between two named viewpoints.

Notice that a shared topic does not create a shared task. For each instruction, list what a reader must learn from your response. Then check whether your plan supplies it. Preparation categories help organise practice; the wording controls the actual answer.

Original prompt:

Some towns are replacing small staffed ticket offices with online booking systems. What problems might this cause for residents, and how could towns reduce these problems?

Weak plan: “Paragraph 1: the history of computers. Paragraph 2: online shopping is popular. Conclusion: technology is important.”

To repair it, name an access problem that follows from the replacement, such as difficulty booking for people without reliable internet access. Then connect a response to that problem, such as a staffed telephone booking option. Do not add a generic list of unrelated technology benefits. Editing for Task Response means changing the plan's content and connections, not merely replacing simple vocabulary with rare words.

A practical response may have limits. A telephone line helps only if it is usable, staffed and clearly advertised; mentioning a solution is not the same as explaining how it addresses the problem.

Original TutorLand prompt:

More employers allow staff to choose their own starting and finishing times, provided that team meetings are covered. Why might employees value this flexibility, and what difficulties could it create for employers?

Make a task map. Select one employee benefit and one employer difficulty. For each, add a short explanation showing how flexible hours lead to that consequence. Write a 90–120-word planning response, not a full exam essay. Avoid converting it into “technology is good” or “working from home is better”: neither is the actual proposal.

You may discuss caregiving, travel or concentration if you explain the connection. For a difficulty, consider coordination outside meetings rather than claiming that no meetings can happen: the prompt already says meetings are covered. Respecting a condition in the prompt is part of respecting its scope.

Before writing an essay, ask:

• Have I named the proposal or issue precisely? • Have I followed every instruction verb? • Have I kept the relevant people and conditions? • Do my planned paragraphs address each required part? • Could the same plan be pasted under many unrelated questions? If so, make it more specific.

Use the final reflection to record a change you actually made. Question-analysis checks are practice indicators, not an IELTS band. When this lesson and the next one are reviewed and published, move to Build a Clear Position. If you still miss required parts, try mapping a different original prompt before writing more. If an example uses a defensible different viewpoint, check its relevance rather than rejecting it merely because you disagree.