The IELTS Task 2 Essay Framework: Introductions, Topic Sentences, Logic Chains and Conclusions (Part 3 of 3): Word Count, Timing, Words to Avoid, Finding Ideas, a 30-Minute Process and Practice

IELTS · Task 2 Structure中文版　Updated 2026/11/09

In this post: How many words and minutes to aim for, which words to avoid, seven directions for finding ideas, a 30-minute process, common mistakes, a self-check list and practice prompts.

The Task 2 Essay Framework · 3 parts

1. Mindset, paragraphs and introductions
2. Body paragraphs and the conclusion
3. Timing, ideas, checks and practice (you are here)

✦ In this post

8. Word count and timing
9. Blacklisted words: if you are not sure, do not use them
10. Seven directions when you cannot think of ideas
11. A 30-minute writing process
12. Common mistakes
13. Self-check list
14. Practice: write an essay with the framework
Further reading

A 30-minute Task 2 process: 0-3 min decide type and paragraph count, 3-7 min ideas, 7-10 min introduction, 10-24 min body paragraphs, 24-27 min conclusion, 27-30 min check; word budget of 290-330 words — At a glance: the 30-minute process and the word budget for a four-paragraph essay.

8. Word count and timing

Task 2 requires at least 250 words, and the suggested time is 40 minutes. My own target was 290–330 words, finished in 30–35 minutes, with the remaining time for checking. These are the essays for which I recorded the time or word count:

Essay	Question type	Time	Words	Overall
Essay 17: the history of your house	Two-question	31 minutes	334	6.5
Essay 39: imported food	Positive/Negative	32 minutes	304	7.5
Essay 6: people moving from the countryside to cities	Positive/Negative	38 minutes	306	7
Essay 43: telling children they can achieve anything	Advantages and disadvantages only	41 minutes	323	7.5

As you can see, about 300 words was already enough for 7.5, and the time mostly fell between 30 and 40 minutes. You can divide the words like this:

Paragraph	Four-paragraph structure	Five-paragraph structure
Introduction	40–50 words (2 sentences)	40–50 words (2 sentences)
Body paragraphs	110–120 words each	Two of 80–90 words each + a concession paragraph of 60–80 words
Conclusion	35–45 words (2–3 sentences)	40–55 words (including a recommendation)

9. Blacklisted words: if you are not sure, do not use them

Among the general rules in my notes is a “blacklist”: words I used myself but now recommend avoiding.

Avoid	Why	Use instead
a myriad of	Looks impressive, but is often memorised as a template and easy to get wrong with singular and plural	several / a number of / a wide range of
overwhelm	Means “to overpower” or “to leave someone unable to cope”; it is not precise for “the advantages are greater than the disadvantages”	outweigh / surpass / exceed
dwellers	Rather literary and formal; it sounds out of place in an ordinary argumentative essay	residents / people who live in…
nowsaday	Misspelt (the correct form is nowadays), and quite informal at the start of a sentence	nowadays / currently / in recent years
based on the aforementioned	Long-winded and sounds like a memorised template; just write In conclusion	In conclusion,
the former / the latter	The reader has to look back to see which is which, which makes the essay harder to read	Repeat the noun

To be honest, quite a few of these appeared in my own essays: the conclusions of Essays 1, 3, 6 and 7 all used based on the aforementioned, and Essay 17 used dwellers. I would not say these words directly lowered my scores, but they are all words used “to look impressive”, which goes against the principle of being easy to follow. A high LR score depends on precise word choice and natural collocation, not on how rare the words are.

10. Seven directions when you cannot think of ideas

However solid your structure is, you cannot write without ideas. In my notes I listed seven directions for generating ideas, and when I see a prompt I go through them one by one:

Direction	Ask yourself	Examples
Environment	Is this good or bad for the environment?	Lower emissions, wasted resources
Money	Will individuals or the government save or spend money?	Saving on fuel and parking, a bigger construction budget
Health	Will physical or mental health improve?	Amount of exercise, stress
Daily life	Will daily life become more convenient or more regular?	Commuting time, daily routine
Safety	Will things become safer or more dangerous?	Traffic accidents, crime
Wellbeing	Is it linked to a sense of achievement or belonging?	Self-fulfilment, community ties
Learning	What can people learn from it?	Skills, broader horizons

After going through all seven, you will usually have at least two points you can give examples for. Choose the two that are easiest to illustrate, not the two that sound most “profound”.

11. A 30-minute writing process

Time	What to do
0–3 min	Read the prompt, circle the key words, and decide the question type and paragraph count (four or five)
3–7 min	Use the seven directions to find ideas and choose two (2 + 1 for Outweigh); for each point, note the logic chain and example
7–10 min	Write the two introduction sentences: paraphrase + sentence 2 for the question type
10–24 min	Write the body paragraphs: topic sentence → That is → Example → mini-conclusion
24–27 min	Write the conclusion: restate the position + two reasons (+ a recommendation)
27–30 min	Check: consistent position, subject–verb agreement, singular and plural, spelling

In the exam you have 40 minutes for Task 2, so this process leaves a 10-minute buffer. If you time yourself at 30 minutes in practice, you will feel much less rushed in the exam.

12. Common mistakes

Three or more sentences in the introduction: a background sentence, a debate sentence and a position sentence, so the reader only learns your position in the third sentence.
Sentence 2 does not answer the question: for example, an Outweigh essay that only says “there are pros and cons” without saying which side is greater.
A topic sentence that does not match the paragraph: the topic sentence says “disadvantages” but the paragraph talks about benefits (I did this in Essay 1; the Both views post goes into detail).
A Point with no That is or Example: each point gets one sentence, and the argument never develops.
Examples that are exaggerated or impossible to verify: absolute words like always, the whole and definitely make you less believable, not more.
New reasons in the conclusion: the conclusion wraps up; it does not open a new topic.
Changing words for the sake of it: a synonym you are unsure of, used wrongly, costs more than repeating the original word.

13. Self-check list

☐ I identified the question type and chose the right number of paragraphs (only Outweigh and partly agree use five)
☐ The introduction has only two sentences: sentence 1 paraphrases the prompt, sentence 2 answers according to the type
☐ The first sentence of each body paragraph has “sequencer + topic + reason”
☐ Every point is followed by That is or an Example, and ends with a mini-conclusion
☐ Every sentence answers the “why?” or “so what?” of the previous one
☐ The conclusion restates my position and two reasons, with no new reasons
☐ My position is exactly the same from introduction to conclusion
☐ About 290–330 words, with no blacklisted words
☐ I checked subject–verb agreement, singular and plural, and commonly confused words such as pose/post

14. Practice: write an essay with the framework

Choose one of the prompts below (my own paraphrases). Do not write a full essay yet; just do three things: decide the question type and number of paragraphs, write the two introduction sentences, and list two logic chains in note form.

Some people think city life is bad for people’s health. To what extent do you agree?
Some people think university students should pay their full tuition fees themselves, because a university education benefits only the individual. To what extent do you agree?
In many countries people are having children later. What are the reasons, and what effects does this have on society and families?
We are surrounded by advertising. Does advertising have more positive effects than negative ones?