VSTEP · Guides · November 6, 2026 · 7 min read

VSTEP Writing Task 2: essay types, structure, marking and a model plan in 40 minutes

Writing Task 2 is the essay: at least about 250 words on a general topic, in about 40 minutes. It is worth two thirds of the Writing score, twice as much as the letter in Task 1, so it is the single task where an hour of preparation pays back the most. This guide covers the kinds of question you will meet, a structure that works for all of them, what examiners look for, how to spend the 40 minutes, and a worked plan with a model paragraph.

What the task looks like

You get a short statement of an issue and a question. The instruction asks you to write at least 250 words and to support your ideas with reasons and examples from your own knowledge or experience. Topics are general rather than technical: education, work, technology, health, the environment, cities, family life, travel, the media.

Most questions fall into four types. The wording tells you which one you have, and each needs a slightly different shape:

The most common reason for a low task fulfilment mark is answering a different question from the one set: writing only about advantages when disadvantages were asked for too, or describing a problem without proposing any solution.

How the essay is marked

Examiners assess four criteria, the same as for Task 1:

• Task fulfilment: you answer every part of the question, your position is clear, and your ideas are developed with reasons and examples. Writing well under 250 words usually hurts this criterion, because the ideas cannot be developed.
• Organisation: clear paragraphs, each with one main idea; logical links between sentences and paragraphs; linking words used accurately, not mechanically.
• Vocabulary: range and precision for the topic, correct word forms and collocations.
• Grammar: a mix of simple and complex sentences, with errors that do not block meaning.

The detailed band descriptors are not published, so treat any mark you get in practice, including ours, as an estimate. What is certain is the weighting: if your Task 1 is 6.0 and your Task 2 is 5.0, raising the essay by one point lifts your Writing score by about two thirds of a point.

A structure that fits all four types

Four or five paragraphs, about 260–300 words in total:

1. Introduction (40–50 words). Paraphrase the issue in one sentence; state your position or what the essay will do in a second.
2. Body paragraph 1 (80–100 words). One main idea in a topic sentence, an explanation, a specific example, a sentence linking back to the question.
3. Body paragraph 2 (80–100 words). The second main idea, built the same way. In a discussion essay, this is the other view.
4. (Optional) Body paragraph 3. Only if you have time and a genuinely different idea.
5. Conclusion (30–40 words). Restate your position in new words and, if useful, a recommendation. No new arguments.

Two well-developed body paragraphs score better than four thin ones. Development, meaning explanation and example, is what separates a 5 from a 7.

40 minutes, minute by minute

If your test is on computer, practise typing at this pace. Many candidates who write fluently by hand lose time correcting on screen.

Worked example: plan and model paragraph

Here is our own example question:

Some cities close their central streets to cars at weekends so that people can walk, cycle and use the space for events.

Do the advantages of this policy outweigh the disadvantages? Write an essay of at least 250 words. Use reasons and examples from your own knowledge or experience to support your answer.

This is an advantages-and-disadvantages question with a verdict required (“outweigh”). A five-minute plan:

• Position: the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, provided public transport and deliveries are planned.
• Body 1 (advantages): cleaner air and less noise for a few hours; families and children use the street safely; local shops and street vendors get more customers. Example: a walking street in a city centre on a Saturday evening, full of families who would not come for traffic and parking.
• Body 2 (disadvantages): traffic pushed onto surrounding roads; difficult for elderly people or deliveries; some businesses that rely on drivers lose income. But: these can be reduced with extra buses, delivery hours, and parking at the edge of the zone.
• Conclusion: benefits for many people every week; problems are real but manageable; recommend starting with one or two streets and reviewing.

A model body paragraph (Body 1, 99 words):

The main advantage of closing central streets to cars is that it gives public space back to people. For a few hours, families can walk without worrying about traffic, children can play safely, and the air in the city centre becomes noticeably cleaner and quieter. This also benefits local businesses. When a busy road becomes a walking street on a Saturday evening, cafés and small shops along it often see far more customers, because people stay longer when they do not have to find parking. In other words, the policy improves both quality of life and the local economy.

Why it works: the first sentence states one main idea; the next two develop it with specific effects; “This also benefits…” adds a second, related point; the example is concrete but not a made-up statistic; the last sentence ties the paragraph back to the question. The vocabulary is precise (public space, walking street, quality of life) without being forced.

A weaker version of the same idea, and why it scores lower:

Closing streets has many advantages. Firstly, it is good for environment. Secondly, it is good for people. Thirdly, it is good for business. Therefore, there are many advantages.

It lists three ideas but develops none, has an article error (the environment), and the linking words do all the work. It is also only 28 words, so the essay would struggle to reach 250 without padding.

Mistakes to avoid

• Memorised introductions (“Nowadays, with the development of society, there are many controversial opinions about…”) that say nothing about the question. Examiners recognise them, and they use up time.
• No clear position in an opinion question, or a position that changes between the introduction and the conclusion.
• Overloaded linking words. “Moreover, furthermore, in addition” at the start of every sentence reads as mechanical. Linking inside sentences (which means, because of this) is just as valuable.
• Invented statistics. “A study shows 87% of people…” is not more convincing than a specific, realistic example, and it can look careless.
• Running out of time for the conclusion. A missing conclusion damages organisation; write a two-sentence one rather than none.
• Spending too long on Task 1. It is worth half as much; aim to finish it in 20 minutes and move on.

Practice

Write one essay a week at minimum, timed, and rotate the four types. After feedback, rewrite only your weakest paragraph; that is more efficient than rewriting the whole essay. On Nomto you can write a Task 2 essay and get feedback on the four criteria with an estimated score, which is a practice estimate, not an official mark. For how Writing fits into your overall result, see VSTEP scores and levels, and for the full test structure, the VSTEP exam format.

Nomto is an independent preparation platform, not affiliated with the Ministry of Education and Training or any test centre.

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