IELTS Writing Task 2 Evidence Practice:
Task 2 Evidence Practice: Strong vs. Weak
15 supporting statements from real Task 2 essays. For each one, decide whether the evidence is specific enough to earn Task Response marks — or too vague to count as development at all.
Before You Start
Strong evidence is specific enough that a reader could picture it, a named example, a number, a real scenario.
“Many people benefit” is a claim, not evidence. It has no concrete detail behind it, even if it’s true.
“A remote employee who saves two hours a day on commuting” develops the same idea with a picture the examiner can actually assess.
Why This Exercise Matters
Why IELTS Writing Task 2 Evidence Practice Matters
Task Response asks one question: did you answer what was actually asked, with a clear position and well-developed ideas, not whether your English “sounds good.” It’s scored independently of grammar and vocabulary, and it’s worth 25% of your Task 2 band.
The problem it fixes
Most Task 2 essays don’t lose marks for having no examples, they lose marks for examples that are too vague to count as real support. This drill trains your eye to catch that gap before an examiner does.
How it improves Task Response
Task Response specifically rewards ideas that are “extended and supported.” Once you can reliably spot weak evidence in someone else’s writing, you start catching it in your own. before you submit, not after.
The knock-on effect on your band
Task 2 counts twice toward your Writing band. A one-band jump in Task Response alone can lift your overall Writing score even if Coherence, Lexis, and Grammar stay exactly the same.
Finished?
What to do Next
15 supporting statements from real Task 2 essays. For each one, decide whether the evidence is specific enough to earn Task Response marks — or too vague to count as development at all.
- Rewrite the 3 weakest examples you got wrong, adding one concrete, specific detail to each.
- Got more than half wrong? Re-read the Development section of the Task Response guide before moving on.
- Comfortable with this? Move on to the Point → Explain → Support Builder below.
Task Response Guide
Want the full theory behind this drill?
Go back to the Task Response guide for the complete breakdown, examples, and band descriptors.
Keep Practising · Task Response
More Task Response Exercises
Foundation
Generating Better Ideas
Practise brainstorming relevant ideas for Task 2 questions and learn how to develop arguments before you start writing.
Start here
Begin →
Foundation
Essay Planning Practice
Plan 10 IELTS Writing Task 2 essays with exam questions. Choose your opinion, main ideas, and supporting reasons, then compare with feedback.
Core Skills
Begin →
Idea Development
Strong vs. Weak Evidence
Decide whether each supporting statement is strong enough to develop the writer’s argument or too vague to improve Task Response.
Core Skills
Begin →
Work On Another Criterion
The Other 3 IELTS Writing Task 2 Criteria
Beyond Writing
Practise Another IELTS Skill
Stuck on this exercise?
A short 1-to-1 evaluation class can pinpoint exactly what’s holding your Task Response score back.