Task 2 essay types: opinion, discussion, problem-solution, advantage-disadvantage

Every Task 2 prompt, regardless of topic, belongs to one of a small number of recurring question patterns, and each pattern requires a different structural approach to score well on Task Response. The mistake pattern this creates is subtle: candidates often read the topic (education, technology, the environment) and start planning content immediately, without first identifying which of these patterns the wording actually demands — and a well-written essay that answers the wrong pattern (for instance, giving only your own opinion when the prompt asked you to discuss both views) is marked down on Task Response regardless of how fluent the writing is, because it hasn't actually answered the question that was asked. Learning to recognise the five common patterns from their exact wording, before drafting a single sentence, is a purely mechanical skill that pays off on every single Task 2 prompt you'll ever see.

Opinion essays are signalled by wording like "To what extent do you agree or disagree" or "Do you think this is a positive or negative development." Example prompt: "Some people believe that unpaid internships exploit young workers and should be banned. To what extent do you agree or disagree?" This pattern requires you to state a clear position — fully agree, fully disagree, or a partial position with genuine reservations — and hold that same position consistently across every body paragraph. A workable structure: introduction with a clear thesis stating your position, one body paragraph developing your strongest reason with an example, a second body paragraph developing a second, different reason, and a conclusion restating your position. The most common failure here is a wandering position — sounding like you agree in paragraph two and sounding neutral, or even implicitly disagreeing, by paragraph three — which reads as an essay that never actually decided what it thinks.

Discuss-both-views essays are signalled by "Discuss both these views and give your own opinion." Example prompt: "Some people think that children should be taught to compete, while others believe they should be taught to cooperate. Discuss both views and give your own opinion." This pattern requires genuine, balanced coverage of both sides before you state your own view — not a token throwaway sentence for the side you personally disagree with, followed by three paragraphs arguing your actual opinion. A workable structure: introduction paraphrasing both views and signalling that you'll discuss both before giving your opinion, one body paragraph developing the competition argument with real reasoning and an example, a second body paragraph developing the cooperation argument with equal depth, and a conclusion (or a short final paragraph) clearly stating your own opinion, which up to that point has been kept separate from the two views under discussion.

Problem-solution essays are signalled by wording like "What are the causes of this problem, and what solutions can you suggest?" Example prompt: "In many cities, traffic congestion has become a serious problem. What are the causes of this, and what measures could be taken to solve it?" This pattern requires you to name specific, concrete causes and then specific, logically connected solutions — not generic ones that could be pasted into any essay on any topic. A vague solution like "the government should take action" scores lower on Task Response than a specific one directly tied to a cause you actually raised, such as "since much of the congestion stems from single-occupancy commuting, introducing dedicated bus lanes and subsidising public transport fares would directly reduce the number of private cars on the road." A workable structure: introduction paraphrasing the problem, one body paragraph covering causes (developed with reasoning and examples, not just a list), a second body paragraph covering solutions that map back to those specific causes, and a conclusion summarising the link between them.