By English Test Coach · Updated
Lesson 1 of 8 · Both Task 2 formats
Answer the question you were given
Turn instructions into a focused position and a plan that covers every part.
Separate the topic from the job
A topic tells you what to discuss; the instruction tells you what to do with it. For a question about whether flexible work has more advantages than disadvantages, a list of advantages is not enough. You need to compare the two sides and reach a judgement. Circle limiting words such as some, children or in cities. They prevent a broad, prepared essay from drifting away from the actual question.
Make a coverage plan
Write a short planning note for each required part. A discuss-both-views question with an opinion needs both views and your position. A causes-and-solutions question needs an explanation of causes and responses to those causes, not a list of unrelated benefits. These notes are a private planning aid; turn them into connected paragraphs in the final answer. Choose a few claims that you can explain well instead of mentioning every possible idea.
Keep the judgement consistent
A position can be qualified: flexible work may help experienced staff while creating difficulties for new starters. Explain why the balance still favours one conclusion. Check the introduction, body and conclusion together. If your conclusion reverses your opening view, either explain that development or revise the opening. Do not attach a memorised conclusion which contradicts the reasoning you actually wrote.
Worked example
Before
Working from home is popular. This essay will discuss work.
After
Although home working can make training harder, its flexibility is a greater benefit when teams keep regular office days.
The revised position answers a balance question, acknowledges a limitation and identifies a condition. It is a planning example, not a sentence to use for every topic.
IELTS Task 2 introductions and conclusions: keep a clear position
An introduction identifies the question you will answer and the judgement your essay will develop. A conclusion brings that reasoning together. Compare the opening and closing of our original remote-work sample; these are teaching examples, not an official scored answer or a template to memorise.
The question
In many countries, working from home is becoming increasingly common. Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?
Introduction: answer the weighing question
Working from home has become an ordinary arrangement for many employees whose jobs can be performed online. Although this shift can make collaboration more difficult, I believe its benefits generally outweigh its drawbacks, provided that employers deliberately protect opportunities for colleagues to work together.
The opening identifies the change, decides that benefits generally outweigh drawbacks, and sets a condition: employers must preserve collaboration. The body therefore needs to explain the benefits and show how the communication problem can be managed.
Conclusion: return to the reason for that judgement
Overall, the reduction in commuting and the broader access to jobs are substantial advantages. While remote work needs thoughtful management, its communication problems can often be reduced without giving up the flexibility that makes it valuable.
The wording changes, but the judgement remains favourable and qualified. Reduced commuting and wider job access come from the advantage paragraph; managing communication comes from the drawback paragraph. The conclusion does not need a new benefit to make the case stronger.
An ending that would contradict this essay
Therefore, working from home should end and every employee should return to the office full-time.
This reverses the opening judgement and removes its condition without the body supporting that change. If your reasoning leads you to a different view while drafting, revise the introduction and argument together; do not leave the reader with two incompatible answers.
Read the body paragraphs that connect this opening and conclusion →
Try the consistency check
Write a different opening and closing for the same question. Underline your judgement in each and circle any condition. Check that both fit the reasons in your plan. Matching words are unnecessary; matching reasoning is what matters.
The work essay guide shows why a four-day schedule does not necessarily reduce weekly hours, and how that distinction changes the argument.
Use this checklist
- Identify every instruction and limiting word.
- Plan a relevant explanation for each required part.
- Check that the final judgement follows the body paragraphs.
Practise the lesson
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Try it in your own writing
Write a two-sentence position for this original question: Some towns want to make their centres car-free. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Acknowledge one limitation without avoiding the judgement.
0/4,000 characters. This writing is not automatically marked.
- Did you compare benefits with limitations rather than list only one side?
- Is the condition connected to the limitation?
- Could the reader identify your overall judgement?
Transfer the skill to a full response
Open a related original question and use the checklist. Your exercise text is not transferred or saved automatically; download your review before leaving.
Practise a related questionStudy the complete example: Remote work and society
Compare the technique from this lesson with a full response, then use the format guide to plan your own answer.