IELTS Writing Task 2: Two-Question Essay – Step-by-Step Guide

🎮 Writing an Introduction 🎮

A good introduction has three parts:
🔹 Topic Sentence
🔹 Paraphrase of the Question
🔹 Thesis Statement

💡 A good introduction consists of 2-4 lines. You should take no more than 10 minutes to write this part.

📝 Topic Sentence + Paraphrase

🟢 The topic sentence is the first sentence of your essay. It should be a general statement related to your essay's topic.

For the given prompt, we can write the following topic sentence:
💬 “Digital games have become quite popular, especially among young people.”

This sentence introduces the topic while also paraphrasing the given prompt.
Sometimes, paraphrasing the prompt is enough to introduce the topic. In such cases, writing a separate topic sentence is not necessary (though you can if you wish).

📌 Thesis Statement

✅ The thesis statement clearly presents your opinion and main ideas for the essay.
For our essay, the thesis statement is:

“Playing video games frequently affects children’s brain activity and desensitizes them to violence. These effects, however, can be mitigated by supervising their time spent on gaming and restricting violent content.”

This effectively outlines the negative consequences of video games and suggests solutions to minimize their impact.
📌 It also signals to the reader that the essay will have two main body paragraphs:
🔹 One discussing negative impacts
🔹 One discussing ways to minimize these effects

🎭 IELTS & Your Personal Opinion

💡 Even though my personal opinion is in favor of video games (I play them myself 🎮), it does not matter in IELTS.
❗ Remember: IELTS is a test, not a debate. If the question asks for negative effects, give negative effects—even if you disagree.

📝 Final Introduction

“Digital games have become quite popular, especially among young people. Playing video games frequently affects children’s brain activity and desensitizes them to violence. These effects, however, can be mitigated by supervising their time spent on gaming and restricting violent content.”

Now, let's move on to writing the body paragraphs!

📝 Writing Main Body Paragraphs

Our first paragraph will include all the boomer complaints about video games. The second will focus on solutions.

📌 Structure of Body Paragraphs:

🟠 Paragraph 1 – Negative Impacts

✅ Topic Sentence
✅ Negative Impact 1
➡️ Explanation/Example
✅ Negative Impact 2
➡️ Explanation/Example

🟢 Paragraph 2 – Solutions

✅ Topic Sentence
✅ Solution 1
➡️ Explanation/Example
✅ Solution 2
➡️ Explanation/Example

💡 Why choose between explanation and example?
We don’t have enough time to include both in detail. However, we can either explain through an example or just provide an explanation—the key is to make our position clear.

🟠 Paragraph 1 – Negative Impacts

🔹 Topic Sentence

Since this paragraph focuses on the negative effects of video games, we will start by mentioning exactly that:
“Computer games can have various detrimental effects on those who play them.”

🔹 Negative Impact 1

“Due to the prevalence of these games in digital spaces, many adolescents struggle to maintain focus in class.”

Even though, in reality, video games might improve focus, we don’t care about our personal opinion here. What matters is answering relevantly to the topic. So, let’s make stuff up!

🔹 Explanation/Example

“This could be due to the fact that the majority of these games do not require critical thinking or active planning from users; this passiveness becomes deeply rooted in children’s psyches.”

This is a simple explanation of the issue.

🔹 Negative Impact 2

“Video games are also notoriously violent, to the point that game developers are incentivized to make them as gory and graphic as possible.”

🔹 Explanation/Example

“Constant exposure to such violence in games makes players unable to react appropriately to violence in real life. For instance, a school shooter in the United States was found to be an avid gamer.”

Was there really a school shooter like this?
Who knows?
More importantly, who cares?
Even the IELTS examiner doesn’t. The goal is to support our argument convincingly.

This completes our first paragraph!
Next, we will follow a similar plan to discuss solutions.

Here are two main body paragraphs:

“Computer games can have various detrimental effects on those who play them. Due to the prevalence of these games in digital spaces, many adolescents struggle to maintain focus in class. This could be due to the fact that the majority of these games do not require critical thinking or active planning from users; this passiveness becomes deeply rooted in children’s psyches. Video games are also notoriously violent, to the point that game developers are incentivized to make them as gory and graphic as possible. Constant exposure to such violence in games makes players unable to react appropriately to violence in real life. For instance, a school shooter in the United States was found to be an avid gamer.

Nevertheless, the situation is not completely dire, as these issues can be combated with parental supervision. Firstly, it is important to manage kids’ time spent playing these games. If parents provide them with complete freedom and leeway to waste hundreds of hours on gaming, the impact could be severe and lasting. By limiting screen time, children may instead opt for physical activities, which have been shown to improve their overall well-being. Secondly, parents must play a role in deciding which games their children are allowed to play. Many virtual games focus on educational content and are mentally stimulating without any emphasis on violence. Parents should ensure that only such games are accessible to young players.“

📝 Writing Conclusion

The conclusion is the easiest part to write. It can be one or two sentences long. Simply paraphrase the thesis statement—nothing more, nothing less.

📌 Key Points for Writing a Conclusion:

✅ Start with “In conclusion” or “To conclude.”
✅ Do NOT introduce new ideas.
✅ Do NOT explain anything further.
✅ Just summarize the points already made.

🔹 Conclusion Sentence

“To conclude, while excessive gaming may have detrimental consequences for children, limiting screen time and selecting appropriate games can effectively tackle these issues.”

As you can see, we do not add anything new to the conclusion. We simply reiterate what has been asked and provide a brief summary of the points made.

Have a look at the completed sample essay:

“Digital games have become quite popular, especially among young people. Playing video games frequently affects children’s brain activity and desensitizes them to violence. These effects, however, can be mitigated by supervising their time spent on gaming and restricting violent content.

Computer games can have various detrimental effects on those who play them. Due to the prevalence of these games in digital spaces, many adolescents struggle to maintain focus in class. This could be due to the fact that the majority of these games do not require critical thinking or active planning from users; this passiveness becomes deeply rooted in children’s psyches. Video games are also notoriously violent, to the point that game developers are incentivized to make them as gory and graphic as possible. Constant exposure to such violence in games makes players unable to react appropriately to violence in real life. For instance, a school shooter in the United States was found to be an avid gamer.

Nevertheless, the situation is not completely dire, as these issues can be combated with parental supervision. Firstly, it is important to manage kids’ time spent playing these games. If parents provide them with complete freedom and leeway to waste hundreds of hours on gaming, the impact could be severe and lasting. By limiting screen time, children may instead opt for physical activities, which have been shown to improve their overall well-being. Secondly, parents must play a role in deciding which games their children are allowed to play. Many virtual games focus on educational content and are mentally stimulating without any emphasis on violence. Parents should ensure that only such games are accessible to young players.

To conclude, while excessive gaming may have detrimental consequences for children, limiting screen time and selecting appropriate games can effectively tackle these issues.”