IELTS writing section has two tasks to complete in an hour out of which task 1 differs for Academic and General Papers whereas task 2 is same for both. Task 1 for Academic includes data interpretation, of line graph, map, diagram, table, pie chart and etc. General task 1 is a letter with different forms. Be it Academic and General Task 1 of both has weightage of only 33% in total. There comes the importance of Task 2 which is same for both, essay writing.
The essay writing is 66% of total marks in both test papers and with same marking scheme and common topics.
IELTS Essay question types are as follows
- Advantage and Disadvantage
- Direct Question
- Cause Solution
- Discussion
- Opinion
Advantage and Disadvantage Essay
Example Question
Some people think that it would be better for large companies and industry to move to regional areas outside large urban centers. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
Direct Question
Success is often measured by wealth and material belongings. Do you think wealth is the best measure of success? What makes a successful person?
Cause Solution
Overpopulation in many major urban centers around the world is a major problem. What are the causes of this? How can this problem be solved?
Discussion
Some people think that getting a degree from university is the best way to guarantee a good job, other believe that it would be better to go straight into work and get experience instead.
Opinion
In many countries today, parents are able to choose to send their children to single-sex schools or co-educational school. Some people think that children going to single-sex schools have disadvantages later in life.
To attain 25 % of Task Response, one needs to use a different strategy as well as planning. The writing structure also varies with the type of an essay. The change starts from introduction paragraph and major difference is in body paragraphs of each essay type.