Exam information | A Task 2 essay
Task 2 in the IELTS exam asks a question about a social topic such as the environment, education or the media. You must answer this question by giving your opinions, along with reasons and examples, in an essay. You must write at least 250 words and you should spend about 40 minutes writing the essay.
1. Read the following essay title.
All museums and art galleries should be free because they are an important part of a country's culture. How far do you agree with this statement?
Which of the following is the topic of the essay, a, b or c?
a. A country's culture
b. The importance of museums and art galleries
c. Free entrance to museums and art galleries
Which of the following questions has the same meaning as the essay question above?
1. How much do you agree that museums and art galleries are an important part of a country's culture?
2. How much do you agree that it is a good idea for museums and art galleries to be free for cultural reasons?
3. How much do you agree that museums and art galleries are good?
Exam tip | Understanding questions
Task 2 questions are often a sentence followed by one of the following questions:
How far do you agree with this statement? OR To what extent do you agree with this statement?
These questions mean: How much do you agree with the sentence?
2. Read this essay question and write the correct summary: a, b or c.
Children watch too much television nowadays and this is bad for their education and development. How far do you agree with this statement?
a. How much do you agree that if children watch too much television they do not learn or develop well?
b. How much do you agree that television is bad for children?
c. How much do you agree that watching television means that children learn nothing?
3. Do these ideas agree or disagree with the statement in the essay question on the preceding page? Write A (agree) or D (disagree) next to the ideas.
1. There are many interesting and educational programmes on television.
2. Watching too much television makes children lazy because they do less sport.
3. Watching some television is fine but watching too much television is bad for children.
4. Many children learn through visual activities, so watching television can help them.
Which of these ideas do you agree with?
Exam tip | Answer the question
Make sure you answer the question about the essay topic. Don't just write about the essay topic in general.
4. Read the essay question and decide if ideas 1-6 answer the question or just describe the
topic in general. Write Q (question) or T (topic) next to each idea.
All children should learn to play a musical instrument at school. How far do you agree with this statement?
1. Music is fun for children so they enjoy it.
2. Learning to play a musical instrument is a good idea because it helps children learn useful skills like coordination and self-motivation
3. Learning to play a musical instrument is difficult so not all children can do it
4. Listening to music helps children relax so it is good for their health
5. Schools should include subjects such as music in the timetable because they are creative
6. Learning a musical instrument at school is good but playing sport and other activities are also important for children
5. Read the essay question below and complete the sentences with your own ideas.
Countries should not replace their traditional culture with modern culture. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
1. Traditional culture is important because
2. Modern culture is important because
3. Young people often prefer modern culture but
4. Both traditional and modern culture are popular so
Now write four or five of your own ideas about the same essay topic. Give your reasons and use the conjunctions: and, but, because and so.
Model Answer
Preserving traditional culture helps people
understand the past and that will help them in
the future.
Young people are more interested in modern culture
so traditional culture is likely to disappear naturally.
Traditional culture may not be relevant to modern
life so it is not as important.
Modern culture may come from a foreign country
and bring strange values and customs.
Modern culture focuses more on the present
and the future so people forget about traditional
ways.
Traditional culture is often more important for
older people but it should be preserved.
Exam tip | Think about ideas
In the IELTS test, spend two or three minutes thinking about your ideas before you start writing. Write your ideas on the test paper to help you remember them.
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