IELTS Task 2: Advantages and disadvantages essays
These come in two forms that need different essays, and the difference is in the last line of the prompt. Missing it is the commonest error on this type and it is entirely avoidable.
Which one is it?
| The prompt ends | What it wants | Your conclusion |
|---|---|---|
| What are the advantages and disadvantages? | Both, described | Summarises both; no verdict needed |
| Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? | A judgement | States which side wins — this is required |
The second form is an opinion essay wearing different clothes. An essay that lists both sides and stops has not answered it, however complete the lists are.
Writing the weighing version
- State the verdict in the introduction.
- Give the weaker side first, honestly — a drawback you concede makes the conclusion stronger, not weaker.
- Give the stronger side, with your best development.
- Conclude on the balance, with a reason: not "the advantages outweigh" but why.
Do not list four advantages and four disadvantages. Two developed points, one each side, outscore eight undeveloped ones every time — and leave room for the judgement the prompt asked for.
Advantages & disadvantages — FAQs
2 questions
In the listing version, yes. In the weighing version, give more to the side you favour — the imbalance is the argument.
It is allowed but hard to do well in 250 words, and it reads as avoiding the question. Pick a side.
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Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.