IELTS Writing Task 2 Two-Part Question Essay
Some questions simply ask two direct questions: "Why is this happening? Is it a positive or negative development?" Answer both, roughly equally, and in order. It's the easiest type to plan and the easiest to lose marks on by forgetting one half.
Give each question its own body paragraph, and answer it directly in the first sentence of that paragraph.
Many people now spend several hours a day looking at their phones. Why is this the case? Is this a positive or negative development? Write at least 250 words.
How to structure it
- 1
Introduction
Paraphrase the situation and briefly answer both questions.
- 2
Body 1
Answer question 1 directly, then explain with reasons and examples.
- 3
Body 2
Answer question 2 directly, then explain.
- 4
Conclusion
Restate both answers.
It is now common for people to spend several hours a day on their phones. This is largely because phones have absorbed so many everyday activities, and, although it brings clear benefits, I believe the overall effect is more negative than positive.
The main reason for this trend is that a single device now replaces dozens of others. People use their phones to communicate, work, shop, bank, navigate and entertain themselves, so time on the phone is often time spent on tasks that once happened elsewhere. In addition, many apps are deliberately designed to hold attention, using endless feeds and notifications that make it easy to keep scrolling long after the original purpose has been achieved.
Some of this time is undoubtedly useful: smartphones make it easier to stay in touch with family abroad, to learn new skills and to manage daily life efficiently. However, a large share of screen time is passive and fragmented, and there is growing evidence that heavy use is linked to poorer sleep, shorter attention spans and, among teenagers, higher levels of anxiety. It can also come at the expense of face-to-face conversation, even when people are physically together. Families who once talked over dinner may now sit at the same table, each absorbed in a separate screen, which gradually weakens the relationships that people value most.
In conclusion, people spend so long on their phones because these devices combine many essential functions and are designed to be hard to put down. While they offer genuine advantages, the effects of excessive use on health and relationships make this, on balance, a negative development.
Why it scores Band 8: Both questions answered directly and in order, with a clear position on the second, developed reasoning and precise language (fragmented, at the expense of, on balance). 268 words.
Band is our estimate against the public IELTS Writing band descriptors.
Language that does the work
- The main reason for this is…
- A direct answer to a "why" question.
- on balance
- Signals a weighed final judgement.
- undoubtedly / there is growing evidence that
- Shows how certain you are.
- at the expense of
- When one thing reduces another.
- is linked to
- A careful way to describe correlation.
- In addition / What is more
- Adds a second reason.
Mistakes that cost marks
- Answering only one of the two questions, or one in a single sentence.
- Not giving a clear answer to "positive or negative".
- Rewriting the question as the first sentence of every paragraph.
Practise it: 17 Cambridge tests with a Task 2 like this
Each one opens the full Cambridge Writing test on Langujet, timed, with an AI band for each criterion. 10 free corrections a day.
- Cambridge 20 Test 2
- Cambridge 20 Test 4
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- Cambridge 18 Test 3
- Cambridge 17 Test 2
- Cambridge 17 Test 4
- Cambridge 16 Test 1
- Cambridge 16 Test 2
- Cambridge 15 Test 1
- Cambridge 14 Test 4
- Cambridge 10 Test 3
- Cambridge 8 Test 2
- Cambridge 7 Test 3
- Cambridge 4 Test 2
- Cambridge 1 Test 1
- Cambridge 1 Test 2
- Cambridge 1 Test 3