148 Task 2 questions with Band 8 sample essays

By essay type

• Opinion (agree or disagree) · 54
• Discussion (both views and your opinion) · 50
• Advantages and disadvantages · 6
• Problem and solution · 27
• Two-part question · 11

Education

• Artificial Intelligence and Education: Agree or Disagree AnalysisOpinion (agree or disagree) · Academic
• Compulsory community service in schools: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Free university education for all: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · Academic
• Learning foreign languages at school: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · Academic
• Learning foreign languages in primary school: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Mandatory full-time education until eighteen: to what extentOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Mandatory international study or work placements: advantages and disadvantagesAdvantages and disadvantages · Academic
• Mandatory school uniforms for all students: agree or disagreeOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• School-related student stress: causes and potential solutionsProblem and solution · General Training
• Should arts be compulsory in schools: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Should schools teach basic cooking skills? An argumentative essayOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Should schools teach children how to cook: opinion essayOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Should universities focus primarily on preparing students for employment?Opinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Should university education be free for all students?Discussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Student stress in schools: identifying causes and solutionsProblem and solution · General Training
• Taking a gap year before university: advantages and disadvantagesOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Taking a gap year: advantages and disadvantages discussedOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• The importance of history and learning from the pastProblem and solution · General Training
• University focus: job-ready skills versus broad academic educationDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · Academic
• Will Artificial Intelligence replace human teachers? An opinion essayOpinion (agree or disagree) · Academic

Technology

• Are video games beneficial for children: agree or disagreeOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Artificial Intelligence and Job Displacement: Discuss Both ViewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Data access by technology companies: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Genetically modified crops: advantages and disadvantages of food technologyOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Has technology simplified or complicated human existence: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Is genetic engineering a threat to human existence?Opinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Modern communication technology and social relationships: agree or disagreeOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Social media and communication quality: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Space exploration versus Earthly investment: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Technological progress and the wealth gap: to what extentOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• The evolution of communication through technology: impacts and evaluationTwo-part question · General Training

Environment

• Banning private vehicles in city centers: discuss the impactAdvantages and disadvantages · Academic
• Consumer goods production and environmental damage: causes and solutionsProblem and solution · General Training
• Environmental protection: government or individual responsibility?Opinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Global Environmental Responsibility: Should Rich Nations Lead Alone?Opinion (agree or disagree) · Academic
• Green spaces versus public transport: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Growing versus buying vegetables: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Individual versus government responsibility in environmental protection: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Littering in public parks: causes and potential solutionsProblem and solution · General Training
• Nuclear energy for power generation: advantages and disadvantagesOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Plastic Pollution Solutions: Individual versus Institutional ResponsibilityDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · Academic
• Rising global waste production: environmental challenges and potential solutionsProblem and solution · General Training
• The ethics of keeping animals in zoos: discuss viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• The impact of consumerism on the environment and solutionsTwo-part question · General Training
• Urban development and green spaces: is preservation essential?Opinion (agree or disagree) · Academic
• Water scarcity: addressing primary causes and global solutionsProblem and solution · General Training

Work and careers

• Addressing the Global Challenge of Rising Youth Unemployment RatesProblem and solution · General Training
• Celebrity salaries versus essential workers: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Choosing a career: salary versus job satisfaction discussionDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · Academic
• Corporate profit versus social responsibility: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Essential leadership qualities and their acquisition: a critical analysisTwo-part question · General Training
• Hard work versus luck in achieving personal successOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Industrial Automation: Assessing the Advantages and Disadvantages for WorkersOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Job satisfaction versus high salary: do you agree?Opinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Legislating reduced working hours: reasons and personal assessmentTwo-part question · General Training
• Prioritising family versus career success: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Remote work for employees: discussing benefits and drawbacksAdvantages and disadvantages · Academic
• Remote working trends: do the benefits outweigh the drawbacks?Advantages and disadvantages · Academic
• Staying in one job versus changing jobs: discuss bothDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · Academic
• Teamwork versus solitary work: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• The four-day work week: advantages and disadvantages analysisOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• The rise of remote work and digital services: advantages disadvantagesOpinion (agree or disagree) · Academic
• The rise of remote work: advantages and disadvantagesOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• The rise of remote work: advantages and disadvantages discussedOpinion (agree or disagree) · Academic
• Working for large versus small companies: opinion essayOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Working in a team versus alone: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training

Society

• Addressing the Global Challenge of an Aging PopulationProblem and solution · Academic
• Addressing the rising problem of cyberbullying among teenagersOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Cooking as an essential life skill: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Defining success through wealth versus happiness: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Defining Success: Wealth Versus Personal Happiness and FamilyDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• High salaries for professional athletes: is it fair?Opinion (agree or disagree) · Academic
• House or Apartment Living: Discuss Both ViewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Keeping pets in apartments: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Living Abroad for Work or Study: Advantages and DisadvantagesOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Living in houses versus apartments: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Mandatory volunteering for young people: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Prioritizing Urban Infrastructure: Roads Versus Public Transport DiscussionDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Rising urban traffic congestion: causes and potential solutionsProblem and solution · Academic
• Rural to urban migration and overcrowding: consequences and solutionsProblem and solution · General Training
• Should freedom of speech be absolute? Assessing the debateOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Should public transport be free to reduce traffic congestion?Opinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Surveillance cameras in public spaces: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · Academic
• The Impact of Advertising on Modern Society: Benefits and DrawbacksOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• The implementation of a single global language: evaluating impactsOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• The importance of friendship and qualities of good friendsTwo-part question · General Training
• The importance of hobbies and popular recreational activitiesTwo-part question · General Training
• The popularity of keeping pets: reasons and personal impactTwo-part question · General Training
• The rising trend of pet ownership: advantages and disadvantagesOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Urban traffic congestion: causes and potential solutionsProblem and solution · General Training
• Urban versus rural living: to what extent agree?Opinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Urbanisation Trends: Causes and Implications for Modern SocietyTwo-part question · General Training

Health

• Antibiotic resistance: causes and strategies for the medical communityProblem and solution · General Training
• Artificial intelligence in healthcare diagnosis and treatment: positive or negativeOpinion (agree or disagree) · Academic
• Banning fast food advertising to children: effective or not?Problem and solution · Academic
• Reasons for declining sleep patterns and potential solutionsProblem and solution · General Training
• Rising fast food consumption: problems and potential solutionsProblem and solution · General Training
• Rising global obesity rates: primary causes and effective solutionsProblem and solution · General Training
• Sedentary lifestyles and physical inactivity: problems and solutionsProblem and solution · General Training
• Sedentary lifestyles and strategies to promote physical activityProblem and solution · General Training
• Should fast food be prohibited in schools: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Should healthcare be free for all: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Testing new medicines on animals: to what extent agreeOpinion (agree or disagree) · Academic
• The rise of sedentary lifestyles: problems and solutionsProblem and solution · General Training
• The rising popularity of fast food: reasons and consequencesProblem and solution · General Training

Government and policy

• Government funding for space exploration: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · Academic
• Government funding for space exploration: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Government influence on personal lifestyle choices: to what extentOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Public transport investment: speed versus affordability and serviceDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training

Culture and tradition

• Are traditional museums and galleries obsolete in digital times?Opinion (agree or disagree) · Academic
• Globalization and its impact on culture: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Globalization and the loss of cultural identities: opinion essayOpinion (agree or disagree) · Academic
• Government funding for arts versus public services: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• The erosion of cultural traditions: causes and potential solutionsProblem and solution · General Training
• The extinction of indigenous languages: causes and solutionsProblem and solution · General Training
• The importance of museums and free public accessTwo-part question · General Training
• The role of art and government funding: two-part questionTwo-part question · General Training
• The significance of fashion: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training

Family

• Should parenting classes be mandatory for all new parents?Opinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Should parenting classes be mandatory for new parents?Opinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Traditional family structure and societal stability: do you agree?Opinion (agree or disagree) · General Training

Crime and law

• Is the death penalty ever justified in modern society?Opinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Strict laws versus education for crime reduction: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Surveillance cameras in cities: benefits and drawbacks for libertiesOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training

Economy and money

• Credit cards versus cash: advantages and disadvantages analysedOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Financial aid for developing nations: to what extentOpinion (agree or disagree) · Academic
• High salaries for professional athletes: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Online shopping versus physical stores: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Online versus physical retail: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• Prioritising future savings versus immediate enjoyment: agree or disagreeOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Rising urban living costs: identifying problems and potential solutionsProblem and solution · General Training
• Saving money versus spending on experiences: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• The rise of a cashless society: advantages and disadvantagesOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• The rise of online shopping: advantages and disadvantages analysedOpinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Universal Basic Income in the age of automation: evaluate impactsAdvantages and disadvantages · Academic

Media and advertising

• Has social media caused more harm than good?Opinion (agree or disagree) · General Training
• Social media for communication and news: advantages versus disadvantagesAdvantages and disadvantages · General Training
• Social media influence on youth: to what extentOpinion (agree or disagree) · Academic
• Television influence on modern society: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• The decline of print newspapers: a positive or negative developmentOpinion (agree or disagree) · Academic
• The importance of following current affairs: reasons and consequencesProblem and solution · General Training
• The influence of news media: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · Academic
• The relevance of printed newspapers: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training

Travel and transport

• International tourism and cultural tension: to what extentOpinion (agree or disagree) · Academic
• International tourism: analysing the advantages and disadvantagesProblem and solution · General Training
• International tourism: discussing the advantages and disadvantagesProblem and solution · General Training
• International travel and cultural understanding: discuss both viewsDiscussion (both views and your opinion) · General Training
• The rise of solo travel: reasons and implicationsTwo-part question · General Training

Opinion (agree or disagree)

1. State a clear position in the last sentence of the introduction and keep it to the end.
2. Two body paragraphs that each give one reason for that position, with an example.
3. A partial position is fine if it is stated precisely; a position that drifts is what caps task response at 6.

54 samples: Addressing the rising problem of cyberbullying among teenagers · Are traditional museums and galleries obsolete in digital times? · Are video games beneficial for children: agree or disagree · Artificial Intelligence and Education: Agree or Disagree Analysis · Artificial intelligence in healthcare diagnosis and treatment: positive or negative · Credit cards versus cash: advantages and disadvantages analysed · Environmental protection: government or individual responsibility? · Financial aid for developing nations: to what extent …

Discussion (both views and your opinion)

1. Give each view its own paragraph, explained fairly even where you disagree.
2. Say where you stand in the introduction and again in the conclusion; the question asks for your opinion.
3. Do not merge the two views into one paragraph; examiners look for both to be developed.

50 samples: Artificial Intelligence and Job Displacement: Discuss Both Views · Celebrity salaries versus essential workers: discuss both views · Choosing a career: salary versus job satisfaction discussion · Compulsory community service in schools: discuss both views · Cooking as an essential life skill: discuss both views · Corporate profit versus social responsibility: discuss both views · Data access by technology companies: discuss both views · Defining success through wealth versus happiness: discuss both views …

Advantages and disadvantages

1. If the question says outweigh, decide which side wins and say so in the introduction.
2. One paragraph for advantages, one for disadvantages, each with a concrete example.
3. The conclusion must give the verdict; listing both sides without one loses task response.

6 samples: Banning private vehicles in city centers: discuss the impact · Mandatory international study or work placements: advantages and disadvantages · Remote work for employees: discussing benefits and drawbacks · Remote working trends: do the benefits outweigh the drawbacks? · Social media for communication and news: advantages versus disadvantages · Universal Basic Income in the age of automation: evaluate impacts

Problem and solution

1. Name one or two specific problems, not a general complaint.
2. Match each solution to a problem and say who would carry it out.
3. Keep problems and solutions in separate paragraphs so the structure is visible.

27 samples: Addressing the Global Challenge of an Aging Population · Addressing the Global Challenge of Rising Youth Unemployment Rates · Antibiotic resistance: causes and strategies for the medical community · Banning fast food advertising to children: effective or not? · Consumer goods production and environmental damage: causes and solutions · International tourism: analysing the advantages and disadvantages · International tourism: discussing the advantages and disadvantages · Littering in public parks: causes and potential solutions …

Two-part question

1. Answer the first question in body paragraph one and the second in body paragraph two.
2. Signpost each with the question's own words so the examiner can tick both parts.
3. Missing either part caps task response at 5, however good the language.

11 samples: Essential leadership qualities and their acquisition: a critical analysis · Legislating reduced working hours: reasons and personal assessment · The evolution of communication through technology: impacts and evaluation · The impact of consumerism on the environment and solutions · The importance of friendship and qualities of good friends · The importance of hobbies and popular recreational activities · The importance of museums and free public access · The popularity of keeping pets: reasons and personal impact …

Frequently asked questions

Related: how Task 2 is scored · writing 6.5 to 7 · what holds essays back, from 857 scored essays