simon ielts writing opinion essay

Opinion Essay IELTS Writing task 2: overview, structure and tips

1. opinion essay ielts overview.

If questions like “Do you agree or disagree?”, “To what extent do you agree or disagree?”, or “What is your opinion?”, etc. appears, you are tackling with   IELTS  opinion essay , or Argumentative/Agree or Disagree essay. 

This question type in IELTS Writing Task 2 asks you to give opinions after providing a statement or an argument. Following are general types of IELTS opinion essay:

• Ask if you agree or disagree and how much you agree or disagree e.g. Some people think that rich countries should support poor countries in terms of aid for health care and education. To what extent do you agree? or Some people believe that schools should not assess a student’s ability through exams but instead assess them by their course work and project work over the whole academic year. Do you agree?
• Ask you to discusss both sides impartially, not ask for your opinion e.g. While some people think that the problem with education in poor countries is the teaching methodology used, others believe it is the lack of resources that is the real issue. Discuss both sides.
• Ask you to discuss both views and give your opinion e.g. Many children no longer read books and instead spend their time using modern technology. While some people think this is a positive trend, others think it is a problem. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

In terms of giving an opinion towards a statement, you have three choices:

• Totally agree
• Totally disagree
• Partially agree or disagree 

Let’s get started with our free  IELTS online test  to pass the exam on your first attempt.

2. IELTS Opinion Essay Structure

The structure below is highly recommended besides other ways to structure an IELTS opinion essay. You should follow the four-part essay with four different paragraphs:

2.1. Introduction

– Paraphrase the statement (e.g. It is argued that IT is playing an ever increasing role in schools and universities and one day teachers will be obsolete.)

– Thesis statement with the mention of reasons for your opinion (e.g. It is disagreed that technology will one day replace educators.)

– Outline statement (optional)

(e.g. This essay will discuss, firstly the limitations of technology in education and secondly, the essential role teachers play in maintaining discipline in the classroom, followed by a reasoned conclusion.)

2.2. Body 1

This paragraph will be the first reason you agree or disagree with the statement given:

– Topic sentence: state the first idea you agree or disagree (e.g. Technology may be able to help students with some things but it has many limitations.)

– Explain the topic sentence: elaborate the first idea

(e.g. I.T. can not educate people as effectively as real human beings because computers can not detect things such as context, emotions, and how an individual learns.)

– Example: support the first idea with an example

(e.g. A prime example is language learning, in which teachers need to explain not only individual words but how these words work in different situations. However, there may come a time in the very distant future when computers are able to carry out these tasks.)

– Brief summary of the first idea (optional)

2.3. Body 2

The body paragraph 2 will discuss the second reason you agree or disagree with the statement

– Topic sentence: state the second idea you agree or disagree 

(e.g. Computers are also unable to ensure good classroom management.)

– Explain the topic sentence: elaborate the second idea 

(e.g. A computer may be able to provide a student with lots of information, but it will not be able to motivate or discipline students when they display unacceptable behaviour.)

– Example: support the second idea with an example

(e.g. For instance, unruly students could simply switch the device off and do nothing for the rest of the class. Nevertheless, this may not be a problem for highly motivated adult students.)

– Brief summary of the second idea (optional)

2.4. Conclusion

The final paragraph of your IELTS opinion essay will summarize and reinterate your opinion.

(e.g. In conclusion, it is not likely that electronic devices will replace teachers in the future because of current limitations in technology and the requirement for teachers to maintain good behaviour in the classroom. It is predicted that computers will play an ever increasing role in the classroom but will never fully replace humans.)

➡️➡️ See more: IELTS Writing Practice Test

3. IELTS Writing Task 2 Opinion Essay Strategy

3.1. make a short outline.

• You had better read thoroughly the topic given and underline the key points in the first place. 
• Then, note down whether you agree or disagree with the statement.
• Next, write two main points supporting your idea in the form of a phrase instead of a full sentence. Each point should be supported by an explanation and a example. 

Your outline can be organized as a mindmap or a table or simply bullet points with words and phrases only in order to save time and give clearer overview.

3.2. Write a complete IELTS opinion essay

Based on the IELTS opinion essay structure given in the previous part and the outline you have created, it’s now time for you to write your own IELTS opinion essay.

3.3. Recheck your IELTS opinion essay

Make sure your IELTS writing task 2 opinion essay will be correctly written in terms of spelling and grammar structures. Check your final essay at least once before handing in.

>>> Read more: IELTS Discussion Essay

4. IELTS Writing Task 2 Opinion Essay Tips

• Do not just list all the reasons without any explanation or example in the body paragraphs
• Your opinion should be mentioned throughout the whole essay, not just in the conclusion part
• Watch out the time limit and word count at the same time. You will be given around 40 minutes to write the essay, so the ideal word range should be 250 to 290 words. 
• You should have several words or phrases showing the opposing or supporting idea at your disposal, especially in the Introduction and Conclusion parts.
• It is not recommended to give two distinctive opinions since your IELTS opinion essay will be much more like a discussion essay.

That’s the brief introduction and strategy to effectively produce an IELTS Writing task 2 Opinion essay , or IELTS argumentative/agree/disagree essay. IELTS Test Pro hopes that the above knowledge will help you conquer IELTS route with much success. Visit our website and download the app to practice now!

How to write an IELTS opinion essay

Ielts opinion essay: structure, model answer, and analysis..

Updated: February 2023

There are 5 types of essays in IELTS writing task 2 and a common one is an opinion essay.

So how do you know if it is an opinion essay?. You will first need to study the instruction words. These words tell you what you should write about and this should be the first step to take before you even begin to plan. Analyse the task and especially the instruction words so you do not go off-topic or write a different essay altogether.

Here are 2 essay tasks below, which one do you think is the opinion essay?

1.  Most people agree that money cannot buy happiness. Why is happiness difficult to define? How can people achieve happiness? 2.  Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Looking at the instruction words we can see that the second one is an opinion essay as it asks ‘ To what extent do you agree or disagree? ‘

The first task is called a ‘Two-part question essay’ or sometimes called a ‘Direct question essay’.

Instruction words

Opinion essays will have various instruction words such as:

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Do you agree or disagree?

What is your opinion?

Do you think…?

What do you think….?

In your opinion what is ….?

In some cases the instruction words ask your opinion it may be a discussion essay such as:

‘Discuss both views and give your own opinion’ 

The structure of a discussion essay is different from an opinion essay as you will need to explain peoples views before you go into your own opinion.

This task below is a 2 part question essay and the second question asks your opinion.

Most people agree that money cannot buy happiness. Why is happiness difficult to define? How can people achieve happiness?

The opinion essay that I am referring to asks ‘ To what extent do you agree or disagree?’ means how much do you agree/disagree? , do you completely agree/disagree?  or somewhat agree/disagree?  or do you neither agree nor disagree?

You can write in your thesis statement something like:  ‘ I completely agree because…..’ or if you don’t agree, something like: ‘ I absolutely disagree because…..’

What is an effective opinion essay structure?

There is no magic Band 9 structure but my students have found that the structure below works well in an opinion essay.

Tips on structure:

• The main body paragraphs will cover the reasons for your opinion; however, do not list ideas just use one central idea and explain and support it.
• Don’t wait until the conclusion to give your opinion. It must be throughout the whole essay .
• Don’t give 2 different opinions. Do not agree then disagree as it will confuse the examiner. You can balance it with why someone would hold an opposing view but it is not a discussion essay.
• I advise keeping the introduction under 60 words , each body paragraph should be approximately 90 to 105 words , the conclusion needs to be shorter than the introduction and no new ideas should be added to the conclusion
• Aim for between 270 to 295 words , over 300 words is not realistic as you only have 40 minutes to write the essay .

Which body paragraph is better?

Take a look at these 2 main body one paragraphs to the task below, what do you think will score higher?

Task question:

Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices . To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

A long time ago people used to go to market places and they bought basic daily necessities, now people can buy online and go to many high street shops. In addition, we can choose any hotel we like at cheap prices. Also, businesses compete with each other which means customers can buy items at low cost as well as a bigger selection of goods. Furthermore, the economy benefits because people can select from so many different products. For example, Amazon.com has millions of products that are much cheaper than buying at a shopping mall.

Admittedly, these days there are far too many choices which can be overwhelming; however, I think that for consumers this is an advantage because it forces businesses to compete with each other. This means that shoppers can benefit greatly from lower prices. For example, over the past two decades, Ryanair and EasyJet budget airlines have considerably reduced the cost of airfares for flights all over Europe. Before this, there was only one airline to choose from at exorbitant costs. Presently, many more budget airline options are serving destinations worldwide with incredible bargains for customers.  

Click below for the answer.

The 2nd example is better because I wrote one central idea (lower prices for consumers) and expanded on that. The example given is not entirely true but it looks very feasible. You can just make up examples but they have to be specific and realistic looking. The point of an example is to support your main idea.

At the start of the paragraph I mentioned that too much choice is overwhelming but then contrast that with my opinion (Admittedly, these days there are far too many choices which can be overwhelming; however, I think that…) .

To see how to balance the essay click here for a lesson on balancing your opinion .

In example 1 above this has too many ideas and too many points. It jumps around and is not focusing on one central idea. The points are relevant but there is too much going on.

You will also notice an opinion is not given directly in the first example (I think / I believe etc)  the whole paragraph affects coherence and cohesion as well as task response. The example given about amazon.com is also quite weak and not well explained.

Analysing the question.

As with all IELTS essays, it is crucial to spend a couple of minutes analysing the task and underling the keywords so that you are writing relevant points in the essay. If you go off-topic or write irrelevant points it will affect your score.

This is the task question for my model answer below and it is clear that the essay is about having too many choices these days . This means that there is something negative about having many choices, as the word ‘too’ implies something negative. In my model answer, I disagree with this being a negative and in fact, many choices are beneficial.

Click here for the 5 steps you need to take before writing.

I advise 10 minutes of planning time, this includes time analysing the question and getting relevant ideas.

Click here for a lesson about examples in main body paragraphs.

Model Answer

Some people believe that n owadays we have too many choices . To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

It is argued that in recent times people are overwhelmed by so many choices. Although I agree with this to some extent, for consumers I believe that having so many options enables them to purchase more competitively priced and higher quality products.

Another reason why I believe that more choice is beneficial is that the quality of products has improved in recent years. This is because many businesses are vying for customers’ attention, so their main selling points are not only low prices but also much higher quality. For instance, smartphone costs have decreased in the past 5 years and these devices are more powerful and more durable than ever before. This is primarily because manufacturers have focused on quality control to compete with rival products. I would argue that this has been a benefit to consumers which would not have been possible with one or two companies monopolising the smartphone market.

To conclude, despite the argument that there is too much freedom of choice nowadays, I hold the view that this is a positive trend as so many options allows customers to buy inexpensive items without compromising on quality.

Click below to see more detail and an analysis

1. My thesis statement says: Although I agree with this to some extent, for consumers I believe that having so many options enables them to purchase more competitively priced and higher quality products.

I am giving a balanced opinion here and focusing specifically on choice for consumers.

2. I have covered the points about how more choices have resulted in lower prices in main body one, while in main body two I cover the point about higher quality products because of the fact there are more choices. Notice how I have balanced my view: Admittedly, these days there are far too many choices which can be overwhelming; however, I think that for consumers this is an advantage because it forces businesses to compete with each other. .

3. The examples I gave are made up and not entirely true but they look realistic, the examiner does not check your examples for validity. Examples are there to support your main ideas. Do not put statistics in the examples either.

4. The points I have made in the essay connect with consumerism and shopping, but I have linked them to the points about how having many choices are of benefit to customers or consumers , because my opinion is that having many choices is a good aspect

5. In this type of essay, you could write about other areas where having many choices are relevant such as the choices of universities we can attend, the choices of work we might engage in, The choice of health care options available….and so on.

Here is a good news article from ‘ Business Insider’ that connects with this task question. Reading is a very good way to get ideas for IELTS essays.

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• Essay Task 2

IELTS Writing Task 2: Opinion Essays- Benchmark IELTS

• Essay Types
• Double Question
• Advantage Disadvantage
• Problem Solution
• Essay Length

Opinion essays are a very common writing task 2 essay type. As you would expect from the name, you need to write a well-structured IELTS writing essay topics that give your opinion. We’ve put together a guide with everything you need to know to write a great IELTS writing task 2 opinion essay. Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

1.1 understanding the question, 1.2 example opinion questions.

• Essay Structure for Opinion Essays
• 3.1 Identify key words and phrases

3.2 Organise your ideas

3.3 identify vocabulary, 4.1 introduction, 4.2 main body paragraphs, 4.3 conclusion.

• 5.1 Complete the sample opinion essay

5.2 Opinion Sample Essay

1. opinion essay overview.

An opinion essay is also known as an agree or disagree essay . As with all writing task 2 essays, you will have 40 minutes to write at least 250 words .

Read on to find out how to produce a great opinion essay.

It is important that you first understand what writing task 2 essay question you have been given before you start writing. The type of essay question you get will slightly change the structure of your essay.

Remember, there are five main types of writing task 2 questions:

• Advantage/disadvantage
• Double question
• Problem/solution

You will be given an IELTS statement and a question . Here are some common questions/sentence starters that tell you that you have been given an opinion essay:

• What is your opinion
• Do you think…

To what extent do you agree?

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

• Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

The main aims of this type of essay are:

• Choose one side of the argument
• To state your opinion about a given topic
• Support your opinion with clear reasons and examples

A common mistake test takers make when writing an opinion essay is that they treat it like an advantage/disadvantage essay and try to write about both sides of the argument in detail (see our guide on advantage/disadvantage essays and compare the difference).

For an opinion essay, you need to pick a side : it does not matter which side of the argument you choose, just pick the one that you can develop the best argument for.

However, you should briefly acknowledge the other side of the argument, and will show you how to do this in your introduction , main body paragraphs, and conclusion .

You should not give reasons to support the opposing argument , only support one side with reasons and examples.

Make it clear to the examiner what your opinion is from the beginning to the end of your essay (this is called a thesis-led approach: leading with your opinion).

Here are some example opinion writing task 2 questions to help you recognize them in the IELTS exam:

Some people think that more money should be spent on protecting endangered species while others think it is a waste of valuable money.

What is your opinion?

Also, read the following IELTS Essay Writing Guides

• IELTS Discussion Type Questions
• Double Question IELTS Essay Topics
• IELTS Advantage Disadvantage Essay Type
• Problem Solution IELTS Writing Task Statement

Systems of funding university education are different from country to country. While some countries charge students for studying at university, others offer university education for free.

Do you think students should pay for higher education?

Every school system in the world includes regular tests and exams, and many people think that it is important for students to take lots of exams.

Children should not start school until the age of six or seven because they need to have more time to play and develop before they go to school.

Scientists and technology experts seem to be more valued by modern society than musicians and artists.

2. Essay Structure for Opinion Essays

Although there is more than one way you could choose to structure your essay, we have provided you with a foolproof structure you can always use for opinion essays to score highly in Coherence and cohesion , as well as address all parts of the task to do well in Task achievement :

3. Planning your Opinion Essay

Don’t skip this step! Taking 5 minutes to plan your essay could be the difference between your desired score and a missed opportunity.

3.1 Identify keywords and phrases

By identifying the topic of your essay, you are making sure that you are going to write about the correct topic and not go off-course. Test takers that rush and panic can make the mistake of writing about a completely different topic to the one they have been asked to write about. Don’t be one of those test taskers and make a plan !

Let’s take a look at the question for our sample answer where we have underlined the topic words:

The topic words are underlined and show the general topic of this essay question is protecting endangered species .

Now that we have identified the topic sentence, we should also look for any other keywords or phrases that give more information about the topic. Look at the words in bold below:

Some people think that more money should be spent on protecting endangered species while others think it is a waste of valuable money .

So this question is not only asking you to give your opinion on protecting endangered species, but also the amount of money that is spent on this cause.

A test taker that had only addressed the first point would likely have scored poorly in Task achievement.

There are so many ways you could choose to organize your ideas. We have chosen to note down our ideas by paragraph:

We give more note taking and idea generation tips in  Master Guide for IELTS writing task 2 .

If any useful IELTS vocabulary for writing comes to mind during the planning process, it is useful to write it down so you don’t forget (remember to cross out any notes or planning before the end of the 40 minutes so the examiner does not mark this as your essay).

4. Writing your Opinion Essay

Paraphrasing means being able to write something in your own words without changing the meaning . This is an essential skill needed for the IELTS exam, especially writing task 2.

There is no one right way to paraphrase an IELTS statement. You could choose to use synonyms or parallel expressions (phrases with more than one word but have the same meaning). You could also change the sentence structure, but make sure it is still grammatically correct. Another paraphrase technique is to change a word class, for example, a noun to a verb form.

Take a look at our example, can you see the main changes we have made?

Although this is a formal essay, you are still allowed the use of the first person ‘I’ and ‘my’, you will need to use this when giving your opinion (just don’t over-do it).

Notice that in this example, the opinion has been clearly stated whilst presenting both sides of the argument :

Opinion: However, my view is that more government funding should be used for wildlife conservation.

Other side of the argument:  It is argued by some that the protection of endangered animals is wasteful.

Not all sample essays will show this, but you can choose to briefly state what your essay will do, for example:

This essay will explain my opinion in more detail.

Now let’s move on to the main body paragraphs.

A topic sentence is usually found at the beginning of your paragraph. This should give the reader the main idea of your paragraph in one sentence.

Here are two examples taken from the sample answer:

• One reason that I believe more money should be spent on the conservation of wildlife is that animals are an essential part of maintaining the health of an ecosystem.
• Another reason to support spending on wildlife protection is that it also benefits humanity.

The start of your sentence indicates to the reader that you are clearly stating a reason for your opinion and that you are going to develop this idea throughout the paragraph.

You could also choose to start your topic sentence with the following structures:

• One reason that I believe…
• One argument in favor of… is that…
• The main reason that I think…
• Another reason to second…. (note that second here means ‘ to agree with an idea ’ )

You could also use the grammatical structure ‘ Not only… but also…’ to avoid repetition and put emphasis on the second reason, for example:

Not only does spending money on conservation help the animal kingdom, but it also benefits society as a whole.

Not only will preventing the extinction of species help the animals themselves, but it will also have a positive effect on the quality of air, water, and agricultural land.

As this is an opinion essay, it is essential that you use a range of phrases to give your opinion. Far too often, candidates just repeat the phrase ‘In my opinion…’ Here are some other sentence starters you can use to impress the examiner

• My point is that…
• I am of the opinion that…
• My argument is that…
• As far as I am concerned,…
• In my view…

Your conclusion is a very important part of your essay. You need to restate your opinion (in different words than your introduction) as well as choose the most convincing argument from your essay.

Remember to also briefly mention the other side of the argument to show the examiner that you understand there are two sides and you have clearly chosen one.

Here is a useful structure to do this:

Although it is true that… on balance I believe that/ I am of the view that/ another opinion phrase)…

And here is the full example from our sample essay :

… although it is true that there are valuable uses for funding that could aid environmental protection, on balance I am of the opinion that governments should invest in the protection of endangered species.

5. Example Opinion Essay and Exercise

Now it’s time to test your knowledge about IELTS writing task 2 opinion essays. We’ve created a model answer, but removed some of the keywords and phrases.

You need to select the correct missing words and complete the model answer. Good luck!

5.1 Complete the Sample Opinion Essay

These days, the number of species facing extinction is growing, and as a result,  a larger number of people are becoming involved in environmental issues.  It is argued by some that the protection of endangered animals is wasteful. However, my view is that more government funding should be used for wildlife conservation. This essay will explain my opinion in more detail.

One reason that I believe more money should be spent on the conservation of wildlife is that animals are an essential part of maintaining the health of an ecosystem. If a species becomes endangered, it signals that an ecosystem is out of balance. As a result, the loss of one species may trigger the loss of others and may lead to irreversible consequences for the animal kingdom.

Another reason to support spending on wildlife protection is that it also benefits humanity. For example, if the ecosystem is out of balance then the health of the environment is also negatively affected, for example, the loss of wildlife can affect the quality of clean water and air for a population. In addition, the fertility of agricultural land may also be reduced with the loss of certain species. Having said that, there are those that argue that this is a costly and inefficient use of public funds. They think that money would be better spent on other schemes such as renewable energy projects.

In conclusion, having looked at the topic in detail, although it is true that there are valuable uses for funding that could aid environmental protection, on balance I am of the opinion that governments should invest in the protection of endangered species. The main reason is that the protection of wildlife will not only benefit the animal kingdom, but also the human race and the environment we inhabit.

2 thoughts on “IELTS Writing Task 2: Opinion Essays- Benchmark IELTS”

Hey. Thanks for a great material. I have one concern though. In the ” common questions in opinion essay” part, you mentioned this question ” Discuss both view and give your opinion.” But isn’t it included to the “Discussion essays”??

Hi, I just wanted to ask this question cuz it made to think about it thoroughly.

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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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IELTS Opinion Essay – Topics, Structure and Sample Answers

10 min read

Updated On Feb 22, 2024

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IELTS opinion essays mainly focus on agreeing or disagreeing with a particular fact or information. It presents two opposite views and you have to develop your argument supporting one view (strictly one!) You get 40 minutes to complete this task. You have to write at least 250 words on the topic given.

Given below are some examples of IELTS Writing Task 2 opinion essays along with their structure. So, let’s understand how to frame the IELTS opinion essay from the sample answers given in the blog!

What is the IELTS Opinion Essay Format?

If you’re gearing up to tackle the Opinion Essay in IELTS Writing Task 2, know that it’s all about writing your opinion on a specific topic with supporting examples. To make sure your essay ticks off all the criteria of a band 8+ essay, organizing it in the right way is key!

Let’s now look at a proper format to learn the structuring of an IELTS opinion essay.

Introduction:

• Keep it short, usually around 2-3 sentences.
• Introduce the topic and clearly state your opinion.
• Provide a brief overview of the main points you will discuss in the body paragraphs.

Body Paragraphs (Usually 2 paragraphs):

• Each paragraph should focus on a single main idea that supports your opinion.
• Start with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea.
• Provide evidence, examples, and reasoning to support your main idea.
• Aim for coherence and cohesion within each paragraph by using appropriate transition words.
• Make sure to use appropriate vocabulary and grammar while explaining an idea in the body paragraphs.

Conclusion:

• Summarize the main points discussed in the body paragraphs.
• Restate your opinion, emphasizing its importance or relevance.
• Avoid introducing new ideas in the conclusion.

IELTS Opinion Essay Sample Answers

Given below is an example of an IELTS Writing task 2 opinion essay. Let’s understand how to frame the essay from the ideas we have.

Sample Question 1

In the future, nobody will buy printed newspapers or books because they will be able to read everything they want online without paying. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Given below is a brief outline of what to write in the essay after identifying the essay type.

Opinion Essay

Introduction

Paraphrase the topic of the essay using synonyms for the words used in the topic statement. Clearly state the view on the topic.

Body Paragraph 1

Technological improvements have increased the level of ease and convenience to a point where people can access news and information at the click of a button. This has led to print media becoming outdated.

Body Paragraph 2

The development of news websites and sites that freely distribute information and print media in a digital form has led to a trend of availing such services and content without paying.

Summarize the essay and re-state the opinion on the topic.

Struggling to Crack the IELTS opinion essays? Our 8+ band trainers have got you! Sign up for a  FREE demo  now!

Sample Answer 

Presently, newspapers, books, journals, magazines, etc. are still actively used by a section of the global population. However, with the arrival of news sites and the availability of books, magazines and other forms of media online, totally free of cost, many believe that such forms of media are on their way to becoming outdated. I agree with this statement, and will explain it further with relevant examples in the essay.

It is a well-known fact that in this day and age if an individual wants to read a book or just go over the news of the day, the first step that they take is to search the internet. Devices such as smartphones and tablets have improved the time efficiency of searching for information online to such an extent that a person can access their preferred form of media in the comfort of their homes in a matter of minutes. Consequently, people have started to abandon their preference for print media due to the presence of much more convenient alternatives.

Additionally, the various forms of print media enjoyed by people can often be availed free of charge on several websites. For instance, most news organizations publish their daily news on their official website, which can be accessed by anyone. Also, some numerous sites and databases provide popular books, journals and magazines in a digital form to the public for a nominal subscription fee or sometimes even for free, leading to a majority of readers of such forms of media shifting away from buying hard copies.

Nevertheless, there is still a sizable chunk of the population that enjoys the conventional forms of print media. That being said, with the cost-effective nature of making such information and content available online, organizations will soon completely shift to internet-based services.

In conclusion, I would like to say that people always prefer the more comfortable alternative that is available. Therefore, it can be safely said that in the coming years, there will be a complete shift from traditional print media to online media services and products.

Sample Question 2

Some people say that international sporting events contribute greatly to peace and stability in the world. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Paraphrase the topic sentence using synonyms.

Mention the view on the topic.

Body Paragraphs

International sports tournaments are events where teams and the general public of various countries come together and collectively participate in the event.

Sports events, especially cricket and football help distract the minds of the citizens from the ongoing difficulties in their country and enjoy these events.

Summarize the essay and state the final view.

Sample Answer

Sports has always been a magnificent platform for the finest talents of a country to showcase their skills and represent their nation. At the same time, sports is also one of the few occasions where every citizen of the country unites in support of their favourite teams. It is considered by many that sports are a great approach to maintain stability among countries. This essay will elaborate on the given topic and justify why sports can successfully bring and preserve global peace.

One of the greatest characteristics of any popular sporting event is that supporters of every team involved in the tournament almost always attend the matches that are organized in their cities. Some veteran fans even travel to different parts of the country to witness a match between their favourite teams. These events also unite the populace of a nation as every patriotic individual prays for the success of their national team. For instance, the entire nation wishes for the victory of their national team in the Olympic Games as winning an Olympic Medal is one of the most prestigious honours that can be bestowed upon a country.

It is a well-known fact that the people of a country collectively face several challenges on a day-to-day basis. These issues can be caused by numerous factors and are the typical difficulties that ordinary citizens have to overcome. Sports help people enjoy a few moments of excitement and take a break from the monotony of everyday life.

That being said, sometimes the passion of overenthusiastic sports fans ends up leading to harmful and conflicting situations among communities. Nevertheless, the overall impact of sports on our lives is undoubtedly positive.

Finally, sports are one of the aspects of human life that bind a whole community together. This is enough evidence to understand that sports help maintain peace and stability in a nation.

Ready to grab the latest IELTS writing task 2 question papers of 2024?

Sample Question 3

Our personalities are predetermined as a result of our genes before we are born and there is nothing that can be done to change our character traits. To what extent do you agree?

Paraphrase the topic and mention the view.

Genetics are only a part of the entire list of factors that affect a person’s personality.

One of the most important influences on an individual’s personality is their childhood and upbringing.

Summarize the essay and mention the final view in brief.

Even between small periods of time, there are subtle variabilities in our disposition. Such alterations are quite natural and are a part of a human being’s existence. However, it is often assumed that our personality is entirely dependent on genetics. The following paragraphs will explore the different aspects of personality and justify why genetics are not the only factor influencing our personality.

An individual has countless experiences in their life from childhood to adulthood and finally until death. Every one of these experiences has an impact on a person’s mind, no matter how giant or small. The kind of people present in a person’s immediate surroundings also has a huge influence on their nature and characteristics. Thus, it can be safely surmised that a person’s genes are not the only contributing factor when it comes to personality.

One of the most significant influences on our personality is our childhood experiences and the teachings of our parents. Children are always known to follow in the footsteps of their parents. Thus, if the parents of a child are successful in teaching their children the right values and morals, they are bound to grow into responsible and decent individuals.

It is true that the personality traits of an individual are determined by the features of their parents. Nevertheless, these traits can be altered over the course of many years and different experiences.

In conclusion, genetics affect our personalities in a trivial manner as compared to all the other aspects of our temperament. That being said, our life experiences and learnings are the consequential factors in developing our character.

The Latest IELTS Opinion Essay Topics of 2024

A few IELTS opinion essay topics are listed down below, which you can practice. These opinion essay questions may appear in the actual examination.

• In the future, it seems more difficult to live on Earth. Some people think more money should be spent on researching another planet to live on, such as Mars. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Many people say that the only way to guarantee a good job is to complete a course in university education. Others claim that it is better to start work after school and gain experience in the world of work. How far do you agree or disagree with the above views?

• Although more and more people read the news on the internet, newspapers will remain the most important source of news for the majority of people. Do you agree or disagree?
• Students in schools and universities learn more from their teachers than through other means such as the Internet, libraries, and TV. To what extent you agree or disagree?
• Nowadays university education is very expensive. Some people say that universities should reduce their fees, especially for the less fortunate students or for those coming from rural areas. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
• Some people think that governments must insist on preserving the traditional appearance of old buildings undergoing renovation or redevelopment. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement?
• Some people believe that international trade and communication with other countries is a positive trend, while others think it is harmful to nations and they might lose their identities. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give your own opinion and relevant examples.
• Many people believe that schools should teach children to become good citizens and workers rather than independent individuals. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give your own opinion and relevant examples.

People should follow the customs and traditions when they start to live in a new country. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

• It is impossible to help all people in the world, so governments should only focus on people in their own countries. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
• Prevention is better than cure. Do you agree or disagree that out of the country’s health budget, a large proportion should be diverted from treatment to spending on health education and preventive measures?

Top 3 Common Mistakes of IELTS Opinion Essays

In IELTS opinion essays, it’s easy to make some common mistakes that can lower your band score. Getting aware of them is the key to not committing them knowingly or unknowingly while you prepare!

The top 3 common mistakes to avoid are:

• Not giving a clear opinion.
• Presenting arguments for both sides of the issue.
• Failing to support your opinion with well-defined reasons and examples.

Tips to Answer IELTS Opinion Essay Questions

In the IELTS opinion essays, you need to write your opinion about a topic and back it up with proof and examples. If you use a clear structure and good writing methods, you can improve your chances of doing well!

• Spend 5 minutes on a mind map before writing.
• Stick to one viewpoint throughout the essay.
• Use a single main idea to support the topic in each of the two body paragraphs.
• Express your opinion throughout the essay, not just in the conclusion.
• Keep the introduction short, a maximum of 50 words.
• Ensure each body paragraph explains a main idea within 100 words.
• The conclusion should be shorter than the introduction.
• Write a complete essay following the given structure.
• Aim for a word count of 280 words or less.

Here are the 10 Examples for the Opinion Essay Topics IELTS:

Also check:

• Tips to write introduction in IELTS Writing Task 2
• Tips to write great writing essay
• IELTS Sample essays
• How to get band 8 in IELTS Writing Task 2
• IELTS Writing recent actual test
• IELTS 2024 Study Plan for 1 month (30 Days) / 15 Days / 7 Days

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the structure for writing the introduction for an opinion essay?

Is it mandatory to state my opinion in the introduction? Can I skip it and introduce my opinion in the body paragraphs?

What are the words that I can use to state my opinion?

Can I underline the important sentences, to attract examiner’s attention?

Is it mandatory to write the essay in first person?

Practice IELTS Writing Task 2 based on Essay types

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Post your Comments

Purnima Koli

Posted on Oct 5, 2021

In fast-paced global economy, it is imperative to have both knowledge and skill. Ability to learn on the job paves way for more hands-on training than discussing case studies at university. Doing a course can be time taking and can surely burn a hole in our parents’ pockets, the middle class knows it better. Getting straight to business of things, meaning starting to work soon after school is beneficial in many ways.

Working in office gives us professional perspective about how business processes are streamlines, turning creative ideas into tangible projects and most importantly getting paid for the amazing work I put out. I feel it’s great to have my ideas being incorporated as solutions to processual issues. Personal growth due to long years of work experience makes us future-ready for the big dream job. Alternatively, some also start their own business after getting gaining a good reputation for their work.

In my personal experience my university education looks good on my CV but has not been financially rewarding for I still have to even out my return on investment. I regret joining an elite institution where I felt out of place as I came from a humble upbringing. However, I learnt a lot about living away from home, managing finances, making new friends, living independently, honed my communication skills.

All in all, I feel it is better to join workforce early on than to do a full-fledged university course. This saves time, money and energy from studying on campus which can be channelized to working with a small business which has ample scope to learn on the job. Later, one can switch to bigger companies with the achieved industry experience after a few years of rigorous hands-on training and development.

In the future, it seems more difficult to live on Earth. Some people think more money should be spent on researching another planet to live, such as Mars. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

The available land for household, industrial and recreational usage is shrinking. We see large scale infrastructure development in India. But for all these activities we need more land on earth itself, not on some other worldly planet, Mars. I would have to disagree that Mars has answers to all our earthly problems. I think it’s more about gaps in planning, policy making and the way we conduct our lives on a day-to-day basis. If we base our routine on sustainable habits, we are already solving more problems than we create. The problems are created on earth so they need solutions on earth itself, I believe.

The problems like polluted resources such as air, water, land, soil have ample ways to be fixed as we read in scientific journals and other informational sources. The popular ‘3 Rs’ such as Recycle, Reuse and Reduce need to be inculcated for us to have clean air, water, soil, land. We need community development along with economic development so the civil society, environment and the development process can go hand-in-hand. Overcrowding in urban areas due to migration for work, education or marriage can be solved by having proper laws. On the other hand, achieving conservation targets for endangered flora and fauna is a vital step towards holistic saving the ecosystem.

Consequently, I strongly believe that having ideas about Mars being an inhabitable place in the future is surely fantastic idea. But It’s a childish way to think of a better world somewhere else than fixing problems at hand. Let’s face it, our survival instincts have made us exploit resources faster than the nature can replenish them. And we see the negative outcomes like sea-level rising, frequent coastal flooding, drastic weather changes, global warming. As a global community of conscious individuals, we need our planet more than it needs us.

Posted on Sep 11, 2021

In a new country one faces multiple challenges to overcome the culture shock. Different people may adopt the new ways of life at different pace. But I do agree that willing to accept and change with the circumstances can ease the burden.

As we know that change is inevitable, we need to get accustomed to the new culture. There’s no harm in getting the best of both worlds, from your country of origin to this new land of surprises. Festivals, celebrations, new people, new places, new things tend to broaden our perspective on life. We come out much stronger by dealing with the new possibilities. Initially, the surrounding might be tough to make sense of, but with time it should get better.

The decision of moving to a new country is yours so you’d be the person who needs to adapt to get the best possible advantage. Human psychology is common but mannerisms might be different. So, one can learn that through social observation, trial and error and asking questions.

To belong at a place, we must take the initiative to learn the traditions and customs of the new country. To feel welcomed, one must socialize with like minded individuals, take part in group activities at workplace or educational institute or even neighborhood social clubs. Try to get out there, find your niche, excel at what you do, travel and get to know people. It’s easy if you are willing.

Otherwise, you’ll end up losing new experiences which enliven our senses. To live more each day, we need to blend with the culture. Traditions tells us stories of the past which we could relate with stories back at our homeland as well. This way it’s going to be much easier to make bonds, live a cheerful life.

Posted on Sep 15, 2021

Okay. Thanks for your reply. The 4 paragraph structure goes for all other types of (Task 2) essays too?

Posted on Sep 13, 2021

Overall band: 6

Follow the 4 paragraph structure so that it is easy for the examiner to mark you for coherence. . For opinion essays, it is better to write one line after your opinionated paragraphs. Just one line that you are aware of the other side.

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Opinion Essays [IELTS Writing Task 2]

Posted by David S. Wills | Nov 14, 2022 | IELTS Tips , Writing | 1

In the past, I have explained how to answer each type of IELTS writing task 2 question and today we are going to look at a set of question types called “opinion essays.”

What do I mean by this? Well, generally we divide IELTS essays into 5 categories:

• Agree or Disagree
• Advantages and Disadvantages
• Problem (or Cause) and Solution
• Discuss both views
• Two-part Question

Sometimes, people call the first one “opinion essays” but I don’t like that term because actually other question types also call for your opinion. Therefore, I think of “opinion essay” as a term that covers several question types.

Let’s look at this topic in more detail.

What is an Opinion Essay?

To put it as simply as possible, an opinion essay is an essay that gives an opinion. In the context of IELTS, that means giving your opinion about a stated topic.

I mentioned above that there are several question types that could require you to give an opinion. These are most common:

• Agree or disagree
• Advantages and disadvantages
• Two-part questions

This is why it’s important to read a question carefully rather than just scan for keywords and then begin writing.

Of these, the agree/disagree and discuss both views question types are always going to require an opinion, but for the others you need to read more carefully. A two-part question, for example, might ask your opinion as the second question, but it won’t always do this.

Note that most advantage and disadvantage questions do not require your opinion but some do. If they ask you whether or not the advantages of something outweigh the disadvantages, then clearly you are required to give an opinion.

How to Write an Opinion Essay

As with all IELTS writing task 2 essays, you need to do several things:

• Read the question carefully in order to analyse it
• Think of a reasonable answer
• Create a coherent structure
• Put your ideas forth clearly and consistently
• Use appropriate language

That’s about as simply as I can put it for you, but let’s explore further.

First of all, any time you are given an IELTS task, you need to read it carefully and analyse it so that you truly understand the question. Some are quite straightforward but others are very difficult. ( Here’s a video about what I think is the most difficult question.)

One of the problems with opinion essays is that you won’t necessarily be asked to “give your opinion.” You will have to use common sense in order to determine whether your opinion is required. Some words that could indicate an opinion are:

Do you agree or disagree?

• To what extent do you agree?
• Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
• What do you think…?

Remember: If you are asked for an opinion, then give one. If you aren’t, then don’t. Failure to interpret the question properly would lead to a poor score.

You then need to think of a response and write about it using intelligent ideas. As you are giving an opinion, you need to justify your viewpoint. One big mistake here is failing to be consistent. For example, some people do not put their opinion into their introductions. This would mean that your score for Task Response would be quite low. Really, you ought to include your opinion in the outline sentence , then explain it in the body paragraphs, and finally reiterate it in the conclusion .

Although it’s possible to produce a good structure in different ways, an excellent IELTS essay will probably look like this:

For more general information about writing a great IELTS task 2 essay, see this article .

How to Start an Opinion Essay

A good essay should begin with a good introduction. There are various ways to achieve this, but in IELTS writing task 2 that means introducing the topic and stating your opinion clearly. I’ve written at length about how to write a good introduction here .

Think of your introduction as having two key components:

• Introduce the topic
• Give your opinion

You can do that in two or three sentences. It isn’t hugely important. However, you must achieve both of those things.

When you introduce the topic, you basically aim to convey the main idea to your reader. A lot of people just paraphrase the question but this isn’t always a good idea. In fact, paraphrasing more often than not leads to big problems in language and logic.

Still, you want to convey the idea in the question and that does mean taking an idea and putting it into your own words. For example:

All cars that burn fossil fuels should be banned and electric cars should replace them. Do you agree or disagree?

In my introduction to this opinion essay, I would write:

During the twentieth century, people around the world began using vehicles powered by fossil fuels, and in this new millennium that trend has continued, with a vast uptick in the number of privately owned cars. However, it has become apparent that this phenomenon is causing major environmental damage and needs to be stopped. This essay will argue that humans ought to switch to electric cars.

This is a little complex, but what you can see is that I have used two sentences to introduce and explain the main idea and then one sentence to put forth my opinion.

Beware: Your introduction should not be too long. This is an example of a band 9 essay. It uses complex language and structures to convey intelligent ideas. If your introduction is longer than your body paragraphs, it is not a good sign.

Opinion Essay Structure

When writing an opinion essay, you should keep the structure simple and use it to convey your ideas as logically as possible. There are different ways to do this effectively, but I generally recommend a four-paragraph essay structure. (You can read about 4 vs 5 paragraphs here .)

It is hard to generalise because your structure will ultimately be dictated by your opinion and that is something personal. However, you should use your essay to state your opinion in the most effective way. For example, if you strongly agree with something, you might create the following structure:

This is a basic structure but can be used very easily. Of course, if you totally disagree, you can replace “agree” with “disagree” and use the same structure.

It is also possible (but not required) to write a balanced essay that neither wholly agrees nor disagrees with an idea. In such cases, you would need to modify your structure a little. For example:

As long as you make this clear, there should be no problem and you would stand to get a good score for Coherence and Cohesion . One big mistake that occurs here is that people start by saying they have a balanced opinion, then they mostly explain one side of the issue, leaving the reader a bit confused. If you want to give balance, then make sure your body paragraphs are fairly even.

Using the above question (about electric cars), I would create the following essay structure:

You can read my answer in the next sentence:

Opinion Essay Example

Sample question.

All cars that burn fossil fuels should be banned and electric cars should replace them.

Sample Answer

The damage done by traditional style cars is obvious. One only needs to look at a big city like Beijing or Los Angeles to see the vast smog clouds lingering over highways to recognize that these vehicles are emitting unpleasant chemicals from their exhausts. Scientific studies over the past few decades have confirmed that these chemicals cause significant damage to our health and our environment, as they turn into acid rain or are inhaled into our lungs, where they cause certain types of cancer. This is in addition to the fact that fossil fuels are a finite resource, and that their extraction from the earth is often incredibly destructive.

On the other hand, electricity can be generated in any number of ways, many of which are relatively harmless. It is possible to generate electricity from the wind or sun, thereby gathering energy without damaging the earth or causing harm to human beings. As an infinite source of energy that can be gathered and used without harm, it is obvious that electricity is the power that should drive cars in the future.

In conclusion, traditionally powered vehicles are destroying our world and need to be phased out in favour of electric vehicles. Electricity can be generated harmlessly and endlessly and is therefore superior to fossil fuel.

When it comes to writing opinion essays, you need to make sure you understand the question, then formulate an appropriate response. You should devise an intelligent structure that allows you to convey your ideas clearly and consistently throughout the whole essay. Make sure that your ideas are realistic and try to avoid being overly complex as this could create further problems.

It is worth reading articles about common IELTS topics in order to prepare for this sort of essay. These can teach you both vocabulary and ideas. They can also help with coherence. For example, you could Google “electric cars” and find an article there. The recent one was published in the New York Times.

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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IELTS Writing Task 2

Writing skills.

1. Position, Structure, Ideas 2. Sentence-level writing 3. How to build a paragraph 4. Three paragraph types 5. Developing your ideas 6. Improving a paragraph 7. Two-idea paragraph 8. Sentence ‘jobs’ 9. Concise, Clear, Coherent 10. Be more coherent 11. Detailed examples 12. ‘Two adjectives’ technique 13. A one-adjective paragraph 14. Three essay outlines 15. The essay skeleton 16. Firstly, Secondly, Finally 17. Comparing 3 paragraphs 18. Better linking 19. Sentences have jobs 20. Using model sentences 21. Sentence pairs 22. Sentence pairs analysis 23. Advanced cohesion 24. Paragraph analysis 25. Improving a paragraph 26. ‘Best time’ essay skeleton 27. Overall coherence 28. A more coherent outline 29. One idea or two ideas 30. The best essay structure 31. Essay plan: nursing fees 32. Make paragraphs different 33. 13-sentence outline 34. Climate essay skeleton 35. Paragraph logic 36. Paragraph cohesion 37. Write a ‘Finally’ sentence 38. Tourism essay skeleton 39. Showing A outweighs B 40. ‘Partly agree’ structure 41. Giving two examples 42. How to write introductions 43. Concede + answer 44. Concede + answer 2 45. Agree / disagree methods 46. ‘Opinion + refute’ skeleton 47. Two types of example 48. Two adjectives essay plan 49. Three-idea paragraph 50. One-idea paragraph 51. Discussion introduction 52. Discussion conclusion 53. Easy conclusion method 54. Balanced introduction 55. Balanced opinion skeleton 56. Paragraph analysis 57. Proper examples 58. Idea development problem 59. Improving coherence 60. Can you see the problem? 61. My favourite paragraph 62. ‘Driverless vehicles’ outline

Writing advice

1. What’s your writing style? 2. Stick to the method 3. Pre-test planning 4. Spend longer planning 5. Terrible templates 1 6. Terrible templates 2 7. Minimalist templates 8. Trying to be impressive 9. When to give your opinion 10. Plan for 13 sentences 11. Write 13 sentences 12. Idea generation 13. How to write faster 14. Easy introduction 15. Be concise! 16. A new rule 17. How to brainstorm 18. Partly agree with ‘best’? 19. Balanced vs concede 20. How to use the 40 minutes 21. Focus on real content 22. Structure is not the secret 23. Ignore the word ‘academic’ 24. The BIG mistake 25. More ideas for one side? 26. Advice for different scores 27. Understanding the task

Topic paragraphs

1. Benefits of immigration 2. Parents and children 3. Benefits of robots 4. Fossil Fuels 5. Benefits of learning music 6. The importance of nurses 7. Disadvantages of tourism 8. The importance of roads 9. Fitting in abroad 10. Accept cultural differences 11. Advertising new products 12. Old people’s health 13. Outdoor public spaces

New video lessons

1. Conclusion errors

Model Essays

Agree or disagree.

1. Teach skills instead of facts 2. Music connects people 3. First impressions 4. Parenting courses 5. Sugary products 6. Learning an instrument 7. Foreign language problems 8. Free nursing courses 9. Words vs pictures 10. Computers vs teachers 11. Ex-prisoners 12. Roads vs railways 13. Supporting old people 14. Cultural differences 15. Too many choices 16. Climate change 17. Celebrities

Discuss both views

1. Artificial Intelligence 2. Genetic Engineering 3. Children’s choices 4. Hot and cold climates 5. Minority languages 6. Independence 7. Professionals work abroad? 8. Old people’s health

Advantages and disadvantages

1. Video surveillance 2. Global tourism

Problem and solution

1. City life 2. Ageing populations 3. Hunger 4. Traffic congestion

Positive or negative?

1. Living alone 2. Studying online 3. Countries becoming similar

Two-part questions

1. Working hard 2. Measure countries’ success 3. Home history 4. Owning or renting 5. Self-employment 6. Best time to be alive 7. Music and arts 8. Advertising new products

IELTS Preparation with Liz: Free IELTS Tips and Lessons, 2024

• Test Information FAQ
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IELTS Writing Task 2: Expressing your Opinion

Expressing your opinion for IELTS writing task 2 is often confusing. Students are not sure when to give their opinion or how to give their opinion. This video lesson answers the following questions:

• Do I need to give my opinion?
• Can I use “I” or “my” in my essay?
• How can I express my opinion?

Giving your Opinion: Video Tutorial

Other Useful Lessons for Writing Task 2

• When to give your opinion in IELTS Writing Task 2
• Penalty for being under the word count
• Opinion Essay Model Answer
• All Video Lessons for IELTS Writing Task 2

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Hi Liz, Can u plz evaluate my writing? All parents want the best opportunities for their children. There are some people who think that schools should teach children skills but others think having a range of subjects is better for a children’s future.

Discuss both sides & give your opinion.

Every parent wish towards achieving maximum avenues for their kids. However, many believe that teaching institutions should be more focused towards building the skills and some consider curriculum with multiple subjects to be advantageous for their kids. This essay will discuss about both the aspects and will share the ultimate opinion.

To begin with, people would recommend enhancing the skillset which could be ultimately beneficial in the practical world. In today’s corporate world, advanced excel, public speaking and power point presentation skills are of the utmost importance. Rather than concentrating and facing the same as a surprise while entering the outside world, one can be made familiar with the implementation of such skills. Secondly, schools may put their efforts towards situational decision making. These efforts, beginning at the time of their primary education will not only enable the students to get acquainted with the challenged faced in the real corporate but also would boost their self-confidence.

Whereas, other set of people would prefer educational institutes to come up with a plethora of subjects to choose from. In a traditional educational system, there are fixed number of subjects which a student has to cover. However, introduction of subjects namely coding, hotel management, Political Science and any global language alleviates the probability of opting subject of their interest. There is high possibility that a child might not be interested in the main curriculum subjects, but allowing them to select from the variety of choices might increase their scope of success and performance. For an instance, a student with Science background might be fascinated with studying the various demographic patterns. Along with the additional subjects or courses in place he or she can opt for statistics as an additonal subject and pursue their career in the same.

To sum up, in today’s scenario presentation skills, public speaking skills and advanced excel are the most crucial tools to reach zenith. As majority of students would not have clarity at such an early age to understand their interest towards a specific subject or field. Therefore, even making available abundance of subjects might not be of immense support to them. Whereas, acquiring extensive presentation skills will definitely be of maximum relevance in their future jobs. Hence, in my opinion schools need to put more efforts towards making a student more skillful and talented rather than burdening them with piled up list of subjects.

Overall, the essay was good and well organised but a mistake was noted in the last sentence where you should use “making students more…” instead of ” making a student…”.

Hi Liz, i have purchased advantages and disadvantages writing task video, everything was crystal clear to understand, thank you somuch. I came across this question but couldn’t understand is it only advantages and disadvantages without opinion or its opinion essay, here is the question..

In many countries, paying for things using mobile phone(cellphone) apps is becoming increasingly common. Does this development has more advantages or disadvantages?

This is the adv outweigh dis essay question. It can be written in a number of ways: Are there more advantages or more disadvantages? Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Which are more important, the advantages or the disadvantages?

Thank you so much for clarifying my doubt Liz.

I gave one Mock Test on writing task-2. Source Material: Cambridge IELTS 14 – Test 1 – Writing Section-2:

Q: Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience).

My Essay: Essay: Ups and downs are part and parcel of everyone’s life. While some believe in accepting the tough phase of life as it comes, others believe in fighting with it and trying to change it into positive situation. In my opinion, facing the tough situation of life, and trying our level best to change it into good situation is the best possible way to tackle such issues as it not just helps in resolving the problems quickly but also in developing the self confidence in life to face challenges.

Let me share one of my life experience. When I was 17 years, my family had faced tremendous financial problem due to heavy losses in the business and my grandmother’s illness. We had to eventually sell our family home to generate funds for grandmother’s treatment and repay business liabilities. Those problems of life were like a tsunami flood in our family, however we didn’t accept this situation as it is and decided to improve the situation.

Each one of us in the family started working and it took us almost a decade to come out of this difficult phase, but life taught us a lot. We again bought our family home which was a proud moment for us. I can proudly say that it helped all of us not just reshape ourselves monetarily but also in other important walks of life. It is rightly said, “No Book can teach us that LIFE teaches us”.

Hence, I strongly believe to try and change the challenging situations of life. It is not just the end results, but the overall journey of turning around our life situations from bad to good that teaches us a lot, eventually shaping us as a strong individual mentally with wisdom and positive human skills. ———————————————————————————————————– Can you give your comments on above written essay? Both Good and bad. And If you can share what kind of Band score this essay will get?

Looking Forward to hearing from you soon.

Dear Mam, I want to know your opinion about the following question on writing task 2. Qs: As a result of tourism, many historical buildings and sites are being damaged beyond repair. What could be done to prevent this? I think it is a opinion based essay so i prefer to mention “In my opinion” but one of my teacher said it is better not to use it. I am in deep soup what to do next. please clarify.

Love you mam for everything.

It makes no difference at all if you present this as your own opinion or just as an answer. The problem appears when you fail to give an opinion when you are asked for one. This essay question does not require an opinion – you are not asked to choose, you are not asked to evaluate. You are asked to present solutions – not to decide which is best. Just present your solutions and that’s enough. If you use the words “In my opinion” and then give the solutions, it won’t impact your score.

Thank you very much mam, you are such a life saver. This thought was sucking my brain for the whole period. Words are limited to express your contribution towards your student.

I know what you mean. It can all seem so confusing when people tell you things without explaining. This is the problem with many IELTS teachers. They present “rules” when they are actually telling you only their personal advice and recommendation. This causes a lot of stress for people because they think there are hidden rules. There aren’t. Anyway, good luck with your preparation and test 🙂

Hey Liz, Its been great that your stuff here helped me alot in getting desired band score with ease in first attempt..Alhamdulillah got overall 8 bands. Thank you, Moeez

Band 8 is excellent – very well done 🙂

What if I say “personally speaking” then I express my opinion? it is academic to use?

“Personally speaking” is informal and not suitable for a formal IELTS essay.

I just sat for my IELTS exam. The essay was “Many people believe watching sport is waste of leisure time. Do you agree or disagree?”

I paraphrased the question and in my thesis statement, I wrote “In my opinion watching sport is extremely important.”

Is this a clear disagreement since I didn’t use the word “disagree”?

Of course it is clear. You don’t need to use the word “disagree” to disagree. Your opinion is clear. However, it is a limited opinion. I do not think it is extremely important for all people to watch sport in their free time. Did you consider this from all people’s perspectives?

All the link under the section “Other Useful Lessons for Writing task 2” are asking for a password in a new window and it seems strange. Is this happening only to me or others too?

It might have been a glitch with the system. Hopefully it’s all working fine now. Let me know if you have any other problems.

Hi Liz, quick question – you say that we need to use ”I” or ”my” to make our opinion known. Can I use other ways such as ”this essay will argue why it is crucial (in case of agreement) …”. Looking forward to your reply. Thanks, Jay

“this essay” does not represent your own personal opinion. The examiner does not accept this as an expression of your own views.

hi,there. I just want to have teaching materials through my e-mail address.

Sorry, all the materials are to be studied online on my site. Use the RED BAR to access over 300 pages of lessons, tips etc.

In an essay which is asking for your opinion , where we have to agree or disagree…is it possible to be ambivalent about the topic . Or would it be considered wrong ?

Thanks Pooja Aguru

You can’t sit on the fence when you are asked for your opinion. You can’t turn an opinion essay into a discussion essay. You MUST give a clear opinion.

Please clarify I have heard the latest news is that we cannot use ,I ,my in essay is it true?,

There is no such rule at all. In fact, with an Opinion Essay, you MUST use “I” or “my”.

Is it okay, if we give our opinion in the concluding part of the essay ?

Sure. But it’s usually best to introduce it in the introduction and then explain it in the body paragraphs. It is then summarised in the conclusion.

Hi Liz, I have the IELTS GT exam this saturday.

One major concern I had regarding WT2 is what if I am just not aware about the topic/question? In such a scenario, what should the content be? How to tackle this situation?

P.S.: Your blog is extremely helpful for self-learners. Thank you for your efforts.

25% of your marks is Task Response and this is all about being on topic, having relevant ideas and developing them. It is rare for a completely unknown topic to be given in writing task 2. If you prepare fully, you should have enough ideas for all topics. However, if the worst case happens, you must try your best to be on topic. And remember that you can still get points for all the other marking criteria as well as for developing ideas.

I gives two time exam. I always got 5 band in writing, can you help. How can I get 6 from writing. Thanks…

Spend more time learning techniques and improving your English language (that means developing accuracy).

does reading novels help my English skills especially writing ?

All reading will improve your English language but it will not develop exam skills.

Good Evening, Thank you so much for your videos, they are really helpful. I just have a question, if you don’t mind. Where do i put my opinion? Should i put it in the conclusion? Or in the body? Thank you again.

If your opinion is asked for, you will need to put it in the intro, body and conclusion. See my advanced lessons to learn in more depth: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Hi Liz, i’m an Ielts trainer in india and i’d stumbled upon your website as well as Simon’s website at about the same time last year…along the way i’ve started paying closer attention to yours. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Ive a query..could you tell me if the examiners for the ielts test centers are trained to understand the Ielts standards? the reason i ask is because, some of your ideas will be considered radical if i were to tell my students…for example..that the cue prompts can be ignored and as long as fluency is kept, it wouldn’t affect the scoring for fluency. So before i introduce this idea to my students i also need to be sure that all examiners are trained to think the Ielts way rather than the “all prompts are questions which the candidate HAS to answer” way. Please do try to give me a reply over the weekend so that i could be ready to introduce this concept in class on Monday morning! thank you..

The idea that the prompts on the cue card do not need to be fulfilled is actually a fact. I can state that as an ex-IELTS examiner – fulfilling tasks is not a marking criterion of speaking. The prompts are there as suggestions which can be used fully, used partially or not used at all. I do not understand why you are confusing fluency with fulfilling a task. Fluency and coherence which are 25% of the speaking marks, do not have any relation to task fulfilment which is not part of IELTS speaking assessment. Don’t confuse the writing criteria with the speaking criteria. I recommend students to use the prompts but add their own prompts as much as possible. This is because the prompts provide the students with a degree of security and comfort but extending the talk beyond the prompts is the only way to a) enhance fluency 2) add additional language features which are needed for a better score. Part 2 is the only part of the test which is under the student’s control. At this point, they can decide to add a second conditional statement because so far they haven’t offered it to the examiner – or to show more flexibility with past or future forms. The IELTS examiner training that I completed is the same world wide. There is only one IELTS examiner training for speaking and there is only one set of marking criteria which have not changed. Try to distinguish between advice and fact. The cue card prompts do not need to be covered – fact. Students should use them – recommendation. Students should stick to the general topic on the card – very strong recommendation. Students should expand and add their own prompts in order to deliver a better range of English – very highly recommended.

Thanks for clarifying Liz!

Thank you so much for taking quality time to produce these wonderfully recorded videos . They are all really helpful.

Hello Liz, I am a little confused about using ”I”,”MY”, and ”WE”. An IELTS teacher says it is wrong to use these pronouns while expressing your opinions in opinion essay.He recommends using” it is agreed/disagreed that” Or ”this essay agrees/disagrees”.

If the instructions ask for YOUR OPINION, you must answer MY OPINION or I THINK. If you fail to answer this directly, you will get a lower score according to examiner marking criteria. Using the passive voice is not correct English grammar for directly expressing your own view.

Hi Liz! And what about the phrase: As far as I see it? Thanks in advance

That is informal and not for a formal IELTS essay.

One more thing mam, can we use slang in ielts, because teachers said that in ielts we can not use slang like I’d,didn’t,shouldn’t etc. But u said that we can use this (i’d like to talk about) and my name’s…. tell me solution i am totally confused???

In writing task 2, you can’t use contractions “it’s = it is”. But in speaking it’s fine. See these pages and start learning more:

https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/ https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-speaking-free-lessons-essential-tips/

I can not stop admiring your clarity in explanations and the information you provide us with. Thanks from all the users and me personally) My question is: why ‘as far as I am concerned’ is inappropriate? Have always thought it is a great phrase to use in essays including academic ones. Thanks in advance.

Best regards, Nataliya

It is informal. You should not use informal language in an IELTS essay. It is not about what is acceptable in university essays but what is accepted by an IELTS examiner.

Thanks a lot for your blog with numerous IELTS study materials, references, and tips & tricks. These are really helpful to all the IELTS aspirants. I am appearing for IELTS GT exam next month, and have a doubt with the writing 2 section. I recently came across a couple of Writing 2 topics wherein, the “Topic Name’ was given followed by “Discuss”. For example – “Appearance isn’t everything.”Discuss.

How should we proceed with these type of topics. Should we explain the pros and cons OR only express our views OR is there any other approach to write such type of essay. Please advice.

IELTS essay questions are always written in full. You are look at questions reported by students which are not fully written. They are only reported to know the topic. To see full essay questions, see this page: https://ieltsliz.com/100-ielts-essay-questions/

Dear Liz, Thanks four your tremendous help !

In opinion essay, can i say for example ( This essay agree..) or i have to use something like (in my opinion i do agree..) or in causes/solution essay , can i say (this essay suggest that….) instead (i suggest..) hope i made my question clear.

Thanks & regards,

The instructions don’t ask what your essay thinks. The instructions ask what YOU think. So, be direct and clear = I think / I agree / In my opinion / I believe.

Thanks for useful tips in your website The video is not shown unfortunately it has been blocked by our country. I wish you could type some parts of it so I can know about this important issue. thanks

There are more tips on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/ which don’t contain videos and can be accessed by your country.

Is that ok to give my opinion using I or We ? Many say yes, while others not

I am lost really Thanks

“we” does not express your opinion. “I” does express your opinion: I think / I believe.

Thank you Liz for your answer. The problem is some people say that we don’t have to say our opinion in a direct way, I mean to say (it is preferable to…) not to use (I belive that..). Second in suggetion essay and discussion ones should we put our opinion in the conclusion only ? Thanks Liz

If the instructions ask for your opinion, you MUST give it clearly. If you write “it is believed” or “it is preferable” this is not clearly your own opinion. Just follow the instructions. You will lose marks if you don’t complete the instructions fully. If the instructions ask for your opinion, you put it in the introduction, body and conclusion. It sounds like you need extra training. Think of getting my advanced lessons: http://subscriptions.viddler.com/IELTSLizStore

Thanks a lot dear Liza. Your lessons are very useful…

You’re welcome 🙂

Hi Liz. First of all, thanks this useful website. Your lessons are really greatful. I would like to ask, How will it effect my score, if I wrote my opinion in my essay although in the statement was not asked my opinion.

Thanks again

Avoid this. Just give your opinion when it is asked for.

Can I express my opinion in Passive form? For example, It is agreed or other passive form.

passive form is not used to express your own opinions, it is used to express the opinions of others. So, the answer is NO you can’t use it in that way.

can i use “in my perspective” word.

The expression is “from my perspective” but it is informal and not recommended to use in IELTS writing.

Hi! I would like to ask why is “to my mind” wrong? Thanks for your response.

It is informal and not appropriate for an IELTS essay.

Can I ask? some examiners used to tell that for band 7 up – to express opinion, we should not use , I believe that…… He said that is band 6 student would use,, I believe that…. What can we use instead? In my view? or else which you mentioned before.

Sorry about my question, I was really confused

Even band 9 can use “I believe that”. There is nothing wrong in using it.

hi mam., can I use ‘I m going to explain this…….’ in writing task 2 in gt exam in an opinion essay

You shouldn’t use informal language in your writing task 2.

Hello Liz, Is it appropriate to write “the way I see is …..” or “according to my perception…..” whlie giving our opinion?

No. Just use the expressions I have given.

Good day, Please, what how many lines are we to leave as spacing for paragraph? Thanks.

Leave one line between paragraphs.

Hi, Must one leave a whole line to indicate new paragraph. I mean must there be “a line without anything written on it” between paragraphs.

It is not necessary but I do recommend it. The examiner needs to see your paragraphs easily and clearly.

Noted. Thank you. In starting a paragraph, must I give a space between the margin and my first word. Or can I start just at the margin. Thank you.

Again, there are no rules. You can leave a space or no space – all your choice. However, if your paragraphs are not clear, you will lose marks. Leaving an empty line is enough and the best option. Exactly the same as my model essays: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

can we use (as per my opinion)

No. Just use the expressions I’ve shown.

Hi maam liz, your site brings hope to people like me who is aiming to get a higher band score in ielts.. I failed once but i striving hard to do my best and promise myself that on my second take i’ll be able to pull it off. I’m taking it slowly making sure i understand every type of essays. As of now, my focus is opinion base. Wish me luck and thank you for sharing your knowledge.. 🙂

-from philippines with love

Is it fine to say In a nut shell instead of in conclusion etc when writing the concluding part of the essay?

See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2-video-lesson-conclusion-linkers/ . Also see the main writing task 2 page which contains all links to tips and model essays: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

I have a question, some say it is better to not to state my opinion in introduction and should mention ONLY in conclusion. Actually he is my writing correction teacher but many people are different view. could you pleas tell me which is better and the reason why?

Thanks in advance.

If you are asked for your opinion, you must give it in the introduction. The conclusion should not contain new main points or new ideas. The conclusion is to restate and summarise what has already been written in the essay. See my advanced writing task 2 lessons to learn exactly how to write an agree disagree essay: http://subscriptions.viddler.com/IELTSLizStore

I wana ask you that..sign posting is important in writing task 1 and 2 ? if so, what should we write in sign posting ? thanks

This means using linking words: https://ieltsliz.com/linking-words-for-writing/

hello madam, Firstly i really want to thank u.

My question is “If the argument essay(agree or disagree essay) starts with agree then do we have to continue with agree and end with agree? i have seen your sample essay of agree and disagree and found that starting with agree and ending with agree.

And in the sample essay of opinion essay it is discussed in both favour can we do this?

please reply soon

The instructions ask for your opinion. You give it in the introduction, explain it in the body and conclude it in the conclusion.

Hi, Liz In the introduction lesson you say: In my view, I agree that … Is it ok to say so? It seems that it is repetition and in my language it is not recommended. Thank you)

https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/

Hey Liz, if I write my opinion as a fact for example, instead of saying I believe or I think just write as a matter of fact like a real article from a newspaper.

Is it appropriate to write ”in my opinion” or ”I believe” in the essay that does not ask for my opinion? for example, what are the problems of xxx? (I mean even thought it does not ask my opinion, it is in fact my idea.)

You only follow instructions, nothing more. If no opinion is asked, you don’t give it. Liz

Thank you very much for this lesson and I have a quick question. Could you not use “It is agreed/disagreed” instead of “I believe or In my view”?

Thank you in advance!

“It is agreed” refers to other people, not yourself. The passive voice CANNOT be used to express your own opinion. Liz

Thank you very much for your prompt reply! Last time I wrote “It is agreed”, perhaps, owing to this I got only 6.5 for writing section.

Yes, that will have affected your score. It means that you never gave your opinion which means you didn’t follow the instructions. That would give you a low score for Task REsponse which is 25% of your marks. Liz

thankyou, good to know 🙂

Dear liz, Should I write background statement in General essay?, and should I write hook statement also ? Please clear my query .Your web site is one of the best web site for IELTS prepration. Thanks

All your questions are answered in this video: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2-how-to-write-an-introduction/ Liz

Dear Liz, Thanks for sent me usefull link,but still I am confused about both essays.Can we follow these step in General and Accadamic essays which you mentioned in you video ? As you are mentioning about accadamic essays.

Yes. See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-gt-academic-writing-differences/ . Try to spend time reading my lessons and tips because they contain answers to most of your questions. All the best Liz

I have a doubt in writing introductions .For eg in an Opinon Essay “As Computers are being used more and more in education,there i will be soon be no role for teachers.To what extent do u agree or not” .

In this can i completely disagree like ” However while computers are extremely useful,i dont not agree with the idea that they could soon replace teachers. ” And in the main body part 1 explain about some advantages of computers and in the second main part explain about the role of teachers. Is this pattern is correct?

If you don’t agree that computers will replace teachers, all body paragraphs will explain that point. This essay is only about your opinion. All the best Liz

can we start the thesis statement with i consider that..

Only if the instructions ask for your opinion. Liz

Thanks mam for ur help.

Hi Liz, I just wanted to ask if it is alright to use pronouns such as ‘we’ or ‘our’ on writing task 2. Will that affect the way the examiner will mark my essay? I am hoping to hear from you soon. Thank you.

On the whole, you should avoid using those words and refer to people in the third person plural. All the best Liz

HII Liz, my concern is using “I” in the introduction what I mean is I belive and I strongly agree/disagree.Would it be considered as informal?

You can answer the question “Do you ….” without using “I” or “my”. Failure to provide a direct answer to a direct question about your opinion will result in a low score for Task Response (25%) of your marks. Liz

Thank you for your wonderful videos and IELTS tips. I am just worrying about use of first person while giving opinion. I heard that use of third person seems more academic than first person, for instance, it is widely believed that.. or it can be viewed that… this essay is going to in favour/disfavour of…. could you suggest regarding this please thank you

Yes, it is academic to use “it is widely believed that..”. It refers to what other people think and what is thought around the world. But it does not show your opinion and what you think. If the essay instructions ask for your opinion, you must give it very very clearly. 25% of your marks is about fulfilling the instructions and explaining ideas, so make sure you give your opinion (In my opinion) if the instructions tell you to. All the best Liz

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