IELTS Writing Task 2 Planner Practice
Task 2 Planner: Organise Better Essays
Practise planning IELTS Writing Task 2 essays with 10 realistic exam questions. For each question, choose your opinion, identify the main ideas for both body paragraphs, and select the strongest supporting reasons before comparing your answers with detailed feedback.
Before You Start
- A clear essay plan helps you organise your ideas before you begin writing.
- A weak plan often includes unrelated or poorly organised ideas, making the essay difficult to develop and follow.
- For example, choosing a body paragraph topic like: “The cost of university education around the world” does not answer the essay question because it describes the topic rather than discussing one side of the argument.
- A stronger plan uses a clear main idea, such as: “The benefits of providing free higher education” This gives you a focused body paragraph that can be developed with relevant supporting reasons, explanations, and examples.
- As you complete each activity, focus on selecting body paragraph topics and supporting ideas that directly answer the essay question. A well-planned essay is easier to organise, develops stronger arguments, and is more likely to achieve a higher score for Task Response and Coherence and Cohesion.
Why This Exercise Matters
Why the IELTS Writing Task 2 Planner Matters
Task Response asks one question: Did you answer the essay question with a clear position and well-developed ideas? It’s assessed separately from grammar and vocabulary and accounts for 25% of your Task 2 band score.
The problem it fixes
Many IELTS essays lose marks because candidates begin writing without a clear plan. They include irrelevant ideas, repeat the same point, or organise their arguments poorly. This planner helps you practise choosing the correct body paragraph topics and matching them with relevant supporting reasons before you start writing.
How it improves Task Response
A strong essay plan creates a logical structure from the beginning. By selecting the best paragraph topics and supporting ideas, you’ll learn how to organise balanced arguments that answer every part of the question. The instant feedback also helps you recognise which ideas genuinely support your main point.
The knock-on effect on your band
Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1 to your overall IELTS Writing score. Learning to plan your essays effectively makes them easier to organise, improves Task Response and Coherence and Cohesion, and increases your chances of achieving a higher Writing band.
Finished?
What to do Next
You’ve now practised planning IELTS Writing Task 2 essays by selecting an opinion, organising body paragraph topics, and choosing supporting reasons. The next step is learning how to develop those planned ideas into well-supported paragraph
- Choose three essay questions and explain why each supporting reason strengthens its body paragraph.
- If you selected any incorrect topics or supporting ideas, review the feedback and identify why they did not answer the essay question effectively.
- Ready for the next step? Move on to the Point → Explain → Support Builder to learn how to turn your essay plan into well-developed, Band 7–9 body paragraphs.
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.