In Academic Writing Task 2, you are given a topic to write about. The topics in this task are of general interest such as entertainment, leisure, social problems, etc.
Your answer should discuss the most relevant issues. You must read the task carefully so that you can write a full answer that is relevant. For example, if the topic is a particular aspect of the wider topic of computers, you should focus on this aspect only in your answer. You should not simply write about computers in general.
You should write in an academic or semi-formal/neutral style. You will need to organise your ideas clearly and make sure you use relevant examples (which can be from your own experience, if relevant) or evidence.
You should spend no more than 40 minutes on this task. You must write at least 250 words and will be penalised if your answer is too short. While you will not be penalised for writing more than 250 words, if you write a very long answer you may not have time for checking and correcting at the end, and some ideas may not be directly relevant to the question. You may also produce handwriting which is unclear.
You should remember that you will be penalised if what you write is not related to the topic. You will also be penalised if your answer is not written as a whole piece of connected text (i.e. you must not use notes or bullet points). You will be severely penalised if your writing is plagiarised (i.e. copied from another source).
In the task, you will be given the Assignment Statement and instructions which will ask you to either give a point of view, argue, or solve a problem.
This may involve providing general factual information, outlining and/or presenting a solution, justifying an opinion, and evaluating evidence and ideas.
Complete the task carefully and provide a full and relevant response.
- You should organize your ideas clearly and make sure you support your argument with relevant examples (including from your own experience where relevant) or evidence.
- Communicate more abstract and complex ideas use a range of vocabulary and use good grammatical structures.
- Take note that Task 2 contributes twice as much to the final Writing band score as Task 1.
- You should write at least 250 words and you will be penalized if your answer is too short.
- You should spend no more than 40 minutes on this task.
- You will be penalized for irrelevance if the response is off-topic or is not written as full, connected text (e.g. using bullet points in any part of the response, or note form, etc.).
- You must write your answer on the answer sheet.
This task tests if you can write a clear, relevant, well-organized argument, giving evidence or examples to support your ideas, and use language accurately.
Depending on the task type, you will be assessed on your ability to:
- present a solution to a problem
- present and justify an opinion
- compare and contrast evidence, opinions, and implications
- evaluate and challenge ideas, evidence, or argument
