The Band 8 path — Task 2
IELTS Writing Task 2 Trainer
Pick an essay 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, on what each one does and on the English it uses, until both reach Band 8.
The path through every essay type
- 1What it is
How to spot this question type, what the examiner is actually marking, and the traps that cap it at Band 6.
- 2The blueprint
The structure a Band 8 answer uses, sentence by sentence — plus a full annotated model essay.
- 3Introduction
Learn the two jobs an introduction must do, then write one and have it marked.
- 4Body 1
One idea, taken all the way down. Written for the same question as your introduction.
- 5Body 2
A genuinely different idea, developed to the same depth — and it must not undo your position.
- 6Conclusion
Close the essay without repeating yourself and without introducing anything new.
- 7Full essay
A new question, 40 minutes, all four paragraphs — marked on the four official IELTS criteria.
Stages marked with a target are graded. Band 8 on both the task and the language completes one; from Band 7 you can choose to move on and come back to it.
Choose a question type
Task 2 essay types
Task 2 — Essay
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.
Which essay types does it cover?
All six: 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.
Is Task 2 the same for Academic and General Training?
Yes. Both modules sit the same essay and it is marked on the same four criteria; only the topics tend to be less abstract on General Training. Everything here applies whichever module you are taking — and Task 2 is worth twice the marks of Task 1, so it is the better place to spend your preparation time.
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 $75 once for lifetime access or $11.99 a month, less in many countries. The Essay Checker, which gives you a full four-criterion band score on any answer, stays free, as do Word Coach, the band calculator and daily reading practice.
Does it cover grammar and vocabulary?
Yes, and it marks them separately. Every paragraph you write is graded twice: once on what it does (the task), and once on the English it uses (grammar and vocabulary). You see both bands, so you know whether a strong idea was let down by its sentences or the other way round — and each stage teaches the specific structures and lexis that part of the answer needs.
Why practise one paragraph at a time?
Because a whole answer hides the problem. When it 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 its own Band 8 requirements shows you exactly which one you missed — and you can fix it in 50 words instead of 280.
Already written an answer you want marked? Use the Essay Checker for a full four-criterion band score, or take a timed mock test
More IELTS Writing preparation
- Band 9 and Band 6.5 sample answersThe same question answered twice, compared criterion by criterion
- How IELTS Writing is markedThe four criteria and what each band descriptor actually requires
- IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic)Every visual type, the method each needs, and a model answer
- How to improve your Writing bandA step-by-step plan for lifting each of the four criteria
- Free Writing guide (PDF)Phrases, collocations and sentence structures for both tasks — no email needed