Recent IELTS Task 2 Questions, With a Worked Plan for Each

Every month, lists of "the latest IELTS Task 2 questions" appear online. They are collected from candidates who write down what they remember after leaving the test centre. That is worth knowing before you use one: the wording is a reconstruction, not a copy, and nobody outside the test board can confirm it.

This does not make the lists useless. It makes them useful for a different reason than most candidates think. The exact sentence will not come back. The question shape comes back constantly, and the shape is what your plan responds to. So this page takes nine question shapes that keep appearing in recent recall lists and gives each one a paragraph map: what goes in each paragraph, in order, decided before you write a word.

Why the plan matters more than the topic

Task Response is the criterion that asks whether you answered the question that was set. It is also, in our own sample library, the criterion where candidates lose marks for reasons that have nothing to do with their English. They write good sentences about a nearby topic instead of the topic in front of them.

A paragraph map fixes that in five minutes. It is four lines of notes, in your own language if you prefer, saying what each paragraph will claim. Once it exists, the writing is transcription, and your attention goes to grammar and vocabulary instead of to structure. If you have never done this, the five minute essay plan walks through it slowly.

Read each map below as a template. The topic is replaceable. The shape is not.

1. Opinion, single question

Some people believe that governments should pay for university tuition. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

This is the most common shape in every recall list. The failure is sitting on the fence.

Paragraph	What it does
1	Paraphrase the statement, state your position in one clause
2	First reason you hold that position, with a consequence
3	Second reason, different in kind from the first
4	Restate the position, no new ideas

The phrase to what extent allows a partial agreement, but partial means specified. "I agree for undergraduate degrees but not for second degrees" is a position. "There are arguments on both sides" is not. More on the grammar of that in to what extent do you agree.

2. Discuss both views, then give your opinion

Some think children should start school at four. Others believe six is better. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Two tasks, both compulsory. An answer that discusses both views and stops is capped, because it did not do the second half.

Paragraph	What it does
1	Paraphrase, name both views, state which you hold
2	View A, presented fairly, not as a straw argument
3	View B, presented fairly
4	Your opinion, with the reason it beats the other view

The common mistake is making view A obviously weak so that view B wins easily. A reader notices, and the descriptors reward a balanced treatment.

3. Advantages and disadvantages

More people now work from home. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this development?

Note the wording. This version asks you to list, not to judge. It is the neutral form.

Paragraph	What it does
1	Paraphrase, say both sides will be covered
2	Two advantages, the second developed further
3	Two disadvantages, same treatment
4	A short summary, which may include a judgement

4. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

More people now work from home. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

Same topic, different task. This one demands a verdict in the introduction and the same verdict in the conclusion. The two forms are confused constantly, which is why they sit next to each other here. A marked answer to the outweigh form shows the difference in practice.

Paragraph	What it does
1	Paraphrase, state the verdict
2	The side you judged larger, two developed reasons
3	The other side, acknowledged honestly, then limited
4	Verdict restated with the reason it holds

5. Problem and solution

Traffic congestion is worsening in many cities. What problems does this cause, and what measures could reduce it?

Paragraph	What it does
1	Paraphrase, name the problem area
2	Two problems, each with who it affects
3	Two solutions, each matched to a problem named above
4	Which solution is most practical, and why

The marks are lost when the solutions do not match the problems. If paragraph two is about air quality and paragraph three is about parking fees, the essay has changed subject.

6. Cause and solution

Obesity rates among young people are rising. What are the causes, and what can be done?

The map is the same as above with causes in place of problems. The distinction matters: a cause happens before, a problem happens after. Answering the wrong one is a Task Response loss even when the paragraphs are well written.

7. Two part question

Why do fewer people cook at home now? Is this a positive or a negative development?

Two direct questions, each needing its own body paragraph. Do not let the second one shrink into a final sentence.

Paragraph	What it does
1	Paraphrase, answer both questions in brief
2	Full answer to question one
3	Full answer to question two, with the judgement stated
4	Short conclusion holding both answers together

8. Positive or negative development

Many traditional festivals are now commercial events. Is this a positive or a negative development?

A verdict question wearing a neutral coat. "It has both positive and negative aspects" is the fence again.

Paragraph	What it does
1	Paraphrase, state positive or negative
2	First reason for that verdict
3	Second reason, or the strongest objection answered
4	Verdict restated

9. Agree or disagree with a two clause statement

Museums should be free to enter, and governments should fund them through taxation.

This shape hides a trap. There are two claims joined by and, and you can agree with one and reject the other. Candidates usually notice only the first clause. Read the statement twice, underline every verb, and decide your position on each half before you plan.

What to do with this today

Pick one map. Set a timer for forty minutes, write the essay to that map, and do not change the structure while writing. Then read your own answer against the map: does each paragraph do what the row said it would? That check, on its own, catches most Task Response losses.

When you want a second reading, paste the answer into Bandly and see which criterion it flags first. The bands are estimates produced by a model, not marks from a qualified examiner, and they are most useful as a pointer to the criterion you should work on next.