At a glance
| Task | What you write | Minimum words | Suggested time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task 1 | A report describing a graph, table, chart, map or process | 150 | 20 minutes |
| Task 2 | An essay responding to an argument, view or problem | 250 | 40 minutes |
1Why so many students stay at band 6
The usual reason is not grammar. It is an essay that discusses the topic but never fully answers the question, or a Task 1 report that lists every number without saying what the main trend is. Examiners call these Task Response and Task Achievement, and they are a quarter of your score.
The second reason is memorised phrases. Lines like "In this contemporary era" or "It is a debatable issue" add words but no meaning, and examiners notice them immediately.
2A five minute plan for Task 2
- Underline every part of the question. Many prompts have two parts and both need an answer.
- Decide your opinion before you write, and keep it the same from start to finish.
- Write down two main ideas, each with one specific example.
- Then write: introduction, two body paragraphs, and a short conclusion.
3What a Task 1 overview looks like
Every Task 1 report needs an overview: two sentences that describe the biggest trends without numbers. For example: "Overall, car use rose steadily over the period, while bus travel fell. Cycling remained the least common way of getting to work throughout." A report without an overview is hard to score above band 5 for Task Achievement.
Lessons in this section
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Writing Task 2
Essay structure that answers the question
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