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Two-Part Essay Questions in IELTS Writing Task 2

Learn how to answer Two-part essay questions in IELTS writing Task 2 with an overview, recommended approach and practice question.

by Tim Martyn

Table of contents

Overview
Example question
Recommended approach
Assessment criteria
Practice question

Overview

Two-part essay questions are a common question type in IELTS writing Task 2. You’ll be presented with a statement about some kind of trend or phenomenon. There will be two direct questions, which could ask for reasons, effects, solutions, advantages and disadvantages, or your opinion.

Here are some key points about Two-part essay questions:

You should spend no more than 40 minutes on the task.
You should write at least 250 words.
Task 2 is worth two thirds of your total writing mark; Task 1 is worth one third.
You must write in full sentences, not bullet points or note form.

Example question

Here’s an example Two-part essay question.

Write about the following topic:

In many countries, it has become difficult for young people to afford to buy their own home.

Why is this the case?

What can be done about this problem?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Recommended approach

Here’s my recommended approach for answering Two-part essay questions. We’ll use the example question to go through the steps you need to take.

IMPORTANT:

The overall approach is the same for all Task 2 question types (i.e. discussion, opinion, advantages–disadvantages and two-part essay questions).

This is important because, on test day, you could get a question that doesn’t fall neatly into any of these categories. However, if you learn and practise applying the overall approach, you should be able to respond flexibly to any question you’re presented with.

Also, while I generally recommend writing 4-paragraph essays, there are other structures you can use to write an effective essay.

Step 1 > Analyse the question

The first step is to analyse the question. This is crucial – if you don’t take the time to analyse the question properly, you may misunderstand what it’s asking you or fail to respond to key parts of the question.

Here’s our question prompt again.

You can see that we’ve been presented with a straightforward statement (i.e. that it has become difficult for young people in many countries to afford their own home), and then there are two direct questions.

The direct questions are asking us to:

give the cause(s) of the problem;
suggest one or more solutions.

Notice that the question doesn’t actually use the words cause(s) or solution(s). Because there are no plural or singular forms used, you’re free to include as many causes and solutions in your essay as you like (even just one of each). However, if the question uses plural forms (e.g. causes, effects, solutions), you’ll need to include more than one of each.

Step 2 > Think of ideas

Once you fully understand the question and what you’re required to do, the next step is to spend a few minutes thinking of ideas for your essay.

Don’t try to brainstorm as many ideas as you can – all you need is a few good ideas. If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, try asking yourself these questions:

What are the most obvious ideas?
If you asked 100 people for their ideas, what do you think most of them would say?

For Two-part essay questions, you need to think of ideas for the first direct question as well as for the second direct question. Again, pay attention to the wording of the question – if plural forms are used (e.g. solutions), you’ll need to think of more than one.

Step 3 > Make a plan

Once you’ve thought of some ideas, it’s time to make a plan. I’d recommend that you spend about 5 minutes on your plan. It doesn’t need to be very detailed, but it’s important to think about what examples you’ll use and how you’ll explain your points. If you think of these things in advance, you’ll be able to connect your ideas more effectively when you’re writing your essay.

Don’t try to write in full sentences – you can use symbols and abbreviations. The important thing is just to get your ideas down on paper.

The plan for this essay might look something like this.

Intro.	variety of reasons + steps that can be taken
Body 1	several factors to blame – population growth = higher prices – not enough construction, supply can’t match demand – interest rates below long-term averages, ppl. borrow more money to outbid
Body 2	ways to address issue – grants from government, could be conditional (e.g. must be newly constructed) – government release more land and encourage construction, would help with supply
Concl.	– mainly due to supply + demand – government grants + more land release

Step 4 > Write the introduction

Now that you’ve thought of ideas for your essay and made a plan, it’s time to write the introduction.

IELTS doesn’t specify what you need to include in your introduction, but for Two-part essay questions, I recommend that you include:

a paraphrase of the statement given in the question;
a statement to show that your essay will cover both aspects of the question.

Let’s look at each of these parts one by one.

1. A paraphrase of the statement given in the question

An easy and effective way to start your introduction is to paraphrase the statement given in the question. At this stage, don’t mention the specific focus of the question (i.e. the two direct questions) – we’ll do that in the second part of the introduction.

Keep in mind that you mustn’t copy the exact wording used in the question. Instead, you need to use synonyms and other forms of paraphrasing. You won’t be able find synonyms for everything. In fact, some words shouldn’t be replaced because doing so would change the meaning.

Our paraphrase could be something like this: In many parts of the world, it has become very challenging for younger generations to be able to purchase a home of their own.

2. A statement to show that your essay will cover both aspects of the question

In the second part of the introduction, you should add a statement to show that your essay will cover both aspects of the question.

For our question, we could write something like this: There is a variety of reasons for this, but steps can certainly be taken to tackle the issue.

If we put the two parts of the introduction together, this is what we have.

In many parts of the world, it has become very challenging for younger generations to be able to purchase a home of their own. There is a variety of reasons for this, but steps can certainly be taken to tackle the issue.

Step 5 > Write the body paragraphs

The next step is to write the body paragraphs. Your first body paragraph should answer the first direct question, and your second body paragraph should answer the second direct question.

This particular Two-part essay question doesn’t explicitly ask for our opinion, so it’s best to avoid phrases such as I think and In my opinion. However, other Two-part essay questions may ask for your opinion, in which case it’s appropriate to use such phrases.

Here are some possible body paragraphs for our example.

In many parts of the world, it has become very challenging for younger generations to be able to purchase a home of their own. There is a variety of reasons for this, but steps can certainly be taken to tackle the issue.

Several factors are to blame for the financial difficulty young people face when trying to buy a home. Firstly, population growth in many countries has led to greater competition among buyers, which drives up prices. In parallel, there is often too little construction taking place, which makes the situation worse as supply cannot keep up with demand. In many countries, interest rates are also much lower than their long-term averages, which encourages people to borrow more and more money to outbid other buyers. As prices have increased, it has become increasingly difficult for younger buyers to save for a deposit, which effectively locks them out of the housing market.

There are ways that this issue could be addressed. One solution is for governments to offer young people grants to help them afford their first home. Governments could place conditions on any such grant. For example, they could require that the property be a newly constructed one or that the money only be used to purchase a property in a regional area. Another way to deal with this issue is for governments to release more land for residential construction and offer builders financial incentives. This would help with the supply side of the equation. If there were more properties available, prices would inevitably come down.

Step 6 > Write the conclusion

The next step is to write the conclusion. Here you need to summarise your answers to the two direct questions. Don’t just copy the words you used in other parts of the essay – use synonyms and paraphrasing as much as you can. Start your conclusion with In conclusion or To conclude.

Here’s a possible conclusion for our example.

Several factors are to blame for the financial difficulty young people face when trying to buy a home. Firstly, population growth in many countries has led to greater competition among buyers, which drives up prices. In parallel, there is often too little construction taking place, which makes the situation worse as supply cannot keep up with demand. In many countries, interest rates are also much lower than their long-term averages, which encourages people to borrow more and more money to outbid other buyers. As prices have increased, it has become increasingly difficult for younger buyers to save for a deposit, which effectively locks them out of the housing market.

There are ways that this issue could be addressed. One solution is for governments to offer young people grants to help them afford their first home. Governments could place conditions on any such grant. For example, they could require that the property be a newly constructed one or that the money only be used to purchase a property in a regional area. Another way to deal with this issue is for governments to release more land for residential construction and offer builders financial incentives. This would help with the supply side of the equation. If there were more properties available, prices would inevitably come down.

In conclusion, young people find it difficult to afford their own home primarily due to supply and demand factors. Unless governments take action by offering grants to young buyers or by releasing more land for new homes, the problem is unlikely to go away.

Step 7 > Check your work

The final step is to check your work. At this stage, you won’t have time to make any major changes, but it’s still an important step.

Things to check for:

whether you’ve used an adequate range of grammar and vocabulary;
spelling;
your word count.

Assessment criteria

Here are the assessment criteria used for Task 2.

Criterion	What does this mean?
Task response	Do you address the question prompt appropriately? Do you have a well-developed position? Are your ideas relevant, well extended and supported?
Coherence and cohesion	Are your ideas logically organised and easy to follow? How well do you use cohesive devices to connect your ideas?
Lexical resource	Do you use a range of vocabulary? Do you make many vocabulary errors? Do your errors make it hard to follow your ideas?
Grammatical range and accuracy	Do you use a wide range of grammatical structures? Do you make many grammar errors? Do your errors make it hard to follow your ideas?

You can find out more about the assessment criteria here.

Practice question

Now it’s your turn to practise. Try the Two-part essay question below using the approach outlined above.

Write about the following topic:

In many countries, people from rural areas have been relocating to cities.

Why is this the case?

Do you think this is a positive or a negative development?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

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Feedback

Click below for a sample answer.

Cities around the world have been growing as rural residents move to them in ever-increasing numbers, and there are several explanations for this. Overall, I see the trend towards urbanisation as a negative development.

People choose to relocate to cities for a variety of reasons. Economic opportunity plays a significant role as cities usually offer a wider array of jobs and industries. The limited opportunity in rural areas often means that people have no choice but to move to a city if they wish to improve their career prospects and earning potential. In addition, the range of services and amenities in cities can be strong incentives. For example, cities generally have better healthcare facilities, so those with health issues may decide to relocate to a city in order to have access to such facilities. Most urban centres also have a vibrant cultural and social scene, with diverse entertainment options including restaurants and nightclubs, which tends to attract younger people from rural areas.

I mostly see the phenomenon of people relocating to cities as a negative development. Rapid growth can place significant strain on a city’s infrastructure. For example, as more and more people move to a city, the number of vehicles on the road tends to rise significantly. This can lead to traffic congestion, longer commute times and deteriorating road conditions. Environmental degradation is another major issue associated with urbanisation as it contributes to air and water pollution and encroaches on natural habitats, which can lead to the extinction of animal species.

In conclusion, people have been flocking to cities because of the economic opportunity as well as the range of services and entertainment options available. However, I see this as a negative development because of the many issues caused by rapid urban growth.