Task 2 — answering the actual question · Task 2 — répondre à la question réelle
A campus option is different from a campus requirement
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A prompt can ask whether every student should live on campus. An answer about why accommodation is useful does not yet decide whether it should be compulsory.
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These five recurring prompt patterns help organise practice; they are not an exhaustive official taxonomy. Agree or disagree — choose a side. A qualified position can work when you state it clearly and develop it consistently.
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Discuss both views and give your own opinion — both views and · et an opinion. An answer without the requested opinion leaves a task part unanswered. Advantages and disadvantages — if the word outweigh appears, you must decide. Causes and solutions — address the requested causes and solutions, explaining relevant connections. Two-part question — address both questions; choose paragraphs that develop the answers clearly.
The question has already told you what it wants; it is a remarkably direct client.
'Do the advantages of studying abroad outweigh the disadvantages?' What must your answer do? · « Do the advantages of studying abroad outweigh the disadvantages ? » Que doit faire votre réponse ?
'Outweigh' asks for a judgement. Four advantages and four disadvantages with no verdict has not answered the question. · « Outweigh » demande un jugement. Quatre avantages et quatre inconvénients sans verdict n'ont pas répondu à la question.
Take a position and keep it
- A useful planning choice is to state your position in the introduction. The conclusion must say the same thing. Acknowledging merit on both sides can fit a qualified position; the conclusion should preserve the judgement developed in the body.
- ⚠ Check that you answer the actual question. "Should students study abroad?" is not "What are the benefits of studying abroad?" Underline the exact words of the question and tick them off when you have answered each one.
A qualified position is automatically unsuitable for an agree/disagree essay.
A qualified position can answer the question when its limits are clear and consistently developed. Avoid a conclusion that contradicts the position you actually argued.
Support, do not assert
- Pollution is bad for health is an assertion. It adds nothing a reader did not already believe. For example, restricting vehicles near a school could reduce pupils’ exposure at the busiest arrival time develops a hypothetical consequence without inventing clinic statistics.
- Every main idea needs one of: a reason, an example · exemple, or a consequence traced one step further. You do not need statistics, and inventing them helps nothing. Relevant development matters alongside organisation and language.
Which sentence is support rather than assertion? · Quelle phrase est un soutien plutôt qu'une affirmation ?
The second option names a mechanism and develops a consequence. The other choices make broad claims without explaining them.
Answer an objection when it helps your argument
- When useful, acknowledge a relevant objection to your position and answer it. It is true that a ban would cost jobs in the short term. A phased change with retraining could reduce that disruption while still addressing the environmental problem.
- This can help develop an argument; it is not compulsory in every response. ⚠ A concession is not a change of mind. Say why it does not move you.
In the taught pattern, which term means a challenge to your position? Complete: acknowledge an ___ and answer it.
An objection or opposing argument can be acknowledged and answered. A concession can help a relevant argument, but is not a compulsory paragraph in every essay.
A shape that fits 40 minutes
- One rehearsal allocation reserves 5 minutes for planning. Planning can help you answer every part and organise your reasons; it does not guarantee a band change. Introduction — rewrite the question, state your position. Body 1 — first reason, developed.
- Body 2 — second reason, developed, or the concession. Conclusion — restate the position. Keep it consistent with the developed argument. 3 minutes at the end for articles, plurals and tense — examples of errors a focused reread can catch, alongside missing words and unclear links.
Put this optional rehearsal plan in its intended order.
Plan the response, draft it and reserve checking time. This is one practice routine; five planning minutes and two body paragraphs are not official requirements or proven universal best-return choices.
A qualified position can still be clear
- Original prompt: “Universities should require all first-year students to live on campus. To what extent do you agree?” A clear qualified position is “I support a campus option, but not a universal requirement because some students have care responsibilities.”
- Develop both parts: nearby accommodation can ease access to classes; compulsory residence can burden carers. A conclusion can preserve this condition rather than changing to an unrelated claim.
- Do not mistake qualification for having no position. Support the condition and answer the actual requirement in the prompt.
- State what you agree with, explain its limits and develop reasons that answer the question.
- Apply the distinction to the transfer check below. These are original teaching cases, not official items or band predictions.
Format checked on 2 October 2026: official IELTS Writing guide. The rehearsal structure is optional, not a band formula.
Match the distinctions in this worked case.
Develop both parts: nearby accommodation can ease access to classes; compulsory residence can burden carers. A conclusion can preserve this condition rather than changing to an unrelated claim.
Does the model position support compulsory residence for every first-year student?
Original prompt: “Universities should require all first-year students to live on campus. To what extent do you agree?” A clear qualified position is “I support a campus option, but not a universal requirement because some students have care responsibilities.” Develop both parts: nearby accommodation can ease access to classes; compulsory residence can burden carers. A conclusion can preserve this condition rather than changing to an unrelated claim.