Two Task 2 prompts are answered badly for the same reason: candidates learn one essay shape and force every question into it. 'Discuss both views and give your own opinion' needs both views plus an opinion; a problem-and-solution question needs solutions that actually address the causes you named. This page separates the two, with forty original questions.
Write DISCUSS, PROBLEM or TWO-PART at the top of your notes. Half of all off-target essays start by misreading this.
Equal space. A first view of six sentences and a second of two reads as a disguised opinion essay.
Those who favour X argue that... Supporters of the opposite position point out that... The reader must never confuse a reported view with yours.
State it in the introduction and again in the conclusion, even if the body paragraphs report other people's views.
One paragraph of causes, one of solutions, each solution tied to a named cause. That link is what examiners look for.
Name the actor and the measure: employers could be required to publish pay ranges. 'Something must be done' is not a solution.
Count the question marks in the prompt. Two questions means two body paragraphs at minimum.
Present simple for general truths, conditionals for proposals. Mixing in past narrative pulls the essay off register.
If the conclusion answers a question the introduction did not ask, the essay has drifted and one sentence can fix it.
Not thisDiscussing both views and never stating your own.
ThisAdding an explicit opinion in the introduction and conclusion.
When the prompt says 'and give your own opinion', an essay without one has not completed the task.
Not thisGovernments should do something about this problem.
ThisGovernments could tax single-use packaging at the point of manufacture.
Vague proposals cannot be developed, so the paragraph stalls after two sentences.
Not thisListing causes in one paragraph and unrelated solutions in the next.
ThisMatching each solution to a cause you named.
A solution that addresses nothing you identified shows the essay was not planned as an argument.
Not thisSome people think online study is convenient. I think it is terrible.
ThisSupporters value the flexibility; critics point to the loss of direct contact with teachers, which I regard as the more serious consideration.
Reported views need neutral reporting language, and an opinion needs a reason, not an adjective.
Not thisAnswering only the first half of a two-part question.
ThisAnswering both halves with comparable development.
Task response is capped when part of the prompt is untouched, however good the rest is.
Not thisUsing 'firstly, secondly, thirdly, finally' as the entire cohesion of the essay.
ThisUsing connectors that show relationships: because of this, a further consequence, by contrast.
Mechanical listing shows sequence but not the logic between ideas.
Not thisWriting the causes paragraph as a list of five causes.
ThisDeveloping two causes properly.
Five undeveloped causes leave no room to show how anything follows from anything else.
Not thisSpending twelve minutes planning.
ThisPlanning for five and writing for thirty.
Task 2 needs 250 words; over-planning leaves an unfinished essay, which is penalised far more heavily than an imperfect one.
40 original questions. The first 10 are open to everyone. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class as it is.
1Complete the sentence.
3Complete the sentence.
6Complete the sentence.
7Write the topic sentence of a paragraph presenting the view that remote work benefits employers.
One good answer
Those who favour remote working argue that it lowers costs for employers, since companies can reduce office space and recruit from a far wider geographical area.
9Complete the sentence.
11Complete the sentence.
13Complete the sentence.
15Complete the sentence.
17Complete the sentence.
19Complete the sentence.
21Complete the sentence.
23Complete the sentence.
24A question asks about the causes of traffic congestion and possible solutions. Give one cause and a matching solution.
One good answer
One cause is that housing has been built on city edges with no rail connection, so residents have no alternative to driving. A matching solution is for local authorities to require transport links to be built before, not after, new housing is occupied.
26Complete the sentence.
28Complete the sentence.
31Complete the sentence.
33Complete the sentence.
34Why does a discussion essay need reporting language that an opinion essay does not?
One good answer
Because two of its paragraphs present views the writer may not hold, so without phrases like 'supporters argue' the reader cannot tell which claims are being reported and which are the writer's own position.
36Complete the sentence.
38Complete the sentence.
40Outline the plan you would write in five minutes for a causes-and-solutions question.
One good answer
Prompt type PROBLEM; cause one with its explanation; cause two with its explanation; solution one tied to cause one, with the actor named; solution two tied to cause two; and a one-line conclusion saying which measure matters most.
Note
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You have to state a view, but it can be a qualified one: that one side is right in most circumstances, or right for one group and not another. What is not acceptable is an essay that reports both views and never commits.
Two of each, developed, is the reliable shape for 250 to 290 words. Three of each usually means none of them is explained.
In the introduction, briefly, and in the conclusion with its reason. Putting it only at the end risks running out of time before it is written.
They are close, but the advantages question asks about a thing while the discussion question asks about what people believe. Use reporting language for views and direct statements for advantages.
Break one cause into its parts: an economic aspect and a practical one, or a short-term trigger and a long-term condition. That is more honest than inventing a second cause you cannot develop.
Many candidates do, because it carries twice the marks and needs the clearer head. If you do, set a firm alarm point at forty minutes so Task 1 still gets its twenty.