An IELTS two-part question essay at Band 6, 7 and 8
Quick answer
This page answers one invented two-part question, a why question and a positive-or-negative question, three times at Band 6, 7 and 8, with the same ideas and the same examples, and marks the phrases that earn or lose marks. For this shape, what most often separates the bands is whether the second part gets a clear answer and a fair share of the essay, not only the first.
In the app, a Task 2 essay is marked with a band for each of the four criteria and an Examiner's Summary, so you can see whether both parts of the question were answered.
iOS and Android
Paid app: what it costs · billing and refunds · support
On this page
This page takes one invented two-part question and answers it three times, at Band 6, Band 7 and Band 8. The plan is the same in all three: the same answer to each part and the same example behind it. Only the writing changes, so the differences you see belong to the bands, not to the ideas. The shape is explained in how to answer questions that ask two things; it is a label from practice material, not an IELTS category.
The essays were written for this site. They are not from a real paper, they were not marked by IELTS, and they are illustrations to compare against, not answers to memorise. IELTS.org penalises memorised and plagiarised content, and the prompt in your exam will be different, so the use of this page is to see what each band looks like.
Key takeaways
- All three essays answer the same two questions in the same way. What changes is how fully each part is developed, how clear the second answer is and how accurately the sentences are built.
- The Band 6 essay answers both parts, but the second gets less room and the conclusion ends without a verdict.
- The Band 7 essay gives each part its own paragraph and a clear judgement, with a slip or two left in.
- The Band 8 essay is not longer or harder in vocabulary. It is more exact, and its verdict carries a stated condition.
The prompt
This prompt is invented for practice and is not from a past paper.
In many cities, more people are choosing to cycle to work or school. Why is this happening? Is it a positive or negative development?
The question has two jobs, a cause and a judgement. All three essays follow this plan:
- Part one (why): cycling has become the quicker choice for short city journeys. The example is a commuter who waits in a queue of cars when a bicycle could pass it.
- Part two (positive or negative): positive, with one real drawback. The example is a rider who shares a narrow road with lorries.
- Condition: cities should build protected lanes, which keeps the benefit and removes most of the danger.
- Conclusion: the change has a clear cause and is positive if safety is built in.
The same essay at Band 6, 7 and 8
Hover or tap a marked phrase to see what a marker would note. The legend names the criterion for each colour, and orange marks a slip that loses marks.
Band 6
Nowadays, more and more people in the cities cycle to work or to school. This is an interesting topic and many people have a different opinion. In this essay I will explain why this is happening and I will say if it is a positive or a negative development.
FirstlyFirstly and Secondly are the only links between the body paragraphs, there are many reasons why people cycle. The main reason is that the traffic is very bad in cities. When people drive a car in the morning, they must wait a long time and this is a big problem for the workers, but a bicycle can go between the cars. Also the government buildSubject-verb agreement: should be “builds” cycle lanes and this is good for the peopleReason named but not explained: no detail of how lanes change a journey. Another reason is that many people see cycling as a modern and active way of life, and they like to tell their friends about it. When the weather is good, the streets are full of bicycles, and this makes other people want to try.
Secondly, I think this is a positive development. People who cycle every day are more healthyComparative form: should be “healthier” because they make exerciseWrong verb: should be “get exercise”. The air is also better when there are fewer cars. I think this is very important for the cities and for the people who live there. But the roads are dangerusSpelling: should be “dangerous” for cyclists, especially with big lorries, and some people are hurt.
In conclusionOnly signal of a closing paragraph, which then blends the two answers, people cycle because of the traffic and the lanes, and it is positive and negative at the same time. I hope that the cities will think about this question in the future. It has advantages and disadvantages, so I think it depends on the cityHedged ending: the positive-or-negative question loses its clear answer.
Band 7
More people in cities now choose to cycle to work or school. Cycling is no longer only a hobby, and the change is visible on many streets. This essay will explain the main reason for this trend and argue that it is a positive development, provided that cities make cycling safeBoth parts answered in the introduction, with the judgement and its condition.
The main reason is that cycling has become the quicker option for short journeys. As traffic grows, cars move slowly at rush hour, whereas a bicycle can pass through the same streets without waiting. Time that is saved in this way can be spent at home or at work. In additionA plain addition that fits; the paragraph keeps to its single topic, many cities have built cycle lanes in recent years, so a journey of a few kilometres that once felt dangerous now feels manageable. A commuter who sits in a queue of cars for twenty minutes can often cover a same distanceArticle slip: should be “the same distance” by bike in about the same time.
I believe this is a positive development, for two reasons. People who cycle daily get exercise without setting aside time for itNatural collocations; the sentence says something specific, and fewer cars mean cleaner air in streets where children walk to school. Cyclists also arrive awake and ready to work, which benefits their employers and teachers. The main drawback is safety, since riders who share narrow roads with lorries are at riskThe drawback is stated with its reason, so the judgement is balanced.
Although this risk is real, it is a reason for protected lanes and not a reason to discourage cyclingA concessive clause opening the sentence, used accurately. Cities that separate bicycles from heavy traffic keep the benefits and remove most of the danger. Painted lanes alone are not enough, because cars can still park in them. In conclusionFits here but is slightly over-used as a signal, people cycle because it is quicker, and the change is positive if safety is built in.
Band 8
The rise in commuting by bicycle has an easily stated cause and a more qualified verdict. The two halves are connected: the reason people ride is also the reason the risk to them matters. I will argue that cycling has become the sensible choice for short urban journeys, and that the change is positive wherever cities protect the people who rideBoth parts answered in one sentence, with the condition for the second.
The cause lies in the logic of congestion. At rush hour a car in a city centre moves at the speed of the traffic around it, whereas a bicycle moves at the speed of its rider, and over a few kilometres the two often arrive togetherBalanced contrast with a parallel structure, accurate throughout. Cycle lanes tilt the comparison further, because they make the journey safer as well as quicker, and a commuter who has noticed this rarely goes back to the queue. The saving is modest on any one day, but it is the predictability of the journey that people value.
The consequences are largely beneficial. A commuter who cycles gains exercise without giving up time for itExact and economical; no filler words, and every journey that leaves a car at home reduces the pollution in streets that others must breathe. These gains reach beyond the rider: quieter streets are easier to cross, and children walk to school among fewer exhaust fumes. The one serious drawback is safety: where riders share narrow roads with lorries, a minor error becomes a serious injuryPrecise and plain; the sentence says what happens.
That risk, however, argues for better design, not for fewer cyclistsPoints back at one named thing and turns the paragraph without a formula. Cities that separate bicycles from heavy traffic keep the benefits and remove most of the danger, which is why I judge the change positive on one condition: that the lanes are built for the riders who will use themThe verdict is closed with its condition rather than hedged.
What moved the band
The accounts below follow the public band descriptors, as this site paraphrases them. Each quotation comes from the essay of the band named in its sentence.
Task Response
The Band 6 essay answers both parts, but unevenly. Band 6 gives the cause a long paragraph and the judgement a short one, and its second reason is thin: “and this is good for the people” explains nothing about how a lane changes a journey. Its final answer to the second part is hedged: “It has advantages and disadvantages, so I think it depends on the city”.
Band 7 answers both parts in the introduction and gives each its own paragraph. It states the judgement with its reason: “The main drawback is safety, since riders who share narrow roads with lorries are at risk”. The verdict stays clear to the last line.
Band 8 adds a condition and closes it. In Band 8, “that the lanes are built for the riders who will use them” ends the essay on the exact circumstances in which the answer is positive. The Task Response cell at Band 7 holds the wording this account paraphrases.
Coherence and Cohesion
The Band 6 essay is organised, but its linking is mechanical. In Band 6, “Firstly”, “Secondly” and “In conclusion” carry the structure, and the last paragraph blends the answers to both parts into one sentence.
Band 7 uses a range of devices where they fit: “In addition” adds the second cause and each paragraph keeps to one topic. The closing “In conclusion” is slightly over-used.
Band 8 hands over without labels. “That risk, however, argues for better design, not for fewer cyclists” picks up the drawback of the previous paragraph and turns it into the argument, and the paragraphs follow in the order of the question. The Coherence and Cohesion cell at Band 6 describes the mechanical pattern.
Lexical Resource
The Band 6 vocabulary is wide enough for the task, and some choices miss: “make exercise” has the wrong verb, “more healthy” has the wrong form and “dangerus” is misspelt. A reader still understands each one.
Band 7 is flexible and mostly exact. “People who cycle daily get exercise without setting aside time for it” uses natural pairings, and the one slip is “a same distance”, which needs “the”.
Band 8 says exactly what it means in plain words. “gains exercise without giving up time for it” and “a minor error becomes a serious injury” are both short and accurate. The Lexical Resource cell at Band 8 describes this control.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The Band 6 essay mixes simple and complex sentences, with small errors that do not block meaning. In Band 6, “Also the government build cycle lanes” loses the s on the verb, and most sentences are joined by “and” or “but”.
Band 7 varies its structures: “Although this risk is real, it is a reason for protected lanes and not a reason to discourage cycling” opens with a concession and ends with a balanced pair.
Band 8 widens the range and keeps most sentences clean. “whereas a bicycle moves at the speed of its rider, and over a few kilometres the two often arrive together” holds a contrast and a consequence in one punctuated sentence. Compare the Grammatical Range and Accuracy cell at Band 7.
Traps this shape sets
These come from the two-part questions guide, and each is visible in the Band 6 essay.
- Unequal room. The cause fills a long paragraph and the judgement a short one, which is the Band 6 pattern of one part getting far more room.
- No clear answer to the second part. The essay says it is positive in the third paragraph and then says it depends on the city in the last, so a reader cannot tell which verdict the writer holds.
- Mixing the two. The conclusion folds the reasons and the judgement into one sentence, so neither is closed.
How to use these essays
Write your own answer to the same prompt first, in 40 minutes. Underline the two questions, answer each in its own paragraph, and tick them off before you stop. Then read the three essays against yours, one paragraph at a time, and ask which band your paragraph resembles on each of the four criteria.
Next, mark your own script with the same four codes: where you answered each part, where a link carried the logic, where a word fitted exactly and which slips a marker would circle. Do not memorise any sentence from these pages: IELTS.org penalises memorised content, and the exam prompt will not match this one. For a plan that works for any prompt, read the post on Task 2 essay structure, and run your draft through the essay checker for its word count, paragraphs and repeated words.
How the app marks it
IELTS Mentor AI marks a Task 2 essay with an overall Writing band, a band for each of the four criteria and an Examiner’s Summary, followed by what worked and how to improve for each criterion. The editor is timed at 40:00 with a live word count against the 250 minimum, and you can photograph a handwritten answer instead of typing it.
Where this fits
This page belongs to the two-part questions guide, which explains the shape, and to the Writing test format guide, which covers the whole test. The same exercise is done for the other shapes: agree or disagree, discuss both views, problem and solution and advantages and disadvantages. For what the step up to Band 7 takes across all four criteria, see how to get band 7 in IELTS Writing.
Frequently asked questions
Are these two-part question sample essays from a real IELTS paper?
No. They were written for this site on an invented prompt, and IELTS did not mark them. The band each essay illustrates is the site's reading of the public band descriptors, not a score that an examiner gave.
Can I memorise the Band 8 essay for a two-part question?
No. IELTS.org penalises memorised and plagiarised content, and your exam prompt will be different, so a learned essay would not answer it. Use these essays to compare with your own writing, then answer the question you are given.
Do the two parts need the same number of words?
IELTS publishes no figure for it. The public wording for Band 6 describes one part receiving far more room than another, and Band 7 gives each part a fair share. The three essays here show that difference.
Why does the Band 8 essay say the change is positive on a condition?
Because the second part asks for a judgement, and a judgement with a stated condition is still one clear answer. The Band 6 essay ends with advantages and disadvantages and no verdict, which is the pattern to avoid.
Practise this with instant AI feedback
Record your answer in the app and get your grammar, vocabulary, fluency and pronunciation analysed in seconds.
Paid app: what it costs · billing and refunds · support