IELTS Essay Topics for 2021

Below is a list of predicted IELTS essay topics for Writing Task 2 based on topics that have appeared recently, current world events and common topics that frequently appear in IELTS essays. Both GT and Academic IELTS candidates should prepare all topics from this list.

On this page, you will find:

  1. Tips for Preparing Essays
  2. Essay Topics 2021 List
  3. Message from Liz

IELTS Essay Topics – Preparing Ideas

  • Be aware of the range of possible topics and prepare them all. Be aware of current world issues – IELTS likes to stay up-to-date.
  • Prepare strong main ideas for all topics. Main ideas should be ones you can easily explain and develop. 
  • Prepare supporting points. These make up the supporting sentences in your body paragraphs. The examiner will mark these carefully.
  • Practice planning paragraphing and links. See these pages:  paragraphing and Linking Words for Essays
  • Getting ideas for topics
    • Source ideas in model essays online by google topics. You can find some model essays and free tips on this site. Click here: Free Model Essays etc
    • IDEAS E-BOOK. I wrote an e-book covering 150 essay topics with ideas and vocabulary. Get that if you need the help. Visit my store: Liz’s Ideas E-book
  • Target 7 and above. If you need more help reaching your goal for IELTS writing, I have Advanced Writing Task 2 Lessons in my online store: Liz’s Store.

IELTS Essay Topics for 2021

Below is a list of predicted IELTS writing task 2 topics for 2021. The predictions are based on recurring essay topics, recent topics and world events which are all important in IELTS essay questions. The topics are not written as full IELTS essay questions, they are written as topics without the instructions. GT and Academic candidates should prepare all topics – even if you don’t get them in Writing Task 2, you might get them in Speaking Part 3. I’ve highlighted interesting essay topics for 2021 that are based on recent world issues that you might struggle with if you don’t prepare for them. Also note, topics change with each test, on one test day there can be a number of essay questions used, and essay topics are often recycled.

  1. Art and the Arts
    • importance of the arts for society
    • supporting the arts – government funding 
    • theatre and live events
    • freedom of speech and freedom of expression
    • children learning art 
    • museums and galleries – importance
  2. Business and Consumerism
    • local business vs international businesses
    • supporting local businesses – buying local produce
    • business skills – important skills / learning skills
    • family run businesses
    • buying goods or saving money
    • the power of advertising in business
    • shopping online
    • businesses supporting local communities
  3. Communication
    • how online communication has changed our lives
    • are people becoming more isolated because of only meeting online
    • face to face or online communication
    • pros and cons of meeting people online
    • has the internet brought people closer or not
  4. Crime & Punishment
    • how to stop criminals re-offending
    • fixed punishment for one crime or not
    • children – should parents be punished for their children’s crime
    • prison or rehabilitation
  5. Culture
    • foreign cultures – learning through language, learning by travel, adapting to another culture
    • music – importance of music, international music
    • fashion – following trends and spending money
    • films – should historical films be accurate, learning about culture from films, foreign films, subtitles
    • how online media has changed local cultures
  6. Environment
    • global warming
    • solving pollution – internationally or domestically
    • major problems and solutions
    • importance of nature for our well being
    • responsibility for problems – government or individual
    • urban nature 
    • protecting wild species / endangered species – funding, reasons,
    • why people don’t change their life styles to help environmental problems
    • air / noise pollution in cities
  7.  Education
    • putting children into groups based on age or ability
    • importance of children reading books (types of books)
    • science or art / sciences or music
    • how children learn 
    • schools providing meals for children
    • making lessons more interesting
    • importance of science / history / technology in schools
    • disadvantages for children from poorer backgrounds
    • how to improve education in rural areas
    • what age to learn a foreign language
    • exams or on-going assessment / project work
    • university education – costs, funding, courses
    • home schooling / studying from home
    • online education
    • extra curricular activities
  8.  Family
    • single parent families
    • importance of family for old people
    • roles of grandparents
    • supporting vulnerable members of the family: elderly, sick
    • peer pressure for children
    • children growing up in city or countryside
    • children with both parents working
  9. Food
    • childhood obesity – reasons, solutions
    • healthy diet
    • vegetarianism
    • junk food – problems, solutions
    • snacking
  10.  Health
    • funding – prevention or cure 
    • taking care of sick people – government or family
    • funding – health care or other society problems
    • good health – exercise or diet
    • free health care for everyone
    • cosmetic surgery – reasons, value
    • mental health – stress, positive mindset, meditation
  11.  Housing
    • lack of housing – building in cities or rural areas
    • using space in cities for housing or parks
    • funding affordable housing or other problems in society
    • living in flats – pros and cons
  12. Leisure & Free Time
    • importance of hobbies / free time
    • leisure time – importance, activities,
    • spending time with family and friends
  13. People
    • leadership – innate or learned
    • talent – innate or learned
    • ambition – pros and cons
    • important character traits
    • famous world leaders – skills and traits
  14.  Society
    • family, society or government – taking care of the elderly
    • the generation gap
    • city living – positive or negative
    • people moving to cities – reasons, problems, solution
    • spending money on weddings – pros and cons
    • respecting older people
    • traditions – food, clothing, festivals
    • protecting old buildings
    • isolation among people in society
    • supporting vulnerable people in society – government or community
    • roles models in society for children
    • ideal society
    • online media stars
    • reality TV stars
    • importance of charities and charity work
    • importance of green spaces and urban environment
  15. Space
    • exploration – funding, importance
    • communicating with other planets
    • space travel for common people
  16. Sport
    • international sporting event – importance
    • business sponsoring sporting events – pros and cons
    • exercising and health
    • children and sport – importance, who is responsible
    • indoor sports
  17. Technology
    • smart phones – pros and cons, functions, limitations
    • the internet – pros and cons
    • online security (also for children)
    • the future of the internet
    • e-books – pros and cons, libraries
    • children spending too much time online
  18. Tourism & Travel
    • plane travel vs train travel
    • cars in city centres – pros and cons
    • using bicycles rather than cars
    • walking – pros and cons
    • pros and cons of tourism for rural communities
    • tourism and economy
  19. Work
    • working mothers
    • doing volunteer work / charity work
    • work / life balance
    • working long hours – pros and cons
    • experience or education or skills
    • four day working week
    • importance of promotion, salary, job satisfaction
    • working online – pros and cons
    • earning large salaries – films stars, sports people doctors etc
  20. World Issues
    • richer countries should help poorer countries 
    • types of international aid
    • increasing number of old people
    • gap between rich and poor countries
    • violence on TV
    • tackling world issues domestically or internationally
    • news online – reliability of news, sources of news, fake news
    • globalisation
      • work
      • people becoming similar 
      • loss of culture (protecting traditions)
      • loss of local language (protecting language)
      • one language

Sharing your IELTS Writing Task 2 Experience

  • Did you get an essay topic you hadn’t prepared for?
  • What preparation tips do you have for others?
  • How did you manage your time in your writing test?
  • What score did you get in your writing test?
  • Sharing is caring 🙂 

Message from Liz

2021 is our chance to start fresh, to move forward and to build a strong future. Forget your difficult experiences and be proactive about your future. Each positive step forward takes you towards your goal and towards success. 

Be focused and strategic in your preparation for IELTS. You can find lots and lots of free lessons, tips, topics, model answers on this website – go to the HOME page to access it all.

I wish you all lots of luck !!

All the best, Liz 🙂

…………………………………

Free Subscribe to get New Posts by email

Comments

  1. Dear Liz,

    I just want to say a big thank you for all you do. It is so kind of you to share your knowledge with us at not cost. I am inspired. God bless you and grant your heart’s desire.

    I wrote the test on 30th October. My result just came out on Friday and I scored an average of 8. I appreciate your help in achieving that.

    During my speaking test I was asked to talk about a café I had been to. I was to describe it and say what I went there to do.

    During my writing Task 2, the question was something like:
    Some people believe that parents should be able to punish their children when they behave badly. However, others say there should be laws that govern how erring children are corrected. Discuss the two points of view and give your opinion.

    Like you say, ‘sharing is caring’. Thanks for leaving me a better person.

    Warm regards
    Nene

  2. When children starting school the effect of teachers are more than parents in social and intellectual behaviour of students.
    To what extent do you agree?
    This was my topic 2 weeks ago and surprisingly, I got 6, I expected 7. I was in disagreement and give 5 reasons for it in 2 paragraphs.

    Should I address social and intellectual in two separate paragraphs or I could explain them together in two paragraphs?

    • There are a number of points ton consider:
      1. if you disagree then your essay must show why you think parents have more effect and why teachers have less effect – you must cover both within your opinion
      2. you need to tackle both social and intellectual – you can tackle them together or separately – it depends on your point of view. For example, you might think teacher have a more intellectual effect and parents still have the most social effect
      3. you should organise your ideas logically. Usually this means one single central theme per paragraph. If you had five main ideas – how can you have only two body paragraphs? When you brainstorm ideas – make a list of all the ideas you can think of and then choose the best to use. You don’t need to use all of them. Choose just two or three and organise them into separate body paragraphs

      The three points above are just an example of things to consider for this essay and exemplify why you might have got a lower score than expected.

  3. Fang Wei GOH says

    Just to share the question I got for my IELTS exam today. The words below are based on my memory.

    The number of tall buildings in cities is increasing.

    What are the reasons?

    Is this a positive or negative development?

    Share examples from your experience.

  4. Hi Liz!
    Thank you so much for your site and great lessons. I bought your advanced writing classes and they were so helpful. I am a mom, working a full time job, and looking to apply for postgraduate study overseas. I barely had time to practice, but I do believe your website, tips and classes made an impact in my score. I got an 8.5 overall and 7.5 in the Writing section. Thank you for sharing your knowledge! Also, I wrote down the Writing Task 2 – Essay Question to share it with you and your students (I took the IELTS Academic on August 2021, quite recently).

    Topic: In both studying and working, there are people that work harder than others.
    What makes people work hard?
    Is it a good thing to be a hard working person?

    Regards!

  5. Cleared my exam and got my desired scores on the first attempt thanks to this site, Thank you so much Liz, all the best!

  6. Alicia says

    Could you check and give me a score
    Task 2
    The expansion of multinational companies and increase in globalization produces positive
    effects to everyone. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement.
    In this contemporary world, Change is the law of nature but trying to abolish the natural arena is discomforting and disturbing. The overruling of multinational companies and firms and the sudden rise of globalization have led to many problems in human lives. So I partially disagree with the above notation.

    To begin with, the building of new projects and the tech companies have greatly affected the vegetation grounds and most parts of the cities such as residential colonies are taken also away to form new offices. Deforestation has led to major pollution in the cities as well.
    Another factor that has been affected due to this is the weather conditions of the country.
    The rainfall patterns which were fixed in the older days are not disturbed due to global warming. Besides that, even the summers are unbearable due to the rise of temperature up to 40 degrees Celsius and all these are the results of modernization.

    Some people may disagree with me due to the fact that this new tech world has given them the opportunity to get good jobs and a lifestyle but at the same time, life is not all about getting rich.

    To conclude, many factors have impacted the current situation of the world such as erosion of vegetation lands, pollution due to global warming, deforestation and all this is due to the expansion of cities and factories so people need to slow down their speed to save our future kids.

  7. Free Na says

    Hi! I got the band score I needed. Thank you so much for this site. I’ve learned a lot from you, guys!

    Anyway, let me share the question I encountered last October 2020. “Some people believe that History subject should not be taught anymore because it is already old and outdated. Others think that it should still be kept. To what extent do you agree/disagree?”

    I apologize as these were not the exact words, but they delivered the same thought.

    Good luck to everyone who’s about to take the exam. 🙂

  8. Osheen Sharma says

    Recently i gave my IELTS exam and i got 5.5 band in writing. It wasn’t the score i expected but my writing task 2 topic was very tricky.
    It was to mention drawbacks of the same thing shown by films, ads, brands and tv channels over the years on people’s mind.
    But they aren’t the same they have changed and their content has changed drastically. This question was really contradictory and tricky.
    Reply mam if possible.
    Regards

    • Can you remember the essay question more clearly? It’s quite vague. I would need to see a more accurate recording of the question to comment.

  9. Hi Madam,
    Can you please help me with the tricks to differentiate the Opinion and Non-opinion Essays, which don’t have the ‘Do you agree or Disagree’ keywords?
    My doubt is with the question of having the keywords like:
    1. Question X, Discuss both the views and give your opinion?
    2.Question X, Discuss both the views?
    3.Question X, Do you think the advantage outweigh the disadvantages?
    4.Question X, Does this development bring more advantages or disadvantages?
    Example: Many things that used to be done in the home by hands are now being done by machines. Does this development bring more advantages or disadvantages?

  10. jeanette says

    hi liz,
    i really need your help regarding this question task 2.”Countries around the world will be facing significant challenges relating not only to the environment but population and education as well. What problems will your country face in the next ten years? How can these problems be overcome?
    im having problem paraphrasing this question for my background statement.
    i hope you can help me.
    thank you!

    regards,
    jnet

    • Where did you get this question from? Was it from official sources? It doesn’t look like an official IELTS essay. The background statement does not include paraphrase the question for this essay question. You only paraphrase the first sentence:

      Many countries worldwide might struggle in tackling issues such as environmental problems, education and population growth.

      As you can see, when you paraphrase, you do NOT need to change all words. Just express the same ideas your own way and some words will be the same.

  11. Het Patel says

    Hello everyone ,

    I am going to give the exam of IELTS on 21 st Jan , so i am little bit confuse in choosing the topic for the writing task 2 , so can anyone help out with that , which topics can be used and what can i read it

    • You don’t choose the topic. You are given an essay question which you must answer. This means you need to prepare ideas for many topics. This can’t be done in one day. Instead, read over the topics are you not familiar with and do quick brainstorms.

  12. Rutuja Bamdale says

    Thank you Liz for your guidance. I got desrired results by following your lessons.
    I got overall band with 9 in both listening & reading.
    I had my GT IELTS exam on 9th Jan 2021.

    My writing task 2 topic – Some people think that hard work helps in achieving Financial success while others think it is not the only thing which contributes to financial success.
    I was asked to discuss both of them & give my opinion.

  13. Thank you Ma’am Liz! I’m glad that I found your website as I searched about IELTS. Its really a big help to me during this pandemic as I studied your lessons. Thank you so much for your generosity, I’ve got my desired band score. May you continue to be a blessing to everyone. I hope that your health will improve better. Take care always and God bless!

  14. KHUSHBOO GIRDHAR says

    Dear mam,
    I am a general training aspirant. I am practicing writing task 2. I am uncertain of how good i am while writing essay. I request you to please review my essay and tell me how much band will i score writing this way.

    Ques. Today, high sales of popular consumer goods reflect the power of advertising and not the real needs of the society in which they are sold.
    To what extent do you agree or disagree?

    Ans.
    Effective marketing plays a major role in increasing the demand of the product. On account of this , vast scale selling of famous products is the result of efficient marketing and not requirement of the public. This essay will attempt to objectively examine all significant components in detail. (47 words)

    Objectivity being of the essence, the following words will weigh one side of the issue against the other. In my opinion, right form of marketing makes us trust specific brands. On the other hand , i feel that everything that glitters is not gold. The following two paragraphs will delve effectively into both aspects. (54 words)

    First, advertisements make us know about the products in demand sitting at home that tends to increase sales. Second well advertised brands are often topic of discussions among our acquaintances and that creates virtual impression of specific goods on our minds. To substantiate the above. highly marketed brands like Patanjali have become extremely popular amongst middle and upper class. They have made a huge network in a very short span of time. (72 words)

    However, many popular brands that are advertised well are of no good use and creates hoax among public. Furthermore, many trusted companies are making business without much marketing only because they are fulfilling the needfulness of people by selling genuine products. To corroborate what has just been stated , brands like Mother dairy and Amul still hold their positions well even after introduction of many popular well marketed dairy firms. ( 70 words)

    In light of above, it is true that proper advertising plays a distinct role in producing sales. Still i believe that fulfillment of public needs is equally important for successful vending. Bringing this essay to a close, there are at least two ways to examine any situation. In this instance, i disagree to the statement given. (56 words)

    (total- 296 words)

  15. Euphemia says

    Happy new year Liz. Hope you are much stronger now? I pray you have a quick recovery. I had my exam last year September. In my speaking, especially in part one, my examiner always cut me short, she never gave me time to add a conditional in my responses. Although I got a 6.5 band score, could it have equally affected my score in addition to my other mistakes.

    • It is 100% normal for your answers to be cut short. The examiner will interrupt when they want to ask another question. There are only 4-5 mins for 12 questions to be asked and answered in part 1. Take this into consideration when you answer. Give a direct answer and then add a little more until the examiner interrupts. Be ready for this and don’t let it affect your confidence. You must show willingness to speak at length – show as much fluency as you can. You haven’t asked me a question in your comment. But if you are asking if this is the reason for a lower score, the answer is “no”. Being interrupted is a natural part of IELTS speaking test.

  16. Deepshikha says

    Hi Liz, I follow your lessons since 2017. You have helped me crack Ielts 3 times already. Last time my score was overall 8.5 band with 9 in both listening and speaking. Hoping a good one this time too! Happy new year 🎉

  17. Rahul Dave says

    Thanks a lot ma’am
    Your effort for helping and guiding us is much more than excellent.
    Each and every module is explained in a very easy as well as much from point to point
    Today 9th January 2021
    I have my IELTS Academic Exam
    I am from India
    Pray for me
    I have learned much from your offerings
    Thank you LIZ ☺️☺️
    Love from INDIA

  18. Nellie Arana Avena says

    Hi Liz, hope and pray you’re doing well and in good health. Have a blessed New Year and more blessings to come throughout the year 2021. Thank you so much of your untiring effort to guide and teach us for our IELTS test preparation. I might take IELTS-GT test next month.
    To be honest, I am not very good with speaking in English yet I found your website very helpful. Your teaching was really inspiring, easy to understand tremendously and guiding us accordingly. My goal is to reach 6 band at least. Help me God. Take care and keep safe. God bless you relentlessly.

  19. Your book IELTS writing topics is really brilliant!!

    I am having my exam next week, hopefully, I will get my desired score

  20. shweta says

    Happy new year Liz.. and thank you so much for these materials. 😊

  21. Rawia Obida says

    Thanks for all your loyal support Liz! I wish you a very happy New Year and speedy recovery.

  22. Have a mind-blowing new year liz

  23. Victoria Chigowa says

    Happy New Year Liz

  24. wil. . . . . says

    thanks Liz. . . .

  25. Socorro says

    Hi Liz Im one of your followers and Found out that you have a good information in regards to ielts. I’m planning to take my ielts and I’m encouraged with the comments I read. I’m a nurse by profession but I need to take the band score intended in order for me to practice nurse in the uk. And I know you will be of great help.

    • Lots of luck! Go to the HOME page of this site to learn how to access all materials.

  26. FRANKLIN says

    Thank you so much Liz for your effort! Happy New year

  27. Ritu Bhatnagar says

    Thank you Liz for your part. I got the desired result. I feel very happy to express my gratitude to all the people who had contributed, helped and encouraged me to get good band score. Thank you everyone. I got 7 5 overall with 8.5 in reading which I think is a great achievement in IELTS Academic. A little unhappy with my speaking score, if you can, please suggest something to improve my speaking. Regards

    • Great to hear your scores. Well done 🙂 For speaking, your score is based only on your language skills which is different to how the writing test is scored. See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-band-scores/ and this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2-band-scores-5-to-8/. The key is to showcase your language in a natural way. For example, did you show the examiner a second conditional during the test? If not, why not? Your task is to show your range and this includes grammar which is equally as important as vocabulary. If the question isn’t a direct prompting for a second conditional, you can just add one yourself. Here’s an example:
      Part 1 Q: Do you often go swimming?
      Answer: No, I don’t. I don’t really have much time because of my work so I can only go swimming once in a while. But if I had more time, I’d definitely go swimming at least twice a week.

      As you can see, the question was straight forward, but the answer showcased a direct use of the present simple with a flexible time phrase and a second conditional statement. These are the skills the examiner is looking for.
      The other thing to consider is developing your fluency in part 2. Take your talk beyond the prompts and take control of your talk. This is the time to think about what language to showcase and how to incorporate that. You have 1 min to plan this. So, prepare loads of ideas for topics before the test and then during part 2 you can prepare language to showcase for your talk during that prep time.
      Success in IELTS is about having and showing excellent use of English in a natural way. But, as with most exams, there are strategies to learn and techniques to help you present the best of yourself. I hope this helps 🙂

      • Ritu Bhatnagar says

        Thank you Liz, you are such a nice person apart from a wonderful coach, I think world needs more angels like you , STAY BLESSED ALWAYS

  28. Happy New Year Liz, I hope your health is in great spirits.

    You are the best and Fabulous teacher, Lots of prayers and Love 🙂

  29. Sandeep says

    Thanks alot liz for these stuff

  30. Asmaa Awad says

    I did my exam on 12-12 and because of you I got the score that I wanted! It was my first attempt and I only studied from your website 😍 Can’t thank you enough Liz.

    My Ielts writing task 2 topic was :
    Some people think that a good teamwork makes a company successful, other think that a good leadership is the reason behind the success of a company.

    I was asked to discuss both of them and share my opinion.

    • So glad to hear you did well. Congratulations. The topic of Business is a common one in IELTS Writing Task 2, particularly what leads to success in business. Sometimes it might relate to key aspects of business such as marketing and advertising vs good product. Sometimes its about staff or character traits. This is the reason it’s so important to prepare as many ideas as possible for as many topics. Anyway, well done with your results 🙂

Speak Your Mind

*

error: Content is protected !!