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Top 10 Most Common IELTS Writing Task 2 Topics
By Christopher Pell 31 Comments
The post will give you the 10 most common IELTS Writing Task 2 topics.
IELTS Writing Topics
A question my students keep asking, again and again, is 'What are the most common IELTS writing part 2 topics?' They are worried that they won't be familiar with the topic and will not have any relevant ideas.
This is especially true for students from 'developing' countries, because most of the questions are 'first world' problems and issues.
Let's turn that disadvantage into an advantage.
To answer the question I have asked my students over the last few years to send me the topics on their exams.
A big thank you, to those students, who were kind enough to send me their questions.
I have built up a huge amount of questions and I think it is about time to analyse them.
Are the same Writing Task 2 topics repeated?
The answer is yes and no.
There are a huge amount of topics that come up in writing task 2.
At last count there were around 50 different topics (based on collecting data over the last few years) and if you would like all 50, please let me know, but I'm more concerned about the topics that come up again and again.
If you have time to familiarise yourself with over 50 topics then please do, but I think must people have to be smart with their time and it therefore makes more sense to prioritise the most common topics.
I try to encourage my students to be efficient when it comes to learning.
However, I don't agree with the saying 'Work smart, not hard' as this implies you can do very little work and still achieve your goals.
My motto is work hard and smart.
IELTS Essay Topics 2015
There are 10 general topics that come up more often than all of the rest put together.
They are:
Health
Environment
Education
Development
Globalisation
Public Transport
Criminal Justice
Youth Crime
Technology
Government Spending
So what can I do with this information?
Now you know the common topics there are 3 things you can do:
1.
Develop a vocabulary list for each topic
Having relevant vocabulary for each topic will give you a big advantage.
Many students fail to provide relevant vocabulary and their band score suffers.
When looking at new vocabulary try to guess the meaning from context first and then look up the meaning to make sure your idea matches the actual meaning.
Also, be sure to look at the word within a sentence to be aware of the way it relates to other words.
When recording vocabulary do it in a way that will help YOU remember it.
Everyone learns in a different way and everyone learns vocabulary in a different way.
Some people like to draw pictures beside the word, some people like to write synonyms or antonyms, others prefer to write a few sentences and some people like to use the phonemic chart to write the word that way.
Whatever works for you, do it.
It is also very important to review words regularly.
This is the most effective way to remember the words.
So many people learn lots of words and a week later they can't remember them.
I would recommend reviewing them one day after learning them for the first time, then one week later and then finally one month later.
After that they should be firmly stuck in your head for good.
I am developing a vocabulary list for each of the topics above which you can access here.
2.
Practice reading and listening within these topics
To do well on your IELTS test you should practice at home.
Even just 60 minutes per day can make a big difference.
This will not only improve all four skills but familiarise you with the common topics at the same time.
Why waste time listening or reading something, if it is about something that probably won't come up on the test?
Unless of course you are listening or reading for pleasure, in that case, be my guest.
If you are reading an English newspaper, look for articles on the common topics and highlight any good vocabulary.
If you like listening to the radio or podcasts, find ones on the common topics.
Please check out my 25 online language learning tools for lots of ways you can study at home for free.
3.
Study within the common topics
This method is so effective that some of the best IELTS schools are starting to adopt this approach.
If you are going to study or practice anything then do it within the context of one of the common topics.
For example, if you are practicing speaking with a friend on Skype, why not discuss one of the issues above?
If you are practicing writing essays, find a question about one of the most popular or repeated IELTS topics.
This method allows you to practice both the skills and learn about these crucial topics.
They also come up quite a lot in the speaking test.
Can I just focus on these topics and get a high band score?
Obviously, there is much more to achieving a high score than just focusing on the repeated topics but this will allow you to study and prepare in a smarter and more efficient way, giving you a huge advantage.
However, I would like to add that it is also important to study things you have a passion for.
If you are genuinely interested in a topic then it is much easier to study and you are less likely to quit.
Please also make time to read, listen, talk and write about your passion.
goal.
com.
Love fashion?- find some fashionista blogs.
Have a passion for photography?- why not blog about it?
Have a passion for astrophysics?
Listen to star talk radio.
Update- September 2015
I looked at 15 Writing Task 2 papers over July, August and September of 2015 to see if the same common topics were coming up.
Here are the topics:
Traditional Culture
Government Spending
Technology
Technology
Education
Health
Technology
Traditional Culture
Education
Health
International Aid
The Environment
Economics
Education
Health