IELTS Writing Task 2 topics for 2026: the four question types, with 240 practice prompts

Candidates hunt for leaked topic lists. Examiners rotate topics endlessly. What never changes is the shape of the question — every Task 2 prompt you will ever meet is one of four types, and each type has its own required structure. Learn the four shapes and no topic can surprise you.

Type 1: opinion (agree or disagree)

"To what extent do you agree or disagree?" You must state a clear position in the introduction and hold it to the end. The strongest answers qualify their position — agreeing in most cases while naming the exception — because 'to what extent' is a genuine question, not decoration. Current 2026 topic areas in this shape: whether companies should publish all salaries, whether children under sixteen should have social media accounts, whether unpaid internships should be illegal, whether museums should return artefacts to their countries of origin.

Type 2: discussion (discuss both views)

"Discuss both views and give your own opinion." Both sides need genuine development — a paragraph each — before your verdict. The band 9 move is a final body paragraph that reconciles the two views rather than merely restating them. Current topic areas: single-sex versus mixed schools, punishment versus rehabilitation in prisons, building cities upward versus outward, exams versus coursework.

Type 3: problem and solution

"What are the causes, and what measures would help?" Answer both halves in proportion, and make the solutions map onto the causes you named — generic solutions are the most common band 6 ceiling. Current topic areas: urban air quality, antibiotic resistance, teacher retention, misinformation, first-time buyers priced out of housing.

Type 4: two-part questions

Two direct questions — often "Why is this happening, and is it positive or negative?" Answer both, explicitly, with roughly equal weight. Current topic areas: working past retirement age, the gig economy, news consumed as short video, remote work's effect on communities.

How to actually use topic lists

• Do not memorise essays — examiners are trained to spot recited answers and the penalty is severe.
• Practise one prompt from each type per week under the 40-minute clock.
• After writing, compare against a band 9 model answer for the same prompt and study the examiner notes: what makes it band 9 is structure and precision, not rare vocabulary.
• Keep a personal error log; most candidates lose the same marks repeatedly.