IELTS Double Question Essays: Your Complete Guide to Success in IELTS Writing

Mastering IELTS Writing Task 2 presents unique challenges, but none quite as perplexing as the format of double question essays. These essays require you to address two distinct questions within a single response, demanding exceptional organizational skills and strategic thinking. Understanding how to tackle double question essays effectively can transform your IELTS performance from uncertain to confident, elevating your band score significantly. 

I. What is the Double Question Essays in IELTS Writing Task 2?

Double question essays, also known as Two-part questions in IELTS Writing Task 2, are among the most sophisticated task types, requiring candidates to address two separate but related questions within a single coherent response. These double question essays typically begin with a topic followed by two distinct prompts, which may ask for opinions, solutions, causes and effects, or comparisons. This format is quite similar to the Problem-Solution type, as it often presents a specific issue and then poses two related questions. These questions may reflect any of the four common essay types or may be uniquely tailored to the issue mentioned.

Example of double question essays in IELTS Writing Task 2:

• "Parents often give children everything they ask for and do what they like. Is it good for children? What are the consequences when they grow up?"

• "Consumers are faced with increasing numbers of advertisements from competing companies. To what extent do you think are consumers influenced by advertisements? What measures can be taken to protect them?"

Similar to the Problem-Solution essay, we can answer each question separately in each body paragraph or alternate between them. However, it is important to note that we should fully address both questions in double question essays and avoid providing a detailed answer to one question while neglecting the other.

II. How to identify the double question essays in IELTS Writing Task 2

Signs of recognition: The double question essays in IELTS Writing Task 2 does not have any specific questions. Usually, the prompt will include a sentence to introduce the issue, followed by two related questions:

III. Structure of double question essays in IELTS Writing Task 2

You can refer to and apply the following structure to write the double question essays in IELTS Writing Task 2 during your self-study for the exam at home!

IV. Sample essays for double question essays in IELTS Writing Task 2

1. Double question essays in IELTS Writing Task 2 - prompt on April 14, 2018

1.1. Prompt

“In today’s world of advanced science and technology, we still greatly value our artists such as musicians, painters, and writers. What can arts tell us about life that science and technology cannot?”

1.2. Ideas

What science and technology cannot tell people

• Even the latest appliances of science and technology such as robots and even AI cannot imitate human emotions.

• Machines function based on logic and a set of programmed principles and never sympathise or empathise in the way that humans do.

What arts can tell people

• Pieces of art (paintings, songs, novels) can reflect how people feel and the emotions of the painters, song writers and writers.

• Art can inspire people to live a better life / can instil in people a sense of humanity.

2. Double question essays in IELTS Writing Task 2 - prompt on May 25, 2017

2.1. Prompt

“Parents often give children everything they ask for and do what they like. Is it good for children? What are the consequences when they grow up?”

2.2. Sample

Indulging children has become a common parenting problem in many modern families. From a short-term perspective, this practice may slow down the process of children developing essential life skills. From a long-term standpoint, this may cause a sense of overdependence among children.

In the short term, it is possible that over-indulgence causes some delay to the process in which children learn important life skills. This can be seen in a variety of age groups, ranging from toddlers to teenagers. In Vietnam, for example, many over-caring parents spoon-feed their children until they are five or six, the developmental stage in which they should have already been able to eat independently. There is a common practice that parents assist their preadolescent children in taking a bath or a shower. These children, as a result, may fail to acquire basic personal hygiene skills at the right time.

In the long run, the consequences are even more dire as over-indulged children grow up. If parents satisfy all the needs of their children unconditionally, they may inadvertently make the children become over-reliant on them. When these children enter adulthood, the inability to live independently can cause some difficulties for them to maintain their overall well-being, such as not knowing what to do when they catch a fever. It is also a problem that over-indulgent parents are often lenient and do not require children to face the consequences of their misbehaviour. This deprives children of the opportunities to learn from mistakes, which may cause their problem-solving skills to be severely lacking in the future.

From the issues outlined above, one can conclude that overindulgence may produce a number of unfavourable effects on children, including the delay in gaining crucial life skills such as self-feeding and the long-term consequence of lacking the ability to cope with problems as adults in the future. It is recommended that no parents should overindulge their offspring.

V. Supplemental Content: FAQs about Double question essays in IELTS Writing Task 2

Is it better to address one question more than the other in an IELTS double question essay? Equal attention to both questions remains essential for high band scores, as task achievement criteria evaluate your ability to address all prompt parts adequately. Significantly neglecting either question will limit your score regardless of response quality to the favored question.

What kind of vocabulary is appropriate for an IELTS double question essay? Academic vocabulary with precise meaning serves better than unnecessarily complex terminology. Choose words that enhance argument precision while remaining accessible. Avoid contractions and informal expressions, but resist using sophisticated vocabulary incorrectly.

Are there certain topics that are more likely to appear as double question essays? Contemporary social issues, environmental concerns, technology's impact, and education policy frequently appear in double question formats because they naturally suit multi-faceted analysis. However, any IELTS topic can potentially appear as double question essays.

What resources can I use when prepping for the IELTS writing task? Official IELTS preparation materials provide authentic practice opportunities. Cambridge IELTS practice tests offer genuine prompts with band score examples, while platforms like PREP provide structured courses with detailed feedback mechanisms.

This article has provided detailed guidance on writing an essay in the double question essays in IELTS Writing Task 2 for Preppies. PREP hopes that the article is helpful to our readers. Additionally, through this article, PREP aims to help you understand how to identify this challenging question format and thoroughly comprehend the structure of the Two-part questions in IELTS Writing Task 2. The teachers at Prep are always here to support you. Start preparing for the IELTS exam at prepedu.com right now!