IELTS Writing Task 2: 10 Band 9 Sample Essays

A genuinely Band 9 essay is shorter and simpler than most candidates expect. It isn't dense with rare vocabulary or complicated grammar for its own sake — it's a clear, well-organized answer to the exact question asked, written in the 250 to 290 words that fit comfortably in 40 minutes. Below are ten complete model essays, one for each of the question types that come up most often, each followed by a one-line note on what makes it score at the top of the scale.

Before you read them, it's worth knowing what "Band 9" is actually measuring. Examiners score Task 2 against four criteria, each worth 25%: Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Our guide to IELTS band descriptors breaks down exactly what each one means.

1. Opinion Essay — Technology and Social Skills

Question: Some people believe that modern technology, such as smartphones and social media, is damaging young people's social skills. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

While it is true that young people spend more time on screens than previous generations did, I disagree that this has fundamentally damaged their ability to socialize; it has simply changed where and how that socializing happens.

Critics point to teenagers scrolling through social media in the company of friends, seemingly disengaged from face-to-face conversation. This behaviour does suggest a shift away from traditional social norms, and it can appear to adults as a decline in basic manners. However, mistaking a change in medium for a loss of skill overlooks how much genuine interaction now happens through these same devices, from group video calls to collaborative online gaming.

Furthermore, many young people demonstrate social abilities that previous generations never needed: coordinating group projects across time zones, building online communities around shared interests, and communicating clearly in writing to people they have never met in person. These are social skills too, even if they do not resemble the dinner-table conversation older generations associate with the term.

In conclusion, technology has reshaped youth socializing rather than eroded it, and judging today's young people by yesterday's standards risks missing the skills they are actually developing.

*Why this scores Band 9: a clear, consistent position from the first sentence, two distinct supporting ideas developed with specific examples, and precise vocabulary ("mistaking a change in medium for a loss of skill") without sounding memorized.*

2. Discussion Essay — Working From Home

Question: Some people think employees should be allowed to work from home permanently, while others believe they should return to the office. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

The debate over permanent remote work has divided employers and employees since the pandemic normalized working outside the office, and both positions rest on legitimate concerns.

Advocates of permanent home working point to eliminated commutes, greater flexibility for parents and carers, and, in many studies, higher individual productivity when workers can structure their own day. For companies, it can also reduce the overhead of maintaining large office spaces.

Those who favour a return to the office emphasize what is lost outside it: spontaneous collaboration between colleagues, easier mentoring of junior staff, and a stronger sense of shared culture that is difficult to replicate over video calls. Employers in creative and client-facing industries in particular argue that in-person contact remains essential to their work.

In my view, the strongest argument favours a hybrid model over either extreme. Full-time remote work sacrifices the informal collaboration that drives innovation, while a full return ignores the genuine productivity and wellbeing gains many employees have experienced. Splitting the week allows organizations to capture the benefits of both approaches.

*Why this scores Band 9: both sides are given genuinely balanced, specific treatment before the writer's own opinion is clearly stated and justified — exactly what "discuss both views and give your own opinion" requires.*

3. Advantages/Disadvantages Essay — Online Learning

Question: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of online learning for university students.

Online learning has become a standard option for university students, and it carries distinct advantages and disadvantages compared with traditional classroom study.

The clearest advantage is flexibility: students can review recorded lectures at their own pace, fit study around part-time work or family commitments, and access courses from institutions they could never physically attend. Online platforms also often provide instant feedback through automated quizzes, helping students identify gaps in understanding immediately rather than waiting for a marked assignment.

The disadvantages are equally real. Many students report feeling isolated without the informal peer interaction that campus life provides, and self-directed study demands a level of discipline that not every student has developed. Practical subjects such as laboratory sciences or performing arts also lose something essential when taught remotely, since hands-on practice cannot be fully replicated through a screen.

On balance, online learning suits motivated, independent students studying theoretical subjects far better than it suits those who thrive on structure and in-person practice, suggesting the right model depends heavily on the individual student and subject rather than one format being universally superior.

*Why this scores Band 9: advantages and disadvantages are each developed with two specific, well-explained points rather than a shallow list, and the conclusion draws a genuine, non-generic insight from the discussion.*

4. Problem/Solution Essay — Urban Traffic Congestion

Question: Traffic congestion is a growing problem in cities around the world. What are the causes of this problem, and what solutions can be implemented?

Traffic congestion has worsened in cities worldwide as urban populations grow faster than the infrastructure built to support them, and addressing it requires understanding both its causes and viable solutions.

The primary cause is simple: too many private vehicles competing for limited road space, driven by rising car ownership and, in many cities, inadequate public transport. Suburban sprawl compounds the problem, as residents living far from workplaces have little choice but to drive.

Several solutions have proven effective elsewhere. Singapore and London have both reduced congestion significantly through charges for driving into city centres during peak hours, which encourages commuters to consider alternatives. Investment in fast, reliable public transport is equally important, since congestion pricing only works if people have a genuine alternative to driving. Longer term, urban planning that places housing closer to employment hubs reduces the need for long commutes altogether.

In conclusion, congestion stems from car dependency outpacing infrastructure, and the most effective response combines financial disincentives for driving with serious investment in the public transport that gives commuters a real choice.

*Why this scores Band 9: causes and solutions are logically linked (each solution responds directly to a cause named earlier), and real-world examples (Singapore, London) demonstrate genuine knowledge rather than generic claims.*

5. Opinion Essay — Environmental Responsibility

Question: Some people believe that protecting the environment is primarily the responsibility of governments, while others think individuals should take the lead. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Environmental protection is often framed as either a government responsibility or an individual one, but this framing understates how much the two depend on each other.

Those who place the responsibility on governments point out that only states can regulate industrial emissions, fund renewable infrastructure, and enforce environmental law at the scale the crisis demands; individual choices, however well-intentioned, cannot offset the emissions of a coal-fired power plant. Those who emphasize individual responsibility argue that collective behaviour, from consumption habits to voting choices, ultimately shapes what governments are willing to do, and that waiting passively for policy change abdicates a moral duty each person holds.

In my view, meaningful progress requires both: government action sets the rules that make sustainable choices affordable and convenient for ordinary people, while public demand and individual example create the political pressure that makes ambitious government action possible in the first place. Treating either as sufficient alone underestimates how interconnected these responsibilities are.

*Why this scores Band 9: rather than picking a side, the writer identifies the genuine relationship between the two positions, producing a more sophisticated argument than a simple "both matter" conclusion.*

6. Two-Part Question Essay — Rising Crime Among Young People

Question: In many countries, crime rates among young people are rising. Why is this happening, and what can be done to address it?

Youth crime has risen in many countries in recent years, and reversing this trend requires understanding its underlying drivers before proposing solutions.

Economic inequality is a major factor: young people who see few legitimate paths to stable employment are more susceptible to the immediate financial appeal of criminal activity. The breakdown of traditional community structures, combined with reduced funding for youth services in many regions, has also removed support systems that once kept at-risk teenagers engaged in positive activities. Social media, meanwhile, has made gang culture and criminal lifestyles more visible and, in some cases, more glamorized than in previous generations.

Addressing the problem effectively means targeting these root causes rather than only increasing punishment after the fact. Investment in vocational training and job placement gives young people a genuine alternative to crime, while funding community centres and mentorship programmes restores the support structures many have lost. Early intervention, identifying at-risk youth before they offend, has consistently proven more cost-effective than reactive policing.

*Why this scores Band 9: the two parts of the question (causes, then solutions) are answered in matching, connected detail, and the solutions respond directly to the causes named rather than offering generic law-and-order suggestions.*

7. Opinion Essay — University Education Costs

Question: University education has become increasingly expensive. Do the benefits of a university degree still outweigh the costs?

As tuition fees continue to rise in many countries, it is reasonable to question whether a university degree still justifies its cost, though I believe that for most students it still does, provided the choice of course and institution is made carefully.

The financial case for university remains strong in aggregate: graduates typically earn significantly more over their careers than non-graduates, and many professions, including medicine, law, and engineering, simply require the credential as a baseline. University also offers benefits that resist easy financial measurement, including critical thinking skills, professional networks, and exposure to ideas and people outside one's usual environment.

That said, the benefit is not universal. Degrees in fields with limited job prospects, from institutions with weak graduate outcomes, can leave students with substantial debt and little corresponding advantage in the job market. This is precisely why the decision requires research into a specific course and institution rather than a blanket assumption that any degree pays off.

In conclusion, the benefits of university still generally outweigh the costs, but only when the choice is made deliberately rather than automatically.

*Why this scores Band 9: the essay avoids a simplistic yes/no answer, instead qualifying its position with a specific, well-reasoned condition — a hallmark of genuinely advanced argumentation.*

8. Advantages/Disadvantages Essay — International Tourism

Question: International tourism has increased rapidly in recent decades. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend for local communities?

The rapid growth of international tourism over recent decades has brought clear benefits to many local communities, alongside costs that are becoming harder to ignore.

Economically, tourism creates jobs and revenue that can transform struggling regional economies, from hospitality staff to tour guides to local artisans selling handicrafts. It can also fund the preservation of historical sites and natural landmarks that might otherwise lack the resources to survive.

The disadvantages are increasingly visible in popular destinations. Overtourism drives up housing costs for local residents as properties convert to short-term rentals, strains water and waste infrastructure not built for such volumes of visitors, and can erode the very cultural authenticity that attracted tourists in the first place. Venice and Barcelona have both introduced visitor restrictions in direct response to these pressures.

Ultimately, tourism benefits communities most when managed deliberately, through visitor caps, tourist taxes reinvested locally, and protections for residential housing, rather than left to grow unchecked.

*Why this scores Band 9: specific, real examples (Venice, Barcelona) and a conclusion that offers a genuine, actionable insight rather than a vague call for "balance."*

9. Opinion Essay — Government Spending Priorities

Question: Governments should spend more money on public transport and less on building new roads for cars. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

I largely agree that governments should prioritize public transport investment over new road construction, though the case is stronger in dense urban areas than in rural regions.

Building new roads tends to induce demand rather than solve congestion: wider highways attract more drivers until they are just as congested as before, while the land and resources committed to them are effectively permanent. Public transport investment, by contrast, can move far more people per unit of space and typically produces significantly lower carbon emissions per passenger, making it the more sustainable long-term choice as cities grow.

The exception is rural and low-density areas, where public transport ridership may never justify the infrastructure cost, and road access remains genuinely necessary for residents with no practical alternative.

In conclusion, public transport should take spending priority in cities, where it offers superior returns on both congestion and emissions, while road investment still has a legitimate, if smaller, role outside them.

*Why this scores Band 9: the writer largely agrees but adds a specific, well-justified exception rather than agreeing or disagreeing absolutely — precisely the nuance "to what extent" is asking for.*

10. Discussion Essay — Social Media and Mental Health

Question: Some people believe social media has a negative effect on mental health, while others believe its effects are largely positive. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

The relationship between social media and mental health is genuinely contested, with meaningful evidence supporting both sides of the debate.

Those who highlight negative effects point to studies linking heavy social media use with increased anxiety and depression, particularly among teenagers, driven by constant social comparison and the pressure to curate an idealized online image. Cyberbullying, amplified by the reach and anonymity social platforms provide, is a further well-documented harm.

Those who emphasize positive effects note that social media also connects isolated individuals, particularly those in remote areas or marginalized communities, with support networks they could not otherwise access, and allows people to maintain meaningful relationships across distance in ways previous generations could not.

In my view, the effect depends heavily on how the platforms are used rather than being uniformly positive or negative: passive scrolling and comparison correlate with worse outcomes, while active, purposeful use for genuine connection correlates with better ones. Treating social media as inherently harmful or beneficial overlooks this crucial distinction.

*Why this scores Band 9: both sides are supported with specific, credible reasoning, and the writer's final position offers a genuinely insightful distinction (passive versus active use) rather than simply splitting the difference.*

Practise Writing Your Own

Reading model essays builds intuition for structure and register, but the skill that actually moves your score is writing full essays yourself and getting them marked against the real criteria. Explore hundreds more model answers across every question type in our Essay Idea Bank, or start a full free practice test to write under real exam conditions.

For the official assessment criteria, see the British Council's IELTS guidance.