How to Teach Students to Write IELTS Task 2 Essays Using Templates?

11.07.2025

6 minutes

Writing
IELTS
Tips & Strategies

Writing is the most bothersome yet rewarding part of any exam. With the templates provided, there should be no problem in successfully completing the task.

And here we go again, your students cringe at your attempts to explain the best approach, and barely scribble one or two ideas before giving up. Should it be your case, or do you want to avoid such in the future teaching — this article is for you.

The big essay talk

Warm-up plays a crucial role in building good rapport with the students.

But have you ever thought of tricking your students into a brainstorming session, carefully planned to make them brainstorm the topic vocabulary, practice some essay-relevant grammar, and, most importantly, not get bored out of their skulls?

This is how you do it:

Take a topic that lies in the medium of the essay type you aim to practice.
Once you have chosen your type, prepare CCQs, or guiding questions for the discussion.
Introduce the topic casually. Don’t label it as an exam writing preparation just yet; keep asking questions, and gradually pull the pieces together.
Map those ideas into an essay structure and show your students an end result on the board.

Introducing essay structure as a tool, not a baby walking aid

You have to establish a clear understanding of the matter among your students: templates are not formulas to be memorized. They are structural tools for better scores in Coherence and Cohesion, and a solid foundation for improving Task Response.

You will have to walk your students through all 5 types of writing in part 2, clarifying structural components of each one separately, and introducing them in a scaffolded and contrastive way, supported by clear examples.

Don’t dump all types on them at once. Start with the most common (e.g., Opinion or Problem/Solution), guide them through model answers, and highlight how the structure shifts depending on the task. Then, compare types side-by-side: what stays the same, what changes, and why.

Take a look at a sample scaffold and a straightforward way of explaining to students how the essay is written, step-by-step:

Essay type: Agree/Disagree opinion essay

Prompt: Some people believe that working from home is more beneficial than working in an office. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

There is a typical essay structure, which consists of 4 paragraphs: introduction, 2 body paragraphs, and conclusion. Your task as a teacher is to clarify the aim of each paragraph to your students, so they address all the points and follow the recommended structure and tone.

Introduction

What to explain to students:

This is where you introduce the topic in your own words and clearly say whether you agree or disagree. No mystery here — clarity is key.

Structure:

Paraphrase the question: E.g. "Many people believe that working from home is more productive than working in an office." → “It is often argued that remote work can increase productivity compared to traditional office settings.”
State your opinion: “I completely agree with this view.”

Body Paragraph 1 – First Reason

What to explain to students:

Each body paragraph is a reason why you hold your opinion. This paragraph is your first main reason.

Structure:

Topic sentence: “One major reason why I agree is that remote work reduces distractions.”
Explain it: “This means employees can focus better without office noise or interruptions.”
Give an example: “For instance, a recent study by Stanford found that remote workers were 13% more productive.”

Body Paragraph 2 – Second Reason

What to explain to students:

Now, give a second, different reason. Keep it logical and relevant.

Structure:

Topic sentence: “Another reason is the flexibility it provides.”
Explain it: “People can manage their time better and often work during their most productive hours.”
Example: “For example, some companies now report lower turnover since adopting remote policies.”

Conclusion

What to explain to students:

Repeat your opinion and quickly remind the reader why you think so. No new ideas!

Structure:

Restate opinion: “In conclusion, I strongly believe that working from home leads to better productivity.”
Summarize reasons: “This is due to fewer distractions and more flexible working hours.”

What is important to you, as a teacher, at this stage, is that using the most popular language templates is fine for your students to start with. Improving their vocabulary is your secondary aim at this moment. Remember that and concentrate on one step at a time.

From Talk to Template to Confident Solo

Now that you have already been through the first two steps — you’re more than ready to let those birdies out of your nest.

However, you may still feel the urge to give your students some reasonable assistance. This is why you’d introduce copycat writing, or templates.

At this stage, you’ll use sample answers (you can even write some on your own, if you struggle to find an appropriate essay on the internet) in order to supply the students with some reasonable assistance.

Students reportedly show more confidence in their further writings if they’ve been given an opportunity to follow an example.

The golden rule, that must be followed by students, is pretty simple: don’t copy, but mimic. Follow the layout of the ideas and paragraphing, pay attention to appropriate linkers, but express your own ideas with the language you possess.

How to facilitate such work? Start with a heavily guided version of the task: let your students analyse the sample, and rewrite it only replacing a minimal number of words. As you go on — reduce the amount of help gradually.

Provide a full model with sentence starters or gap-fill sections. For example:

“One major reason why I [agree/disagree] is that _____________. This means _____________. For instance, ____________.”

The next, more independent step would be reproducing the part of the text, following only the topic sentence given. At the last step — the students are supposed to be able to write a full essay without any help from the scaffold.

Remember: memorizing the phrases is a one-way ticket to the lower grade for your students.

Examiners expect to see a fair share of creativity, even given the fact that the structure remains the same for the genre, and there’s a limited amount of linkers and devices that can be used.

Practice makes perfect. How to make repetition engaging and lasting?

You’ve reached the final line, and now it’s only practice that keeps you and your students from an exam date.

You surely don’t want to bore your students out of their skulls with pointless, monotonous writing tasks. Because clearly, writing is a creative process that takes time, clear thinking, fresh ideas, logical structure, and, of course, motivation to continue.

So here are some of the ways you as a teacher can facilitate your writing classes to make them the most expected part of the IELTS preparation programme:

Vary your approaches

Don’t stick to being in one role of a teacher and an unofficial examiner of the whole group you teach. Let your students see the works of their peers and evaluate those.

Use simplified versions of an IELTS Writing part 2 checklist, which includes the questions that the text must cover. Alternatively, assign this task to your individual students and ask for self-reflection later.

Here’s how the checklist may look like:

📌 Task Response

☐ Does the essay clearly answer the question?
☐ Is the writer’s opinion clear (agree/disagree/other)?
☐ Are all parts of the task covered with relevant ideas?
☐ Are the ideas extended and explained, not just listed?

📌 Coherence and Cohesion

☐ Is the essay easy to follow?
☐ Are there clear paragraphs with one main idea each?
☐ Are linking words used naturally (e.g. however, for example, as a result)?
☐ Is the logic between sentences and ideas clear?

📌 Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)

☐ Is there a variety of vocabulary related to the topic?
☐ Are word choices appropriate and accurate?
☐ Are there no (or very few) word repetitions or awkward phrases?

📌 Grammatical Range and Accuracy

☐ Is there a mix of sentence structures (simple, compound, complex)?
☐ Are the tenses used correctly and consistently?
☐ Are there few grammar or punctuation mistakes?

You can print this as a handout or turn it into a quick Google Form or worksheet for class activities.

Rotate between teaching modes

Do your students fail to turn in their papers in time? Offer them a short writing session during the class.

Are they tired, because there seems to be an information vacuum, and they can’t bear any idea? Brainstorm together, and offer more planning activities. Offer students personally related topics that will click instantly.

Make writing rewarding

You certainly keep track of all your students’ written works. Then why not highlight the areas that have improved significantly since you’ve started your journey?

The idea of performing perfectly is not motivating in any way. Give feedback that highlights what’s working, not just what’s missing.

With this approach, repetition becomes rewarding, and writing starts to feel less like a task and more like a skill they're in charge of.

Instead of a conclusion

Remember that you’re a teacher, not an IT specialist. You’re not supposed to transfer perfectly logical ideas and structured knowledge into your students’ minds.

You should not expect flawless results immediately. Your work is in giving them the tools for making better choices, thinking on their own, and growing their confidence.

It’s important to understand that your role as a teacher is valuable, even though your involvement gradually subsides over time of exam preparation to being an examiner of the product and your students’ first cheerleader. Take both roles with patience and thoroughness. You are doing great, teacher 🙂