The IELTS writing task 2 for IELTS General test and IELTS Academic test is same.

Format of Task 2:

Writing task 2 consists of a single question with a word limit of 250 words. The suggested time duration for writing task 2 is 40 minutes.

The candidates must write on the given topic with an acceptable style. There are two types of styles allowed in the test: academic or neutral style. The answer should be relevant to the topic, because irrelevant writing will result in poor score. The candidate must write about the given topic.

Scoring & Marking:

Writing task 2 weighs more in marks than the writing task 1. The marking of the task is based on:

1. How Responsive the task is
2. Fluent & Easy-to-understand
3. Use of accurate vocabulary
4. Proper grammar
5. Relevent to the Topic

If the answer of the candidates matches all the above requirements, then he/she is good to go. On the other hand, if the candidate fails to meet the above requirements, he/she will be in a big problem.

For more information regarding score bands, visit the official IELTS website.

Topics for the Writing Task 2:

Common and frequent writing topics for the IELTS writing task 2 are:

1. Animals
2. Culture & Values
3. Art
4. Sports
5. Work
6. Travel
7. Transport
8. School
9. Books
10. Television
11. Technology
12. Education
13. Environment
14. Health
15. Fitness
16. Food & Diet
17. Media
18. Advertisement
19. Language
20. Crime
21. Family
22. Economics
23. Communication
24. Personality
25. Music
26. Business
27. Money
28. Society
29. Nature
30. Hobbies

All the above topics usually come out in the writing task 2. For further detail of all the topics, visit our main page (IELTS-TRICKS).

Conclusion

Even though, the writing task 2 is of more marks, but it is not that difficult compared to the writing task 1. The sample topics are really helpful to the candidates while preparing for the writing test. Students need to write and practice more sample essays, tend to score more than those students who do not practice. Therefore, practice is must whether it is the IELTS General test or the IELTS Academic test.