thesis agree or disagree

IELTS Agree or Disagree Essay

• Opinion Essays
• Discussion Essays
• Problem Solution Essays
• Advantages & Disadvantages Essays
• Double Question Essays

Example of IETS Opinion essay

• You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
• Write at least 250 words.
• Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

Structure of IELTS Opinion Essay

• Paragraph 1: Introduction
• Paraphrase the Essay Topic
• Thesis Statement
• Paragraph 2: Supporting Paragraph #1
• Topic Sentence
• Support (Example or Experience)
• Explanation
• Paragraph 3: Supporting Paragraph #2
• Paragraph 4: Conclusion
• Restate Thesis/Summarize your ideas

To what extent..

Example vocabulary and phrases: stating your opinion.

• In my opinion I believe that education should be free because it helps move society forward.
• As far as paying for education is concerned, I believe that you should have to pay because it creates competition which helps to develop stronger institutions.
• My impression is that education should require a cost whether it be through tax payer money or private institutions.
• Most institutions require tuition to attend. However. I believe that education should be free because it helps move society forward.

Example Vocabulary and Phrases: Arguing Your Point

• This proves that free education can provide many opportunities for those who cannot afford it.
• According to this, it can be argued that financial aid is a way to support students who cannot afford to pay for education.

Example Vocabulary and Phrases: Adding Adverb

Beginning of the sentence, middle of the sentence.

• Clearly, this is an example of numerous afford a proper education.
• This is definitely true because there are many students who are unable to attend school because they cannot afford it.
• Deciding whether education should be free is absolutely a major challenge to consider.
• The right to receive an education is substantially more important than earning money.

Example Vocabulary and Phrases: Verbs

• I disagree that education should cost students.
• I believe that education should be free.
• I have no doubt that society will benefit with free education.
• I think that education should be free.
• It cannot be denied that education costs money because teachers, faculty, and staff all need to be paid.
• As I see it, education has costs, so someone needs to pay for it.

Before You Start

• Think about how you will plan to write your essay.
• Brainstorm and generate ideas.

Outline structure for IELTS Essay

• ________________________________

Outline structure for IELTS Opinion Essay

• Paragraph I: Introduction
• Paraphrase the Essay Topic - I believe that everyone should have access to free education without limitations.
• Thesis Statement - Education is a valuable resource and it advances society.
• Education is tool that helps us succeed
• Germany - Free education
• Same philosophy - society advances
• Paying for education helps drive competition between institutions, but I believe this restricts social mobility.
• Student cannot afford education
• If every person of society is allowed to move forward, then all of society will benefit.
• In conclusion education is essential to any society
• By restricting access to it because of tuition limits societal advancements, it is important that we eliminate sort of barriers to education, Including costs.

Example Essay

• Thesis Statement - Education is a valuable resource and it advances society. If there are certain barriers to receiving education like costs, many students would lose the opportunity to pursue an education because of this.
• Education is a tool and it advances society and with free universal access to education, there are no limits to what a country and what a society can obtain.
• A perfect example of this Is Germany, where universities are now tuition-free.
• If all countries developed the same philosophy towards education as German. I have no doubt that society will benefit.
• Some may argue that paying for education helps drive competition between institutions and helps to develop stronger schools. However. 1 completely disagree because I believe this restricts social mobility.
• In other words, if a student who would like to pursue a degree In higher education, but cannot afford the high tuition rates then he or she will be unable to further their education.
• On the other hand, If every person of society is allowed to move forward, then all of society will benefit.
• In conclusion education is essential to any society.

Example Essay in color

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How to write an IELTS thesis statement.

Ielts essay introductions and thesis statements..

updated: July 27th 2022. When writing the introduction of an IELTS essay there are two steps that need to be taken. Paraphrase the task question and write a Thesis Statement . If the question asks for an opinion then it must be in the thesis statement. It depends on the type of essay you are writing as they are not all the same. It is advisable to write a thesis in the introduction for every type of essay. A good thesis statement can help you get a good band score in task response in the writing section.

The thesis statement tells the examiner what the essay is going to be about and the conclusion of the essay paraphrases the thesis statement. Some teachers have other views and say that a thesis statement is not needed. There are different approaches to writing an IELTS essay. If you have 10 IELTS teachers in a room there will most likely be 10 different opinions on the matter.

In my opinion, a thesis statement is logical and shows the reader what to expect in the rest of the essay. However, do not confuse Thesis statements with memorised outline sentences. See this link here about that.

What exactly is a thesis statement?

‘A thesis statement tells the reader what your essay is going to be about in one or two sentences. It usually includes your opinion or states your position’

• Don’t use rhetorical questions in the thesis. The thesis statement is not a question.
• Make it clear what you are going to write about briefly (1 or 2 sentences)
• If it’s an opinion essay, give 2 reasons for your opinion in the thesis statement.
• The thesis statement comes after paraphrasing the question.
• Do not write an outline sentence, these look like a cliche and memorised. Examiners are trained to spot memorised phrases, for instance: ‘ This essay would like to explore reasons for this in more detail’
• Don’t confuse thesis statements with the above outline sentence. Outline sentences are for very long academic essays. See this lesson here on phrases to avoid.

For each essay type this is what should be in the Thesis statement:

1. Opinion essays: write 2 reasons for your opinion. 2. Advantage disadvantage essays:  state the advantage and the disadvantage, 3. Problem solution essays:   briefly state 1 or 2 problems and possible solutions. 4 . Discussion essays: after paraphrasing both sides of the argument, give your opinion with a reason why you hold that view. 5. Two part question essays: answer the 1st question then answer the 2nd question briefly.

First you have to identify what kind of essay it is.

The first step before you begin to write is to make sure you understand the question, then identify what kind of essay this will be. There are 5 variations on an IELTS discursive essay click here to see a lesson on this .

Before you write the thesis statement you will need to paraphrase the question , click here for a lesson on this. Click here to see how to write a good introduction to a Problem Solution essay.

1. Discussion essay.

This is the Paraphrased introduction with a Thesis statement.

A number of people believe serious crimes need to have a set punishment, whereas others argue that the situation of the crime must be considered. I agree that the circumstances of the crime itself should be taken into account because every case is different.

Thesis Statement: ‘ I agree that the circumstances of the crime itself should be taken into account because every case is different’

It is important to give a brief reason for your view, the body paragraphs should expand on this. The examiner can clearly see your position in the introduction. In this essay, my position is that every case is different and a prison sentence would not be appropriate.

Note: For a more academic feel, rather than using a personal pronoun to state your opinion, you could state your position like this below:

This essay agrees that the circumstances of the crime itself should be taken into account because every case is different.

2. Opinon essay.

Again you need to paraphrase the question and then clearly agree or disagree , remember to choose just one side.. the words: ‘To what extent do you agree or disagree’ means how much do you agree/disagree, or how far do you agree/disagree. You should mention the other side of the argument but stick to your own opinion. Balanced essays do not necessarily get a higher band score.

Give 2 reasons for your view in the thesis statement here. This is the Paraphrased introduction with a Thesis statement:

It is argued that society would be better off if every type of advertising was prohibited. I disagree that all advertising should be disallowed as this policy would not benefit society and would negatively impact the economy.

Thesis statement: ‘ I disagree that all advertising should be disallowed as this policy would not benefit societ y and would negatively impact the economy.’

In this thesis statement I have clearly stated why I hold the opinion that advertising should not be banned with 2 reasons (no benefit to society and bad for the economy)  Remember to keep the introduction to under 55 words or it will be too long.

As mentioned before, you can use a more academic way to state your view, such as:

This essay disagrees that all advertising should be disallowed because this policy would not benefit society and would have a negative impact on the economy.

3. Advantages disadvantages essay.

This is the Paraphrased introduction with a Thesis statement:

In recent times, people can reside wherever they want in the world because of the progress that has made in technology and transport. The main advantage is the career opportunities that a person can get outside their own country, while a possible downside would be the stress of adjusting to living in a different culture.

Thesis statement: ‘ The main advantage is the career opportunities that a person can get outside their own country, while a possible downside would be the stress of adjusting to living in a different culture.’

Try keeping the whole introduction under 55 words as you don’t want it to look like a body paragraph. You can write about 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages, but you need to keep the introduction concise.

Another method is to just refer to the advantage and state the disadvantage, such as:

In recent times, people can reside wherever they want in the world because of the progress that has made in technology and transport. Although there are advantages, the downside would be the stress of adjusting to living in a different culture.’

This allows you to keep the thesis statement concise especially if you want to cover two advantages (or disadvantages)

4. Advantages disadvantages outweigh essay (this needs your opinion).

This type of advantage disadvantage essay is special because it asks ‘ Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?’. This means you have to write about what side you think is stronger and reflect that in the essay and also in the thesis statement. You need to state an opinion here.

Some experts argue that children should study a new language at primary school as opposed to secondary school. This essay agrees that the advantages are stronger than the disadvantages because youngsters pick up and master new languages much easier than at a high school age.

Thesis statement: ‘This essay agrees that the advantages are stronger than the disadvantages because youngsters pick up and master new languages much easier than at a high school age .’

I have underlined the reason for my opinion here. Giving a reason for your opinion is important in a thesis statement. The introduction is 44 words long so that will be fine. Remember to also address the other side of the issue in the main body paragraphs, the side you think is weaker.

Another method here is to use this style which is very concise at 32 words but it does not contain a reason for my view.

Some experts argue that youngsters should study a new language at primary school as opposed to secondary school. In my view, the advantages of younger children learning new languages outweigh the disadvantages.

5. Problem solution / causes solution essay.

People living in large cities have to deal with many issues in their day to day lives. The main problems people face are high rental costs and overcrowding. Some possible solutions would be to build more affordable housing and more green spaces.

Thesis statement: ‘ The main problems people face are high rental costs and overcrowding. Some possible solutions would be to build more affordable housing and more green spaces.’

I have listed 2 problems high rents, overcrowding and 2 solutions affordable housing, green spaces . You can choose just one problem and one solution and that would be fine.

6. Two part question (direct question essay).

The world wide web is a huge source of knowledge which has created opportunities for people worldwide to study. However, not all information on the internet can be trusted, so the government needs to put measures in place to protect people from false information.

Thesis statement: ‘ However, not all information on the internet can be trusted, so the government needs to put measures in place to protect people from false information.’

Two part question essays are sometimes called ‘Direct question’ essays. They consist of 2 direct questions in the task question. Sometimes they will ask for your opinion such as: Do you think….?  or   What do you think…?

If the question asks for the opinion then you must state it. You should briefly answer the 2 questions in the thesis statement then give more detail in the body paragraphs.

Check out the blog posts about how to identify the 5 essay types and also how to paraphrase the question . These are key stages before writing your thesis statement. Make sure your whole introduction is under 55 words or it will be too long.

Take a look here at how to write a good introduction in writing task 2. Now you can try.

Here is a Discussion essay question where you have to give your opinion. Can you write a Thesis statement for it?

Some people believe that the best way to deal with heavy traffic in city centres is for privately owned vehicles to be banned, others however think this is not a realistic solution.  Discuss both sides and give your own opinion.

Task question again:

Some people believe that the best way to deal with heavy traffic in city centres is for privately owned vehicles to be banned, others however think this is not a realistic solution. Discuss both sides and give your own opinion.

Paraphrased introduction: Some people argue that prohibiting private cars from city centres is the best way to tackle traffic congestion, whereas others say that this is unrealistic.

Thesis statement: I agree that private vehicles should be banned from city centres and more investment needs to be put into public transportation to alleviate traffic jams.

Full introduction with thesis statement:

Some people argue that prohibiting private cars from city centres is the best way to tackle traffic congestion, whereas others say that this is unrealistic. I agree that private vehicles should be banned from city centres and more investment needs to be put into public transportation to alleviate traffic jams.

Leave a comment below if you have any questions..

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How to Write “Agree or Disagree” Essays for IELTS

Posted by David S. Wills | Jan 15, 2021 | IELTS Tips , Writing | 1

There are various types of essay that you may be asked to write in task 2 of the IELTS writing test, but one of the most common ones is the “agree or disagree” question. This will provide some kind of statement and then ask you whether (or to what extent) you agree or disagree.

In this article, I will tell you everything you need to know about writing an agree or disagree essay .

What is an “Agree or Disagree” IELTS Question?

There are various kinds of questions in IELTS writing task 2, and one of them is called “agree or disagree” because that is precisely what you are asked to do. The question will normally contain those words although there are slight variations:

• Do you agree or disagree?
• To what extent do you agree or disagree?

This question will follow a statement and your task is to give your reaction to that statement. As long as you can understand the precise nature of the statement, this question is quite to understand.

Note that some people would call this an “opinion essay” but I would disagree with that label. Whilst it is certainly a type of opinion essay, there are other question types that require your opinion, so this is a problematic label. Here’s my guide to opinion essays.

How Should I Answer an “Agree or Disagree” Question?

The important thing about this sort of IELTS question is that you answer the question directly . In other words, you should state whether you agree , disagree , or neither agree nor disagree .

Some people wonder whether it is possible to give a balanced answer and others seem to think that you must always give a balanced answer, but the truth is simple:

You can agree, disagree, or neither agree nor disagree. Any of these is acceptable.

Just pay attention to the exact wording of the question. If it asks “to what extent…?” then you should clearly state the extent to which you agree/disagree:

• Completely agree
• Partially agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Partially disagree
• Completely disagree

If it just says “Do you agree or disagree?” then you don’t necessarily need to give the degree and you could just say “I agree” or “I disagree.” However, it is better to provide more explanation and detail.

If you want a more in-depth discussion of the issue of balanced answers, you can read this article .

Structuring “Agree or Disagree” Essays

Some kinds of IELTS essay are easy to structure. For example, “ Discuss both views ” and “ Advantages and disadvantages ” questions can easily be answered with a predictable four-paragraph structure. However, “agree or disagree” questions require a little more thought. Sometimes it can be a little difficult to find the right structure.

Generally, I recommend writing four or five paragraphs and preferably just four. As such, here are two possibilities for structuring your “agree or disagree” essay:

As you can tell, the second structure is more complicated and thus there is more scope for mistakes in terms of Task Response or Coherence and Cohesion . However, if you do this right it can provide a more interesting and developed answer.

In any case, the important thing to know is that your structure should be coherent and logical. Your reader should never feel confused. If you make a plan before writing, this will really help you to stay on topic and deliver your views effectively.

Let’s look at an example:

Some people argue that the government should give every unemployed person a mobile phone and should make sure they have access to the Internet. They believe this is the best way of using public money to reduce the problem of unemployment. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

To answer this question, I would firstly decide the extent to which I agree or disagree. I disagree that it is the best use of public money, so I would structure my essay thusly:

Now let’s look at how I would write that essay:

Sample Band 9 Answer

It has been suggested that governments should give jobless people phones and internet access to alleviate the unemployment problem. This essay will argue that, whilst this may be a good idea, it is certainly not the best way of using public money to solve the problem.

To begin with, it could be seen as a positive step to give unemployed people phones and internet access. This would certainly help improve their lives in a small way and may give them the ability to hunt down job leads. However, it is not a guaranteed method of finding employment. For one thing, phones are severely limited in comparison with computers, which would be far more useful for jobseekers. A computer is more appropriate for writing CVs and scrolling through lists of adverts. As such, perhaps public funds would be better spent on computers rather than phones.

In addition, the idea of just giving unemployed people technology in order to solve their problems seems a little wishful. The fact is that most people have phones and internet access in 2021, suggesting that this is not what prevents them from finding work. Perhaps the money would be better spent on job fairs, counselling, benefits, or even investment in local businesses to spur the hiring process. Indeed, whilst none of these is a perfect solution, they all seem rather more realistic and preferential than buying thousands of phones and internet contracts.

In conclusion, while it may be a good idea to give all jobless people a phone and internet access, it is almost certainly not the best use of public funds in terms of tackling unemployment.

Language for Agreeing and Disagreeing

Once you have figured out the structure for your essay, you need to have the right language to accurately and effectively express your ideas. Most of the grammar and vocabulary you need will be dependent upon the topic , but there are some useful words and phrases to know for all “agree or disagree” essays.

Giving Purpose and Position

In your introduction, you need to clearly state your position vis-à-vis the question. You can also state what you will do in this essay.

Here are some great phrases:

This essay will…

To avoid being overly personal or informal, you can speak as though your essay is writing itself. This might seem a little strange, but it is perfectly normal. It is a great idea to use this for the overview section of your introduction to say “This essay will argue that…” or “This essay will agree with the idea that…”

Alternatively, you can include yourself:

In this essay, I will…

The use of the personal pronoun is a little informal but these questions are directly asking for your opinion and so there is nothing really wrong with it. This is a good way of stating your intentions clearly from the offset.

Just be careful to avoid redundant phrasing here, like “In my opinion, I think that…” It is not necessary to say both “In my opinion” and “I think” because they both express the same basic meaning.

It is also worth making sure that you completely understand how to use the words “agree” and “disagree.” This probably sounds very easy, but many people make mistakes. I have a full article on it here .

One of the biggest mistakes is saying, “I agree to the idea.” Instead, you need to say “I agree with the idea.” The preposition here is a huge difference and completely changes the meaning of “agree.”

Language for Structuring your Ideas

You can use some cohesive devices when explaining your ideas but be careful not to over-use them and make sure that each one is used accurately. For example, the phrases “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” are really useful here but many people make mistakes by saying “On one hand” or “One the other hand.”

You can also use words like “Firstly” and “Finally” to order your ideas but remember that having every sentence start with the same sort of word sounds repetitive, so don’t use these too much.

Some other useful phrases are:

The first reason why I think/believe that [summarise view] is…”

In this case, we are directly communicating to the reader that this is the first (and therefore most important) reason to support our opinion. To remove the personal pronoun, simply change to:

The first reason why [summarise view] is…

Here are two examples:

• The first reason why I think that families should take care of their elderly relatives is that it allows more freedom for the individual.
• The first reason why families should take care of their elderly relatives is that it allows more freedom for the individual.

Should You Totally Avoid Personal Pronouns?

For IELTS, some people say that you should always avoid personal pronouns but other people suggest that they are acceptable. It is true that they are acceptable because some questions directly ask for your opinion and experiences. However, it is also true that an advanced writer can answer these questions without personal pronouns, thereby increasing the level of formality .

Take a look at this question:

Rich countries often give money to poorer countries, but it does not solve poverty. Therefore, developed countries should give other types of help to the poor countries rather than financial aid. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is clearly asking for your personal opinion, so it would be fine to say “I think…” or “I believe…” However, we could definitely answer it in a more detached, formal sense.

To give my opinion, I will say:

this essay will argue that giving money is not simply enough and that more nuanced, long-term solutions are necessary

Later, in the conclusion, I will use similar language to affirm my view:

whilst it may seem reasonable to donate money to poor countries, it would be far better to help them through education

Here is the full essay:

The topic of international aid is incredibly controversial and there are no simple solutions. However, this essay will argue that giving money is not simply enough and that more nuanced, long-term solutions are necessary.

To begin with, it is important to acknowledge that poor countries need some form of aid and that money is better than nothing. Wealthy countries give vast sums of money, but there are numerous problems that emerge. Firstly, this money usually has strings attached, meaning that the poor countries often end up owing favours or debts, which exacerbates their problems. Secondly, poor countries are typically poor because of endemic corruption, and money donated is usually embezzled immediately after receipt. As such, giving money is understandable but problematic, and other forms of aid are thus preferable.

Nowadays, many people realise that it is better to provide poor countries with the means to help themselves. This can be done in various ways, including education. As such, perhaps the best way to help these nations is to provide them with teachers and educational facilities. This can allow them to raise a generation of intelligent, motivated people who will shape the future. It can clearly be seen that the education of women is of particular importance, as this lowers the fertility rate, further stopping other problems that contribute to poverty. Therefore, the education of young women should be made a top priority.

In conclusion, whilst it may seem reasonable to donate money to poor countries, it would be far better to help them through education.

Writing an essay for an IELTS “agree or disagree” question is probably a little more difficult than writing one for other question types. However, it is not much more difficult and if you follow the advice above, you can definitely create a wonderful essay that will get a high score. Just remember to answer the question directly and also to use appropriate language throughout.

About The Author

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.

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thanks for such great help.

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How to write an agree/disagree essay for IELTS Writing Task 2

Date Published

01 February 2023

• This article was first published on WeLoveIELTS.org (this website is now closed)

Knowing how to write an agree or disagree essay is very important because if you get this type of task question in the test and you don't know how to approach it, you might not get a very high score. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

An agree/disagree question is very similar to the one above. Let’s look at two typical agree/disagree essay questions:

• Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
• Living in a country where you have to speak a foreign language can cause serious social problems as well as practical problems. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Can you see how these are similar to my question at the beginning? Both include a statement (= a sentence expressing an opinion) and ask you to what extent (= how much) you agree or disagree with it.

OK, so what are you going to do first? Start writing? Absolutely not .

After you’ve carefully read the task question and understood the topic, the first thing to do is to ask yourself to what extent you agree or disagree with the statement. There are three possible cases:

• You agree completely
• You disagree completely
• You partially agree (which means you also partially disagree)

Next, ask yourself: ‘ Why do I think that?’ This is a very useful question because by answering it you will start generating ideas that you will then include in your essay.

How many ideas should you come up with? In all three cases the secret is that less is more, so I recommend having no more than four in total.

Let’s have a look at an example from Cambridge IELTS 11:

• Governments should spend money on railways rather than roads. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

I’ve read the question and now I’m going to make some notes before I start writing. Here are my notes:

Partially agree - Both needs funding Why?

• Safety reasons
• Taxpayers expect government investment in both

Two main ideas. Now we have some direction and know where we are going with our essay. Should you now start writing? Not yet. You’ll need to develop these ideas, and the best way to do this is to give explanations, details, reasons and examples. Let’s add these to the notes.

• Safety reasons - Both roads and trains are widely used / all ages / need to be kept in good condition / if not, risk of crashes / example: Ponte Morandi collapse 2018 – Italy / lots of casualties / could have been avoided with more funding - maintenance / Trains are crowded at rush hour -> a railroad accident might be a terrible tragedy
• Taxpayers expect government investment in both - governments need to provide good services / citizens pay tax for this / example: train commuters pay to have efficient trains / if not – disruptions - late for work / same is true for road users / example: opening a new highway -> less traffic

Notice that I didn’t write full sentences but notes. Keep your full sentences for the essay! If you don’t do this brainstorming exercise before you start writing, the risk is that you’ll write whatever comes to your mind, and your essay will probably be confusing to read.

Top Tip: Think of how you’re going to structure your text. Keep life simple and always aim at four paragraphs: introduction, two body paragraphs and conclusion.

Introduction

Two sentences are enough here. In the first sentence you should paraphrase the task question. In the second sentence say if you (partially) agree/disagree so you immediately let the reader know what you think.

Two main paragraphs

Why these paragraphs? A paragraph contains ideas about a single subject and using them will make your essay organised, structured and easy to read. When writing an agree/disagree essay there are, again, three possible options:

• You completely agree - First paragraph: reasons why you agree. 2nd paragraph: other reasons why you agree.
• You completely disagree - First paragraph: reasons why you disagree. 2nd paragraph: other reasons why you disagree.
• You partially agree - First paragraph: reasons why you agree. 2nd paragraph: reasons why you disagree.

Remember: it’s much better to have few well-developed ideas than a lot of poorly developed ones , so when you write the paragraphs make sure to give reasons, examples and details. All these must be relevant to the reason you agree/disagree.

Again, keep life simple and write one or two sentences only. You should briefly repeat and summarise your answer to the question. Don’t introduce information that you didn’t mention in your paragraphs before. We need a conclusion to conclude right? So, don’t introduce other reasons or topics at the end of your text.

• Read the topic of the question and make sure you understand it
• Ask yourself if you agree or not with the statement in the question
• Brainstorm ideas before you start righting
• State your opinion in the introduction
• Use four paragraphs
• Logically organise the main paragraphs (for example, one for reasons why you agree and the other for reasons why you disagree)
• Extend and develop your ideas with reasons, examples and explanations
• Write a short conclusion.
• Start writing immediately
• Include too many different ideas. Less is more!
• Introduce more information in the conclusion.

Hope this helps you with your writing. Good luck!

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IELTS Writing: Agree or Disagree Lesson with Sample Answer

Agree or disagree essays: ielts writing task 2 lesson.

This lesson will teach you how to write ‘agree or disagree’ or ‘opinion’ IELTS task 2 essays that could score a Band 7, 8 or 9.

Agree or disagree question types are among the most common on the IELTS writing paper, so you must learn how to write them properly.

In this post, we will look at:

Deciding Opinion

Idea generation.

• Writing an Effective Introduction
• Writing Supporting Paragraphs
• Writing a Conclusion

We will use a question from an IELTS past paper to help us understand the task.

Many students fail to do well in this type of question because they do not have a clear opinion and they do not use an appropriate structure .

The best structure you can use for this type of essay is:

Paragraph 1- Introduction

Sentence 1- Paraphrase Question

Sentence 2- Thesis Statement

Sentence 3- Outline Statement

Paragraph 2- Supporting Paragraph 1

Sentence 1- Topic Sentence

Sentence 2/3- Explain Topic Sentence

Sentence 3/4- Example

Paragraph 3- Supporting Paragraph 2

Paragraph 4- Conclusion

Sentence 1- Summary and reiteration of your opinion.

That’s it! Four paragraphs.

Note : You don’t have to use this structure; other structures can get you a high score. However, this structure has been approved by IELTS examiners to allow you to write a clear and cohesive essay. This structure will allow you to focus on generating your ideas and then writing an effective essay.

In this essay, IELTS examiners want you to give a clear opinion, so you must decide when you read the question. You will also need to do this to write an effective thesis statement.

Let’s look at an example:

In some countries, many people suffer from health problems due to eating too much fast food. It is, therefore, necessary for governments to impose a higher tax on this kind of food.

Do you agree or disagree?

  With this type of essay, we have two choices:

• We agree with the statement or;
• We disagree with the statement

Some teachers advise you to partly agree and disagree. However, I would NOT recommend this because it often leads to an essay with NO clear focus and a CONFUSING structure.

Therefore, for this agree or disagree essay, you can say either:

• This essay agrees that governments should tax fast food or;
• This essay disagrees that governments should tax fast food

I think I will have more ideas for A, so I’m choosing that one. Always choose the one you feel comfortable writing about – even if you don’t feel that way. You don’t get extra marks for writing about how you feel; you want to give the examiner what they need to score your essay a Band 7+.

Now we have to think of ideas for why governments should tax fast food.

Here are some:

• Cigarettes and alcohol are taxed in the same way
• The money raised could be used to treat people with health problems
• Fast food companies should be punished for selling unhealthy food to people
• Making the food more expensive would stop people from eating it
• The money raised could be used to educate people about healthy eating

We don’t need to use all of these, just two for our supporting paragraphs. I will pick the first and the fourth ones because I know a little about these two and feel confident I can expand on them with explanations and examples. Remember, the examiner wants you to fully support your arguments, not just list many ideas.

Now we have two supporting ideas; we can move on to our introduction.

Introduction

As previously stated, we will use the following structure:

For a more detailed explanation, please see our post on writing an effective introduction.

To paraphrase  the question, we restate it with a different meaning using synonyms. I will also reorder the question. Here is the question again:

In some countries, an increasing number of people are suffering from health problems due to eating too much fast food. It is, therefore, necessary for governments to impose a higher tax on this kind of food.

Paraphrased: It is argued that governments should levy a tariff on junk food because the health risks associated with consuming this kind of food are rising. 

This is our first sentence.

We now need to write our thesis statement. This is our opinion in one sentence. This essay will agree with the above statement and will, therefore, look like this:

This essay agrees that a higher rate of tax should be paid by fast-food companies.

This is our second sentence.

We now need to write our third and final sentence, which is the outline sentence . This sentence outlines what you will write about in the main body paragraphs.

Firstly, alcohol and tobacco companies already pay higher taxes; secondly, higher taxes could raise prices and lower consumption. 

So our full introduction will look like this:

It is argued that governments should levy a tariff on junk food because the number of health risks associated with consuming this kind of food is on the rise. This essay agrees that a higher rate of tax should be paid by fast-food companies. Firstly, alcohol and tobacco companies already pay higher taxes; secondly, higher taxes could raise prices and lower consumption.

We now need to write our supporting paragraphs for our agree or disagree essay:

Supporting Paragraph 1

This paragraph should include:

• Topic Sentence
• Explanation

A topic sentence tells the examiner about the rest of the paragraph. In other words, it is a summary of your first idea. It should look something like this:

Higher excise on liqueur and cigarettes has proven to curb the harm caused by these substances.

We now need to expand on this point a little. A good way of doing this is to assume that the examiner does not know this subject, and you must explain clearly what you mean. Here is what this could look like:

This revenue has been used to treat health problems associated with these products and has proven useful in advertising campaigns warning people about the dangers of alcohol and tobacco abuse. Tax from fast food could be used in the same way.

We should now think of an example to support our point. Think about any recent news stories, studies or adverts. If you can’t think of one, make one up. The examiner won’t check if it is real or not.

The United Kingdom is a prime example, where money from smokers is used to treat lung cancer and heart disease while at the same time, pumped into health campaigns in schools to warn children about the dangers of smoking.     

That’s it. Four sentences. The full paragraph should look like this:

Higher excise on liqueur and cigarettes has proven to curb the harm caused by these substances. This revenue has been used to treat health problems associated with these products and has proven useful in advertising campaigns warning people about the dangers of alcohol and tobacco abuse. Tax from fast food could be used in the same way. The United Kingdom is a prime example, where money from smokers is used to treat lung cancer and heart disease.

Supporting Paragraph 2

We now repeat the same formula with our second supporting point- higher taxes will increase prices and reduce consumption.

Our topic sentence:

Increasing taxes would raise prices and lower consumption.

Explaining this further:

Fast food companies would pass on these taxes to consumers in the form of higher prices, leading to people not being able to afford junk food because it is too expensive. Junk food would soon become a luxury item, and it would only be consumed occasionally, which would be less harmful to the general public’s health.

We now support our point with an example:

For instance, the cost of organic food has proven prohibitively expensive for most people, and that is why only a small percentage of the population buys it regularly.

The full paragraph would look like this:

Increasing taxes would raise prices and lower consumption. Fast food companies would pass on these taxes to consumers in the form of higher prices, leading to people not being able to afford junk food because it is too expensive. Junk food would soon become a luxury item, and it would only be consumed occasionally, which would be less harmful to the general public’s health. For instance, the cost of organic food has proven prohibitively expensive for most people, and that is why only a small percentage of the population buys it regularly.

Four sentences.

Conclusion  

As stated before, a good conclusion for agree or disagree essays should include:

Sentence 1- Summary of main points

Sentence 2- Your opinion

Don’t write any new ideas in this paragraph.

A good conclusion should restate your thesis statement and your main supporting points.

In conclusion, junk food should be taxed at a higher rate because of the good precedent set by alcohol and tobacco and the fact that the increased cost should reduce the number of fast-food people buy.

Agree or Disagree IELTS Sample Essay 

 In conclusion, junk food should be taxed at a higher rate because of the good precedent set by alcohol and tobacco and the fact that the increased cost should reduce the amount of fast-food people buy.

I hope you found this ‘agree or disagree’ essay IELTS lesson useful.

About Christopher Pell

My name is Christopher Pell and I'm the Managing Director of IELTS Advantage.

I started IELTS Advantage as a simple blog to help 16 students in my class. Several years later, I am very humbled that my VIP Course has been able to help thousands of people around the world to score a Band 7+ in their IELTS tests.

If you need my help with your IELTS preparation, you can send me an email using the contact us page.

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How to Plan & Write IELTS Opinion Essays

IELTS opinion essays, also known as ‘agree or disagree’ essays, come up frequently in the writing exam. In this lesson, I’m going to show you how to plan and write them step-by-step.

Here’s what we’ll be covering:

• 3 Common mistakes
• Essay structure
• How to plan
• How to write an introduction
• How to write main body paragraphs
• How to write a conclusion

Click the links to see lessons on each of these Task 2 essay writing topics. 

Once you understand the process, practice on past questions. Take your time at first and gradually speed up until you can plan and write an essay of at least 250 words in the 40 minutes allowed in the exam.

The Question

The first part of the question for an IELTS opinion essay will be a statement. You will then be asked to give your own opinion about the statement. Here is some typical wording that might be used:

• What is your opinion?
• Do you agree or disagree?
• To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Want  to watch and listen to this lesson?

Click on this video.

Here's a question from a past test paper.

A big salary is much more important than job satisfaction.  

Do you agree or disagree?  

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

I’ll be using this question to guide you through the process of planning and writing an IELTS opinion essay.

3 Common Mistakes

These three errors are common in IELTS opinion essays.

• Not stating an opinion.
• Giving arguments for both views.
• Not supporting your opinion with clear reasons.

The most common mistake that students make is not giving an opinion. The question will clearly state that you must choose one side of the argument. If you fail to do this, you will get a low score for task achievement.

It doesn’t matter which side of the argument you take or even, that you agree with it. Choose the one you can develop the best argument for.

Make sure that you don’t change your opinion part way through the essay, and don’t give reasons for the opposing view.

Essay Structure

Now let’s look at a simple structure you can use to write opinion essays. It’s not the only possible structure but it’s the one I recommend because it’s easy to learn and will enable you to quickly plan and write a high-level essay.

1)  Introduction

• Paraphrase the question
• Give your opinion
• State two supporting reasons

2)  Main body paragraph 1

• Topic sentence – outline 1st reason for supporting this view
• Explanation – explain this idea
• Example – give an example  or expand the idea

3)  Main body paragraph 2

• Topic sentence – outline 2nd reason for supporting this view
• Example – give an example or expand the idea

4)  Conclusion

• Summarise opinion and key reasons

This structure will give us a well-balanced essay with 4 paragraphs.

We now need some ideas to add into the structure and we’ll have everything we need for our essay.

How To Plan IELTS Opinion Essays

# 1  decide on your opinion.

The question I've chosen to work on is quite straightforward and easy to understand so we don’t need to spend time analysing it. The first task, then, is to decide on our opinion.

Here’s the question again:

A big salary is much more important than job satisfaction.

Do you agree or disagree?  

For this essay, I’m going to disagree with the statement and argue that job satisfaction is more important than a big salary.

# 2  Generate ideas

The second task is to generate some ideas to write about.

Since I‘m going to argue that job satisfaction is more important than a large salary, I need ideas to support this view.

There are several different ways to think up ideas. I cover them fully on the  IELTS Essay Planning  page.

With this particular question, I immediately thought of a couple of examples of situations where job satisfaction did prove to be more important than a high salary, so I’m going to use the ‘example method’ of generating ideas.

Once you’ve thought of an example or two, ideas to include in your essay should come to you easily.

You might want to try this yourself before reading on for my ideas.

Here are my examples and some ideas they generated.

Both the examples are partly true but I've adapted them to better fit the essay. It's fine to do this as the examiner won't check your facts.

• Uncle Barry – boasted about high salary but hated his job. Nervous breakdown – lost job & can’t work.
• Me – gave up teaching. Now enjoy my work and am much more relaxed and happy even though I earn much less money.
• High-salary jobs are generally more stressful
• Stress leads to ill health, both mental and physical
• 40 hours a week at work – a third of the day
• Money doesn’t bring happiness
• Better quality of life
• Sense of fulfilment
• Less stressed – healthier and happier

I’ve got more ideas here than I need so I’m going to pick two to develop in the essay – one for each of the main body paragraphs.

Idea 1 – High-salary jobs are generally more stressful and can lead to ill health.

Idea 2 – Job satisfaction gives a sense of fulfilment.

We’re almost ready to start writing our IELTS opinion essay but first, we have one other small task to do.

# 3  Vocabulary

In an IELTS essay, it’s important to be able to say the same things in different ways, either by paraphrasing and/or using synonyms. During the planning stage, quickly jot down a few synonyms of key words you could use to save you having to stop and think of the right language while you’re writing.

For example:

satisfaction – fulfilment, achievement, sense of accomplishment, content, sense of well-being

salary – income, wages, pay, earnings

important – significant, valued, has more meaning

job – work, employment, position

With that done, we can focus on the first paragraph of the essay – the introduction.

How To Write an Introduction

A good introduction has a simple 3 part structure:

1)  Paraphrased question

2)  Thesis statement

3)  outline statement.

An introduction should:

• Have 2-3 sentences
• Be 40-60 words long
• Take 5 minutes to write

1)  Paraphrase the question

Start your introduction by paraphrasing the question.

     Question:  A big salary is much more important than job satisfaction.

                       Do you agree or disagree?  

Paraphrased question:  

It is argued that earning lots of money has more significance to people than being content in their work.

Note that I’ve used some of the synonyms I listed, although it’s fine to repeat one or two words if you need to. Above all, your language must sound natural.

In IELTS opinion essays, the thesis statement is where you state your opinion. For example,

    Thesis statement:  

    This essay totally disagrees with that statement.

That’s all you need to say.

If you decided to agree with the statement, you would write:

'This essay completely agrees with that statement.'

Finally in the introduction, you must outline the two main points (ideas 1 and 2 above) that you’ll cover in the rest of the essay. Do it in one sentence, or you can add them onto the end of the thesis statement if appropriate.

Outl ine statement:  

I believe that people are increasingly concerned about the risk of stress-related ill-health frequently experienced by people in highly paid positions and they care more about feeling fulfilled at work.

So, let’s bring the three elements of our introduction together.

     Introduction

This introduction achieves three important functions:

• It shows the examiner that you understand the question.
• It acts as a guide to the examiner as to what your essay is about.
• It also helps to keep you focused and on track as you write.

The two ideas in your introduction will become your two main body paragraphs.

Main body paragraph 1  – concerns about the risk of stress-related ill-health

Main body paragraph 2  – a sense of fulfilment at work

How To Write Main Body Paragraphs

The structure of a good main body paragraph has 3 parts:

• Topic sentence
• Explanation

If you can’t think of an example, you can add further supporting ideas but we already have our two examples so that’s not an issue here.

A common problem when writing main body paragraphs for IELTS opinion essays is having too many ideas. Again, we have already chosen the two ideas we are going to develop, so we are all set to start writing.

You can see how important the planning stage is and how it makes the actual writing of the essay far quicker and easier.

Main Body Paragraph 1

The  topic sentence  summarises the main idea of the paragraph. That’s all it needs to do so it doesn’t have to be complicated.

It plays an important role in ensuring that your ideas flow logically from one to another. It does this by acting as a signpost for what is to come next, that is, what the paragraph will be about.

If you maintain a clear development of ideas throughout your essay, you will get high marks for task achievement and cohesion and coherence.

We’ll now take the idea for our first main body paragraph and create our topic sentence.

Main idea 1  – concerns about the risk of stress-related ill-health

Topic sentence:  

Employees earning a large income are generally under significant mental and emotional pressure to perform well and achieve targets.

Next, we must write an  explanation sentence . This explains to the examiner what we mean. It expands on our first idea.

Explanation sentence: 

This causes many individuals to suffer high levels of stress which can result in both mental and physical health problems.

Finally, we add an  example  to support our main point. I thought of this in the planning stage so I have it ready to use.

If you can’t think of a real example, it’s fine to make one up, as long as it’s believable. The examiner isn’t going to check your facts.

Example sentence:

This happened to my uncle. He used to boast about his huge salary but the boss kept increasing his sales targets and in the end, the stress became too great and he had a nervous breakdown. Now he regrets being driven by the money.

That’s the 3 parts of our first main body paragraph complete. Here’s the finished paragraph.

We now follow the same process for our second main body paragraph.

Main Body Paragraph 2

Main idea 2  – Job satisfaction gives a sense of fulfilment.

First, we write the  topic sentence  to summarise the main idea.

Topic sentence:

Having a job that they enjoy doing, and in which they feel valued, is a major concern for most of the modern workforce.

Now for the  explanation sentence  to explain this idea.

Explanation sentence:

A significant number of people are giving up well-paid positions to do jobs which pay less but that they find more enjoyable and less stressful.

Finally, an  example  to support our main point. As before, I thought of this in the planning stage so just need to form it into a couple of sentences.

I am an example of this myself. A year ago I left the teaching profession because the workload had become too great and I am now a gardener. I feel really fulfilled in this work and I am much more relaxed and happy even though I earn far less money.

That’s the 3 parts of our second main body paragraph complete. Here’s the finished paragraph.

Now we need a conclusion and our IELTS opinion essay is done.

How To Write a Conclusion

Conclusions to IELTS opinion essays should do two things:

• Summarise the main points
• State your opinion

This can generally be done in a single sentence.

If you are below the minimum 250 words after you’ve written your conclusion, you can add an additional prediction or recommendation statement.

Our essay currently has 233 words so we’re on target and don’t need this extra sentence but you can learn more about how to write a prediction or recommendation statement for IELTS opinion essays on the Task 2 Conclusions page.

The conclusion is the easiest sentence in the essay to write but one of the most important.

A good conclusion will:

• Neatly end the essay
• Link all your ideas together
• Sum up your argument or opinion
• Answer the question

If you achieve this, you’ll improve your score for both task achievement and cohesion and coherence which together make up 50% of the overall marks. Without a conclusion, you’ll score below band 6 for task achievement.

You can start almost any final paragraph of an IELTS opinion essay with the words:

• In conclusion

        or

• To conclude

Now all you need to do is briefly summarise the main ideas into one sentence.

Here’s a top tip . Go back and read the introduction to the essay because this is also a summary of the essay. It outlines what you are going to write about.

To create a great conclusion, you simply have to paraphrase the introduction. Let’s give it a go.

Introduction:

Here is the same information formed into a conclusion:

That’s it. We’ve completed our essay. Here it is with the 4 paragraphs put together.

    Question:

   A big salary is much more important than job satisfaction.

   Do you agree or disagree?

Finished IELTS opinion essay.

Go through this lesson as many times as you need to in order to fully understand it and put in lots of practice writing IELTS opinion essays from past exam questions. Practice is the only way to improve your skills.

5 More Model IELTS Opinion Essays

This pack contains another step-by-step lesson and  model essay. P lus 4 additional opinion essay questions with model answers.

Carefully created to help you achieve 7+ in your Writing test.

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More help with ielts opinion essays & other task 2 essays.

IELTS Writing Task 2  – T he format, the 5 question types, the 5 step essay writing strategy & sample questions. All the key information you need to know.

The 5 Types of Task 2 Essay   – How to recognise the 5 different types of Task 2 essays. 15 sample questions to study and a simple planning structure for each essay type.

Understanding Task 2 Questions  – How to quickly and easily analyse and understand IELTS Writing Task 2 questions.

How To Plan a Task 2 Essay  – Discover why essay planning is essential & learn a simple 4 step strategy, the 4 part essay structure & 4 methods of generating ideas.

How To Write a Task 2 Introduction  – Find out why a good introduction is essential. Learn how to write one using a simple 3 part strategy & discover 4 common mistakes to avoid.

How To Write Task 2 Main Body Paragraphs  – Learn the simple 3 part structure for writing great main body paragraphs and also, 3 common mistakes to avoid. 

How To Write Task 2 Conclusions  – Learn the easy way to write the perfect conclusion for a Task 2 essay. Also discover 4 common mistakes to avoid.

Task 2 Marking Criteria  – Find out how to meet the marking criteria in Task 2. See examples of good and poor answers & learn some common mistakes to avoid.

The 5 Task 2 Essay Types:

Step-by-step instructions on how to plan & write high-level essays. Model answers & common mistakes to avoid.

   Opinion Essays

   Discussion Essays

  Problem Solution Essays

  Advantages & Disadvantages Essays

  Double Question Essays

Other Related Pages

IELTS Writing Test  – Understand the format & marking criteria, know what skills are assessed & learn the difference between the Academic & General writing tests.

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Agree Disagree Essays in IELTS

Updated On Oct 13, 2023

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IELTS Writing Task 2 Agree or Disagree Essay

The agree or disagree essay questions are the most commonly asked in the IELTS examination . They are also called as argumentative essays.  In this type of essays, you are asked to give your opinion, whether you agree or disagree on the particular sentence that is given. You are given 40 minutes to complete the 250-word essay. Most of the students find it easy because you only have to agree and disagree with the sentence given. You have to support only one opinion.

Tips to write Agree Disagree Essays

There are few tips which will  help you to write about IELTS agree disagree essay questions, which are as follows:

• When you get these type of questions, it is advisable to completely agree or completely disagree with it. You have to support only one point of view and not both.
• By doing this, the essay will be more clear and structured and can be easily understood by the examiner.
• You can support the other side of the statement if you want to, but make sure that you do it in a positive way and also say it, only in one or two sentences.
• While writing the essay, make sure that the explanation given doesn’t hurt the feelings of the other person.
• The choice of agreement or disagreement has to be made carefully. You need to choose the side which has more supporting points and which you can illustrate with examples so that the answer that you write is voluminous. Please note that you have to either agree or disagree and cannot do both.
• Also, ensure that the introduction of the topic is not too long. The question should be paraphrased to form the introduction.
• The explanation that you give regarding the topic should match with the introduction and the conclusion given.
• There will be two or three body paragraphs, make sure that each paragraph has a central topic.
• The body paragraphs should include the main features that have to be explained and also your overview and an in-depth explanation of your opinion.
• You have to compulsorily write the conclusion. If you do not have time to complete the essay, make sure you at least write 2 or 3 sentences of conclusion, but the conclusion should be included.

IELTS Agree Disagree Essay Structure

In all the sections of the IELTS examination, structure plays a very important role because it will be easy for the test taker to write the answer. Also, the examiner will find it easy to evaluate the answer. So here is the structure that you can follow while writing an agree/disagree essay:

Paragraph 1: Introduction

How to start an agree disagree essay?

First of all, like any other section, the first sentence must be a paraphrase of the question that is given. In the second sentence, you can state your opinion regarding the topic. In the third sentence, you can write on what you are going to explain in the forthcoming paragraphs.

Paragraph 2: Body paragraph

In the second paragraph, the first sentence should be explaining the central idea. In the second sentence, explain in detail, assuming that the examiner doesn’t know anything about the topic. In the third sentence, you can give examples which support the sentence. In the last sentence, you can give the opposing point of view, but in a positive manner.

Paragraph 3: Body paragraph

The third paragraph is very similar to the second paragraph. The first sentence should explain the central idea. The second sentence, should include  supporting details and the third sentence, examples which support the idea.

Paragraph 4: Conclusion

In the last paragraph, you have to write a summary of the essay. In the first sentence, you can sum up the body paragraphs and rephrase your opinion.

Sample Checklist for Agree/Disagree essays:

Agree Disagree Essay Topics:

• Some people who have been in prison become good citizens later. Some people think that inviting these people to talk to school students is the best way to tell them about dangers of committing a crime. Do you agree or disagree?
• The only way to improve road safety is to give much stricter punishments on driving offenses. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
• It is generally accepted that exercise is good for children and teenagers. Therefore, physical education and sport should be compulsory for all students in all schools. What do you think?

Take a look at some IELTS Agree/Disagree Essay sample answer

Also check :

• IELTS Writing tips
• IELTS Writing recent actual test
• IELTS Writing Answer sheet
• IELTS map vocabulary
• IELTS Writing Task 2

Frequently Asked Questions

Can agree/disagree essays be called as opinion essays?

Can I partially agree?

Can I skip the conclusion part if I’m running out of time. What weightage does that one liner consist of?

Can I use the word “I” such as ” I agree” or “I disagree”?

What is the structure of Agree/Disagree essays?

Practice IELTS Writing Task 2 based on Essay types

Start Preparing for IELTS: Get Your 10-Day Study Plan Today!

Janet had been an IELTS Trainer before she dived into the field of Content Writing. During her days of being a Trainer, Janet had written essays and sample answers which got her students an 8+ band in the IELTS Test. Her contributions to our articles have been engaging and simple to help the students understand and grasp the information with ease. Janet, born and brought up in California, had no idea about the IELTS until she moved to study in Canada. Her peers leaned to her for help as her first language was English.

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Writing a Thesis Statement in IELTS

The thesis statement is an essential part of an essay introduction, and it is very important that you know where to put it and how to write it.

Getting it wrong could very likely reduce your IELTS score as it could affect the coherency of your essay and if it's an opinion essay, it may mean that your opinion is not clear. 

They are a crucial part of  writing an introduction .

If you prefer you can also watch this video lesson about thesis statements for IELTS:

Undertanding Thesis Statements

What is a thesis statement.

Very basically, it tells the person reading your essay  what will be in it . It may also  give your opinion  if the question asks you for this.

It is the last sentence of your introduction.

Don't get it mixed up with the  topic of your essay  - this is usually at the beginning of your introduction.

How do I write a thesis statement?

In order to make it effective, you must have first identified the task of the essay. If you are unsure about this, check out this lesson on  identifying the task .

The task is  what you have to do , and is usually at the  end of the rubric . For example, look at this IELTS essay question:

As global trade increases, many goods including those we use on a daily basis are produced in other countries and transported long distances.

Do the benefits of this trend *outweigh the drawbacks?

What you have to do (the task) is explain whether you think, overall, an increase in the production of goods in other countries and their subsequent transportation over long distances is more advantageous or disadvantageous .

So your essay is obviously going to be discussing the advantages and disadvantages of this issue, and this is what needs to be made clear in your thesis statement.

It is also an opinion essay as it is asking you to make a decision on whether you think there are more advantages or disadvantages. So you need to make this clear as well.

Here is an example introduction, with the thesis in bold:

Due to the increase in global trade, many of the goods that we consume every day are made in a different country and then transported over a long distance in order to reach us.  In my opinion, this trend has more disadvantages than advantages .

You would then go on to write about the advantages and disadvantages of global trade ( focusing more on the disadvantages as you think there are more of these).

*Just a quick note on the word ' outweigh '. This word often confuses students and they end up writing a thesis statement opinion that contradicts what they write in the essay.

The simple answer - don't use the word! It is just asking you if there are more advantages than disadvantages. So just state what you think in the thesis without using the word, as in the example.

Thesis Statements for Different Essay Types

We will now look at how thesis statements can vary with different question types. However, you should not try to learn set phrases or sentences to fit certain essays.

There are some broad types of essay question that are common to see, but they can all vary slightly.

The golden rule is to always read the question very carefully ( never rush this as you may not fully answer the question ) and work out what you have to do.

Your thesis statement will then follow on from this, depending on what you have decided you need to write about in order to answer the question.

So below are some suggestions of what you could do for certain common kinds of essay question, but this is not to say these are right and other ways are wrong. There are numerous ways to write good thesis statements and these are just possibilities.

Writing about Two Opinions

Some questions ask you specifically to discuss two opinions and to give your opinion .

Some people think that young children should be allowed to do paid work, while others think that this should be illegal.

Discuss both opinions and give your opinion.

There are various ways you could choose to write an introduction and thesis for this.

You could begin by paraphrasing the two opinions, then stating in the thesis what you will do:

Some people believe that it is acceptable for young children to undertake jobs that they are paid for, whereas others believe that this is wrong and should be illegal.  This essay will discuss both sides of the issue.

This is quite simplistic but it makes it very clear what you are going to do.

You will obviously need to give your opinion as well in the essay, but stating this in the thesis ("This essay will discuss both sides of the issue and then give my opinion") sounds awkward so it is better without it.

Another possible way to do it is by having a sentence to introduce the topic first, and then paraphrasing the two opinions to make them your thesis:

At present, more and more young children are becoming involved in paid work.  Whilst some people are of the opinion that this is an entirely acceptable practice, others believe that this is completely wrong and should be made illegal.

This is fine as your thesis will match with your essay - you go on to discuss the first opinion and then the second one.

Or of course you could modify this slightly to include your opinion:

At present, more and more young children are becoming involved in paid work.  Whilst some people are of the opinion that this is an entirely acceptable practice,  I believe  that this is completely wrong and should be made illegal.

As long as you go on to discuss both sides of the argument, this is fine.

Agreeing or Disagreeing

Another type of question is when you are asked to agree or disagree with one opinion.

Currently there is a trend towards the use of alternative forms of medicine. However, at best these methods are ineffective, and at worst they may be dangerous.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

For this type of question, you need to state what your opinion is in the thesis statement.

Although you could feasibly do this in the conclusion, I think it is better to do it first so it is clear to someone reading the essay what your opinion is upfront. It is not wrong though to put it in the conclusion - this is your choice.

Your thesis statement here will depend on whether you agree, disagree, or partly agree. Here are some examples of each:

A thesis statement that agrees with the opinion :

Alternative medicine is not new. It is accepted that it pre-dates conventional medicine and it is still used by many people all over the world.  However, I strongly believe that this form of medicine does not work and is possibly a danger to those using it.

A thesis statement that disagrees with the opinion :

Alternative medicine is not new. It is accepted that it pre-dates conventional medicine and it is still used by many people all over the world.  I am unconvinced that it is dangerous, and feel that both alternative and conventional medicine can be useful.

A thesis statement that partly agrees with the opinion :

Alternative medicine is not new. It is accepted that it pre-dates conventional medicine and it is still used by many people all over the world.  I agree that for certain conditions this type of medicine is ineffective and could even be dangerous, but for some illnesses it is a good alternative choice.

These examples illustrate why it is important to ananlyze the question carefully and brainstorm your ideas first so you have a clear idea of what you will be writing and what your opinion is.

Other Essays

Some other essays may not ask you for your opinion specifically, but may ask you to discuss, for example, problems and solutions , causes and effects , advantages and disadvantages .

If you are asked to do this, then you should just clearly state that you will be discussing these two things in your essay. Here are some examples:

Problems and solutions:

Overpopulation of urban areas has led to numerous problems.

Identify one or two serious ones and suggest ways that governments and individuals can tackle these problems.

Sample thesis in bold:

Many countries of the world are currently experiencing problems caused by rapidly growing populations in urban areas. It  is critical to understand what these issues are and how both governments and individuals can overcome them.

Causes and Effects:

The percentage of overweight children in western society has increased by almost 20% in the last ten years.

Discuss the causes and effects of this disturbing trend.

Over the last ten years, Western societies have seen close to a 20% rise in the number of children who are overweight.  It is important to understand not only why this is happening but also the consequences of this worrying trend.

Advantages and Disadvantages

In order to solve traffic problems, governments should tax private car owners heavily and use the money to improve public transportation.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a solution?

Traffic congestion in many cities around the world is severe. One possible solution to this problem is to impose heavy taxes on car drivers and use this money to make public transport better.   These measures would have both benefits and drawbacks.

This lesson has provided you with some broad guidance on writing a thesis statement for different types of essay.

It is important to stress again though that questions can vary so you must always analyze if carefully and identify exactly what you need to do and what should therefore be in your thesis statement.

Remember, a thesis statement is just telling the reader what the focus of your essay is and giving your opinion if necessary.

Follow this link to see some examples of IELTS essay questions .

More Task 2 IELTS Lessons:

How to use brainstorming and planning to generate essay ideas.

Brainstorming and planning is a key step in developing your IELTS essay. This lesson has tips on how to coming up with ideas and organising them.

Requirements for IELTS Band 7 in Writing

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How to Write an IELTS Essay: The key steps

Learn key steps on how to write an IELTS Essay. This guides you on how to write a great essay plus other lessons to improve your writing skills.

IELTS Advantage Disadvantage Essay Tips and Strategies

An advantage disadvantage essay is one type of essay that you may get in the test. This lesson shows how to write a pros cons essay.

How to Identify the Task in an IELTS Essay

Learn how to identify the task in an IELTS task 2 essay question. This is one of the most important steps in responding to an essay question.

The 3 Types of IELTS Opinion Essays in IELTS

IELTS opinion essays in IELTS can be placed into three types. This lesson explains the different types and how to analyse these essay questions.

Can you use Personal Pronouns in Essays for IELTS?

Learn how to use personal pronouns in essays for IELTS correctly. Can you use "I", "we" and "you"?

IELTS Problem Solution Essay Strategies and Tips

In IELTS problem solution essays you have to discuss a particular issue and present ideas to solve that problem.

Writing an IELTS Essay Introduction

Tips on how to write an introduction for an IELTS essay introduction in a quick and easy way.

Tips on How to Score IELTS Band 8 in Writing and Speaking

To score IELTS Band 8 you need to understand exactly what is in the IELTS Band Descriptors for an 8 for writing and speaking first.

Using Substitution in IELTS to Improve Writing Coherency

You can use substitution in your IELTS essays in order to improve coherency and coherence.

IELTS Task Response - 25% of your essay grade

The IELTS Task Response criteria in the scoring makes up 25% of your band score for your essay.

Paragraph Writing for IELTS: Building strong arguments

This paragraph writing lesson provides tips on constructing the best paragraphs for your IELTS essay.

Using Pronouns to Improve IELTS Essay Coherency

Find out how to use pronouns to improve your coherency for IELTS task 2 essays.

Generating ideas for IELTS essays for writing task 2

Generating ideas for IELTS essays for writing task 2 can be difficult but complex ideas are not expected.

IELTS Music Essay: Understanding a Complex Question

An IELTS essay about music is used to show you how to answer a more complex IELTS essay question that does not have a clear 'task' given to you.

Writing an IELTS Essay Conclusion

The IELTS essay conclusion is the final part of your IELTS essay. This lesson guides you on how to write a conclusion quickly but effectively.

Improving Writing Coherence for IELTS essays

25% of the writing grade is on how you organise your essay so this lesson shows you how to improve your writing coherence.

Transitional Phrases for Essays

Learn transitional phrases for essays to get a band 7 or higher in your IELTS writing for coherence and cohesion.

How to Identify the Topic of an IELTS Essay Question

In IELTS you must identify the topic of your essay as this is a key to making sure your essay is on topic.

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IELTS Writing Task 2: Agree/Disagree Sample Essay

IELTS Writing Task 2 asks you to give your opinion on an important social issue. In this particular opinion essay IELTS sample, the question type is called “agree/disagree.” Agree/disagree essays want you to take a position on an issue that is stated. From there, it’s your job to say if you agree or disagree with the initial statement, supporting your own opinion with examples and details. For more details on this and other question types for the second part of the IELTS Writing section, check out our complete guide to the most common IELTS Writing Task 2 questions .

Below, we’ll look at a model essay, based on an example question. The question is original to Magoosh, but is patterned closely off of real IELTS questions. The model essay is based on an excellent IELTS Writing template for Task 2 created by Rachel, one of Magoosh’s top IELTS experts. Note that this essay is at band 9, the highest IELTS Writing score you can receive. More information on why this is a band 9 response can be seen below the essay.

Agree/Disagree Sample Essay

First things first! Let’s look at the sample prompt.

Example Agree/Disagree IELTS Writing Task 2 Prompt

It is now possible to order almost any item over the Internet and have it delivered to one’s home. As a result, people are no longer patient or careful in their shopping habits. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Example Response

Online shopping and home delivery causes concerns that consumers may become more hasty and less cautious. However, I do not believe that online shopping has this effect. In fact, I would say that the opposite is true. In this essay, I will discuss the reasons that online shopping actually helps shoppers make smarter choices.

Internet shopping actually makes people more patient while they shop, not less patient. This is because, even with home delivery, online shopping is actually less “instant” than traditional shopping in stores. After all, if someone goes into a store, they can leave minutes later with the items they purchased. However, even the fastest delivery methods for online goods take at least a day. As a result, people are actually more accustomed to longer waits before they receive something they’ve bought.

Not only does online shopping make buyers more patient, it also facilitates careful, informed choices for buyers. This is because there is more competition between different sellers online than there is in a single store. If someone goes to a store in person, they will see a relatively small range of brand names, and they certainly won’t see the offerings of other stores. In contrast, online customers can compare just about every brand of any given product and browse the websites of multiple stores. This gives customers all the information they need to make the best possible purchases.

When shopping on the Web, customers can learn patience because they must wait for their items to be delivered to them, and even more importantly, customers can access all of the information they need to choose the right items. Ultimately, online shopping is truly a positive development, not a negative one.

Word count: 283

Why This Essay is Band 9

This is a very strong essay because it satisfies the level descriptors in the official IELTS Writing Task 2 rubric . Read that official score guide carefully and compare it to this essay, and you’ll see why the example above scored so well. Also, for a more detailed band 9 level score report from Magoosh, see the scorer commentary immediately below.

Scorer Commentary (agree/Disagree IELTS Essay, Band 9)

This score report is patterned after the official level descriptors for IELTS Writing Task 2 . This report also looks a lot like the Magoosh IELTS essay scoring service .

Overall Band Score: 9

What was done well in the essay:

• This essay is above the 250 word minimum. (This is very important for getting full points!)
• The writer does a good job of meeting the task requirements. They take a clear position where they favor online shopping and disagree with the claim that it makes people less careful or patient.
• The paragraphs are well organized. The introduction and conclusion clearly preview the essay and give good final thoughts, respectively. The body paragraphs each have their own well-organized topics. The first body paragraph provides good explanations and examples to show that online shopping doesn’t make people less patient; the second paragraph provides comparable support to the idea that online shopping allows people to be more careful.
• There are some nice key phrases to tie ideas together. Examples include “however,” “in fact,” “actually,” and “not only.”
• Vocabulary and grammar show no serious errors, and a good variety of word choice and structure.

Magoosh’s Other Sample IELTS Writing Task 2 Essays

We have model essays for each of the question types for the second IELTS Writing task. Click the links below to access our other sample essays:

• Advantage/Disadvantage Essay
• Two-Part Question Essay
• Causes/Solutions Essay
• Discussion Essay

Want more sample essays? Magoosh has you covered!

To read out model essays for the other Task 2 IELTS Writing question types, click the links below:

David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he’s helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. David has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His work at Magoosh has been cited in many scholarly articles , his Master’s Thesis is featured on the Reading with Pictures website, and he’s presented at the WITESOL (link to PDF) and NAFSA conferences. David has taught K-12 ESL in South Korea as well as undergraduate English and MBA-level business English at American universities. He has also trained English teachers in America, Italy, and Peru. Come join David and the Magoosh team on Youtube , Facebook , and Instagram , or connect with him via LinkedIn !

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4 responses to “IELTS Writing Task 2: Agree/Disagree Sample Essay”

How many paragraphs are there in to what extent agree or disagree essay as some says that there are 5 para 2 on which we are agree and one Disagree. What is the best structure to get 7 or above for this essay type. Please let me know as my exam in next month.

Hi Sheetal!

Some people might write 3, 4 or even 5 paragraphs–there is no strict requirement. It is important to organize your essay well, however, and ensure that your use of paragraphs makes sense for the content of the essay. Additionally, remember that you need to write at least 250 words for a Task 2 essay, and most students who score the highest are closer to the 300-400 mark. So you should aim for that amount of words if you want a 7+ score. I’d recommend taking a look at more sample Task 2 essays to see how they are structured, and that should help! Best of luck on your test. 😀

in the introduction part, writer mentions his/her own opinion, is it correct we write our own idea in the introduction part?

Yes, that is correct because the IELTS Writing Task 2 asks you to give your opinion on an important social issue. Additionally, note that this question directly asks “To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.”

I recommend reading over several sample Task 2 essays so that you can get a better idea of what they should include/how they should be written. Additionally, be sure to check out our Complete Guide to IELTS Task 2 .

Happy studying! 😀

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Agree or disagree essay for IELTS writing task 2

What is an “agree or disagree” essay, sample “agree or disagree” questions.

3. “Libraries are irrelevant in the age of the internet and should not be publicly funded.” Do you agree or disagree?

Always read the question carefully!

Stating your opinion clearly and decisively, addressing all parts of the question, supporting your argument, more resources, frequently asked questions (faqs), how to write agree disagree essay in ielts, is an opinion essay the same as an agree disagree essay, audio tutorial, tutorials and tips to prepare for task 2.

IELTS Writing Task 2  Agree or Disagree: Sample Answer

Watch the video on how to answer the agree or disagree essay type.

Requirements

The task requires you to give your opinion (level of agreement) about a statement.

The questions “Do you agree or disagree?” and “To what extent do you agree?” are exactly the same and can be answered in the same way.

When you approach this question, first decide on your position or opinion. There are 2 positions that are advisable to take in order to write a balanced answer. Your position should be stated clearly in your introduction and expanded in your body paragraphs.

A. 100% agree or disagree

B.   Equally agree and disagree. 50-50

If you take the position of “partly” or “mostly” agree (disagree) it becomes more difficult to write since you will need to give more reasons for one side than the other and your answer will be unbalanced.

Always chose position A or B

Sample Answer: 100% disagree

It is claimed by many that the contemporary practice of students interacting with teachers in actual classrooms is forecast to disappear by 2050.  I strongly disagree with this statement and this essay will detail the reasons why.  

While it is incontrovertible that remote learning has become an increasingly popular and convenient method of learning especially for adults and college students, I believe that this approach is not effective when it comes to children and adolescents. This is because, these groups of pupils lack the concentration levels for distance learning where it is necessary to sit in front of a screen for long periods, usually at home where there are too many distractions. For instance, in my country in 2018, political leaders implemented a pilot scheme of studying remotely with several secondary schools. The result was that 80% of pupils had worse academic results when compared to other institutions that did not employ such a system.  

Another drawback is that many courses are not practically suited to digital teaching, especially courses that involve a high degree of hands on practice, supervised by a tutor. Science subjects such as physics and chemistry require students to conduct experiments in a lab setting, which would be impossible with online class. It is simply not realistic to expect students to have access to the necessary equipment and, obviously, there are health and safety issues associated with youngsters conducting hazardous experiments without guidance.  

In conclusion, classroom tuition, with tutors and pupils in the same room, will never be completely replaced because remote learning not a suitable approach for youngsters and, what is more, it is impractical for subjects requiring explicit practice.

Sample: Agree or Disagree 1 PDF

  Sample Answer: 50-50 agree/ disagree

An increased awareness of how a meat free diet can benefit our health and the environment has resulted in the widely held belief that everyone should become vegetarian. I equally agree and disagree with this proposal and this essay will outline the reasons why.

On the one hand, there are several benefits to becoming a vegetarian. Specifically, medical research has proved conclusively that vegetarians are less likely to develop health-related issues such as obesity or cardio-vascular diseases. High cholesterol levels, moreover, can be reduced and controlled by eliminating meat from our diet. Additionally, sourcing food from alternatives to meat can reduce the negative environmental impact of industrial meat farming where huge swathes of natural habitat are lost every year to deforestation.   

Meat consumption, however, is considered to be a reliable and essential source of vitamins and minerals that are crucial in maintaining physical health. A vegetarian diet lacks the important nutrients which are vital, for example, when it comes to the healthy development of children. As a result, these deficiencies need to be addressed by a high intake of supplements. One more consideration is that meat production is a billion-dollar industry on which millions of people rely upon for employment and switching to a vegetarian culture would result in the loss of their livelihood.   

To conclude, I believe a balance of meat and vegetables in one’s diet is the healthiest option that would have the advantage of safeguarding peoples’ jobs. However, consumption of meat ought to be reduced for health and environmental reasons and alternatives should be considered.

Sample: Agree or Disagree 2. PDF

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IELTS Writing Task 2 – Topic: AGREE – DISAGREE

ielts writing topics 2019

1.  As well as making money, businesses also have social responsibilities. To what extent do you agree or disagree?  

Sample Answer

Businesses have always sought to make a profit, but it is becoming increasingly common to hear people talk about the social obligations that companies have. I completely agree with the idea that businesses should do more for society than simply make money.

On the one hand, I accept that businesses must make money in order to survive in a competitive world. It seems logical that the priority of any company should be to cover its running costs, such as employees’ wages and payments for buildings and utilities. On top of these costs, companies also need to invest in improvements and innovations if they wish to remain successful. If a company is unable to pay its bills or meet the changing needs of customers, any concerns about social responsibilities become irrelevant. In other words, a company can only make a positive contribution to society if it is in good financial health.

On the other hand, companies should not be run with the sole aim of maximising profit; they have a wider role to play in society. One social obligation that owners and managers have is to treat their employees well, rather than exploiting them. For example, they could pay a “living wage” to ensure that workers have a good quality of life. I also like the idea that businesses could use a proportion of their profits to support local charities, environmental projects or education initiatives. Finally, instead of trying to minimise their tax payments by using accounting loopholes, I believe that company bosses should be happy to contribute to society through the tax system.

In conclusion, I believe that companies should place as much importance on their social responsibilities as they do on their financial objectives.

 (285 words, band 9)

2.  Some people think that instead of preventing climate change, we need to find a way to live with it. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Climate change represents a major threat to life on Earth, but some people argue that we need to accept it rather than try to stop it. I completely disagree with this opinion, because I believe that we still have time to tackle this issue and reduce the human impact on the Earth’s climate.

There are various measures that governments and individuals could take to prevent, or at least mitigate, climate change. Governments could introduce laws to limit the carbon dioxide emissions that lead to global warming. They could impose “green taxes” on drivers, airline companies and other polluters, and they could invest in renewable energy production from solar, wind or water power. As individuals, we should also try to limit our contribution to climate change, by becoming more energy efficient, by flying less, and by using bicycles and public transport. Furthermore, the public can affect the actions of governments by voting for politicians who propose to tackle climate change, rather than for those who would prefer to ignore it.

If instead of taking the above measures we simply try to live with climate change, I believe that the consequences will be disastrous. To give just one example, I am not optimistic that we would be able to cope with even a small rise in sea levels. Millions of people would be displaced by flooding, particularly in countries that do not have the means to safeguard low-lying areas. These people would lose their homes and their jobs, and they would be forced to migrate to nearby cities or perhaps to other countries. The potential for human suffering would be huge, and it is likely that we would see outbreaks of disease and famine, as well as increased homelessness and poverty.

In conclusion, it is clear to me that we must address the problem of climate change, and I disagree with those who argue that we can find ways to live with it.

 (322 words, band 9)

3.  Most people have forgotten the meaning behind traditional or religious festivals; during festival periods, people nowadays only want to enjoy themselves. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Some people argue that we no longer remember the original meaning of festivals, and that most of us treat them as opportunities to have fun. While I agree that enjoyment seems to be the priority during festival times, I do not agree that people have forgotten what these festivals mean.

On the one hand, religious and traditional festivals have certainly become times for celebration. In the UK, Christmas is a good example of a festival period when people are most concerned with shopping, giving and receiving presents, decorating their homes and enjoying traditional meals with their families. Most people look forward to Christmas as a holiday period, rather than a time to practise religion. Similar behaviour can be seen during non-religious festivals, such as Bonfire Night. People associate this occasion with making fires, watching firework displays, and perhaps going to large events in local parks; in other words, enjoyment is people’s primary goal.

However, I disagree with the idea that the underlying meaning of such festivals has been forgotten. In UK primary schools, children learn in detail about the religious reasons for celebrating Christmas, Easter and a variety of festivals in other religions. For example, in late December, children sing Christmas songs which have a religious content, and they may even perform nativity plays telling the story of Jesus’ birth. Families also play a role in passing knowledge of religious festivals’ deeper significance on to the next generation. The same is true for festivals that have a historical background, such as Bonfire Night or Halloween, in the sense that people generally learn the stories behind these occasions at an early age.

In conclusion, although people mainly want to enjoy themselves during festivals, I believe that they are still aware of the reasons for these celebrations.

 (296 words, band 9)

4.  The money spent by governments on space programmes would be better spent on vital public services such as schools and hospitals. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Governments in some countries spend large amounts of money on space exploration programmes. I completely agree with the idea that these are a waste of money, and that the funds should be allocated to public services.

There are several reasons why space programmes should be abandoned. Firstly, it is extremely expensive to train scientists and other staff involved with space missions, and facilities and equipment also come at a huge cost to the government. Secondly, these programmes do not benefit normal people in our daily lives; they are simply vanity projects for politicians. Finally, many missions to space fail completely, and the smallest technological error can cost astronauts their lives. The Challenger space shuttle disaster showed us that space travel is extremely dangerous, and in my opinion it is not worth the risk.

I believe that the money from space programmes should go to vital public services instead. It is much cheaper to train doctors, teachers, police and other public service workers than it is to train astronauts or the scientists and engineers who work on space exploration projects. Furthermore, public servants do jobs that have a positive impact on every member of society. For example, we all use schools, hospitals and roads, and we all need the security that the police provide. If governments reallocated the money spent on space travel and research, many thousands of people could be lifted out of poverty or given a better quality of life. 

In conclusion, my view is that governments should spend money on services  that benefit all members of society, and it is wrong to waste resources on projects that do not improve our everyday lives.

 (275 words, band 9)

5.  Some people who have been in prison become good citizens later, and it is often argued that these are the best people to talk to teenagers about the dangers of committing a crime. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is true that ex-prisoners can become normal, productive members of society. I completely agree with the idea that allowing such people to speak to teenagers about their experiences is the best way to discourage them from breaking the law.

In my opinion, teenagers are more likely to accept advice from someone who can speak from experience. Reformed offenders can tell young people about how they became involved in crime, the dangers of a criminal lifestyle, and what life in prison is really like. They can also dispel any ideas that teenagers may have about criminals leading glamorous lives. While adolescents are often indifferent to the guidance given by older people, I imagine that most of them would be extremely keen to hear the stories of an ex-offender. The vivid and perhaps shocking nature of these stories is likely to have a powerful impact.

The alternatives to using reformed criminals to educate teenagers about crime would be much less effective. One option would be for police officers to visit schools and talk to young people. This could be useful in terms of informing teens about what happens to lawbreakers when they are caught, but young people are often reluctant to take advice from figures of authority. A second option would be for school teachers to speak to their students about crime, but I doubt that students would see teachers as credible sources of information about this topic. Finally, educational films might be informative, but there would be no opportunity for young people to interact and ask questions.

In conclusion, I fully support the view that people who have turned their lives around after serving a prison sentence could help to deter teenagers from committing crimes.

 (287 words, band 9)

6.  The older generations tend to have very traditional ideas about how people should live, think and behave. However, some people believe that these ideas are not helpful in preparing younger generations for modern life. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this view?  

It is true that many older people believe in traditional values that often seem incompatible with the needs of younger people. While I agree that some traditional ideas are outdated, I believe that others are still useful and should not be forgotten.

On the one hand, many of the ideas that elderly people have about life are becoming less relevant for younger people. In the past, for example, people were advised to learn a profession and find a secure job for life, but today’s workers expect much more variety and diversity from their careers. At the same time, the ‘rules’ around relationships are being eroded as young adults make their own choices about who and when to marry. But perhaps the greatest disparity between the generations can be seen in their attitudes towards gender roles. The traditional roles of men and women, as breadwinners and housewives, are no longer accepted as necessary or appropriate by most younger people.

On the other hand, some traditional views and values are certainly applicable to the modern world. For example, older generations attach great importance to working hard, doing one’s best, and taking pride in one’s work, and these behaviours can surely benefit young people as they enter today’s competitive job market. Other characteristics that are perhaps seen as traditional are politeness and good manners. In our globalised world, young adults can expect to come into contact with people from a huge variety of backgrounds, and it is more important than ever to treat others with respect. Finally, I believe that young people would lead happier lives if they had a more ‘old-fashioned’ sense of community and neighbourliness.

In conclusion, although the views of older people may sometimes seem unhelpful in today’s world, we should not dismiss all traditional ideas as irrelevant.

 (299 words, band 9)

7.  Wild animals have no place in the 21st century, so protecting them is a waste of resources. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Some people argue that it is pointless to spend money on the protection of wild animals because we humans have no need for them. I completely disagree with this point of view.

In my opinion, it is absurd to argue that wild animals have no place in the 21st century. I do not believe that planet Earth exists only for the benefit of humans, and there is nothing special about this particular century that means that we suddenly have the right to allow or encourage the extinction of any species. Furthermore, there is no compelling reason why we should let animals die out. We do not need to exploit or destroy every last square metre of land in order to feed or accommodate the world’s population. There is plenty of room for us to exist side by side with wild animals, and this should be our aim.

I also disagree with the idea that protecting animals is a waste of resources. It is usually the protection of natural habitats that ensures the survival of wild animals, and most scientists agree that these habitats are also crucial for human survival. For example, rainforests produce oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide and stabilise the Earth’s climate. If we destroyed these areas, the costs of managing the resulting changes to our planet would far outweigh the costs of conservation. By protecting wild animals and their habitats, we maintain the natural balance of all life on Earth.

In conclusion, we have no right to decide whether or not wild animals should exist, and I believe that we should do everything we can to protect them.

 (269 words, band 9)

8.  Families who send their children to private schools should not be required to pay taxes that support the state education system. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Some people believe that parents of children who attend private schools should not need to contribute to state schools through taxes. Personally, I completely disagree with this view.

For a variety of reasons, it would be wrong to reduce taxes for families who pay for private education. Firstly, it would be difficult to calculate the correct amount of tax reduction for these families, and staff would be required to manage this complex process. Secondly, we all pay a certain amount of tax for public services that we may not use. For example, most people are fortunate enough not to have to call the police or fire brigade at any time in their lives, but they would not expect a tax reduction for this. Finally, if wealthy families were given a tax discount for sending their children to private schools, we might have a situation where poorer people pay higher taxes than the rich.

In my opinion, we should all be happy to pay our share of the money that supports public schools. It is beneficial for all members of society to have a high quality education system with equal opportunities for all young people. This will result in a well-educated workforce, and in turn a more productive and prosperous nation. Parents of children in private schools may also see the advantages of this in their own lives. For example, a company owner will need well qualified and competent staff, and a well-funded education system can provide such employees.

In conclusion, I do not believe that any financial concessions should be made for people who choose private education.

9.  Nowadays celebrities are more famous for their glamour and wealth than for their achievements, and this sets a bad example to young people. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

It is true that some celebrities are known for their glamorous lifestyles rather than for the work they do. While I agree that these celebrities set a bad example for children, I believe that other famous people act as positive role models.

On the one hand, many people do achieve fame without really working for it. They may have inherited money from parents, married a famous or wealthy person, or they may have appeared in gossip magazines or on a reality TV programme. A good example would be Paris Hilton, who is rich and famous for the wrong reasons. She spends her time attending parties and nightclubs, and her behaviour promotes the idea that appearance, glamour and media profile are more important than hard work and good character. The message to young people is that success can be achieved easily, and that school work is not necessary.

On the other hand, there are at least as many celebrities whose accomplishments make them excellent role models for young people. Actors, musicians and sports stars become famous idols because they have worked hard and applied themselves to develop real skills and abilities. They demonstrate great effort, determination and ambition, which is required for someone who wants to be truly successful in their chosen field. An example is the actor and martial artist Jackie Chan, who has become world famous through years of practice and hard work. This kind of self-made celebrity can inspire children to develop their talents through application and perseverance.

In conclusion, although it is hard to argue that there are still people who are famous for their notorious behavior, the majority of celebrities nowadays demonstrate healthy personal images, which the public can learn from.

10.  Foreign visitors should pay more than local visitors for cultural and historical attractions. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?  

It is sometimes argued that tourists from overseas should be charged more than  local residents to visit important sites and monuments. I completely disagree with this idea.

The argument in favour of higher prices for foreign tourists would be that cultural or historical attractions often depend on state subsidies to keep them going, which means that the resident population already pays money to these sites through the tax system. However, I believe this to be a very shortsighted view. Foreign tourists contribute to the economy of the host country with the money they spend on a wide range of goods and services, including food, souvenirs, accommodation and travel. The governments and inhabitants of every country should be happy to subsidise important tourist sites and encourage people from the rest of the world to visit them.

If travellers realised that they would have to pay more to visit historical and cultural attractions in a particular nation, they would perhaps decide not to go to that country on holiday. To take the UK as an example, the tourism industry and many related jobs rely on visitors coming to the country to see places like Windsor Castle or Saint Paul’s Cathedral. These two sites charge the same price regardless of nationality, and this helps to promote the nation’s cultural heritage. If overseas tourists stopped coming due to higher prices, there would be a risk of insufficient funding for the maintenance of these important buildings.

In conclusion, I believe that every effort should be made to attract tourists from overseas, and it would be counterproductive to make them pay more than local residents.

11.  When choosing a job, the salary is the most important consideration. To what extent do you agree or disagree?  

Many people choose their jobs based on the size of the salary offered. Personally, I disagree with the idea that money is the key consideration when deciding on a career, because I believe that other factors are equally important.

On the one hand, I agree that money is necessary in order for people to meet their basic needs. For example, we all need money to pay for housing, food, bills, health care, and education. Most people consider it a priority to at least earn a salary that allows them to cover these needs and have a reasonable quality of life. If people chose their jobs based on enjoyment or other non-financial factors, they might find it difficult to support themselves. Artists and musicians, for instance, are known for choosing a career path that they love, but that does not always provide them with enough money to live comfortably and raise a family.

Nevertheless, I believe that other considerations are just as important as what we earn in our jobs. Firstly, personal relationships and the atmosphere in a workplace are extremely important when choosing a job. Having a good manager or friendly colleagues, for example, can make a huge difference to workers’ levels of happiness and general quality of life. Secondly, many people’s feelings of job satisfaction come from their professional achievements, the skills they learn, and the position they reach, rather than the money they earn. Finally, some people choose a career because they want to help others and contribute something positive to society.

In conclusion, while salaries certainly affect people’s choice of profession, I do not believe that money outweighs all other motivators.

12.  Some people believe that hobbies need to be difficult to be enjoyable. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Some hobbies are relatively easy, while others present more of a challenge. Personally, I believe that both types of hobby can be fun, and I therefore disagree with the statement that hobbies need to be difficult in order to be enjoyable.

On the one hand, many people enjoy easy hobbies. One example of an activity that is easy for most people is swimming. This hobby requires very little equipment, it is simple to learn, and it is inexpensive. I remember learning to swim at my local swimming pool when I was a child, and it never felt like a demanding or challenging experience. Another hobby that I find easy and fun is photography. In my opinion, anyone can take interesting pictures without knowing too much about the technicalities of operating a camera. Despite being straightforward, taking photos is a satisfying activity.

On the other hand, difficult hobbies can sometimes be more exciting. If an activity is more challenging, we might feel a greater sense of satisfaction when we manage to do it successfully. For example, film editing is a hobby that requires a high level of knowledge and expertise. In my case, it took me around two years before I became competent at this activity, but now I enjoy it much more than I did when I started. I believe that many hobbies give us more pleasure when we reach a higher level of performance because the results are better and the feeling of achievement is greater.

In conclusion, simple hobbies can be fun and relaxing, but difficult hobbies can be equally pleasurable for different reasons.

 (266 words, band 9)

13.  Some people think that all teenagers should be required to do unpaid work in their free time to help the local community. They believe this would benefit both the individual teenager and society as a whole. Do you agree or disagree?

Many young people work on a volunteer basis, and this can only be beneficial for both the individual and society as a whole. However, I do not agree that we should therefore force all teenagers to do unpaid work.

Most young people are already under enough pressure with their studies, without being given the added responsibility of working in their spare time. School is just as demanding as a full-time job, and teachers expect their students to do homework and exam revision on top of attending lessons every day. When young people do have some free time, we should encourage them to enjoy it with their friends or to spend it doing sports and other leisure activities. They have many years of work ahead of them when they finish their studies.

At the same time, I do not believe that society has anything to gain from obliging young people to do unpaid work. In fact, I would argue that it goes against the values of a free and fair society to force a group of people to do something against their will. Doing this can only lead to resentment amongst young people, who would feel that they were being used, and parents, who would not want to be told how to raise their children. Currently, nobody is forced to volunteer, and this is surely the best system.

In conclusion, teenagers may choose to work for free and help others, but in my opinion we should not make this compulsory.

 (250 words, band 9)

14.  We cannot help everyone in the world that needs help, so we should only be concerned with our own communities and countries. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Some people believe that we should not help people in other countries as long as there are problems in our own society. I disagree with this view because I believe that we should try to help as many people as possible.

On the one hand, I accept that it is important to help our neighbours and fellow citizens. In most communities there are people who are impoverished or disadvantaged in some way. It is possible to find homeless people, for example, in even the wealthiest of cities, and for those who are concerned about this problem, there are usually opportunities to volunteer time or give money to support these people. In the UK, people can help in a variety of ways, from donating clothing to serving free food in a soup kitchen. As the problems are on our doorstep, and there are obvious ways to help, I can understand why some people feel that we should prioritise local charity.

At the same time, I believe that we have an obligation to help those who live beyond our national borders. In some countries the problems that people face are much more serious than those in our own communities, and it is often even easier to help. For example, when children are dying from curable diseases in African countries, governments and individuals in richer countries can save lives simply by paying for vaccines that already exist. A small donation to an international charity might have a much greater impact than helping in our local area.

In conclusion, it is true that we cannot help everyone, but in my opinion national boundaries should not stop us from helping those who are in need.

 (280 words, band 9)

15.  In recent years, there has been growing interest in the relationship between equality and personal achievement. Some people believe that individuals can achieve more in egalitarian societies. Others believe that high levels of personal achievement are possible only if individuals are free to succeed or fail according to their individual merits. What is your view of the relationship between equality and personal success?

In my opinion, an egalitarian society is one in which everyone has the same rights and the same opportunities. I completely agree that people can achieve more in this kind of society.

Education is an important factor with regard to personal success in life. I believe that all children should have access to free schooling, and higher education should be either free or affordable for all those who chose to pursue a university degree. In a society without free schooling or affordable higher education, only children and young adults from wealthier families would have access to the best learning opportunities, and they would therefore be better prepared for the job market. This kind of inequality would ensure the success of some but harm the prospects of others.

I would argue that equal rights and opportunities are not in conflict with people’s freedom to succeed or fail. In other words, equality does not mean that people lose their motivation to succeed, or that they are not allowed to fail. On the contrary, I believe that most people would feel more motivated to work hard and reach their potential if they thought that they lived in a fair society. Those who did not make the same effort would know that they had wasted their opportunity. Inequality, on the other hand, would be more likely to demotivate people because they would know that the odds of success were stacked in favour of those from privileged backgrounds.

In conclusion, it seems to me that there is a positive relationship between equality and personal success.

 (260 words, band 9)

16.  Universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

In my opinion, men and women should have the same educational opportunities. However, I do not agree with the idea of accepting equal proportions of each gender in every university subject.

Having the same number of men and women on all degree courses is simply unrealistic. Student numbers on any course depend on the applications that the institution receives. If a university decided to fill courses with equal numbers of males and females, it would need enough applicants of each gender. In reality, many courses are more popular with one gender than the other, and it would not be practical to aim for equal proportions. For example, nursing courses tend to attract more female applicants, and it would be difficult to fill these courses if fifty per cent of the places needed to go to males.

Apart from the practical concerns expressed above, I also believe that it would be unfair to base admission to university courses on gender. Universities should continue to select the best candidates for each course according to their qualifications. In this way, both men and women have the same opportunities, and applicants know that they will be successful if they work hard to achieve good grades at school. If a female student is the best candidate for a place on a course, it is surely wrong to reject her in favour of a male student with lower grades or fewer qualifications.

In conclusion, the selection of university students should be based on merit, and it would be both impractical and unfair to change to a selection procedure based on gender.

 (265 words, band 9)

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IELTS Task 2 Question Types: Opinion Essays (Agree or Disagree)

by Dave | Understanding Task 2 Writing | 13 Comments

Here I have collected actual IELTS opinion essays (agree or disagree question) from the last several years – enjoy learning about this task type!

Enjoy and consider signing up for my Patreon Ebooks here .

It is important for everyone, including young people, to save money for their future.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Read my essay here.

The working week should be shorter and workers should have a longer weekend.

Do you agree or disagree?

Sports play a significant role in promoting physical and mental well-being.

Read the full EBook on Patreon.

Some people feel that the private lives of celebrities should not be openly shared by the media.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Read my full EBook on Patreon.

Individual greed and selfishness have been the basis of modern society. Some people think that we must return to older more traditional values such as respect for the and the local community in order to create a better world to live in.

Everybody should donate a fixed amount of their income to support charity.

In today’s digital age, anyone with a smartphone can capture and share photographs. this accessibility to photography diminishes the value of professional photographers.

Get the full EBook (and more!) on Patreon.

The demand for coaching services has grown significantly in the digital age, with online coaching platforms becoming prevalent. Some now feel online coaching is a superior option to in-person coach.

Read my EBook essay here.

Financial education should be included as a mandatory subject in schools to prepare students for managing money effectively.

Read my essay here on Patreon.

Some people think that certain old buildings are more worth preserving than other ones.

Some argue that music mainly serves as a way for individuals to reduce their stress and anxiety.

Schools should focus on academic success and passing examinations. Skills such as cookery, dressmaking and woodworking should not be taught at school as it is better to learn these from family.

To that extent do you agree or disagree?

Virtual reality be used as a tool for therapeutic interventions and mental health treatments.

Read the EBook on Patreon.

Schools should use films, computers and games instead of books.

Some people think eating meat is bad for health. 

Friendships that take place online are not as meaningful as those where people meet each other face to face. 

The best way to reduce poverty in developing countries is by giving up to six years of free education, so that they can at least read, write and use numbers.

Some feel that governments should prioritize healthcare instead of other important areas.

To what extent do you agree or disagree

The most important aim of science ought to be to improve people’s lives.

Always telling the truth is the most important consideration in any relationship between people.

Read my essay on Patreon.

Many today feel that attention spans are becoming shorter due to the prevalence of social media.

Some feel that students should not have to take standardized tests in school.

My EBook is on Patreon.

Some feel that movies and tv shows are a good way to study history despite their lack of historical accuracy at times.

Get the EBook on Patreon.

Some believe that new science related to criminal forensics should be used to look at old cases.

Some people think that social networking sites have a huge negative impact on both individuals and society.

Some people say that to prevent illness and disease, governments should focus more on reducing environmental pollution and housing problems.

Doing an enjoyable activity with a child can is better for their overall skills development and creativity than reading.

To what extent do you agree?

Learning at university would be more ffective if men and women were educated separetely.

Some people today have argued that countries should interfere less in the affairs of other nations.

Nowadays, distance-learning programs have gained in popularity, but some people argue that online courses can never be taken as good as those taken at a college or university in person.

People living in the 21st century have a better life quality than people who lived in previous times.

Young people committing crimes should be treated the same as adults by the authorities. 

Although it is generally illegal, physical punishment continues in many countries. Some argue that parents should have the right to punish their children in this way.

Shops should not be allowed to sell any food or drinks that have been scientifically proven to be bad for people’s health.

The best way to make the road transport of goods safer is to ask drivers to take a driving test each year.

Prison is the common way most countries try to solve the problem of crime. However, a more effective solution is to provide the public a better education.

Some people claim that not enough waste from homes is recycled and that the only way to increase recycling is for governments to make it a legal requirement.

In marriages today, some argue that it is the responsibility of both spouses to earn a living for the family.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?  

Read my sample essay here.

Companies should provide sports facilities for local communities.

The best curriculum is not one based on a static body of knowledge but one which teaches student to cope with change.

Some people claim that too much focus and resources have been spent to protect wild animals and birds.

Educating young people is naturally important. However, some think governments ught to invest more education for adults in need.

Read my Ebook on Patreon.

Some people believe that engaging in an active pastime does more to develop childrens’ life skills than time spent reading.

Some experts say for road safety cyclists should pass a test before being allowed on public roads.

Some people believe that violent media directly results in violent behavior.

My essay for this topic is only available as an Ebook on Patreon here.

Today, many young people spend too much of their free time at shopping malls. This can considered negative for young people and society generally.

Some people think the main purpose of school is to turn children into good citizens and workers, rather than to benefit them as individuals.

In many countries, children are becoming overweight and unhealthy. Some people think that the government has the responsibility to solve this problem.

Many young people today spend too much time following the latest fashion trends in areas such as clothing and technology.

Some believe that nuclear weapons benefit the world at large.

Read my essay on Patreon only.

Some people believe that students should acquire working experience during their gap year instead of traveling.

Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

The governments should give each citizen a basic income so that they have enough money to live on, even if they are unemployed.

Some people think that enjoying the present is more important than planning for the future for both countries and individuals.

Scientific research should be carried out and controlled by the governments rather than private companies.

Read my sample answer here.

The best way to solve the world’s environmental problems is to increase the cost of fuel for cars and other private vehicles.

The tendency of human beings to copy one another is shown in the popularity of areas such as fashion and consumer goods.

Some people believe that it is a good idea that older people continue to work if it is possible for them to do.

Many claim that the fast food industry had a negative effect on the environment, eating habits, and families.

Some people say that it is possible to tell a lot about a person’s culture and character from their choice of clothes.

Read my sample answer essay here.

There are different customs in different countries related to how people eat, dress, and so on. Some think that people visiting a country should behave according to customs of the country they visit.

Because many children are not able to learn foreign languages, schools should not force them to learn foreign languages.

Governments should make people responsible for looking after their own local environment.

Some people say that at all levels of education, from primary school to university, too much time is spent on learning facts and not enough on learning practical skills.

Some claim that men are naturally more competitive than women.

Shopping habits depend more on your age group than anything else.

Smoking is a major cause of serious illness and death throughout the world today. In the interest of the public health, governments should ban cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Everyone should become vegetarian because they do not need to eat meat to have a healthy diet.

Some people think employers should not care about the way their employees dress, but the quality at work.

To what extent you agree or disagree?

In many situations, people who break the law should be warned instead of punished.

Crime rates will fall as advances in technology make it easier to detect and prevent crimes.

Some countries are considering imposing curfews in which teenagers will not be allowed outdoors at night unless they are accompanied by an adult.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this policy?

Some think that fathers should have time off from work after the birth of a child.

Some people think that because children find subjects such as mathematics and philosophy difficult, they ought to be optional instead of compulsory.

Globalization is positive for economies but its negative sides should not be ignored.

Although more and more people read news on the Internet, newspapers will remain the most important source of news for the majority of people.

Fast food has become more common in recent years. Some people think that it has a negative effect on lifestyles and diets.

Some people think that there should be a complete ban on all forms of advertising.

Some feel governments, rather than private companies, should be in charge of medical services.

Large companies use sports events to promote their products. Some people think this has a negative impact on sports.

Some feel that good entertainers are as important to society as scientists.

It is a natural process for animal species to become extinct (e.g. dinosaurs, dodos, etc.). There is no reason why people should try to prevent this from happening.

People are annoyed or entertained by advertising but they are not affected by advertisements when making shopping decisions.

Convenience foods will become increasingly prevalent and eventually replace traditional foods and methods of preparation.

Some people believe that wild animals should not be kept in zoos or other man-made environments as there is no longer a need for them in the 21st century.

Many manufactured food and drink products contain high levels of sugar, which causes many health problems. Sugary products should be made more expensive to encourage people to consume less sugar.

Some people think that children under 18 years old should receive full-time education.

Many believe that reading books is a waste of time and children would be better served doing something more useful.

Traditional ideas from older people about the way to live and behave are not helpful to young people and their futures.

Large companies should pay higher salaries to CEOs and executives compared to other workers.

Many believe that living in a city offers greater benefits compared to life in the countryside.

Some claim that studying abroad has great benefits for a student’s home country.

If a product is good and meets customer needs, then people will buy it and advertising is unnecessary.

It is impossible to help all people around the world in need so governments should focus on people from their own country.

Some people think that the best way to increase road safety is to increase the minimum legal age for driving cars and riding motorbikes.

Instead of requiring primary school students to do experiments themselves, schools should only alllow them to watch experiments demonstrated by teachers.

All fathers should be entitled to time-off from work when their children are born.

The growth of multinational companies and the resulting rise of globalization creates positive effects for all.

Some people say it is more important to plant trees in the open spaces in towns and cities than to build more housing.

To what extant do you agree or disagree?

Some believe it is important for cities and towns to invest heavily in building large outdoor public spaces.

Nowadays many people travel to foreign countries for pleasure. Some believe this travel has a negative impact on the countries travelled to.

Some people say that all popular TV entertainment programmes should aim to educate viewers about important social issues.

To succeed in a business, one needs to know maths.

Computer games are very popular for all ages and nationalities. Parents think this has little educational value and it will be harmful for children.

The first man to walk on the moon claimed it was a step forward for mankind. However, it has made little difference in most people’s lives.

One of the most important issues facing the world today is a shortage of food and some think genetically modified foods are a possible solution.

Society is based on rules and laws. It could not function if individuals were free to do whatever they wanted to do.

Some people think that the most important function of music is to help people relax.

Computers today can quickly and accurately translate languages, therefore, it is a waste of time to learn a foreign language.

Some think that it is more important for children to engage in outdoor activities instead of playing videogames.

To what extent to you agree or disagree?

Whether or not a person achieves their aims in life is mostly related to luck.

Some people believe that family is more important than friends.

To what extent do you agree and disagree?

Some people think that it is a waste of time for high school students to study literature, such as novels and poems.

Parents should take courses in parenting in order to improve the lives of their children.

To what extent do you agree ?

Nowadays nurses should not just be required to do basic training but they must have other qualities as well to do their jobs well.

Studies show that crime rates are lower among those with educational degrees. Therefore, the best way to reduce the crime rate is to educate criminals while they are still in prison.

The internet means people do not need to travel to foreign countries to understand how others live.

Cooking at home is a waste of time because there are so many convenient fast food options that make life less stressful.

Some think the current generation should take steps to protect the environment for the next generation.

In many countries, traditional foods are being replaced by fast food. This has a negative impact on families, individuals and society.

Some educators believe that every child should be taught how to play a musical instrument.

Some people believe that the government should spend more money putting in more works of art like paintings and statues in cities to make them better places to live in.

When a person spends most of his or her time working a job with little job satisfaction, their life loses meaning.

Historical objects should be brought back to their country of origin.

Many people think technological devices such as smart phones, tablets and mobile phones bring more disadvantages than advantages.

It is better for children if the whole family including aunts, uncles and so on are involved in a child’s upbringing, rather than just their parents.

The government should lower the budget on the arts in order to allocate more money to education.

Read my answer here.

Many today feel that most urgent problems can only be solved by international cooperation.

Although families have influence on a children’s development, factors outside the home play a bigger part in their lives nowadays.

It is better to learn the way people lived in the past through films and video records than written documents.

Many people think that mobile phones should be banned in public places such as libraries, shops and public transport.

Some think that students must travel to another country in order to learn its language and customs.

Full-time university students spend a lot of time studying. Some say they should do other activities too.

In the future, nobody will buy printed newspapers or books because they will be able to read everything they want online without paying.

Some feel that countries should produce most of the food that is eaten in their country and import as little as possible.

In the future, people may have to live on other planets. Some think that it is therefore important to spend money researching other planets such as Mars.

Governments should spend more money on medical research and less on researching the environment.

After graduation many students take a year to travel. Some think that it would be more useful to work for a year.

Some feel that it is a waste of time to plan for the future and it is more important to focus on the present.

Some today argue that schools are no longer necessary because children can learn so much from the internet and be educated at home.

In many schools and universities today, women have a tendency to study the humanities (such as the arts and languages) while men more often major in science related subjects. Some believe this tendency should be changed.

Some believe that people will purchase a product based on their needs and advertising is not needed.

Many people believe that film is a less important art than other forms such as literature and painting.

There are severe social consequences to housing shortages in cities and only the government can solve these problems.

Watching a live performance such as a play, concert, or sporting event is more enjoyable than watching the same event on television.

Some people believe that smartphones are destroying social interaction today.

Throughout history, male leaders have led us into violence and conflict. If a society is governed by female leaders it will be more peaceful.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Many feel that students today should learn practical skills at school such as car maintenance and managing a bank account.

Many people think that it is better to get advice from old rather than young people.

Some believe technology has made our lives too complex and the solution is to lead a simpler life without technology.

One good way to promote world peace is through international sporting events.

In the future it will become more difficult to live on Earth so more money should be spent researching how to live on other planets such as Mars.

Some think that governments should tax unhealthy foods to encourage people to eat healthier.

As well as making money, businesses also have a responsibility towards society.

Developing the economy will always damage the environment.

Too much money is wasted on repairing old buildings that should be used to knock them down and build new ones.

Many believe that the best way to ensure a happier society is to reduce the difference in income earnings between the rich and poor.

Extreme sports such as sky diving and skiing are very dangerous and should be banned.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this view?

The crime rate nowadays is decreasing compared to the past due to advances in technology.

Many believe that individuals can do little to improve the environment. Only governments and large companies can make a real difference.

Many people believe that social networking sites (such as Facebook) have a huge negative impact on both individuals and society.

Some people think that it is better to build more public parks and sports facilities in new towns rather than shopping malls.

Students should be primarily taught academic subjects so that they can pass exams, and practical skills such as cooking should not be taught.

Some people think that the news media has become much more influential in people’s lives today and it is a negative development. Do you agree or disagree?

Many psychologists recommend that the best way to relieve stress is to do nothing at all for a period of time during the day.

People today often use the internet to learn about the culture of other countries. This means that it is not that important to travel to those countries.

The most common solution for criminal behaviour is prison but many believe education is a better method.

The job market today is very competitive and it is best to choose a career or field of study early in order to get a good job later in life.

Some believe that because everyone needs a place to live, governments should provide houses for those who are too poor to afford their own.

Some countries are struggling with increases in crime rates. Some believe that having more police on the streets is best way to reduce and combat crime.

Some people say that music is a good way of bringing people of different cultures and ages together.

Some people believe that the best way to increase the road safety is to increase the minimum legal age for driving cars..

Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices.

Living in a country where you have to speak a foreign language can cause serious social problems, as well as practical problems.

Traffic and housing problems in major cities could be solved by moving companies, factories and their employees to the countryside.

Museums and art galleries should focus on works that show the history and culture of their own country rather than works of other parts of the world.

Some people say that school children should be mainly taught about the literature (e.g fiction and poetry) of their own country because it is more  important than that of other countries., when designing a building, the most important factor is the intended use of the building rather than its outward appearance., plastic shopping bags are used widely and cause many environmental problems. some people say they should be banned., climate change is a phenomenon that affects countries all over the world. many people strongly believe that it is the responsibility of individuals, rather than corporations and governments, to deal with this problem., recommended for you.

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Thank for your samples

You’re very welcome!

are these questions from Cambridge books?

Some are but most are reported on real IELTS exams.

Hello, can u please tell me the ideas of the following essay? ( From the agree side please)                                             For the married couples nowadays, some people say that it is the responsibilities for both spouses to earn a living for the family. To extent do u agree or disagree?     

hello dave, can u please reply me?

Can u please tell me the ideas of the following essay? ( From the agree side please)                                             For the married couples nowadays, some people say that it is the responsibilities for both spouses to earn a living for the family. To extent do u agree or disagree?   

I think I’ve written about that or a similar topic – if I get a chance, I’ll write a sample answer for that specific one, Eric!

Thank u dave

Can u just give me the ideas of the essay? Just in short notes. Not the whole essay. Thank U.

Hello Mr. Dave. I find that your writing style is amazing but it is quite difficult to imitate, especially the body part of the essay. I see I could have learned from you how to write an introduction and conclusion, but it seems too difficult to learn how to write the body. but I must emphasize that I still learn a lot of good vocabulary and phrases from you. It would be great if you have a detailed tutorial on how to write the body so that it is easiest to follow. dear

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How to organize agree/disagree essays on your IELTS exam

We're going to show you a simple structure for an IELTS agree/disagree essay that will enable examiners to make their way through your writing with ease.

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When you get to the essay writing component of the IELTS exam, the clock is ticking, and the pressure is on. You have about 40 minutes to determine the key question to address, think of your response, come up with relevant examples and then write the essay.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you knew how you were going to organize your ideas before you went into the exam? In this blog, I’m going to show you a formula that can be modified to fit most IELTS tasks and will save you valuable time. Most importantly, it will ensure that the message in your essay is easy to follow (one of the key criteria for higher-level scores).

There really isn’t any mystery about it. Here, I’m going to show you a simple structure for an IELTS agree/disagree essay that will enable examiners to make their way through your writing with ease – as if they have a roadmap to follow.

Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programs (for example, working for a charity, improving the neighbourhood or teaching sports to younger children). To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Today it is a popular belief that students attending high school should volunteer in the community as part of their schooling. I strongly agree with this notion. Volunteer work can provide young people with the experiences they need for paying jobs, and it can also help them see themselves as valuable contributors to society.

When completing compulsory work activities with charitable organizations or community organizations, students gain skills that they can add to their resumes and use in future jobs. Working out in the real world quickly teaches young people the importance of time management, clear communication and teamwork. Employers like McDonald’s restaurants, which provide many young people with their first paying jobs, look for volunteer work on resumes as evidence of having developed some relevant work skills. So, although students are not paid for their time, they are building valuable abilities for future employment.

Perhaps even more importantly, when students volunteer, they are more likely to realize that their actions have a positive impact on the world around them. Often the problems of our world can seem overwhelming, but if students are given the opportunity to help others, even in a small way, they will see that they can make a difference. In schools that have been running these programs, there has been an incredible boost in student morale, and the community has benefitted from the talent and time that young people have contributed to the many programs that need support. It’s true that studying for academics is time-consuming, and students already have a lot to do in a day, but if we teach them how to step up and help others, we create a better future for us all.

In conclusion, it is a great idea to have unpaid community service as part of a high school program because it will help the next generation prepare for employment, and it will build a caring community that is willing and able to make our world a better place. It’s my hope to see this in every school.

Paragraph One - Introduction

Now, let’s look at the underlying structure sentence by sentence.

AGREE/DISAGREE ESSAY - 4-PARAGRAPH FORMULA Paragraph One - Introduction

Sentence 1 :  States the premise that the essay will address (you can simply rephrase the words in the task).

Today it is a popular belief that students attending high school should volunteer in the community as part of their schooling.

Sentence 2 :  States your opinion on the matter.

I strongly agree with this notion.

Sentence 3 :  Briefly outlines what you are going to write in the next two paragraphs to support your opinion.

Volunteer work can provide young people with the experiences they need for paying jobs, and it can also help them see themselves as valuable contributors to society.

Paragraph Two - Body

Sentence 1  (topic sentence):  Tells the reader what this paragraph is about by introducing your first point .

When completing compulsory work activities with charitable organizations or community organizations, students gain skills that they can add to their resumes and use in future jobs.

Sentence 2 :  Assumes that the reader doesn’t know anything about this topic, and explains your point clearly.

Working out in the real world quickly teaches young people the importance of time management, clear communication and teamwork.

Sentence 3 :  Gives a real-life or made-up example that illustrates and supports this point.

Employers like McDonald’s restaurants, which provide many young people with their first paying jobs, look for volunteer work on resumes as evidence of having developed some relevant work skills.

Sentence 4 :  Concedes to a relevant opposing position but redirects to yours.

So, although students are not paid for their time, they are building valuable abilities for future employment.

Paragraph Three - Body – Repeat the above

Sentence 1  (topic sentence):  Tells the reader what this paragraph is about by introducing the second point .

Perhaps even more importantly, when students volunteer, they are more likely to realize that their actions have a positive impact on the world around them.

Often the problems of our world can seem overwhelming, but if students are given the opportunity to help others, even in a small way, they will see that they can make a difference.

Sentence 3 :  Gives a real-life or made-up example that illustrates and supports this point .

In schools that have been running these programs, there has been an incredible boost in student morale, and the community has benefitted from the talent and time that young people have contributed to the many programs that need support.

It’s true that studying for academics is time-consuming, and students already have a lot to do in a day, but if we teach them how to step up and help others, we create a better future for us all.

Paragraph Four – Conclusion

Sentence 1 :  Rephrase your opinion and sum up your two supporting points.

In conclusion, it is a great idea to have unpaid community service as part of a high school program because it will help the next generation prepare for employment, and it will build a caring community that is willing and able to make our world a better place.

Sentence 2 :  Make a prediction or a recommendation based on what you have said.

It’s my hope to see this in every school.

What I hope you see from this example is that when you pay attention to how you organize your essay, it’s easier to read. I also want you to realize that it isn’t difficult to accomplish this clarity when you have a reliable structure in mind.

Check back for future blogs that will show you how to modify this formula for other kinds of IELTS essay tasks.

Blank template for you

In the meantime, here is a blank template for you to use when you write your next agree/disagree essay.

AGREE/DISAGREE 4-PARAGRAPH FORMULA

Paragraph One -Introduction

Sentence 1:

___________________________________________________________________________

State the premise that the essay will address (you can simply rephrase the words in the task).

Sentence 2:

State your opinion on the matter.

Sentence 3:

Briefly outline what you are going to write in the next two paragraphs to support your opinion.

Paragraphs Two and Three – the Body of Support

Sentence 1 (topic sentence):

Tell the reader what this paragraph is about by introducing your first point .

Assume that the reader doesn’t know anything about this topic and explain your point clearly.

Give a real-life or made-up example that illustrates and supports this point.

Sentence 4:

Concede to a relevant opposing position but redirect to yours.

Paragraph Three – Repeat the above

Sentence 1 (topic sentence)

Tell the reader what this paragraph is about by introducing second point .

Give a real-life or made-up example that illustrates and supports this point .

Rephrase your opinion and sum up your two supporting points.

Make a prediction or a recommendation based on what you have said.

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How to Disagree or Partially Agree in the Agree Disagree Question

One of the types of questions that can appear in your writing task 2 is the agree/disagree type of question. In such questions, you will be asked whether you agree or disagree to a given statement or opinion. Agreeing to an opinion is not that difficult to be written or spoken about. The problem comes when you want to show disagreement or a partial agreement.

Many students are not able to express this disagreement or partial agreement clearly and lose out on a good band because of this. In this article, we will teach you how to do just that and not compromise on your potential for a higher band.

What kind of errors do students make?

In the writing task 2 of the IELTS you will be asked questions like the following:

b. Many children these days have an unhealthy lifestyle. Both schools and parents are  equally responsible for solving this problem.

           To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

For such a question, you need to be clear about whether you agree or disagree to the given statement. Your opinion should come out out clearly with the usage of right kind of words.

For example, for the question ‘b’ asked above, here is a statement from two different sample answers:

In my opinion, parents are more responsible for influencing a child’s lifestyle as they spend most time with them.

I disagree with this statement but also feel that parents and schools are both responsible for changing the unhealthy lifestyles of their children.

Which statement do you think brings out the writer’s disagreement clearly?

It’s in the first statement that the disagreement is coming out clearly. The second statemement is confusing and makes the disagreement ambigious. If your answer has many such sentences, your band will go down considerably.

In order to make the essay to an agree/disagree question clear and complete, you need to word it appropriately. So, let’s learn the vocabulary for doing that.

Vocabulary for disagreeing and partial agreement

A For disagreeing

I disagree.

Example question:

Alternative medicine is not new. It is accepted that it pre-dates conventional medicine and it is still used by many people all over the world. I disagree that it is dangerous, and feel that both alternative and conventional medicine can be useful.

I don’t agree

I don’t agree that the country in itself is responsible for the dying out of the traditional skills and way of life. There are other factors involved too. On top of the list would be the need of the hour and the fact that one needs to change with the changing times.

This is in complete contradiction to…

Though this is in complete contradiction to the way our minds have been conditioned to look at examinations, it is high time that we change the way we measure students’ performance.

That’s not necessary/ It’s not necessary

It not necessary that the only reason  for traditional forms of music dying out, is the modern form of music.  Other factors like not giving enough space or not creating a proper awareness amongst people are responsible for it too.

B. For agreeing partly

I agree up to a point, but …

I agree to point that films and television have an impact on the mindsets of people and especially children and young adults, but let’s not forget that the adults around these people are equally responsible for monitoring what kind of media their children are exposed to.

That’s partly true, but …

It is partly true that the working day has become longer because of the amount of work and the stress of deadlines, but this is also because of the increasing competition. Employees have become increasingly dispensable because of easy availability of skilled labour in the market. Therefore, in the absence of job security, people have to give their best in terms of not only quality but quantity too.

That’s not always true

A number of children, who receive home schooling, become highly successful adults later on their life. Though there is enough evidence to prove this, it doesn’t always hold true .

Vocabulary Exercise:

Objective: learning to use appropriate phrase to agree/disagree, directions: fill in the gaps in the following sentences with appropriate agree/disagree vocabulary from the options given in the box. .

It is often argued that it is more advantageous to choose a high paying job, even if it doesn’t appeal to you at all.  _________  with this opinion and think that job satisfaction is much more important than salary.

Although  ________ that it is important to spend money on public services, ___________ that spending on the arts is a waste of money.

Many college going students prefer spending time with their friends outside rather than attending the lectures.  Though  ___________________, research does show that more and more students are opting out of attending college lectures altogether.

With the increase in sales of vehicles, the number of accidents happening everyday has increased too. Some may say  that _________________, there is enough evidence to prove otherwise.

B. Objective: learning to disagree to a statement or argument

Directions : Use the phrases learnt ‘For disagreeing’ to answer the following statements. 

Credit cards are more harmful than debit cards.

Online piracy of music and movies is bad for creative industry.

Video games containing violence are appropriate for children.

Advertising is a waste of resources.

C. Objective: learning to agree to a statement or argument

Directions: use the phrases learnt ‘for partly agreeing ’ to partly agree with the following statements..

Jobs should be subcontracted into developing countries.

It is appropriate for adolescents to be sentenced to life without parole.

MNCs are superior to domestic firms.

Answer key:

1. I completely disagree

2. I agree, I don’t agree

3.that’s not always true

4. that’s only partly true

1. Answer will vary

2.Answer will vary

3.Answer will vary

4.Answer will vary

1. Answer will vary

3. Answer will vary

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First a clarification Do you agree or disagree? And To what extent do you agree or disagree? Are the same – The second question is just paraphrasing for the first. There is no difference in how to attempt them.

Some people think foreign visitors should be charged more than local people when they visit the cultural and historical attractions in a country. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Writing the introduction – 2 Sentences

Sentence 1: Step 1: Paraphrase the question Note 1: Please remember to use “some people believe/or it is believed by some” even if the question doesn’t, because the first sentence is not your opinion. If you don’t, there will be confusion when you write your opinion next. Note 2: A loose paraphrasing is always better- changing the sentence structure rather than synonyms- for scoring more than 7 bands. It is believed by some that ticket prices for cultural and historical sites should be more for international tourists than local tourists. (Sentence 1)

Sentence 2: Step 1: Understand what agree and disagree stand for. Agree means: Charge foreign tourists more Disagree means: Charge foreign tourists the same as locals. Step 2: Write points in favour of each Agree – why charge tourists more or locals less? Reason 1: The local people have already contributed to the upkeep and maintenance of such sites in the form of taxes. In other words, the foreign tourists are not being charged more, but rather locals are getting a discounted price as they have already paid some part of the entrance fee in the form of taxes. Reason 2: The cost of running such sites is sizeable and governments around the world are finding it challenging to organize funds for the upkeep and maintenance of such sites.  If international tourists are also charged the same prices as local people, it would be impossible. Reason 3: Secondly, when the cultural attraction is a temple or a place of worship, which locals visit daily, it would be unfair to charge them heftily. Reason 4:   Such sites make some special expenses for foreigners. Disagree: Why not charge more? Reason 1: It might put off foreign tourists and might negatively impact international tourism and even the country’s economy especially if it is substantially dependent upon tourism. Step 3: Write your opinion based on the points above. 2 options here Opinion A: Completely agree (Not enough points for completely disagree) Completely Agree Thesis – I strongly support the idea of charging foreigners more than locals for entry to cultural and historical attractions.

Complete Introduction (Sentence 1+2) It is believed by some that ticket prices for cultural and historical sites should be more for international tourists than local tourists. I also strongly believe that charging foreigners more than locals for entry to cultural and historical attractions is justified.

Opinion B: Going partial Note:  It is not true that going partial scores better than a completely one-sided essay. My students with one-sided essays and with partial essays, both have scored 7.5 bands THE BIG MISTAKE 3 Points Agree and 1 Point Disagree We cannot use the words “we partially agree” and write 3 points for agree and 1 point for agree. In other words, we CANNOT agree and disagree with the same thing. Either foreign tourists should be charged more, or they shouldn’t be. If you want to write partial, think what your main opinion is and try to find a concession for it. (Meaning find a situation when your opinion changes to the opposite side) For example: My main opinion: I agree that foreigners should be charged more. Concession: The difference in charges should not very huge. Think of a reason for this caveat too. Reason: If the difference too high – it would create a negative image of the country and the tourists might be put off. Write the opinion and concession together. Partial thesis: While I agree that charging international tourists more than locals is justified, I also believe that the difference in charges should not be considerable.

Complete Introduction (Sentence 1+2) It is believed by some that ticket prices for cultural and historical sites should be more for international tourists than local tourists. While I agree that charging international tourists more than locals is justified, I also believe that the difference in charges should not be considerable.

Note: Again, never ever! use the word partial even if partially agree or disagree. If you find this confusing – Simply go one-sided, a strong one-sided essay can score 9 bands Partial essays don’t score more

Writing the Body Paragraphs (Sentence 3 – 13)

Option A: Completely agree 3 Reasons – 3 Body Paragraphs Body Paragraph 1(First reason and its explanation) – Sentence 3,4,5. Body Paragraph 2(Second reason and its explanation) – Sentence 6,7,8,9. Body Paragraph 3(Third and Fourth reasons and their explanation)- Sentence 10,11,12,13.

Body Paragraph 1 The main reason why charging foreigners more than locals for visiting historical and cultural sites is acceptable is that local people have already contributed to the upkeep and maintenance of such sites in the form of taxes. In other words, the foreign tourists are not being charged more, but rather locals are getting a discounted price as they have already paid some part of the entrance fee in the form of taxes. So, it is actually fair to set a higher entry ticket for foreign tourists. Body Paragraph 2 The second reason is that the cost of running such sites is sizeable. Already, governments around the world are finding it challenging to organize funds for all these expenses. If international tourists are also charged the same prices as local people, it would be nearly impossible to manage these expenses. Also, I find it significantly better than alternatives like privatization of such sites, which comes with its own set of problems. Body Paragraph 3 In addition, if the cultural attraction is a temple or a place of worship, which locals visit daily, it would be unfair to charge them heftily. This is especially true in poor and developing countries like India, where a substantial population is below the poverty line. Finally, governments spend a considerable amount to provide facilities like language translators and special signpost to make museums more appealing to foreigners. This also make it reasonable to charge them more than locals.

Conclusion for Option A (Sentence 14)

Step 1: Just repeat your opinion. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that charging overseas visitors more than the locals when they visit historical and cultural sites is justifiable.

Option B: Partially agree Step 1: Body Paragraph 1 and 2: Write the strongest 3 reasons in favour of your main opinion- in this case agree along with explanations for the points. Body Paragraph 1(First reason and its explanation)- Sentence 3,4,5. Body Paragraph 2(Second and third reason and their explanation)- Sentence 6,7,8,9. Body Paragraph 1 The main reason why charging foreigners more than locals for visiting historical and cultural sites is acceptable is that local people have already contributed to the upkeep and maintenance of such sites in the form of taxes. In other words, the foreign tourists are not being charged more, but rather locals are getting a discounted price as they have already paid some part of the entrance fee in the form of taxes. So, it is actually fair to set a higher entry ticket for foreign tourists. Body Paragraph 2 The second reason is that the cost of running such sites is sizeable. Already, governments around the world are finding it challenging to organise funds for all these expenses. If international tourists are also charged the same prices as local people, it would be nearly impossible to manage these expenses. In addition, if the cultural attraction is a temple or a place of worship, which locals visit daily, it would be unfair to charge them heftily. Step 2: Change tone – with a contrast connector – like ‘However’ or ‘On the other hand’. Step 3: Reason for the concession and its explanation (Sentence 10,11,12,) Body Paragraph 3 However, I also believe that the difference between ticket prices for locals and foreigners should not be too excessive. It would create a negative image about the country and the tourists might be put off. As a result, they might dissuade their friends and family from visiting the particular country and might not return, preferring other countries for future vacations.

Conclusion for Option B (Sentence 14)

Step 1: Just repeat your opinion In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that although charging overseas visitors more than the locals when they visit historical and cultural sites is justifiable, the difference should not be sizable.

Whole Essay – Completely Agree

It is believed by some that ticket prices for cultural and historical sites should be more for international tourists than local tourists. I also strongly believe that charging foreigners more than locals for entry to cultural and historical attractions is justified.

The main reason why charging foreigners more than locals for visiting historical and cultural sites is acceptable is that local people have already contributed to the upkeep and maintenance of such sites in the form of taxes. In other words, the foreign tourists are not being charged more, but rather locals are getting a discounted price as they have already paid some part of the entrance fee in the form of taxes. So, it is actually fair to set a higher entry ticket for foreign tourists.

The second reason is that the cost of running such sites is sizeable. Already, governments around the world are finding it challenging to organise funds for all these expenses. If international tourists are also charged the same prices as local people, it would be nearly impossible to manage these expenses. Also, I find it significantly better than alternatives like privatization of such sites, which comes with its own set of problems.

In addition, if the cultural attraction is a temple or a place of worship, which locals visit daily, it would be unfair to charge them heftily. This is especially true in poor and developing countries like India, where a substantial population is below the poverty line. Finally, governments spend a considerable amount to provide facilities like language translators and special signpost to make museums more appealing to foreigners. This also make it reasonable to charge them more than locals.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that charging overseas visitors more than the locals when they visit historical and cultural sites is justifiable.

Whole Essay – Partial

It is believed by some that ticket prices for cultural and historical sites should be more for international tourists than local tourists. While I agree that charging international tourists more than locals is justified, I also believe that the difference in charges should not be considerable.

The second reason is that the cost of running such sites is sizeable. Already, governments around the world are finding it challenging to organise funds for all these expenses. If international tourists are also charged the same prices as local people, it would be nearly impossible to manage these expenses. In addition, if the cultural attraction is a temple or a place of worship, which locals visit daily, it would be unfair to charge them heftily.

However, I also believe that the difference between ticket prices for locals and foreigners should not be too excessive. It would create a negative image about the country and the tourists might be put off. As a result, they might dissuade their friends and family from visiting the particular country and might not return, preferring other countries for future vacations.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that although charging overseas visitors more than the locals when they visit historical and cultural sites is justifiable, the difference should not be sizeable.

More examples of Agree/Disagree Essays can be found here

6 thoughts on “Agree Disagree Essay”

Should we add in the introduction ‘in this essay I will explain…’?

If the question says Tourism today creates a variety of problems such as pollution due to flights, transport and dirty water ” do you think government should impose heavy taxes on tourist’s accommodation, and flight tickets to restrict today’s tourist industry. give reasons and relevant information. what type of question shall we interpret it?

You can treat it like Agree/Disagree as either you will agree or disagree to this statement. Technically though we consider it Direct.

Hi Mam, I have a query. My tutor told that we should take only one stand for the question type “Do you agree or disagree” and “Is this positive or negative development” question types. Could you please help me on this? Is it ok to take a balanced opinion? Thanks in advance.

can we write the thesis as “In this essay i would like to discuss both the views”

Can we write thesis statement of partial agree disagree opinion as, I partially agree and disagree with the statement and my reasons are explaind in following essay

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• September 29, 2021

IELTS Writing Task 2: To what extent do you agree or disagree?

In this type of question, you are presented with an opinion and then asked to agree or disagree. Also, the phrase “to what extent” makes this type of question flexible, meaning that you can also have a balanced opinion.

In this article, I’m going to go through an example and write a high-scoring sample. I will walk you through all the steps so that you can develop a well-written essay too. The question is from IELTS past papers.

Here’s the essay question we’re going to work on:

Prevention is better than cure. Researching and treating diseases is too costly, so it would be better to invest in preventive measures. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

You can develop your essay in three ways. Depending on the question, choose the one that you’re most comfortable with. Keep in mind that your argument should be reasonable and examples specific.

Option 1: You completely agree with the opinion.

Medical research and treatment can be very expensive. Therefore, I completely agree that governments and medical organizations should focus on preventive healthcare instead.

Body Paragraph 1:

Explain why you think investing in research and treatment is not a good idea. 

Body paragraph 2: 

Explain why focusing on preventive measures is better. What are the benefits?

Conclusion:

Summarize your points in one complex sentence or two sentences.

Option 2: You completely disagree with the opinion.

It is argued that medical research and treatment are too expensive; therefore, preventive measures should be the focus of governments and medical organizations instead. I completely disagree with this idea and believe that allocating enough funds to the former is vital to save lives.

Explain why you disagree with the idea. What adverse effects might that bring about?

Body paragraph 2:

Explain why you believe enough funds should be allocated to research and treatment. What are the benefits?

Option 3: You take a balanced approach.

It is argued that preventive healthcare should be the main focus of the healthcare system instead of medical research and treatment due to the latter being too expensive. While I agree that preventive measures are necessary to stop diseases from spreading and lower healthcare expenditure, I also believe that allocating financial resources to research and treatment should continue despite their high costs. 

For this question, I’ve chosen option 3 because it makes the most sense to me. However, you can go with the other options. No problem!

Step 1: As always, you should start with spending 2 minutes reading and understanding the question . Once you have fully understood what the question asks of you, you can move on to the next step.

Step 2: Now, it’s time for you to plan your whole essay. If you do this part properly, you will save time and produce a better and cohesive essay. This step should take about 8 minutes .

Here’s my plan:

Note: You may not understand some parts of my plan until you’ve read my full essay. That’s because my planning is my thinking process written fast using signs. It’s just to remind me what to write in my essay. I have included it just to show you how you can plan. You can also make yours even shorter by using more signs of your own.

Introduction: Paraphrase the question + your thesis statement

Paraphrase: It is argued that……main focus…. due to…. too expensive

Thesis statement: While I agree that….necessary, I also believe that ….. continue despite…

Body paragraph 1: Why I believe preventive measures are necessary.

Main idea: Taking precautions reduces the spending on healthcare by keeping people’s wellness under control and preventing diseases before they occur.

Support 1: 

Example: vaccines create antibodies in healthy people→ no severe cases→hospital admissions decrease→costs go down

Support 2: 

Other measures: exercising and keeping weight in check→ lower the chance of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, which… lifetime + expensive medications

… is definitely effective in lowering costs…

Body paragraph 2: Why I believe the funding for research and treatment should continue despite the high costs.

Main idea: Effective preventive measures wouldn’t exist without proper research. + treatment addresses a specific disease or problem that prevention can’t completely eliminate.

Support 1 : Highly effective vaccines are developed after intense research on the virus or the bacteria.

Example: Pfizer, a private biopharmaceutical company, spend millions of dollars and several months on developing the most effective Covid-19 vaccines→no research funds, no vaccines.

Support 2 : Preventive measures cannot address hereditary diseases like type 1 diabetes. No amount of exercise can keep people ….. The only way … right medicines, which can be expensive. → Treatment … expensive but vital.

Conclusion : Prevention is an effective way to keep people healthy and the costs down; however, research and treatment not only… necessary… but also irreplaceable.

Step 3: Write your full essay. This step should take about 25 minutes .

Here’s my full essay:

On the one hand, taking precautions will reduce the spending on healthcare by keeping people’s wellness under control and preventing diseases before they occur. For instance, vaccines, one of the most used such measures, trigger the production of disease-fighting antibodies by the immune system and result in lower severe cases of illnesses and hospitalization, thus reducing the spending on healthcare. Other preventive methods also effectively lower the chance of chronic diseases such as type-2 diabetes, which are usually caused by a sedentary lifestyle and obesity. Simply put, if people exercise regularly and keep their weight in check, they will have much fewer health issues and consequently lower the expenditure on healthcare. Therefore, I believe that prevention brings nothing but benefits to people and the healthcare system.

On the other hand, some effective preventive measures wouldn’t exist without proper research. In addition, treatment sometimes addresses specific diseases or problems that prevention can’t eliminate. For example, a highly effective vaccine such as that of Pfizer, which was developed for Covid-19, takes a lot of research and millions of dollars worth of production equipment to be developed and finally available for public use. Furthermore, preventive healthcare cannot address hereditary diseases like type-1 diabetes. Such illnesses can only be treated with expensive medications. Therefore, I firmly believe that it is worth funding research and treatment projects.

In conclusion, prevention is an effective way of keeping people healthy and the costs down; however, research and treatment are not only needed to develop effective preventive measures but also vital for some people.

(314 words)

Step 4: Spend about 5 minutes to read your work and correct your mistakes.

Here’s the summary:

• Spend 2 minutes to understand the task completely.
• Spend 8 minutes planning your essay.
• Spend 25 minutes writing your essay.
• Spend 5 minutes to read your work and correct your mistakes.

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IELTS Opinion Essay: Choosing one side or partially agreeing?

In an IELTS opinion essay, you can either agree, disagree or take a balanced approach which means to partially agree. However, you need to learn more so that you fulfil the requirements of the higher band scores.

See the answers to the 4 questions below. Also see useful links for writing task 2 below. All tips are for GT and Academic students.

1. Is it better to choose one side?

It won’t alter your score if you choose to support one side or partially agree. As long as you give a clear opinion, the examiner will be happy.

If you don’t understand a partial agreement essay, then choose one side. It’s easier to choose one side for most students and you can still get band score 9 by choosing one side.

Sometimes it might be hard to find enough ideas to support one side. In this case, go for a partial agreement. BUT if you need training to learn how to do this correctly.

2. Will you get a higher score if you partially agree?

No. It’s doesn’t matter what your opinion is – one side or partial. The only thing the examiner wants is a relevant opinion which is fully explained.

3. Can you write a discussion essay instead?

NO. Let me repeat that – NO !!! An opinion essay is only about your opinion. It is not about what other people think. You can’t change the type of essay you have been given. Look at the instructions below:

• You must explain both sides of what other people think and also give your opinion
• You must present your opinion and nothing else. Your opinion must cover all aspects of the essay question.

4. Can you use “I” or “my” in an opinion essay?

Yes. Of course. You MUST use “i” or “my” – it’s the only way to give your own personal opinion. Look at the language below:

• it is believed / it is considered / it seems – This language does not express your own individual opinion. It is perfect for discussion essays but it can’t be used for your own views.
• I think / I agree / I disagree / In my opinion – This is how you clearly express your view. The examiner wants to see this language when you give your opinion.

Useful Links for IELTS Writing Task 2

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Would this essay work on the opinion essay:

Q.) Public celebrations (such as national days, festivals etc) are held in most countries. These are often quite expensive and some people say that governments should spend money on more useful things. Do you agree or disagree?

Ans: The public display of culture through celebrations has been a matter of debate for years as most people argue for its necessity as it contributes to a huge loss in the nation’s capital. In the meantime, certain groups of people often express their dissatisfaction to the government cutting funds to such events, debating in support of large public celebrations, with the argument that those public celebrations are the sole identity of the nation. Both the arguments are much compelling as there doesn’t exist a harsh dark and light in the situations, but it lies in the gray area in actuality.

Public celebrations including festivals, jatras(cultural rallys popular in Nepal), national days, ets are unique to a culture,group or a place, and are the markers for their identity. So, cutting funds to those celebrations for sparing some bucks for the government might risk these unique heritages to go to extinction as we move throughout the years. Moreover, it may risk the extinction of an entire culture which for a country with a diverse heritage like Nepal, based predominantly on cultural tourism might be a much bigger problem in the future. The government cutting corners in some public celebrations while not in others, might also come off as discriminatory to the people of different cultures having their faith attached to those events.

On the other hand, in the time of an economic crisis like the one we are currently in, the government spending their funds off lavish displays and events could be debated as an unwise decision. People can debate how those funds can be utilized in works of social reforms and development rather than a lavish display. Furthermore, as the government has its own limitations for the sources of revenue, spending it off for events which might bring profit to the nation through tourism rather than on solid projects and developments works that are guaranteed to bring back the investment would be a better decision if taking things logically.

Taking all those things in consideration, it is fairly a matter dependent upon the situation and the economic state of the nation. If I were the one to decide, considering the current situation of the government, I would probably choose to mobilize the funds to development projects rather than extravagant public displays.

“Parents should encourage children to spend less time on studying and more on doing physical activities. To what extent do you agree or disagree?”

For this kind of question, can I say I think studying and physical activities are equally important?

Similarly, “Some people think the government should not spend on international aid because there are disadvantaged people in their country, such as the unemployed and homeless. To what extent do you agree or disagree?”

Can I say I think solving issues in their country and spending money on international aid are both important?

Do I have to say which one is more important than the other one?

When you have an opinion essay with two issues, you must address them both. But you don’t want to sit on the fence. You need to think more deeply about your opinion. You will usually find that you feel more strongly about one side than the other. Or you might find that you agree with A in a certain situation and B in another situation. Looking at the first question. Are you really trying to say that study and physical activities should have equal time spend on each? At the moment, school children study for about 7 hours a day and have one hour homework. They do physical activities for no more than about 1 hour a day. So, are you saying that schools should completely alter their curriculum and have 50% study and 50% physical activity? Really? I doubt you think this. Do you really want children playing games outside for four hours a day and only studying for four days? This is a common example of not analysing your thoughts enough. IELTS writing is about thinking more deeply and presenting a well thought out point of view. Think very carefully about how you express your opinion and explain it. For example, you could say studying should take priority but at the same time physical activity should be increased in schools and made available as extra curricular activities. Also note, the essay question is not about which is more important, it is about how much time should be spent on each. Pay very close attention to the wording in the question so that you address the issue directly. Hopefully, now you can apply these principles to the second question.

It was the what extend do you agree question.. Instead of writing “I partially agree” I wrote “as per my view.. And stated both points about my partial agreement with the statement but I didn’t write I partially agree.. Will this make me suffer a huge loss..? Please reply Thank you

There are no specific words that must be used in IELTS. If you agree with the statement, you don’t need to write “I agree” specifically. If you partially agree, you don’t need to use those particular words. IELTS is about meaning and clarity, not rules about using one or two words.

Hi Liz, I have an opinion essay of my own to write and I am quite confused as to what approach I should take with the topic. “Traditions can be found all over the world, some of them ancient and some of them recent. They often serve to bring communities together, but can also be the subject of heated debate and controversy. To what extent do you believe traditions can be harmful?” If I choose partially agree, how should my essay be structured? Should I write about how traditions could be harmful in one paragraph, and list out how it might not be the case in other situations in another paragraph? Wouldn’t that seem more like a for and against essay instead? Thanks a lot!

Where did you get this essay question? Did you get it from an Official IELTS website or an Official IELTS test book, if so which one?

Hi liz, I am confused on how to write an essay being agree partially. Essay- Today, the life expectancy of people is much higher than before. Some people think that older people should continue to be involved in the workforce.

I hope for your reply 🙏

In that essay question there is only one issue – do you think older people should continue to be involved in the workforce? If you partially agree, it means you do not fully agree. In other words, there might be one or two reasons why you do not fully agree with it. You therefore have to state what those reasons are and in what cases you do actually agree.

In this case (To what extent do you…), If I take one side and explain it further, isn’t it similar to an Agree or Disagree essay? (Here I am assuming that in an Agree or Disagree essay we have to take one position.)

There is no difference at all between “to what extent..” and “do you agree/disagree”. They are the same instructions paraphrased.

Thank you Liz.

For this essay – paying all workers the same salary in a company promotes harmony and respect amongst colleagues. To what extent do you agree or disagree. Can I write an essay like this: I strongly disagree with the above statement and in this essay will discuss the reasons as to why first of fall its impractical to pay the same salary and then will elucidate the reasons as to why paying all the employees the same salary will in fact result in a less harmonious work environment.

Thanks a lot for your help!

Sounds like you have been learning phrases to put in your essay. Do NOT use learned phrases “this will essay discuss the reasons…” / “then elucidate the reasons as to why…” The examiner is not stupid. The examiner knows these are not your own language. Each sentence must be uniquely created by yourself. Why don’t you just write normally: “I strongly disagree with the above statement because it is impractical to pay the same salary and cause friction in the work environment.”. Be clear. Be direct. Safe the details for the body paragraphs.

Hi Liz! Thank you so much for your reply. English is kind of my first language and I am used to using those phrases. Should I tone down my English for IELTS? Thanks again for your great help!

If English is your first language, you should write naturally. This is not an academic essay, it is a formal essay. You don’t use academic phrases. You write naturally and avoid informal tones or language. The title “academic ielts” is given because the test is often taken for entry onto educational courses. The essay itself is only formal in nature.

Thank you! This is really helpful.

I myself am an IELTS trainer (for the past year after being in the BPO sector for 20 years) and am a fan of yours and your IELTS tips, lessons, and videos that you have generously posted for free have been immensely helpful to me and my students. In continuation to the above hot discussion on opinion essays, I would like your say on the below situation.

One of my students had written an essay on the below question.

“Modern technology products such as smartphones and wearables are very addictive and should be banned. To what extent do you agree or degree with this view?”

He took an one-sided view (like many students would prefer to do or were taught to do) that “I completely disagree with the statement.” and wrote about the necessity of smartphones, advantages of the industry generating employment to many and revenue to government in the form of taxes, etc. (He did not mention about the addictive part whether he agrees it is addictive or not). I felt the task is not met like you rightly pointed out in one of the comments above(do you concur).

However, I feel there are two parts in the statement a) smart phones are addictive and b) it should be banned.

So shouldn’t we address both parts, that is, whether I agree if they are addictive and if so whether banning it is the solution for the same.

In that case there cannot be an answer which says I completely disagree with the statement unless you mean to say they are not addictive and hence need not be banned.

Are the below options correct: OPTION I: I partially agree with the statement a) it is addictive however disagree with b) should be banned, probably use can be restricted or limited.

OPTION II: One-sided, I agree they are addictive and hence need to be banned.

OPTION III: One-sided, I disagree, they are not addictive and hence need not be(should not be) banned.

Are there any other variations possible. Thanks for taking your valuable time to read/respond to this lengthy post, which in my humble opinion will be of great help to all other millions of IELTS aspirants worldwide who visit your web page.

You have hit the nail on the head. Your understanding of the question is correct. Your understanding of a one-sided view when there are two issues to address is correct. The only other option you haven’t tackled is a specific view point: I agree they are addictive, however I think banning them is not the right solution – a better solution would be X. It is a great way to fully address and expand the topic given. I hope that helps.

Thank you Liz for your clarification. I’m doubly happy. God bless you for your wonderful work and big/kind heart.

Hello Liz! I am really worried about opinion essays! I ordered the advanced lesson but it says ‘not supported’. I don’t know what to do. Please help me .My exam is on saturday.

Please email me with more details about your problem: [email protected] . Do this immediately. Thanks

Hii Liz what can we write to give a partial view ?

Hi liz, Does it affects my TR score if I only discuss about “Benefits of planting tress” and do not talk about “building houses” in the following essay:- My thesis statement is: I completely agree that planting trees is more significant to solve many problems confronted by urban dewellers than constructing infrastructure.

Some people think that planting trees in open spaces in cities and towns is more important than building houses. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It would negatively affect your score. Your opinion is “I believe planting trees is more important than housing”. You must explain why planting trees is important and why housing is not so important. Answer fully!

Hi Liz! How can I improve doing T/F/NG reading questions?

See this tips on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-reading-lessons-information-and-tips/

Hi Liz, I just recently took my IELTS exam last Saturday.I may say thay I am blessed with my writing task 1 and 2 topics. In writing task 1, I need to write a letter from a complaints that turns a commendation for the staff. Writing task 2, is need to give my opinion from the suggestion that suggestion that all ages of students to join in same class. I hope this will help. Now, I’l pray that all my exam ,reading and listening will have a good results. God is good I know! 🙂 from Mhae

Thanks for sharing and good luck with your results 🙂

I pray for best,thank you for helping us to our review.God bless Us!

That test I had it on the 26th! I said that I believe that children should learn both of them. I don’t know why they gave me only 6…I’m struggling with the writing and I don’t know where I’m doing so many mistakes…I sit this exam for 4th times and I am quite desperate because I don’t know what I should change…I watched your videos, I worked a few books…and nothing….only 6. Thank you!

If u agree you cannot explain about world history. Throughout your essay should be about local history and supporting sentences. Watch her advanced ielts videos. She is explaining more in detail.

Your opinion must answer the all issues. If you agree, then your opinion is that local history should be taught and world history should not be taught. That is your full opinion.

If you agree – then you need to explain why you think money shouldn’t be spent protecting wildlife and also what other problems should be solved with the money.

Hello Liz, How can I buy all three advanced writing videos together? As each purchase cost can extra fee for international transaction, buying together would be beneficial, if that is possible.

I’m sorry but I haven’t put them in a package yet.

Dear LIZ I get more motivated when I read your texts. Although my handwriting is not much more qualified, but I’m preparing for IELTS test.Actually, I live in Finland as an asylum seeker, considerd to my teacher’s opinion I am not ready to take ILETS test yet. Would you please share me some links for improving my writing and listening? Thank you so much

I would be happy if I could submit, but because I live here illegally without any Bank account. That’s made me crazy.

Check your email – I just sent you a present 🙂

You’re not only the best teacher ever, you’re the model of human being. Thanks for inspiring me!

Hi Liz, Can i use words such as ‘what is more ‘OR ‘ to be more clear’ to explain my points between paragraphs? Thanks in advance

See my list of linking words: https://ieltsliz.com/linking-words-for-writing/ . Then see my main writing task 2 page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

Hi mam, 7 years back I took ielts exam & I got 6.5 overall . Later I stopped thinking of exam as it finds difficult for me to reach the required score.But after watching all your lessons I am planning to take exam again .Really impressed by all ur videos . Thanks you so much .

My exam is tomorrow I have one question please help me

In any questions like agree or disagree, advantages or disadvantages, to what extent do you agree or disagree??? In such OR questions…can we partially agree or disagree?? Can we fully go for disagree or agree??

Can we write for example in body paragraph(if we agree) writing 4 positive points and in next paragraph 3 points showing its negative side and in conclusion going with agree one

please reply

Hi my best ielts teacher,kindly tell me if it is correct to write your opinion as ,”This essay agrees with the statement or should i always write, “In my opinion.Thanks in advance

If you want to give YOUR opinion, you need to use “I”. The words “this essay …” does not express your opinion.

In the partially agree,is it possible to write 2 body paragraphs on agree and 3rd one on disagree. I am little confuse about it.

Thanks in advance

For the Partial Agreement/Disagreement Essay (Balanced View) is it possible to still write 4 Paragraphs with such essay or it must be 5 paragraphs?

You can have either four or five paragraphs in writing task 2. It depends on your main points.

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To what extent you agree or disagree essay

This lesson will guide you how to write essays in IELTS Writing that ask you to what extent you agree/disagree . Such questions are very common for IELTS Writing task 2 . In such essays your task is to say whether you:

• completely agree with a given statement 
• completely disagree with a given statement 
• partly agree / disagree

and  justify your opinion .

In this lesson you will see IELTS writing task 2 sample question + model answer . Also, you will learn the following points:

• how to decide on your opinion
• how to generate ideas to justify your opinion
• how to give a band 9 answer for agree/disagree question

To what extent you agree/disagree question sample

Let’s look at an example of IELTS writing task 2:

The government's investment in arts, music and theatre is a waste of money. Governments should invest these funds in public services instead.

To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Choose your opinion & generate ideas

Unlike classic agree/disagree questions, to what extent you agree or disagree questions do NOT ask you to clearly determine whether you agree or disagree with the given statement.

In fact, you have 3 major options for your opinion :

   AA : You completely agree (provide 2 ideas that strengthen the statement)    DD : You completely disagree (provide 2 ideas that weaken the statement)    AD : You agree or disagree partly (provide 1 idea that strengthens the statement and 1 idea that weakens it)

After you’ve decided your opinion,  generate 2-3 supporting points for it .

Now let’s generate supporting points for each of the opinions:

AA: Investment in arts, music and theatre is a waste of money

• Art, music and theatre don’t help to solve urgent problems of the society
• Art and music can develop as hobbies, and saved money can be directed towards urgent needs of the society
• If artists and musicians were employed at more traditional jobs, there would be a great benefit for science and industry

DD: Investment in arts, music and theatre is NOT a waste of money

• The arts and music preserve unique culture and heritage, passing nation’s cultural character and traditions to future generations
• Arts, music and theatre are an integral part of the society’s cultural and intellectual development and amusement
• A strong arts, music and theatre sector is an economic asset that creates new jobs and attracts tourism revenue

For this opinion, just combine ideas from the previous points.

For our essay, we’ll choose the last opinion - partially agree / disagree (AD).

Band 9 answer structure

There are a lot of ways to structure your essay, but we’ll use a structure that has been approved by many IELTS examiners to be high-scoring and coherent. Band-9 essay structure :

• Introduction

Body paragraph 1 - the 1st supporting point

• Body paragraph 2 - the 2nd supporting point

As you already know, you can write the supporting points of your body paragraphs in the following ways: agree + agree, disagree + disagree, agree + disagree. We’ll use the last option as our opinion is partially agree / disagree .

Let’s take a look at each of these sections in detail.

• Sentence 1 - paraphrase the statement  (you can use ‘ it is argued/considered/thought that ’ to start):

It is often argued that the government should finance public services instead of spending its budget on arts, music and theatre. 

• Sentence 2 - give your opinion :

Although I agree that government’s investments in public services play a very important role, I think that proper funding of arts sector is also crucial for the society.

• Sentence 1 - state the first reason you agree/disagree .

This sentence should contain the main idea of the whole 1st paragraph. In our case we’ll use the reason A: why it is important to finance public services. As we’ll be considering opposite opinions, it is a good idea to use a collocation on the one hand to introduce the first reason:

On the one hand, the government should definitely allocate a large part of its budget on public services.

• Sentences 2-3 - explain the reason .

To explain the reason effectively, you can imagine that your examiner didn’t understand what you were talking about and you have to explain every detail:

This economic sector determines the overall quality of life, ensuring that some basic services, like schools, hospitals and roads, are available to all citizens irrespective of their income or social status. Public services satisfy the primary needs of the society and thus need a proper funding, while artists and musicians are not curing diseases or building houses, so their role is secondary.

• Sentence 4 - example .

It’s always good to give examples in your body paragraphs, even if you’re not asked to do it (like in our case):

For example, any country can live without music concerts, but absence of medicine will create significant problems.

• Sentence 5 - a short summary of your ideas in this paragraph :

That’s why the government should adequately finance public services in the first place.

Body paragraph 2 - the 2nd reason you agree/disagree

• Sentence 1 - state the second reason you agree/disagree .

This statement should contain the main idea of the whole 2nd paragraph. This time we’ll use the reason D: why it is important to finance public services. As we are considering opposite opinions, it is a good idea to use a phrase on the other hand to introduce the second reason:

On the other hand, arts, music and theatre are not a waste of money, since they are an integral part of the society’s cultural and intellectual development and amusement.

• Sentences 2-3 - explain the reason  (assume that your examiner doesn’t understand the topic at all):

Firstly, art and music draw people’s attention to diverse phenomena and represent the inward significance of things. Quite often a single drawing, piece or song can exhort myriads of people to reconsider their attitude towards some situation. This way, art serves as a major source of nation’s personal and intellectual development. Moreover, visiting museums, watching movies and listening to music are common ways of relaxation and entertainment.

• Sentence 4 - support your idea with an example :

The question doesn’t ask us to give examples, plus we’ve already written a lot in this paragraph, so we’ll skip this point. 

• Sentence 5 - a short summary of your thoughts in the 2nd paragraph .

Thus, art sector is also important for the society and should not be neglected.

You can write the conclusion in  one sentence that summarizes your opinion + 2 reasons for it :

To conclude, though I agree that the government should allocate a large part of its budget on such urgent needs of the society like public services, I think that arts, music and theatre should also be financed since they play an important role in people’s development and entertainment.

DO NOT write new ideas in the conclusion!

Model answer

This is a full band-9 answer for to what extent you agree or disagree IELTS Writing question above:

It is often argued that the government should finance public services instead of spending its budget on arts, music and theatre. Although I agree that government’s investments in public services play a very important role, I think that proper funding of arts sector is also crucial for the society.

On the one hand, the government should definitely allocate a large part of its budget on public services. This economic sector determines the overall quality of life, ensuring that some basic services, like schools, hospitals and roads, are available to all citizens irrespective of their income or social status. Public services satisfy the primary needs of the society and thus need a proper funding, while artists and musicians are not curing diseases or building houses, so their role is secondary. For example, any country can live without music concerts, but absence of medicine will create significant problems. That’s why the government should adequately finance public services in the first place.

On the other hand, arts, music and theatre are not a waste of money, since they are an integral part of the society’s cultural and intellectual development and amusement. Firstly, art and music draw people’s attention to diverse phenomena and represent the inward significance of things. Quite often a single drawing, piece or song can exhort myriads of people to reconsider their attitude towards some situation. This way, art serves as a major source of nation’s personal and intellectual development. Moreover, visiting museums, watching movies and listening to music are common ways of relaxation and entertainment. Thus, art sector is also important for the society and should not be neglected.

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AT&T: High Margin Of Safety

• AT&T is benefiting from steady price momentum and an improved free cash flow outlook, leading to less concern about the dividend.
• The company is seeing growth in its Fiber Broadband segment and higher free cash flow compared to the previous year.
• AT&T is on track to reduce its net debt significantly by 2025, with a focus on capital investments and debt repayments.

jetcityimage

AT&T Inc. ( NYSE: T ) is profiting from some slow-and-steady price momentum. Passive income investors seem much less worried about the Telco’s dividend this year, which is probably attributable to the company guiding for at least $17.0 billion in free cash flow and laying out an ambitious target for net debt reductions.

AT&T is also seeing steady momentum for its core Fiber Broadband segment and had substantially higher free cash flow compared to the year ago period.

All things considered, I think the profit and free cash flow outlook for the Telco has considerably improved as of late, and the stock remains undervalued from an earnings angle, in my view.

My Rating History

In my March 2024 piece Are We Going To Get A Dividend Hike In 2024? I evaluated the odds of AT&T deciding to raise the dividend this year.

AT&T has performed very well in 2024 with the stock marching to new 52-week highs, aided by growing investor confidence in the Telco’s net debt reduction. While we have not yet received a dividend hike, it is still a possibility given how much progress the company is making in terms of net debt reduction.

Since my last piece on the Telco was published, AT&T has steadily re-rated higher, which is good news for investors that have been concerned about the Telco’s dividend.

With ongoing momentum in Fiber Broadband and a reasonably robust forecast for free cash flow, I think that AT&T’s earnings prospects and dividend are still undervalued, particularly because AT&T is ramping up its efforts to reduce its considerable net debt.

Free Cash Flow, Pay-Out Ratio And Broadband Growth

AT&T reaffirmed that it anticipates producing at least $17.0 billion in free cash flow this year, but FCF could go as high as $18.0 billion due to robust momentum in the company’s Fiber Broadband unit.

In 1Q24, AT&T produced $3.1 billion in free cash flow, up 210% YoY, primarily due to lower vendor financing payments. With the Telco anticipating $17-18 billion in free cash flow in 2024, and the dividend costing $7.96 billion annually, so AT&T is on track to pay out only 45% of its free cash flow this year. The remaining 55%, $9.5 billion, will be used for capital investments and net debt repayments.

A stricter focus on capital expenditures and ongoing momentum in the Fiber Broadband unit are what supports the Telco’s free cash flow forecast.

Broadband added 252K customers to AT&T’s Fiber business in the first quarter, resulting in a 19.5% YoY jump in Fiber Broadband sales to $1.7 billion. This growth was partially offset by declines in voice and data, but AT&T’s consumer wireless sales nonetheless continued to increase 3.4% YoY.

Most importantly, this Fiber Broadband momentum is creating a lot of latitude for the Telco to tackle its net debt situation aggressively in the next couple of years.

Fiber Broadband Subscriber Growth (AT&T)

On Track To 2.5x Net-Debt-To-Adjusted-EBITDA In 2025

AT&T is a slow-growth Telco with a mountain of net debt to service. This net debt amounted to $128.7 billion as of March 31, 2024, but the company has moved to repay this debt.

In the first quarter, AT&T repaid $6.0 billion of this net debt, which caused the net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio to fall from 3.2x in the year ago quarter to 2.9x. AT&T’s excess free cash flow facilitates further repayments of this net debt, and the Telco has guided for a 2025 net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio of 2.5x.

AT&T produces $11.0 billion in adjusted EBITDA, which means that the company is shooting for a net debt target level of $110 billion by mid-2025.

A $110 billion net debt target (implied by the target 2.5x net-debt-to-adjusted-EBITDA ratio) reflects a substantial decline from today’s net debt level of $128.7 billion. I thus estimate that AT&T could repay $18-19 billion in net debt until mid-2025, or an average of $3.7 billion in the next five quarters.

The average $3.7 billion is substantially below the $6.0 billion net debt reduction AT&T pulled off in 1Q24, so I am very confident that AT&T can achieve its deleveraging goal.

The deleveraging of AT&T’s balance sheet, in my view, is a catalyst for AT&T’s stock to continue its bull run in the latter half of 2024 and possibly even in 2025.

Net Debt (AT&T)

High Margin Of Safety For AT&T Investors

Though AT&T is selling near 52-week highs, in my view, the stock is still a hard-to-ignore bargain for three reasons:

• AT&T’s Broadband platform is growing fast, and the Telco is adding a boatload of new subscribers on a quarterly basis.
• AT&T’s forecast implies at least 2023-level free cash flow, with an upside of up to $1.2 billion (which is why I see room for a dividend hike).
• AT&T is paying back more debt, which is urgently needed and which could create a leaner organization with higher profitability.

All of this progress (Broadband growth, growing FCF strength, net debt relief, and prospects for a dividend increase) can be had for 8.0x this year’s earnings.

I would be more than comfortable paying 10-11x earnings for AT&T primarily because the dividend is very well-covered by free cash flow and because AT&T is finally addressing the elephant in the room: Its net debt. A multiple of 10-11x reflects back to us an intrinsic value that is 25-35% higher than the present stock price of $18.69 (implied intrinsic value of between $23.36 and $25.36), hence my remarks about AT&T having a high margin of safety.

The reason for AT&T’s low valuation is that the market is not yet seeing enough progress in terms of net debt reduction, but this view may be corrected over the next year. A leaner, less leveraged AT&T with considerable FCF could be a much more attractive passive income investment for investors in 2025.

AT&T’s biggest peer, Verizon Communications Inc. ( VZ ) , is selling for 8.6x this year’s profits. Both AT&T and Verizon Communications cover their dividends with free cash flow on an annual basis and have similar trajectories in the Broadband business .

Considering that AT&T is selling for a lower multiple, the earnings value is higher and AT&T’s 8x P/E implies a higher margin of safety for passive income investors.

Why The Investment Thesis May Not Benefit Passive Income Investors

AT&T has to work with what it has got: The Telco is not growing its sales or EBITDA very much, but produces a lot of free cash flow. This free cash flow, unfortunately, will have to be used at least in part to clean up areas like AT&T's excessive net debt.

AT&T’s debt ballooned on the back of misguided acquisitions in the past, and we shareholders today still have to pay the price for it. The reduction in net debt therefore will remain a pressing issue in the next twelve months.

Should AT&T suffer a decline in Fiber Broadband momentum and free cash flows, the Telco’s deleveraging target could be put at risk.

Considering that AT&T is anticipating substantial excess FCF in 2024 (in the amount of $9.5 billion), I think AT&T should be able to achieve its net debt goals rather easily.

My Conclusion

Two things keep the investment thesis regarding AT&T afloat: The Telco’s free cash flow forecast for 2024 implies that the dividend is well-covered (and leaves room for a dividend hike).

Furthermore, AT&T has considerable latitude in applying excess free cash flow to its high net debt, which should yield a considerable deleveraging effort in the next 12 months.

A target net-debt-to-adjusted-EBITDA ratio of 2.5x implies close to $20 billion in net debt repayments during this period, all the while the Telco should have no issues covering its dividend with free cash flow. The icing on the cake here is that AT&T is selling for a low earnings multiple of 8.0x.

I thus see a positive risk/reward relationship for shareholders, even with AT&T’s stock trading up to challenge new 52-week highs.

This article was written by

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of T either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

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• BOOK REVIEW
• 26 June 2024

How the grid came to shape the US landscape

• K. John Holmes 0

K. John Holmes is the senior board director and scholar at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in Washington DC.

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Regular blocks such as these in Washington DC were thought by early leaders to imbue ideas of equality, freedom and prosperity. Credit: Getty

You have full access to this article via your institution.

Liberty’s Grid: A Founding Father, a Mathematical Dreamland, and the Shaping of America Amir Alexander Univ. Chicago Press (2024)

Fly over the United States or walk its city streets and you can’t help but notice the country’s seemingly endless patchwork of rectangular blocks of land. The origins of this ‘grid’ lie in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when the early US early leaders sent surveyors out to carve up vast tracts of land acquired under treaties and to expand settlement westwards to the Pacific coast.

In Liberty’s Grid , historian of science and mathematics Amir Alexander relates how this rectilinear grid was imposed and how it has fed into the US consciousness. In Alexander’s telling, the grid is grand, ambitious and uniquely American. It is not only a blank, boundless canvas, but also a causal factor of different aspects of the United States’s trajectory and character. And it is in that latter regard that the author both goes so very wrong yet makes his book so compelling.

Landscapes of reason

“Written not on parchment but into the mountains, valleys, and plains of North America, the Great American Grid embodies an ideal of America as a land of unconstrained freedom and infinite opportunity,” Alexander writes. His central thesis is that, although dividing up much of the United States into a geometric grid might seem like a convenient solution to a difficult problem, when viewed from a historian’s perspective it becomes an expression of American exceptionalism and a means to fulfil the idea of the country as an “empire of liberty”.

The early US leaders saw scientific learning as “a shining beacon showing the way to an enlightened, peaceful, and prosperous future anchored in the rule of reason”. Alexander describes how the US statesman Thomas Jefferson viewed these vast lands objectively and abstractly, as “the embodiment of Newtonian space” — limitless, empty and uniform, without history, hierarchy or tradition. Although these ‘empty’ lands were already occupied by Native Americans, as the author correctly points out, the lands came to be viewed by Jefferson as the perfect site for building “a new society, based on universal principles and the free exercise of reason”.

Surveyors took a century to map the topography of the United States. Credit: Bettmann/Getty

Alexander portrays Jefferson as “America’s Newton”, a devoted student of science and mathematics, whose intent in developing a gridded landscape was not merely to survey the land but to imbue ideas of equality, freedom and prosperity in the people moving to the lands. The blocks of Manhattan, Alexander describes, were purposefully planned to “serve as the grounds on which industrious and enterprising Americans would pursue their ambitions” and create fortunes for themselves as well as for the young nation.

Two-dimensional view

As a scholar engaged in the technological and societal dimensions of energy and the environment in the United States, I often look to historical precedents for insights. Liberty’s Grid has provoked my thinking on US expansion and the environment. And Alexander’s conceptualization of the lands beyond the 13 original colonies and the struggles of early leaders with how to survey those lands and enable population expansion is a distinctive contribution to the scholarship of US history. Nonetheless, I found many of his arguments to be flawed.

The ‘ghost roads’ driving tropical deforestation

First, portraying Jefferson as “America’s Newton” and using this moniker to assert his motivations does a disservice to both, in my view. Although the physicist Isaac Newton did enter politics briefly as a member of parliament for the University of Cambridge, UK, he was foremost a scientist and mathematician. It was other enlightenment scholars, such as philosopher John Locke, that provided the philosophical foundation for seeing these empty Newtonian spaces as perfect for freedom and democracy.

By contrast, Jefferson was a polymath — and a huge collector of stuff — with his library becoming the foundation for the Library of Congress. He is also a complex character, whose intentions are hard to read. Whereas Jefferson drafted the words “all men are created equal” in the US Declaration of Independence, he owned slaves and probably fathered children with one of them, Sally Hemings. Jefferson encouraged farming, but failed at it himself. He championed austerity, yet returned from his one trip to France with more than 100 rolls of wallpaper. And one probably would not have wanted to bring up the subject of mastodons in his presence lest they wanted a whole night spent debating the likelihood of finding one alive. With there being few historical accounts on why Jefferson chose the grid, some of Alexander’s inferences might be questioned.

Second, I disagree with Alexander’s assertion that the rectilinear grid was never a utilitarian choice. The author proposes that this block structure was adopted in opposition to conventions of land ownership and city planning in Europe. Yet, he also offers evidence that grids have been used to define property lines for centuries. In my opinion, there was no viable alternative to the early leaders.

Are we all doomed? How to cope with the daunting uncertainties of climate change

The areas involved were huge — the Louisiana Purchase alone added more than 200 million hectares to the size of the country. Yet, keeping a straight line going across a whole continent proved extremely difficult, as the book describes nicely. But using different rules for surveying different bits of land would have created even more problems, and opportunities for nefarious practices.

Not surveying the land would have stifled the aspirations of Jefferson and others to settle farther west. It would also have prevented mapping of the third Cartesian axis, the z axis, which is forgotten in Alexander’s story. The first US land survey provided the basis for more-comprehensive mapping, including the century-long topographic survey, begun under geologist John Wesley Powell , that culminated in the US Geological Survey’s National Map in 2001.

Third, Alexander’s repeated statements that the imposition of the gridded survey defines the lands as a uniform and monotonous mathematical space turns the lands into a trackless expanse viewed from above. By lumping together the steep canyons and uplands of the Allegheny Plateau, the flat glacial terrain of the Midwest, the arid lands of the Great Plains and the towering peaks and high alpine parks of Inner Mountains West into the “Great Western Grid”, Alexander dismisses two-thirds of the nation as a mere checkerboard.

A sketched survey of Indiana. Credit: The Picture Art Collection/Alamy

Whatever it looks like on Google maps, residents of North Dakota would surely disagree that a square of their badlands is indistinguishable from one on the agricultural plains of Nebraska. Perhaps that’s why Nebraska adopted the slogan “honestly, it’s not for everyone” when enticing the flyover crowd to see the landscape from the ground.

Fourth, Alexander goes too far in linking the grid to societal changes, in my view. He often conflates correlation with causation, inferring that disparate events that occurred while the grid was being deployed or on gridded lands were caused by the grid itself. Industrialization, population growth, racism, immigration, wealth disparities and local geographies are more compelling explanations, in my opinion.

For example, in one passage on the forced relocation of Native Americans, the grid becomes an independent actor as opposed to a tool of humans: Indigenous peoples “proved helpless to stop the juggernaut of the grid as it rolled across the West, transforming a living landscape into a blank mathematical space”. He blames the grid for the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon in 2016 by extremists, glossing over disputes over local land use and the policies of the US Bureau of Land Management.

Liberty’s Grid closes by asserting that the grid is so invisible and its effects so fundamental that they are easily missed. Alexander argues that geometrical constructs introduced millennia ago shape human attitudes, beliefs and lives, and yet are unseen. And, in that way, the author has made this reviewer see the world in a new light.

Nature 630 , 810-812 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02083-4

Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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