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The Band 8 path

IELTS Writing Task 2 Trainer

Pick a question type. Learn what the examiner is actually marking, study the four-paragraph blueprint, then build the essay one paragraph at a time — your introduction, each body paragraph and your conclusion marked separately until every one of them reaches Band 8.

All 6 Task 2 question types
Annotated Band 9 model essays
Paragraph-level marking
Retry with a new question until you pass

Seven stages, every type

  1. 1What it is

    How to spot this question type, what the examiner is actually marking, and the traps that cap it at Band 6.

  2. 2The blueprint

    The structure a Band 8 answer uses, sentence by sentence — plus a full annotated model essay.

  3. 3Introduction

    Learn the two jobs an introduction must do, then write one and have it marked.

  4. 4Body 1

    One idea, taken all the way down. Written for the same question as your introduction.

  5. 5Body 2

    A genuinely different idea, developed to the same depth — and it must not undo your position.

  6. 6Conclusion

    Close the essay without repeating yourself and without introducing anything new.

  7. 7Full essay

    A new question, 40 minutes, all four paragraphs — marked on the four official IELTS criteria.

Stages marked with a target are graded. They unlock only when your writing reaches Band 8.

Choose a question type

Task 2 essay types

Why type-by-type

Task Response is a question-type skill

Three of the four IELTS Writing criteria — Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range & Accuracy — are general writing skills. Task Response is not. It is judged entirely against what the specific question asked you to do, and each Task 2 question type asks for something different: a position, a fair account of two views, a verdict, a set of matched solutions.

That is why fluent candidates so often stall at Band 6.5. Their English is fine; they answered a discussion question as though it were an opinion question, or listed advantages when the prompt asked which side outweighed the other. Learning the types one at a time fixes the criterion that is actually holding the band down.

Common questions

How is the Band 8 Trainer different from the Essay Checker?

The Checker marks an essay you have already written. The Trainer teaches one Task 2 question type at a time: what the question is asking, the paragraph blueprint a Band 8 answer uses, and then guided practice where you write the introduction, each body paragraph and the conclusion separately — each one marked and corrected until it reaches Band 8, before you attempt a full essay.

Why practise one paragraph at a time?

Because a whole essay hides the problem. When an essay scores 6.5, the feedback covers four criteria at once and it is hard to know what to fix first. Marking a single introduction against six specific Band 8 requirements shows you exactly which one you missed — and you can fix it in 50 words instead of 280.

Do I need to pay to use it?

Yes — the Band 8 Trainer is a Pro feature, and it is not included in the free trial. Pro is $29 once for lifetime access or $6.99 a month. The Essay Checker, which gives you a full four-criterion band score on any essay, stays free, as do Word Coach, the band calculator and daily reading practice.

Which essay types does it cover?

All six Task 2 question types: Opinion (agree or disagree), Discussion (both views plus your opinion), Advantages and Disadvantages, Problem and Solution, Two-Part (direct) questions, and Positive or Negative Development. Task 1 training is planned next.

Already written an essay you want marked? Use the Essay Checker for a full four-criterion band score, or take a timed mock test

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