You don't 'lose marks' for looking at both sides of an issue in an essay. All IELTS looks at is a clear opinion supported by evidence. If you 'partly agree' then it is logical to look at both sides of an issue and the essay will naturally become more of a discussion. If you agree more strongly with one side of an issue then the essay structure will reflect that. With 'discuss both sides' questions I advise people to give an opinion more towards the middle (not strongly on one side) because the essay structure is more balanced. A simple approach is to look at the merits of both sides and then favour one in your conclusion.
Hi, simon I also want to know the same information about writing essay 2 that do we need to write on both side still if we are disagree or we could write 2 supporting paragraph .. I know simon do not have time to answer all comments .. Plz feel free if somebody else can give information regarding this .. I will really appreciate ... Thnx in advance ...
discussion essay ielts simon
Hello simon The most recent ielts test that I sat was 3 weeks a go and the topic for task 2 was :Whether governments should pay for primary secondary and university education or students should pay for their university education .Discuss your opinion and why u think so with supporting examplesI thought that was a tricky topic as we still have to discuss both views because they mentioned primary and secondary education within the first part of the topic while students should only pay for university education with in the second part . I was a bit confused in which information I should discuss in each paragraph ( 2&3) Please try and make such topic more clear Many thanks
hi simon and eevryone !!!!can anyone here help me please..i took my ielts test on 25th may..and unfortunately i didnt score well in writing section.i got 6 band ..i had a question in task 2 , given below..To educate young people is the most important task for the governments all over the world.However educating Adults who are not able to write and read is more important and so the governments should spend more public money on this.To what extent do you agree or disagree,,
hi simon, its a wonderful essay !can u please advice how can i improve my writing skills on everyday basis? before taking the exam,approximately how many essays should i practice to reach the goal of band 7....i am writing new words every day in a note book and try to use them .thanks a tons for this wonderful site from which i am getting inspiration to pursue my dreams...
Hi Simon i need to now which kind of essay are appearing in the task 2 ielts also how to write them ? what i mean is the order and were can i set my opinion, please rewrite to me as soon as possible.
Most discussion essays also ask for your opinion. Sometimes, however, the question doesn't ask for your opinion. It might just ask you to discuss two different views, or compare the advantages and disadvantages.
Hi Simon,it was a really helpful lesson.in your discussion essay you started with(on the other hand, it is also understandable that...............)while giving general opinion can we start like this
Thank you very much for your daily lessons. It really has been a great help for me. I would like to clarify with you on " Opinion" & "Discussion" essays. I understand that we need to write both sides for disucssion essays. However, when we try to write both views for opinion essays, would it be very much similar to discussion essays? How should I make it clear?
In a 'discussion' essay, you can talk about what "some people believe" and "other people think". However, in a 'balanced opinion' essay, you need to make it clear that the views are YOURS rather than other people's - so write something like "On the one hand, I accept that..." and "However, I also believe that..." instead of using "some/other people".
Strong answer, two supporting ideas -simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2015/01/ielts-writing-task-2-wild-animals-essay.htmlStrong answer, refute the opposite view -simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2015/09/ielts-writing-task-2-strong-opinion-essay.htmlBalanced opinion -simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2015/08/ielts-writing-task-2-traditional-views-essay.htmlAlmost balanced opinion, but favouring one side -simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2013/06/ielts-writing-task-2-animal-testing-essay.html
Oh I realized that I copied and paste the wrong link for type 4. I opened too many tabs of your blog that I made this silly mistake when I copied the link.Here is the right link for type 4:Almost balanced opinion, but favouring one side -simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2016/12/ielts-writing-task-2-festivals-essay.html
The link for "Almost balanced opinion, but favouring one side" that I posted in my previous comment is wrong. I wish we could edit our comments after we posted them. Anyway, just ignore it since I used a discussion essay link by mistake.
1. -simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2016/11/ielts-writing-task-2-suggest-your-conclusion.html2. -simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2016/09/ielts-writing-task-2-climate-change-essay.html3. -simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2016/05/ielts-writing-task-2-business-responsibilities-essay.html4. -simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2017/02/ielts-writing-task-2-traditions-and-technology-essay.html
Dear Teacher Simon and Teacher Sjm,I have been looking into this essay: -simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2015/10/ielts-writing-task-2-university-subjects-essay.htmlI am not sure what this sentence means. Could you please explain it to me? Thank you very much!"On the societal level, by forcing people to choose particular university subjects, governments can ensure that any knowledge and skill gaps in the economy are covered."
[Balance 1]If not totally X, then you go "partly agree".e.g. "I partly agree with this assertion; while it may be true in the case of ..." ( -simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2017/02/ielts-writing-task-2-traditions-and-technology-essay.html); "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."( -simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2016/12/ielts-writing-task-2-festivals-essay.html)
[Balance 2]If not only X, then "disagree".e.g. "Personally, I believe that both types of hobby can be fun, and I therefore disagree with the statement..." ( -simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2012/04/ielts-writing-task-2-hobbies-essay.html)
[Almost balanced]In the case of "Almost balanced opinion", you can simply say "(completely) agree". e.g. "I completely agree with the idea that businesses should do more..." ( -simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2016/05/ielts-writing-task-2-business-responsibilities-essay.html)
i am studying ielts at the moment and our instructors kept on telling us not to use personal pronouns like "I", "you", and "we". only "they" and "them" are allowed.I have browsed through your model essays and you have actually been using the "we". Is it really not allowed, or our lecturers are just being strict?
I noticed that you give your opinion in the introduction, one of the main bodies and in conclusion. But, the textbook "Cambridge IELTS consultants" advice to give a personal opinion only in the conclusions when writing the discussion type essay.
hello simon ,hope you are doing good.i bought your e-book couple of weeks ago. i just read through your animal testing ideas.could you please clarify me something?you have mentioned in the e-book , that we have to give our opinion(if question asks for it) as well as summarise the idea, but in the above mentioned essay of yours , you have written directly your opinion , didnot summarise the idea..is it ok?
Hi simon I have more questions about writing task2 while I'm preparing for the next ielts exam. If I use the normal vocab in writing the essay but I'm focus on organizing the essay, idea, Will it possible to get 6.5 for writing. I also have questions about using your idea ielts book .There are huge idea for them, Do I have to memorize all of them as it is impossible to guess the essay question right? Is it enough for me if I focus on this book and study from your website?
hi simon, is there any rules for paragraph like 4 or 5 paragraph essay can get more score?....and is it true that 2 latter word like is, if, am, or, and many more , not counted in essay word count. 2ff7e9595c
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