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

' src=

  • Test Information FAQ
  • Band Scores
  • IELTS Candidate Success Tips
  • Computer IELTS: Pros & Cons
  • How to Prepare
  • Useful Links & Resources
  • Recommended Books
  • Writing Task 1
  • Writing Task 2
  • Speaking Part 1 Topics
  • Speaking Part 2 Topics
  • Speaking Part 3 Topics
  • 100 Essay Questions
  • On The Day Tips
  • Top Results
  • Advanced IELTS

IELTS Agree Disagree Essay Sample Answer

For an IELTS agree disagree essay you can either agree with the statement, disagree with the statement or give your opinion which contains a balanced approach to the issues in the statement. However, this does not mean you can discuss both sides impartially – you must give a clear opinion to get a good score in the criterion of Task Response which is 25% of your marks. Another name for an agree disagree essay is an opinion essay or argumentative essay. 

IELTS Opinion Essay Question

The growing number of overweight  people is putting a strain on the health care system in an effort to deal with the health issues involved. Some people think that the best way to deal with this problem is to introduce more physical education lessons in the school curriculum. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

IELTS Agree Disagree Model Essay

Below is a model answer for the above Opinion Essay: Agree/Disagree Essay. 

Owing to the problems which a growing population of overweight people cause for the health care system, some people think that the key to solving these issues is to have more sport and exercise in schools. I completely agree that this is the best way to tackle the issue of deteriorating public health in relation to weight.

Firstly, dealing with the issues surrounding obesity and weight problems is best solved by taking a long term approach and introducing more sport and exercise in schools. This method will ensure that the next generation will be healthier and will not have such health problems. At the moment, the average child in the West does sport possibly twice a week, which is not enough to counteract their otherwise sedentary lifestyle. However, by incorporating more sports classes into the curriculum as well as encouraging extracurricular sports activities, they will undoubtedly become fitter and more active.

Another point to consider is that having more sports lessons for children in schools will probably result in children developing an interest in exercise which might filter through to other members of their family and have a longer lasting effect . In other words, parents with sporty children are more likely to get involved in sport as a way of encouraging their ch ildren . By both parents and children being involved, it will ensure that children grow up to incorporate sport into their daily lives. This is certainly a natural and lasting way to improve public health.

In conclusion, to deal with an increasing population of unfit, overweight people, changing the lifestyle of the coming generation by introducing sport in schools is the easiest and most effective method to use.

Download a PDF copy of the model essay below:  IELTS Agree Disagree Model Essay

  • Make sure your introduction is not too long. Just paraphrase the essay question and present your opinion.
  • Make sure your opinion is consistent from introduction to conclusion.
  • Each body paragraph presents a reason for your view.
  • Your body paragraphs should explain your views with relevant detail.
  • Never miss the conclusion. Keep it short, but make sure you write it!
  • It is possible to have a partial agreement for this essay where you think sports lessons are a good solution, but there is another more effective solution.

Advanced IELTS Writing Task 2 Lessons

Are you struggling to hit band 7 or above? My Advanced Lessons are the answer to high band score techniques. You can also find a useful “Ideas for IELTS Essay Topics” e-book to help you with ideas and vocabulary.

  • Click here: Liz’s Online Store

IELTS Model Essays

  • IELTS Opinion Essay Model Answe r
  • IELTS Discussion Essay Model
  • IELTS Solution Essay Model
  • IELTS Positive Negative Development Essay Model
  • How to write an introduction: Video Tutorial
  • Opinion Essay Practice Questions

………………..

Subscribe to get my Free Lessons by Email

Email Address

' src=

Can I write examples from my own life? like ” For example, my friend was fit because……….”

' src=

All IELTS writing task 2 essays, for both the GT test and Academic test, are formal essays. That means you are not writing about friends, family or yourself. But rather your understanding and knowledge of people and the world in general. See all my model essays to learn the tone and types of essays: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/ . For detailed training, get my advanced lessons in my store: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

' src=

It is true that nowadays, the rise in the ratio of obese patients, are putting a significant amount of pressure on health systems to cater for their deteriorating health needs. A good number of people believe that the best way to deal with this endemic is to incorporate health education in school programs. This essay will completely agree to this statement and give relevant examples.

First and foremost, there are various reasons to this statement. However, the most powerful to this, is the ability to increase the life span of the young adults. This means that when adolecents are being educated enough on the risk of overweight, they are likely to change their habits. Most especially, when they are practiced at school level, this is because children learn better when they are with their colleagues. For example, a result to a research conducted in a montessori school revealed that children aged 4-17 consumed a ton of sugary snacks which was filled with unhealthy calories and they never liked fruits and vegetables as well. All of them had unequal body mass index which was detrimental to their health and if had continued they were continously going to be filled with infirmity and weren’t going to live long. The school changed and incorporated health science in their curriculum. In less than a year after evaluation, the children were all living well, loved healthy snacks. which resulted zero hospital visit.

Furthermore, the second benefit to eradicating obesity is incorporating sporty activities in the routine of their students. By so doing, pupils will always burn off excess calories while engaging in their favourite sports. This will also encourage people around them like their parents to get fit when they see the benefits in their kids. It is proven that parents with sporty children ends up finding interest in sports to encourage their children in doing better. In doing this, they are unconsciously living a healthy lifestyle thereby reducing the risk of obesity in the society.

To sum up, the preferred method to eradicate unhealthy weight is by educating children in schools and instilling exercise in their routine.

Just a quick comment. For an opinion essay, you can’t write “this essay will”. This essay question is asking for your opinion – your personal opinion. If you fail to give it, you will lose marks. Also make sure body paragraphs are equally developed and equally supported. See my advanced lessons to learn how to tackle this essay type: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

' src=

I was able to score 7.5 for my Academic Writing with the help of your valuable guidance. Thanks a lot for your genuine effort

That’s a great score! Very well done 🙂

' src=

Hii mam, please check the essay below and tell me band score of it and also tell where I did mistakes.

I argued that the people who are heavyweight visiting health care systems to reduce the weight,but few people thought that correct way to solve this issue at school about physical education lessons.I completely agree about the problem think that each and every school should introduce about physical education. first of all, nowadays most of the people are visiting to healthcare to reduce the weight because their is no proper exercises.so,to solve this problem at school education has to introduce about physical education lessons although they have to take care about exercise thrice in a week even though keep more activities about exercise. moreover encourage the children to participate in the physical activities while it should introduce from schooling about the physical exercise so their people donot face any issues about their weight.By using medication people can face health issues.Fir example in an army education they thought about physical activities like running, long jumps, overweight lifts so,in this education they maintain a proper weight however people don’t have any health issues. To conclude every educational institution should have about physical exercise and educate them by keeping the lessons on physical activities so we can avoid overweight problems.

' src=

Can you please share your feedback on my essay:

Overweight has always been a great challenge in the past few decades. These days patient list is increasing, not because of serious illness or emergency cases, but because of weight gain problems. Lately, people have started believing that to combat this issue; schools must include physical education as extra course. Although, the idea behind the belief is partially correct, but providing students with only these classes will not address the problem completely.

In a World health survey report of 2019, it was recorded that in Finland, there are least number of cases when it comes to health and fitness related sickness. Finland spends heavily on the health awareness programs at schools, and which, in turn, prepares students right from the very beginning, to be conscious about their body. However, this research doesn’t show the full picture, because Finland’s residents are eating only organic food since last 3 decades. Moreover, the deep cultural and traditional norm of Finland is to have only one meal a day, which automatically keeps people fit and fine.

Adding to the above point, school teachings are not the only way to create health awareness. In a research published by Doctor Prakashmurthy, at IIT Roorkee, it was discovered that hormones and stress levels play a crucial role in fat storage. Hence rather than some exercises, people of India opt for Yoga and meditation as tools to combat body problems related to weight gain.

To conclude, I agree that children should be trained about health and fitiness in schools, but it is also vital to teach them discipline about eating food and involve them in other activities, which are related to calmness of body, as these eventually leads to a healthy and fit body and mind.

' src=

It is often argued that the increasing number of obese people is putting a strain on the healthcare system. Some masses believe that the best way to tackle this problem is to introduce more physical education in the school curriculum. I completely agree with this opinion and think that it’s the most important thing that every school should do.

First of all, doing physical exercises daily enhances not only your physical health but also your mental health. Introducing physical education in the school curriculum provides daily basis physical training which helps to remove unnecessary fats and also helps to become free from anxiety, tension, and pressure which ultimately benefits both physical and mental health. For instance, students involved in daily basis physical education can be qualified for jobs related to body physics such as Army. Thus it is better to introduce more physical education.

Secondly, physical activity in schools is one of the best ways to eradicate obesity problems. It helps to form the habit in students on involving in physical activity. Even if the student completes their education in school, they have good knowledge of physical education which they can apply for the rest of their life. That’s why it is important to include physical education in every school, curriculum.

To conclude, I strongly believe that involving physical education in the school curriculum is beneficial because it helps to eradicate the obesity problem in a more holistic way.

' src=

there is no doubt that, I contemporary era, the majority of individuals are becoming victims of obesity, hence, it is suggested by few masses that involving the vast information regards physical education in school study, can be proved beneficial to tackle with this issue. I completely agree with this statement. Now I will discuss about this statement in my next sections along with explanation. To commence with, there are numerous reasons for increasing weight related issues. the first and the foremost is unawareness of folks towards balance diet. To clarify it, in modern era, human give high priority to fast food instead of home made, however, junk food has plenty of calories, which is responsible to make people fatty, therefore, it is excellent concept to give possible knowledge about physical education in school to children, because in this age they easily can understand and definitely follow in their future life. furthermore, advancement of technology is second cause fir this problem, To elaborate it, it can be seen that in earliest time, human being needed to move out for work, however, in modern time, it yas become straightforward for them to finish their at home, it means the roberts have been taken replace of human labour, for this reason, people have become lazy and do not anything to keep their body fit and health, and if the knowledge about demerits of enhancing weight will be given in younger age, can be fruitful for adolescence in further life. to conclude, after discussing this statement it is clear that everyone has various thinking, but, in my opinion, this notion is better for every person.

' src=

Nowadays, increasing number of obese people is putting a strain on the health care system. Some masses believe that the best way to tackle this problem is to introduce more physical activities lessons in the school curriculum. I completely agree that this is the best way to solve this issue.

to begin with, obesity is become a major problem in the society and adding more physical education lesson in school is the best way to solved this problem. for instance, if more physical lessons are introduced in the schools then children get more time to do physical activities like playing football, cricket and many more physical games, this thing not only make them physically fit but also make them more socialize and mentally happy. hence, adding more physical fitness lessons can change the lifestyle of the students and make them fit physically as well as mentally.

Another point to be consider is that introducing more sports lessons for pupils in school may result in creating more interest of children towards sports and also encourage them to take part in different sports event. Moreover, if a child take part in many sports events then he/she can also encourage their parents to do more physical activities. In other words, parents with more sporty child are more likely to involve in sports as a way of increasing interest of their child towards the sports. Thus, by both parents and children involvement in sports can create a good and healthy society.

In conclusion, to deal with unfit population changing the lifestyle of the coming generation by adding more physical activities in school is the easiest and most effective method.

' src=

Very good man

' src=

Hello Liz, thank you for making your website a great resource for many of us who are studying for the IELTS!

Essay on obesity topic, any inputs or comments would be greatly appreciated:

Reducing weight can be a challenge for many, and figuring out a solution to this health issue is an important task. Being overweight comes with its own related co-morbidies, such as heart disease, hypercholesterolemia, and osteoarthritis, just to name a few. Consequently, these health issues invariably put a strain on the healthcare system, through the involvement of multidisciplinary teams needed to manage these conditions as well as the cost of medications needed to treat the symptoms. Having said that, physical education lessons implemented at school is a possible solution. However, I disagree with the view that it is necessarily the ‘best way’ to deal with this problem.

Being overweight is defined as having a body mass index greater than 25 kilograms per meter square. Overweight and obesity are becoming an increasingly prevalent condition across the globe, more specifically in first world countries. This is partly because of the surplus in food available (especially fast food) as well as the sedentary lifestyles afforded by the children.

Physical activity in schools is just one way to combat obesity. Evidence-based research has shown that being overweight is not just caused by a sedentary lifestyle, it is a multimodal condition with several etiologies: genetics, diet and lifestyle. Hence, just focussing on one cause will insufficiently address and tackle the issue at hand. There needs to be enough done on all fronts in order to not only tackle the present issue, but also to take preventative measures for future generations.

Besides physical educations classes, governments can direct funds towards preventative campaigns through educational sessions in both school and through advertisements. Moreover, policy changes need to be implemented, which include -but not necessarily limited to – the following: banning sugary drinks and candies from school canteens, reducing junk food availability and providing healthier options such as salads. Parents should also be educated on the need and importance of reducing screen time – a known risk factor for obesity.

In conclusion, there cannot be one “best way” to deal with a complex issue such as overweight. This has to be tackled in a more holistic way in order to attain more statistically signifiant results and outcomes to have an impact on the healthcare system.

' src=

I am so grateful for your tutorials. I followed all your lessons, bought some of your e-books for my personal studies and finally wrote my exams this year. I am happy to say that I had Reading 8.0, Listening 7.5, speaking 7.5 and writing 7.0. Now I have informed all my friends about your wonderful website. God richly bless you Liz.

That’s wonderful. Well done to you 🙂 And thanks for sharing my website with others 🙂

' src=

It is considered that the best option to mitigate the stress of the health care system in tackling with the increasing overweight population is to make students take more physical education lessons at school. Although I agree that students having more exercise will help to deal with the issue to some extent, more attention should be put on enhancing the health awareness of people from all walks of life to solve the problem thoroughly.

On the one hand, exercise is definitely the best choice to keep fit compared to other improper methods like medicine therapy, especially for younger groups like students who are more energetic and able to refresh themselves at a relatively high speed after a running race. The obesity rates of students who have engaged in a sports club at school are averagely lower than those who have not. Therefore, increasing the number of lessons related to sports at school will have positive impact on tackling with the issue.

On the other hand, the physical education lessons cannot stop the rising trend of the obesity population outside the school, it is necessary to let people of all ages receive the health education. Children at school contributed a part of the population who are overweight, the rest part consist of people with unbalanced lifestyle and people suffered from diseases which are the primary cause of obesity like diabetes. It is inevitable to improve their awareness of staying healthy to deal with the growing number of overweight people. This can be achieved in many ways, health experts can give lectures on prevention of obesity and nutritionists can provide advice on daily diet, which are available for everyone on smartphones or TVs. A great number of people who are out of shape will benefit from the health education, which is the cornerstone of winning the battle with obesity.

To conclude, thought I agree that more sports lessons at school may contribute a part in solving the obesity issue, it is more important to improve the health awareness of people of all ages and only in this way, can we solve the problem thoroughly.

' src=

Could someone please give feedback on my essay.

The health care system is struggling to resolve the health problems caused by a number of more and more overweight people. It is addressed that introducing more physical education lessons in the school curriculum is the most efficient method. I totally agree that applying the new classes is the key for public health improvement. One plausible effect of the method is that people will spend more time outside and less time in bed. In fact, overweight and obesity people who are likely to eat quite much are not very active. Additionally, modern technologies contribute a huge impact on the sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, getting them engaged in such outdoor activities will help to improve their body health in a positive way. In other words, they can do frequent exercise and burn more unnecessary fat. Creating a stronger society bond is another feasible consequence of the teaching application. Attending physical lessons at school, people can find new friends, especially when they work in teams, and enhance the mental health. Achieving which, a chain effect on their existing relationships such as parents, siblings and classmates will blast. Gradually, people will get to know each other more and more. Nationwide competitions can be held on a regular basis, producing TV shows which entertain viewers and reducing stress among workers. Therefore, the health care system is no longer restrained. In conclusion, to tackle overweight problems, I consent that people should be active on both their mind and behaviors by emerging themselves in the school curriculum. This is among the easiest and most effective way that is either good for body development and social connection.

' src=

You’ve got some grammatical errors and I suggest contracting contractable words…. so instead of saying obesity people, say “obese.”

Overall, good job!

' src=

It is thought that some of the problems that the health care system faces due to the growing populations of overweight people can be solved by introducing sport and exercise lessons in the schools’ curriculum. I completely agree that this is the best solution to overcome such some of the health issues, in addition to increasing the awareness of people about healthy diet.

Firstly, I believe that making sport as a mandatory subject in schools will decrease the problems that face the health care system. When children do some exercises at different times in the day, they will get healthier and more fit in the future. Also, this will be reflected to their parents as they watch them. For instance, when parents take their children to a garden and the children start to practice what did they learn in their school, their parents will notice the elasticity of their children and they will start do like their children. This encourages most of people and increases their awareness about the importance of sport to their health.

Secondly, besides sport, an awareness about a healthy diet should be taken into account. Eating a lot of fats and sugar can cause some health problems regardless that someone does some exercises. For example, the government should put some taxes on fast food and reduce the taxes on the healthy food.This will encourage people to buy healthy food and as it becomes a habit to them and their children and they notice the difference in their weight and in turn their health. Thus, I strongly recommend to increase the awareness of people about their healthy food bedsides doing sport.

To conclude, I believe that sport and healthy diet will make a big difference in the health care system when they are introduced to children at schools. This results in increasing the awareness of the next generation about avoiding health problems and following a healthy lifestyle.

' src=

I dont think the second point was relevant. If it is being marked for Response point, adding and explaining how diet is helpful seems off-point. I think answering like that will be good for questions that ask you for more ways and solutions to the problem, rather than this type

' src=

Hello Respected Madam Liz 💗 Please help me to sort out the problem with the question type * To what extent do you agree or disagree) please i am having so much trouble in this ..

If you need training, please go to my store where you can find an advanced lessons about this essay: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

' src=

Obesity has become more common in our society due to the busy lifestyle practiced by individuals. This has caused enormous strain on the health care system, which can be avoided by practicing a healthy lifestyle.

It is important to promote awareness among the general public of the health problems that can occur due to obesity.

Increasing the frequency of physical education alone will not effectively solve the issue. That is one of the several other steps to inculcate a healthy lifestyle among people. Exercises have the potential to eliminate the excess calories present in our bodies. Exposing children to a variety of sports can help to identify their interests and sometimes, it can help to create a habit among them. In such cases, it can be taken as a very effective option to prevent the flooding of the health care system due to obesity. According to available statistics, the probability of such an occurrence is negligible.

More than that, a well-balanced, nutritious and healthy diet should be practiced. Governments should step up measures to reduce the accessibility of fast foods rich in Sodium and Sugar. They also can educate their citizens about the healthy diet options, which can be easily substituted for the fast food.

In conclusion, a healthy lifestyle, involving nutritious food, adequate sleep, rest and exercise, when combined in the right proportion, is the only solution to deal with any of the lifestyle abnormalities which overwhelm the health care system.

' src=

Hi Liz, Is it correct to write the thesis statement as: “I completely agree with this statement for two reasons which I will elucidate below.” Here, I am not using words related to the prompt because they will be used again in the topic sentences of both the body paragraphs.

That is a learned phrase. Each sentence should be connected to the topic you are given and created uniquely by yourself in the test. Is the topic about family? Is it about education? Each sentence must connect to the specific issues presented in the essay question. However, please note that all my advice is aimed at people aiming for the higher band scores. If you are needing only band 5 or around that score, it would be fine to use such techniques in your essay.

' src=

Wow… Liz you are back ..so happy for you ❤

' src=

Liz, hi. When they ask to what extent do you agree can I write my thesis statement I completely disagree. What is the difference between to what extent do you agree or disagree question and to what extent do you agree question.

There is no difference at all. IELTS like to paraphrase instructions – it’s still the same essay.

' src=

Very magnificaant👍👍👍

' src=

Hi Liz, thank you for the tips here, they are really helpful. What is the difference between these two essay types- ‘To what extent do you agree/disagree’ and ‘Do you agree or disagree’

Do i have to answer that ‘I completely agree’ to ‘To what extent do you agree question’ OR should i just answer ‘ I agree’ ( I mean, do i have to state the extent of my agreement or i should just simply say i agree)

They are 100% the same. IELTS like to paraphrase instructions from time to time.

Thank you for the response.

' src=

Thank You Liz.

I started my prep using your site, a week before my IELTS exam and I scored an overall 7.5 using your tips. Thanks for uploading such amazing tips and samples. They really helped me a lot in my exam.

Great to hear that you did well. Good for you !! 🙂

' src=

Hi. Pleaseeeee answer me if possible. In body paragraphs of agree/disagree essays, the first body paragraph should be assigned to agreement side and the second paragraph should be assigned to disagreement side? Or both paragraphs could be assigned to agreement or disagreement side? Thanks in advance.

Your whole essay is a presentation of your opinion. It is not a discussion essay. If you are unsure, please get my Advanced Lessons: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

' src=

Hi, Liz. I’ve seen certain solutions to the writing task 1 and 2 with a heading or title. Is that necessary please?

You definitely do not use headings or titles in any IELTS Writing task.

' src=

Hi Liz, I had practiced GT Writing Task 2 recently first time. Please check and tell that how much band score I’ll get if the following question will come. I’ll be thankful to you for this. Q- You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic. Write at least 250 words.

In some countries it is thought advisable that children begin formal education at four years old, while in others they do not have to start school until they are seven or eight.

How far do you agree with either of these views?

Answer- In world, some countries believed that proper education of a child should start at the age of 4. On the other hand, other countries do not want to start the education of child before the age of 7 or 8. In my opinion, children have to start his/her education from the age of 4 so that basic concepts will be clear in coming 3-4 year. Firstly, if we discussed about formal education, it requires a formal schooling with adequate content and materials that create interest and increase knowledge related to the subject in a child. A young child brain is in developing stage up to the age of 5. If any country want to start primary education in formal way, it helps to increase knowledge of the children’s. Additionally, They will catch the new terminologies and content in a different ways e.g., play-way method. Secondly, if a country want to start children’s study from the age of 7-8 in formal school, they have to provide some materials and content before school. In other words, they have to provide them education in play schools and with new techniques e.g., learn and play, visual learning etc. When children join the formal school, an evaluation test needs to be taken to check the knowledge and capability they’ll have. After that, based on the performance, particular actions and classes should be arrange so that they all come at equal level. Lastly, I want to share my view that early education is very important. I would prefer to provide early school from the age of 4 so that kids brainstorming can be done at right time. I am strongly agreed to start education from the age of 3-4 years.

' src=

Hello, I just took Ielts indicator test. I really messed up with the writing task 2. What I wrote is off topic. I don’t remember the question clearly. It is about lectures and technology and maybe it means that teaching in the class I wrote about lecture paper and students should find information from internet by their own I didn’t write about teaching in class. Do you think I can get 6. Please, reply my message I really need to know If I can’t get 6 I have to try again on 27. I need all skills at least 6.

For listening, In Sec 4, there are 4 multiple questions so I think questions are not the same. I just wanna share the others.

It is important to understanding the way Writing Task 2 is marked. If your essay is off topic then you might get only band 4 or 5 for Task Response. It will depend on whether some parts of your essay are relevant as to what you get for Task Response. Task Response counts for 25% of your Task 2 marks. The other marking criteria for Task 2 will not be affected. You could get band 4 in TR, but get band 8 in the other three marking criteria. You can do the maths. On top of these considerations, you must also consider that Task 1 counts for about 33% of your final marks for Writing. With all these considerations, your overall score will depend on so many factors. You will need to judge for yourself what score to expect in the three other criteria then calculate your prediction for your score in Task 2. Then you will need to add your prediction for Task 1 on to that as well.

Thank u so much for your reply Tr, Liz. In task 1 they asked for one bar chart and pie chart and I think I did well. And thank you so much for your lessons. These help me a lot I really appreciate all these lessons provided, I really mean it. In speaking part 2, the time you didn’t tell a truth to your friends and in part3 why children lie to parents and why people tell lies and that kinds of questions. (just sharing the other friends ). I can’t use earphones in speaking maybe because I’m under 18 and my father had to sit near me. It is ok to use earphones in listening.

Good luck with your results !! Let me know how you do when they arrive

Yes, teacher, I will. Thank u so much for the lessons. My result will not be good as others but I’m glad to study your lessons.

' src=

GOD Bless You Hello Liz very thnx for your help

You’re welcome 🙂

' src=

Good afternoon Liz.I should say You are very intelligent and thank you very muuuuuch .Since your tips help improve my writing .Thanks😘

' src=

Please Liz I took my ielts today I completely agreed on an opinion in my introduction but ended up discussing on partially agreed in the paragraphs, please how will this affect my score

It will affect your score for Task Achievement which is 25% of your task 2 marks. If you look at this page: https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/ielts_task_2_writing_band_descriptors.pdf , you’ll see that presenting a clear position throughout is a requirement for band 7. This means that for this marking criterion, you would struggle to hit band 7 if you alter your opinion in the middle or end of your essay. But luckily. it won’t affect your score for the other three marking criteria for task 2. Hopefully other people reading this comment thread will see the importance of fully planning your essay before you start writing your introduction.

' src=

Thank you very much Liz for such a kind support. Your’s blog is the best one which i follow the most in my preparation. Specially i recently bought your Essay ideas e-book, which is also very helpful.

Kind Regards

I’m so glad you are enjoying my Ideas for Topics E-book 🙂

' src=

Hello, ma’am, I took my IELTS exam on 11th nov. 2020. and i got only 5.5 band(overall).i am struggling with grammar and lack of confidence. please assist me for that.

This year I released a Grammar E-book. However, the level of the e-book is quite high. It will help you, but make sure you don’t overreach yourself. It is important to only produce English within your level rather than trying to impress. The more errors you make, the lower your score. So, use the e-book to improve your accuracy and reduce your errors: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

' src=

Thank you liz.।।। Making content accessable

' src=

I took the test on 12th of Sept 2020. Here is the Writing Task 2 question: The most important priority of any governments is to provide housing. To what extent do you agree or disagree. I hope it helps.

' src=

Dear Liz, Your lessons are really very helpful and easy to understand.Thanks for the useful instructions:) Could you please help in assessing the below essay?

Looking at the eating habits and sedentary lifestyle of people, obesity problem has grown over the years which in turn is increasing pressure on the healthcare systems. In my view, introducing physical exercise lessons alone in the school cannot solve this problem. In addition to this, proper eating habits should be followed by people.

Firstly, there is no doubt that physical education can help people maintain their weight and thereby reduce the health problems arising due to overweight. Making students aware of the importance of body stretching on a regular basis is the initial step towards solving this problem .Students can learn a lot about the body structure , its functioning and the ways to keep the body fit through exercises. When the students understand the value of physical exercise, they can pass on this information to their families as well. This is the kind of transformation which is possible only by involvement of not only students but also elders .

Secondly, doing exercise alone cannot be a solution to this problem. There are many more factors such as eating habits (junk food) and sleep cycle , which are responsible to this overweight issue.So , along with the physical fitness, people should start working on their eating patterns and the type of food they eat. Taking an average amount of sleep is also required for healthy lifestyle.This can be achieved by introducing healthy-lifestyle specific lessons in the school curriculum and make children implement the healthy eating habits in their life.

In conclusion, adding more physical fitness lessons at the school level will greatly help in improving the health of people. However, eating habits should also be in control to keep oneself fit and active.

' src=

Thank you very much for the free lessons. Can I partially agree in agree and disagree essay even when I’m not asked: ”to what extent do you agree”?

Yes, you can.

' src=

But, I was told never to have a clear opinion in agree and disagree question. It’s not only in situations of “to what extent” that we can decide our grace.

Do you agree? Do you agree or disagree? To what extent do you agree? To what extent do you agree or disagree? What is your opinion? All the above are the same instructions which are used for an Opinion Essay. They are not different instructions. This means the techniques for an Opinion Essay apply to an Opinion Essay regardless of how the instructions are phrased. They are simply paraphrases of the same instructions. If you are confused, please get my Advanced Lessons so you can learn the right way to tackle an IELTS essay: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

' src=

My instructor told me my reasoning behind my opinion was not strong enough. For instance, when the topic was about the advantages of having older people in a country, I discussed my views as “Children need older people at home for supervision as most of them have working parents”, whereas, my instructor thinks, I should’ve discussed it in country’s perspective saying ” older people are experienced in their occupations”.

I described my arguments clearly with supportive lines. But he didn’t like the “argument” itself. Is that a problem? Will I get less marks for this?

Both you and your instructor are thinking about two different points, not the same point. Your instructor is talking about how older people have more experience in their work which is beneficial for a country. Your point is that elderly people provide family support to take care of the grandchildren if their parents are working. Both points are relevant, but they are completely different points. You get a high score to organising your clear points into logical paragraphs and explaining what you mean in detail. As long as your point was well explained, it’s fine.

' src=

You are really super and your explanatory techniques and exemplification in addition to how simple you discuss and present the material are awesome. you have a high talent or skill in analyzing all the discussed and handled topics. thank you from the depth of my heart as you are helping me alot Haytham Selim Egyptian in UAE

I’m really pleased you are finding my lessons useful. Good luck in your test!!

' src=

hey liz, Thank you so much for your free content. I did my IELTS test today and it was quite fair. My task 2 was “employers should give their employees at least 4 weeks holiday per year. Do you agree or disagree with the statement?”

' src=

Thank you so much for the wonderful tips and lessons, I have learned so much in my short time of preparing. I would be taking the test for the first time in Aug. I hope I make it.

I do have a question on paraphrasing. Is it OK to paraphrase only the 1st sentence of the question, as I saw this done on a model essay. The 2nd sentence was used as the thesis statement. Please find Sample question below. I would truly appreciate it if you could give a model answer.

“According to a recent study, the more time people use the Internet, the less time they spend with real human beings. Some people say that instead of seeing the Internet as a way of opening up new communication possibilities world wide, we should be concerned about the effect this is having on social interaction. How far do you agree with this opinion? ”

Thank you for your help ☺️

Learn how to write an introduction and see model essays on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

' src=

Hey Liz, It’s Mr. Jasjit singh here and I am working as an IELTS trainer in a company. Here, my concern is to point you out that you have used “sporty children” in the essay’s body para – 2, even though, the word SPORTY is an informal. According to the parameters of marking, the informal language must not be used basically in the essay writing, otherwise there is a penalty. Do you think it is worthy to be used by the candidates?

Kindly share your perspective asap!!

“sporty” is completely fine. However, to use the word “kids” is too informal.

' src=

I have a question, please answer me.

In my IELTS writing, while checking things at last minute, I did a foolish mistake and change all the words next to comma “, ” in a capital letter.

i.e “However, This was…..”

So, the question is how many marks did the checker will cut or how many bands of mine are at risk. I am worried sick.

Please reply.

Well, I still don’t understand how I did that mistake. Time was ticking and something pushes me to do it :@ maybe this was because of C.D test. I am.sure if I were writing on a paper it would not happen. But fate :@

Since childhood, we know that after full stop next letter is Capital and not after the comma :@ but…argh

This would just count as one systematic error. It means you make the same mistake over and over again. It will affect your score for Grammar, but it isn’t possible to predict your overall score. Your Grammar score will depend on how many other errors you made and the range of grammar features you used. Good luck with you results! Try not to worry too much.

' src=

Hello Liz and thank you for all the info that you give us!! I would like to ask you. In this type of essay can I add examples from my personal experience? or I just say my opinion at the introduction and nowhere else?

The style of all essays should be formal which means you should avoid writing about your family and friends. Instead share your experience of the people in your country or around the world.

' src=

Dear Liz, Please, I am confused; agree/disagree is opinion essay? I mean: both are the same? Regards

Yes, they are the same. Do you agree or disagree? To what extent do you agree? What is your opinion? All the above are Opinion Essays.

' src=

Should I write the word count at the end of the writing task 2?

No, definitely don’t waste your time with that. The examiner will count the words himself if necessary.

' src=

Hi Liz, First of all thanks a lot for your great website and youtube channel. These are treasure troves of information. Millions of thanks to you.

I took the test couple of days ago. Writing part 2 was a bit confusing for me.” some people agree it is the best way to make detailed plan of activities in their free time”. While others disagree. Discuss both the views and give your opinion. I read this question more than 10 times, meanwhile, I was writing the essay. Whether it is asking about ‘ free time activities plan’ or ‘If we are free and utilize that time to make a plan about upcoming activities’. I hope you can solve my confusion.

However, the remaining questions are:

Writing part 1: write a letter to the manager about an accident you met with? Speaking: part1: about me, my residential area, facilities, whether you like living in an apartment or not? did you write with a pen or pencil as a child? what do you think if you get a pen as a gift? How do you think when it is compulsory to write only using a pencil-like this test? speaking part 2: An incident when you were not allowed to take a phone with you. (No more points to explain). speaking part 3: why the phones are restricted in some areas of the hospital? Importance of politeness, Need of rule for using mobile phones.

You haven’t remembered the essay question correctly – there are English language mistakes in it. For this reason, I can only speculate. Most questions like this are about whether you should make plans for free time activities or not. Many people like to plan each and every activity they do in their free time, whereas others prefer to wake up and decide what to do based on how they feel that day or how the weather is etc – they don’t want to schedule or plan.

' src=

I am preparing my IELTS exam and I have written the below eassy all myself can I please have your feedback

Since the 18th Century technological advances have replaced people in the workplace. with today’s technology this process is happening at a greater rate. Technology is increasingly responsible for unemployment.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Since Industrial age technological breakthroughs have taken the place of individuals in many companies. Now a day’s Digital process plays a great role in many organizations due to which a lot of people are jobless. I completely agree that machines have taken place of human beings. Firstly, mobilized process has fasten the work and brings out better results than of humans. Organizations doesn’t have to double check the work as its scientifically proven that computers and machines are not liable to make errors or mistakes. Many firms are trying to replace the employees with robots where possible to reduce the number of workers in their company, save money which can be used to do investments, buy shares and make profit. For instance, I work in a water company, where distribution of water is 24hours. there are many departments were large number of employees are working. In the production department, earlier men’s where used to drive the forklift and load the trucks now they have been replaced with robots to do the same job.

Secondly, Using Scientific advancement can lead to organizational growth in very less time. As the employer doesn’t have to go through the hiring process which is time consuming and sometime leads to failure as the wrong person is hired for the job. A good illustration of this is, Accounts department is the most important section in any huge firm if the employees are not provided with computers the calculations may go wrong and in worst case the firm could face loss.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend especially large organization to save their time, efforts and utilize their money in digitalizing their work which will lead them to huge profit.

' src=

Number of overweight people and children are increasing from last 10 years. Some people think that to solve these issues, facilities of sports and exercises should be provided in school. I completely agree that this is the best solution to tackle the issue for improving public health in relation to weight.

Firstly, to deal with increase in number of obesity and weight of people, some steps should be taken by schools and colleges. Easy access and more facility in sports should be introduced for children and people. This will ensure fitness among students and people interested to take part can join with no age barrier. This will result in reducing sadentry lifestyle and will encourage all to take part in competition.

Secondly, the sports lesson for children in school would result in children developing interest in exercise which might encourage the old age or parents to get motivated. In other word parents with sporty children will try to involve themselves with sports to make their children happy. If both of them get interested, they will practice daily. This would be the best and natural way to improve health of people.

In conclusion, to deal with reducing laziness and overweight people, changing the lifestyle and access to more facility will change the body shape with less problems.

' src=

Hi Liz, Is this an opinion essay and we need to cover both sides? Or just the side that I support. I am confused.

It is generally accepted exercise is good for children and teenagers. Therefore physical education and sports should be made compulsory for all students in all schools. What do you think ?

IT is asking for your opinion. It is an opinion essay. It is the same as “do you agree or disagree?” or “To what extent do you agree?”. You present your opinion of the issue or issues stated and use the body paragraphs to give reasons and explanation for your opinion.

' src=

Thank you so much Liz! I got a score that is very useful (lrsw=8,9,8.5,7.5). I was just 0.5 away from 8 in writing to get a perfect score! It was an opinion question. I agreed in part in other to have ideas to get my body paragraphs. Number of words 330 essay and 190 letter (computer-based IELTS is the best if you enjoy typing but hurrible hand written like me). I looked through all your model essays, and I discovered that my issues were mainly articles and punctuations).

Well done with your results 🙂 I’ve put loads of information about articles in my new Grammar E-book as well as a chapter on punctuation. I hope to have the e-book ready at the end of April or beginning of May 🙂

' src=

May I ask could I take both sides on the question like “Do you agree or disagree”?

Sorry, I think I just found the answer in the comments… 100% same. Which is strange. I thought agree or disagree should give only one position; and for “to what extent do you agree or disagree” require two positions.

Thanks for the great community!

They are the same instructions, just paraphrased.

' src=

Hi Liz, is “the key to solving these issues is” correct? Shouldn’t it be “the key to solve” ? Thank you

“the key to solving” is 100% correct. The word “to” is used as a preposition in this phrase, not as part of the verb.

' src=

Hi, Liz! I’ll have an IELTS test next week, but am still confused about agree-disagree essay.

Here’s the question: Some people think that employers should not care about the way their employees dress, because what matters is the quality of their work. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Is that alright if I say on my introduction as follows: In my opinion, dress codes are significant in a working environment, while employees’ competence should matter as well.

My first body paragraph explains the reason why dress codes are important, and my second body paragraph is about why competence should matter.

I do hope you answer my question. Thank you, Liz! Get well soon.

You’ve got the right approach for a partial agreement. However, you need to address your English. “In my opinion, both dress codes and employee competence should be important to any employer.” Try to aim for accuracy and clear meaning in your written English. Don’t try to write in any particular style – just be clear and direct.

' src=

Wish me all the best liz!!… I ve covered all your lessons!!…

' src=

Thank you very much Liz. Your lessons were of immense help. I got the band score that I wanted.

That’s great to hear. Well done 🙂

' src=

Thanks for all time! We truly appreciate your efforts in making IELTS easier to tackle. However I would like to ask about recent questions reported by student for writing task 2. My exam is on the 13th of this month.

Thanks! Don’t forget to get well soon 🙂

I will post Recent Questions for January 2020 soon.

' src=

Hi Liz, Thank you soo much for your help.

Should we quote example only if they asked for it in the question or should we give it for all essay questions?

You give examples when you know of a good example to use that will help support and explain the main idea of the body paragraph.

' src=

Hi dr liz u r great soul i ever seen wish u a happy happy new year

Thanks 🙂 Happy New Year 🙂

' src=

Hi dear liz,wish u a very happy new year ,stay blessed always. U r the great soul i ever seen. I have a doubt regarding essay. If the question was asked about leadership innate or achieved opinion essay shall i write my balanced view lik this, i agree that this skill must be innate for political leadership i bliv this should be achieved for managerial leadership.is this stand ok for partly agree. Thanks in advance for reply

If you want a quantified response which you by you say it is X in this situation and Y in this, make sure your grammar and language are 100% clear. If you make any mistakes with that statement it could have serious consequences. So, make sure you write it clearly without any errors at all.

' src=

Its quite evident that the physical structure of humans are mainly measured in terms of average weight and height. This aspect of human body varies based on several factors. Also there are many speculations anticipated especially with respect to the optimal weight of any person. This requires a lot of monitoring and maintenance efforts to predict the health related outcomes of any individual who is known to be overweighted. I totally agree with some of the initiatives incorporated at the school levels in order to mitigate the above factor. School Managements in recent days have implemented diet related programs with the strong vision of maintaining advisable health care system, particularly for stalwarts who are considered be above the average weight. Furthermore, the students have to be encouraged rigorously to participate in sports, games and other outdoor activities. Now a days, we also find a typical gymnasium court with trained experts dedicated to help students who are weighing above the acceptance level. The above attempts can also be recommended to help students to address their depression levels if they are facing any sort of misbehaviour from their fellow mates. There are many real-time scenarious wherein a kid is illtreated or accused by his or her classmates due to their physical appearances pertaining to overweight. It should also be treated as key responsibilities of teachers especially physical fitness trainers in schools. Overall, these kind of programs will always stand as unique and responsive while addressing many health related issues due to overweight. Irrespective of any barriers pertaining to this, the schools shall give atmost importance to motivate students who are observed to be above the normal weight.

You definitely need to realise that an IELTS essay is an essay formed and structured in a particular way for this test to adhere to the band score requirements. You must first learn how to structure your essay. Look at all the differences between my model and your own essay. If you can’t see the differences, please get my advanced lessons which teachin how to write an IELTS essay step by step: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

' src=

Really you are a very good trainer.

' src=

How are you ? Will you please explain the difference between writing task 2 of academic and general? in your website nothing is mentioned like for academic and general for writing task 2. i am preparing for general. please let me know writing task 2 is same for academic and general or different ?

Go to the RED MENU BAR and select “Test Info”. You’ll see an option for GT IELTS information. Always use the MENU BAR to access what you need.

' src=

Hi Liz !thanku so much for your topic they are all very useful. I think I got a high band score for writing task 2 thankuuuuu sooo much dear.

That’s really good to hear !! Very well done 🙂

' src=

Hi liz, this is the first time I am commenting! Hope you are well. Please tell me where I can find the model answers of writting task 2 provided in your WT – 2 section !

You can find all model essays, tips etc in the main writing task 2 section of the website. Just click on the RED MENU BAR at the top of the page to open the section of the test you want to learn.

' src=

That’s is really great for my IELT practice and I’m just 13 and I’m gonna take it when I’m 13 and a half thanks for the information

Good luck 🙂

hi !!! Can we use ‘A LOT OF’ and ‘SO’ in task 2 ? as someone told me that we cannot use it in writing , reason being these both are INFORMAL. Is it true ?

No, that isn’t true. It’s completely fine to use those words.

Hey there!! Can we use “And” and “But” For the beginning of the sentence in between the body paragraphs to add and contrast information respectively ???

PLEASE PROVIDE ME WITH AN EXPLAINED INFORMATION ASAP, I WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR THAT.

— Jasjit Singh

No, you can’t. See the linking words page for details: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

' src=

Hi Liz , I sat for my academic test on the 28 of September, 2019. I got an overall score of 7.5. LRWS = 7.5, 8.0,6.0,8.0. For the Speaking questions. Part 1: 1.Tell me your full name please? 2. Do you work or study? 3.How is the weather in your country?. 4.Would you like to live in a place with a different weather from your country? 5. Where do you like to read? 6. Do you like to read in an hot weather or cold weather?. Part 2: Talk about an historical building you visited in your country. Part 3:1. Should the appearance of public buildings be designed ? 2. Do you think people should pay taxes to use public buildings? I can’t remember the other 3 questions she asked. For the reading questions, most of them were Yes, No, and Not given questions. I think I did well because the passages were close to what I studied in school. The listening was easy. I got lost in some places though. Writing Task 1. I was given a table to describe the population of people in Jakarta, Sao Paolo, and Bangkok in 1999 and 2001. There was a column for the projected population in 2001.The numbers were too close. I got confused a bit. Writing task 2: Some people believe that university admissions should only be offered to young people with the highest merits while some believe that admissions should be given to all people without considering their grade. Discuss both views and give your opinion. I didn’t finish my writing to my satisfaction. I think that’s the reason for my low score. Time finished faster than I thought. I just want to say Thank you Liz for everything. I learnt a lot from your lessons. Hopefully,i won’t write this exam again.

Well done with your results and thanks for sharing 🙂

' src=

Hi Liz, I love all your content. Thank you so much for helping us through IELTS. I just wan to know is there a difference between “Do you agree or disagree” and “to what extend do you agree or disagree ” also are opinion essays same as agree disagree essays ?

They are 100% the same.

' src=

Hi Liz, thanks for all your help to prepare for my IELTS exam. I can’t thank you enough. I have a doubt regarding “To what extent do you agree or disagree” question. Can I just see it as Agree or Disagree question and just take one side or do I need to address both the side? This question type is really confusing. Kindly advise me. Thanks again for all your help and you are indeed my God for IELTS 🙂 🙂

Thanks, Karthik

They are 100% the same essay – no difference at all.

' src=

I am also confused about “to what extend do u agree or disagree” and “Do u agree or disagree” Is there any diference in their answer plz explain

No, there is no difference at all.

' src=

hello madam I’m Nikhil I have a doubt that crushing my mind since 10days, please madam could you solve it.

my Institute tutor said we must follow this pattern for agree or disagree question Introduction paraphrase question thesis statement ( not mentioning agree or disagree)

para1 (agree|) statement ! example

para2 (agree) sate3ment2 example

para3 statement3 example

conclusion now I must discuss my opinion

Above essay can also write in vise verse with disagree madam, I already comment you, but you didn’t give reply madam please help me out from this problem, I would be ecstatic.

There is no such thing as a fixed content for body paragraphs. Of course you should state your opinion in the introduction – give your answer and then explain it in the body paragraphs. Please see my Advanced Writing Task 2 lessons if you need training: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

' src=

Hi Liz! Thank you for your lessons. They are all very useful.

I would like to ask your opinion regarding examples in body paragraphs.

To get a high band score for writing task 2, it is necessary to support and develop our main ideas. I found some websites recommend providing examples from surveys, polls, government report, etc to support main ideas. Is example really needed? Are there any other ways to support main ideas without using examples?

If we really want to give an example, does it have to be a real example? Can we fabricate false/unreal example?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you, Liz!

Examples with data from sources are definitely not required. You can explain and illustrate your ideas in any way you want. Giving the source of information is a waste of time in IELTS because a) it is written as a learned phrase which doesn’t help your language score b) the examiner doesn’t mark data in task 2 so it won’t help your score either. You decide how to explain your main ideas. You can see most of my essays don’t have examples with data.

Thanks, Liz! It’s so helpful.

' src=

Hi Liz, i want to clear my doubts regarding this essay type. There is an essay question in your website which is about the rapid expansion of supermarkets because of which local shops are closing, and some people believe that this is causing death of local communities.

I disagreed with this argument and wrote that supermarkets provide efficacious results for native communities. In body paragraphs i wrote reasons of my opinion, and i hadn’t mentioned local shops in body paragraphs. I just wrote reasons to support my view that this and this are the advantages which benefit local communities. I want to ask is it okay to not mention local shops because i am supporting my view for supermarkets?

You can’t ignore part of the essay question. The fact presented to you is that supermarkets are expanding and local shows are closing. This is the basis of your essay. The opinion you tackle is “do you think this is the death of local communities?”. So, if you think supermarkets are good for local communities – do you also think it is good that local shops are closing?? You need to address the issue or issues in the question.

But if i also acknowledge that local shops are good for local communities then i might be contradicting my own agreed view point that supermarkets are good for local communities, so it means that i have to say that local shops are not good for local communities?

It would mean you have a partial agreement. You don’t have to agree with one side. Think more carefully about why you think supermarkets are good for local communities and then think about what effect local shops closing will have. Once you’ve brainstormed, analyse your ideas and think of exactly what your view is and how to you will express it. After that, plan supporting points. Hopefully you can now see how important planning is 🙂

' src=

Hi Liz… Your website is so helpful for me. Thank you much for that. My confusion is…. In this model esssy, there is no discussion about health system. Should we avoid discussion about it? I used to elaborate about helath system in one paragraph . Am I wrong? Please guide.

An opinion essay is not a discussion essay. This essay does not ask you to discuss the health care system. It is asking your opinion about whether you think the problem that obesity is causing on the health care system can be solved by offering more physical education in schools – do you agree with this solution?? Your whole essay from beginning to end is about your opinion of solutions to the problem.

' src=

Hi Liz, thank you for all the tips and essay examples. They really help us to achieve better scores on IELTS. Anyway, I was practicing this essay before reading the example, and I wrote it differently. So I want to know your opinion on how I wrote it.

In the first body paragraph, I wrote that including physical activities such as sports in schools’ curriculums is the best way to introduce children to an active and healthier life, giving the example of how US do this.

However, in the second body paragraph I explained that there are other approaches that should be done to countries witness a really dramatic decrease of healthcare use: lowing the taxes of companies that produce natural and organic food, to make these types of food cheaper to people, and making awareness campaigns about having a healthier diet.

I conclude restating that physical activities in schools are essential to create the habit of being physically active, but it should be combined with an awareness of healthy diet.

So the question is: can I agree and also include other aspects to the subject? Thank you!

Yes, of course. It’s called a partial agreement (or balanced approach). It means that you agree to some extent but not 100%. So, you would explain what you agree with and then add what else needs to be considered. I find this approach to be very useful sometimes because it’s easier to find unique ideas for each body paragraph which results in a more focused essay and also a better range of language. See my Advanced Writing Task 2 lessons if you want more training: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Oh nice! That’s a relief. I don’t agree completely sometimes with the affirmation on the question, so I’ll look the page that you recommended. Thank you very much for the answer!

' src=

I love this response.

Speak Your Mind Cancel reply

Notify me of new posts by email.

Advanced IELTS Lessons & E-books

essay agree or disagree

Recent Lessons

Ielts topic: urban planning, ielts listening transcripts: when and how to use them, 2024 ielts speaking part 1 topics, vocabulary for government topic, ielts listening practice lesson: job application, ielts bar chart model answer for change over time.

essay agree or disagree

Click Below to Learn:

  • IELTS Test Information

Copyright Notice

Copyright © Elizabeth Ferguson, 2014 – 2024

All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy & Disclaimer

  • Click here:  Privacy Policy 
  • Click here: Disclaimer

Return to top of page

Copyright © 2024 · Prose on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

  • Skip to main content

IELTS Podcast

Pass IELTS with expert help.

Agree or disagree essay for IELTS writing task 2

Home  »  IELTS academic task 2 » Agree or disagree essay for IELTS writing task 2

What is an “agree or disagree” essay?

  • An “agree or disagree” essay offers a statement and invites you either to agree or disagree with it.
  • For this type of task 2 essay, you are expected (1) to state your opinion clearly (2) to address all parts of the statement with which you are agreeing or disagreeing (3) fully to support your opinion with reference to further knowledge or experience

Sample “agree or disagree” questions

Here are some examples of agree or disagree essay questions.

1. “Modern life is increasingly chaotic.” Do you agree or disagree?

2. “The death penalty is barbaric and should not be legal anywhere.” Do you agree or disagree?

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

As an illustration, I’m going to discuss the third of these examples.

I’m going to argue that libraries are not irrelevant in the age of the internet, partly because (as a scholar and teacher of English) that’s what I believe.

It is possible to argue a case opposite to your own real opinion, but you are more likely to argue convincingly if you argue for a case in which you yourself believe.

Always read the question carefully!

  • Remember our cardinal rule: always read the question carefully. This is a vital point and expanded on in the online IELTS course .

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

Here, it’s essential to note that the view with which you’re being asked to agree or disagree actually consists of two views:

“Libraries are irrelevant in the age of the internet”;

“Libraries should not be publicly funded.”

The two questions are linked, but not identical.

Stating your opinion clearly and decisively

Let’s consider an unclear statement of opinion.

“I suppose libraries are in some ways irrelevant, you can find most things you need on the internet, but after all it is good to have a place to go and study, and many libraries also offer other facilities like cafes etc.”

What is the problem with this way of stating an opinion?

First, the statement of opinion is indecisive, because it is prefaced with “I suppose”.

It is usually a bad idea to preface your statement of opinion with “I suppose”, or “it is my opinion that”, or even “I think that”.

The reader already knows that it is your opinion, because you are stating it!

Every time you are tempted to write “I think that” or “It’s my opinion that”, try simply deleting those words.

The sentence will usually be greatly improved without them.

The other problem with this way of opening your argument is that it is unclear which side you are on.

After the reader has finished reading the opening sentence, it is not fully clear whether the writer agrees or disagrees with the statement offered.

This is not to say that there is no room for subtlety or qualifications to an argument in your essay.

But the main line of your argument needs to be clear because you don’t have much space. Let’s try to find a better opening for the essay.

“Libraries are very far from irrelevant. The experience of reading a printed book is very different from that of reading a text on a screen, and much more is lost than is sometimes supposed when reading electronically.”

This is clear and decisive statement of opinion. A single line of argument is given, followed by a single main supporting reason for it.

Addressing all parts of the question

Let’s move on to the second main criterion, addressing all parts of the question.

Remember that you’re being asked not only whether libraries are irrelevant, but also whether they should receive public funding (vocabulary like this is great for your essay) .

Obviously, these two questions are linked: if libraries were irrelevant, there really would be no point in funding them.

Yet it does not follow that, if relevant, they must be funded. It’s good to demonstrate your awareness that the question has more than one aspect to it.

Here is an example of how you might do this.

“We have seen that libraries are very far from irrelevant. Clearly, this fact does not, by itself, show that they deserve public funding. Nevertheless, a good case can, in fact, be made for public financial support for libraries.”

With this transition between the first and second aspects of the question, you have done a number of things.

You have shown that you have read the question attentively, and have understood that it consists of two distinct parts.

You have also shown that you understand the need to provide support for your opinion on each part of the statement asked about.

Supporting your argument

Finally, let’s move on to the third criterion, the need fully to support your opinion.

Evidently, you are not expected to be an expert on any topic about which you might be asked to give your opinion.

You are not expected, for example, to have precise facts and figures about library use at your fingertips!

But you are being asked to show that you understand the general principle of the need to support opinions with reasons , with evidence of some kind.

Let’s consider what might count as supporting the argument that libraries are not irrelevant in the internet age. You would need to be able to show what it is that libraries provide that a computer screen can’t.

Here, “supporting” your argument might simply mean describing some of the valuable features of reading a book which can’t be reproduced by a computer.

Let’s consider an example of how this might be done.

“Not all the merits of books are replicable on a computer screen. Not only are books one of the simplest technologies ever invented, and therefore extremely easy to use, but they are also physical sites of memory. Many readers remember what they have read in a book by remembering the look, feel and even smell of a book as they have read it.”    

Watch this tutorial on how to give examples, then click here to subscribe to the Youtube Channel.  

This series of supporting arguments has a number of virtues. It points to a number of different specific ways in which books do things which can’t be done by computers; each of these features of books constitutes an implicit reason for valuing libraries.

It draws on the experiences of readers to support a more abstract general point about libraries.

In this tutorial, we have considered some of the main criteria for success in an “agree or disagree” essay.

We have understood the importance of:

  • addressing all aspects of the question;
  • stating one’s opinion clearly and decisively
  • offering full support for all aspects of one’s opinion.

More resources

Take a look at some more IELTS task 2 essay questions to help you practice for your IELTS exam .

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How to write agree disagree essay in ielts.

Rephrase the question in the introduction, say whether you agree or disagree and will explain why in the following paragraphs. Then you need 2 body paragraphs with a main reason for your view and supporting arguments in each, and a conclusion which summarizes these main reasons.

Is an opinion essay the same as an Agree Disagree essay?

Yes, generally it is although the question might be phrased differently. You need to say clearly whether you agree or disagree with the statement and give at least two reasons why (that’s the opinion part).

Audio tutorial

You can download or listen to the audio version here:

MP3 Direct Download | Stitcher | iTunes | Spotify | Soundcloud |Subscribe: Android | RSS

Tutorials and Tips to Prepare for Task 2

  • How to Get Ideas for Task 2
  • Extremely Useful Sentences for Task 2
  • Five Powerful Sentence Structures to use in your IELTS Writing test
  • How to use comparisons in Task 2
  • Concession Paragraphs for “do I agree/disagree essays”
  • How to write an IELTS Essay Conclusion
  • IELTS Cohesion and Coherence
  • 3 ways to paraphrase for your Task 2 introduction
  • Marking Criteria for IELTS Writing
  • Topics Sentences for Your Essays
  • 7 Ways to Improve your Sentences in Your IELTS Essays
  • Grammar for IELTS Writing
  • Academic Collocations for Task 2

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

IELTS Advantage

IELTS Advantage

IELTS Preparation Courses

IELTS Writing: Agree or Disagree Lesson with Sample Answer

Agree or disagree essays: ielts writing task 2 lesson.

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

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

In this post, we will look at:

Deciding Opinion

Idea generation.

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

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

essay agree or disagree

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

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

Paragraph 1- Introduction

Sentence 1- Paraphrase Question

Sentence 2- Thesis Statement

Sentence 3- Outline Statement

Paragraph 2- Supporting Paragraph 1

Sentence 1- Topic Sentence

Sentence 2/3- Explain Topic Sentence

Sentence 3/4- Example

Paragraph 3- Supporting Paragraph 2

Paragraph 4- Conclusion

Sentence 1- Summary and reiteration of your opinion.

That’s it! Four paragraphs.

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

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

Let’s look at an example:

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

Do you agree or disagree?

  With this type of essay, we have two choices:

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

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

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

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

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

essay agree or disagree

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

Here are some:

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

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

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

Introduction

essay agree or disagree

As previously stated, we will use the following structure:

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

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

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

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

This is our first sentence.

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

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

This is our second sentence.

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

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

So our full introduction will look like this:

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

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

Supporting Paragraph 1

This paragraph should include:

  • Topic Sentence
  • Explanation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Supporting Paragraph 2

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

Our topic sentence:

Increasing taxes would raise prices and lower consumption.

Explaining this further:

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

We now support our point with an example:

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

The full paragraph would look like this:

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

Four sentences.

Conclusion  

essay agree or disagree

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

Sentence 1- Summary of main points

Sentence 2- Your opinion

Don’t write any new ideas in this paragraph.

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

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

Agree or Disagree IELTS Sample Essay 

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

essay agree or disagree

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

' src=

About Christopher Pell

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

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

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

An opinion essay

An opinion essay

Learn how to write an opinion essay.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and tips and do the exercises.

Preparation

Matching_MjMxMDM=

Some people think that some types of criminals should not go to prison. Instead they should do unpaid work in the community. To what extent do you agree?

Owing to the great variety of crimes that can be punishable by prison, some people argue that not all criminals are the same and it would therefore be more appropriate to give certain criminals community service instead. I agree that in some cases, prison may not be the best solution and community service would probably have more benefits.

One justification given for prisons is to keep society safe by removing criminals from the outside world. So the first thing to consider is if someone who has broken the law is a danger to other people. In the case of violent crime, there is an argument to keep the perpetrator away from society. However, burglary or possession of drugs, for example, does not involve violence against other people so the criminal does not present a direct danger to anyone in the community. Keeping these types of criminals in prison is expensive for the taxpayer and does not appear to be an effective punishment as they often commit the same crime again when they come out of prison.

Personally, I also believe punishments should reform people so they do not reoffend. A further reason not to put these people in prison is that they may mix with more dangerous and violent criminals, potentially committing a worse crime when they are released. By keeping them in the community, helping others, they not only learn new skills, but they could also develop more empathy and care towards others. If this occurs, society can only benefit.

Critics of this more rehabilitative approach to crime believe that justice should be harsh in order to deter people from committing similar crimes and that community service could be less likely to have that effect. However, there is very little evidence to suggest that long prison sentences deter criminals.

In conclusion, putting criminals who are not a danger to society in prison is expensive and, in my opinion, ineffective, both as a deterrent and as a form of rehabilitation. Community service for non-violent crimes benefits both society and the offender. That said, it would be useful to have more data to work out whether community service or prison is more likely to stop someone reoffending. I strongly believe that decisions on how best to deal with criminals should be based on evidence of what actually works.

  • Introduce your essay by restating the question in your own words.
  • If the essay asks you to what extent do you agree?,  make your opinion clear throughout. You can either agree, partially agree or disagree with the statement, explaining and justifying your opinion.
  • Introduction
  • The first reason why you agree/disagree
  • The second reason why you agree/disagree
  • The third reason why you agree/disagree (if you have one)
  • Use phrases to organise and link your ideas, e.g. Owing to … , One justification for … , The first thing to consider is … , A further reason … , In conclusion ... .
  • If you do not have solid evidence for your ideas, use modal verbs such as might , may or could  (e.g. they could  develop more empathy and care ) or other tentative phrases (e.g. it does not appear to be an effective punishment ).
  • Conclude by restating your opinion and summarising your two or three main arguments.

Do you agree that community service is better than prison for some crimes?

Language level

Good day Sir/Madam,

I would like to ask about the expression ‘So the first thing is to…’. In academic and formal writing, should I avoid using ‘thing’ or ‘so’ or is it still fine? Thanks a lot for taking your time to read this. Hope to hear from you.

Your sincerely, Kimmie

  • Log in or register to post comments

Hi kimmie,

Thanks for your question. In academic and formal writing, there is a general preference for precision over vagueness, so generally speaking it's better to avoid this usage of  so  and  thing  and use more precise and academic terms when they are available (e.g. Therefore, the first factor/issue to consider is ... ).

However, if you search academic writing, you will find writers do use  thing  sometimes, especially in fixed phrases (e.g.  the first thing /   the same thing ) or technical terms ( e.g. the Internet of Things ). Some writers might also use more general terms first before moving onto more precise terms.

(Note: The essay on the page above is in a somewhat formal style but not very formal.)

I hope that helps.

LearnEnglish team

Hi Jonathan

This is immensely valuable for me. Thank you so much for your swift response. Hope you have a nice day.

In my country it is often debated whether community services are better than prison for certain crimes. I think it's pretty obvious that it should be an option for less important faults. However, sometimes it happens that a judge decides to grant this benefit to some type of powerful criminals who cause more significant damage to society than others who do not have the same possibility, such as financial criminals or corrupt government agents. In my opinion, these types of sentences can have a bad impact on people, since they see that these behaviors are not severely punished and are somehow protected by the law. In conclusion, I agree that certain types of crimes should avoid prison, but I believe that before implementing it, the society must agree on which crimes will be able to enjoy this possibility to ensure that justice is fair for all.

please approve for testing

Hello aaron,

We check all comments before publishing them, which is why it's taken some time for your comment to be published.

Normally we delete a comment like this -- and we deleted the other one you made -- but have let this one through so you can see that it works. 

We are a small team, so it can sometimes be several hours before comments are published -- just wanted to tell you for the future.

We look forward to hearing more from you!

All the best, Kirk LearnEnglish team

The subject of how criminals should be punished is complicated, there are a lot of different opinions defending their points of view. There are two main ideas the first is arresting all the offenders, and the second idea is separating those not dangerous to society, and sending them to work in the community. In my opinion, I agree with the second idea, because there are many expenses with the prisons and the prisoners, so if lessen the population in this environment the conditions and the quality could be better than if there were overpopulation, avoiding justice being done right. Furthermore, these people aren't violent and dangerous to others, so with bad company in the prison, they might become bad people too. In this case, it's an awful idea to mix a different kind of person. Therefore, it's an excellent suggestion to oblige these people to do work in society, but with supervision in the right way and strictly.

On account of the differences between several types of crimes, not all criminals should be sent to prison. It is suggested that giving certain offenders community service would be more appropriate than just jailing them.

Honestly, I completely agree that the right way to protect people from harm is to imprison criminals who conduct violent crimes that endanger human physical health. Nevertheless, this penalty may be ineffective with offenders who have administrative guilts or non-violent offenses. Since they often commit the same crime after getting out of prison, this is just a temporary punishment to ensure the security of citizens for a certain period. The nature of the problem is these crimes originate from greed and bad habits which lead to their deviant behaviors but have not yet resulted in such severe consequences that affect human life.

From my perspective, the government would rather reform these types of offenders than deter them as a kind of punishment. It is better to have an alternative that perceptively impacts these people’s awareness which is to make them do community service. Jailing these criminals just increases their hatred and develops antisocial personality. By keeping and controlling them in a community, besides learning new skills, they amend their bad manner as well as develop more empathy and care towards others.

Given these points, the application of punishment should be based on the nature of each specific crime. Prisons should only be used for perpetrators committing directly dangerous crimes to people's lives. Making non-violent criminals do community service is more of a practical way to optimize tax wasted for prisons as well as give them a chance to fix their wrong behaviors.

There are several types of crimes and for each of them, a different sentence is dictated. A paramount question to be considered is whether community servers are more accurate than prisons for some crimes.

To begin with, community servers would help and support criminals through specialized psychologists. Not only would community servers help and support them, but also it would give them jobs to help them give the society back a contribution in return.

In addition, prisons only contribute to worsening the situation owing to the fact that criminals will commit crimes again. The key to excellent behavior is learning. If they learn suitable habits, they will adapt to society and help it.

Furthermore, it is necessary to have empathy with criminals and not judge them because their hate increases when they are condemned in prison. A further reason for this is that hate feeds hate. Nevertheless, some criminals must be in jail due to their danger on the streets. It is difficult to know that a person who kills someone else, is going to change even if he/she receives help from psychologists.

In contrast, most of society believes that all criminals should be in prison. However, prisons must be all comfortable like a hotel in order to bring for the prisoners a place to recover themselves. The reason why they must live in appropriate conditions is due to his mental health. For instance, in Norway, prisons are like hotels because the government considers that criminals need a second chance to live in a community

To conclude, it would be suitable for all criminals to live in accurate prisons in order to recover themselves. Despite the cost that kind of prisons are supposed to take, they are worth paying for them. In my opinion, safety is priceless and is more important than the cost.

There are many things to consider in punishing criminals or law offender, Technically Speaking, Prison sentence varies entirely depending on a Country's legal system.

I partially agree in reinforcing community service to those non violent criminals, whereas harsh punishment for violent criminals who committed felonious crime. This perspective is reflected on my understandings in a community where social injustice is prevalent. In my country misdemeanor crime and felony crime offender are detained in the same prison cell, they only differ in the duration of prison sentence. This is where the serious societal issues of crime rate initially rooted, non violent offenders are mixed up with serious offenders, doing and smuggling drugs all a while in prison.

Further reasons to justify harsh punishment for felonious crime is it can act as deterent for potential criminals, while community service may reinforce less serious offender to reflect on their own actions and give back to the community. Moreover it may help them develop empathy towards others.

In my conclusions punishment should vary on the severity of the crime of the perpetrator, Criminals should be legally convicted and fairness in prosecution of Criminals must be reinforce.

Online courses

Footer:Live classes

Group and one-to-one classes with expert teachers.

Footer:Self-study

Learn English in your own time, at your own pace.

Footer:Personalised Tutor

One-to-one sessions focused on a personal plan.

Footer:IELTS preparation

Get the score you need with private and group classes.  

The Magoosh logo is the word Magoosh spelled with each letter o replaced with a check mark in a circle.

IELTS Writing Task 2: Agree/Disagree Sample Essay

Person holding 2 thumbs up to represent IELTS agree disagree essay

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

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

Agree/Disagree Sample Essay

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

Example Agree/Disagree IELTS Writing Task 2 Prompt

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

Get a higher IELTS score? Start your online IELTS prep today with Magoosh.

Write at least 250 words.

Example Response

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

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

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

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

Word count: 283

Why This Essay is Band 9

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

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

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

Overall Band Score: 9

What was done well in the essay:

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

Magoosh’s Other Sample IELTS Writing Task 2 Essays

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

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

Want more sample essays? Magoosh has you covered!

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

David Recine

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

View all posts

More from Magoosh

essay agree or disagree

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

Sheetal more Avatar

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

Magoosh Expert

Hi Sheetal!

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

Adel Avatar

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

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

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

Happy studying! 😀

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

IELTS Agree or Disagree Essay

IELTS Agree or Disagree Essay

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

Example of IETS Opinion essay

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

Structure of IELTS Opinion Essay

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

To what extent..

Example vocabulary and phrases: stating your opinion.

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

Example Vocabulary and Phrases: Arguing Your Point

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

Example Vocabulary and Phrases: Adding Adverb

Beginning of the sentence, middle of the sentence.

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

Example Vocabulary and Phrases: Verbs

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

Before You Start

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

Outline structure for IELTS Essay

  • ________________________________

Outline structure for IELTS Opinion Essay

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

Example Essay

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

Example Essay in color

essay agree or disagree

Share this article

If you liked this article share it with your friends. They will thank you later.

Write For Us

I am always looking for new guest authors and I welcome teachers and individual bloggers to contribute high-quality guest posts to writing9.com. Read more »

TED IELTS

  • A Beginner’s Guide to IELTS
  • Common Grammar Mistakes [for IELTS Writing Candidates]

Writing Correction Service

  • Free IELTS Resources
  • Practice Speaking Test

Select Page

How to Start an Agreement Essay

Posted by David S. Wills | Aug 7, 2023 | IELTS Tips , Writing | 0

How to Start an Agreement Essay

In IELTS writing task 2, you could be asked to write an agree or disagree essay, also known as an “agreement essay.” Today, however, I want to show you how to start an agreement essay . This will focus on the first few lines.

You can read my full guide to agree/disagree essays here if you want to learn about the overall structure.

What are the requirements of an agreement essay?

First of all, let’s look at what an agreement essay actually is and what you need to do. Here’s an example:

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

An IELTS agreement essay will typically give you a statement and then a line that says something like:

Do you agree or disagree?

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

  • To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement?

the structure of an ielts agree/disagree question

Your objective is to state whether (or to what extent) you agree or disagree with the idea expressed in the first line of the question. For the above example, you would either:

  • Completely agree
  • Partly agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Partly disagree
  • Completely disagree

Your essay should explain your position and your view should be clear throughout the entire piece of writing.

Now let’s look at the first lines.

How to start an agreement essay

Considering the above, what should you write in the opening lines of your essay?

Generally, an IELTS task 2 introduction should feature 2-4 sentences that clearly tell the reader what the essay is about and what your opinion is. You should write 1-3 sentences that explain the overall idea (basically introducing the topic) and then you should write an outline sentence .

Important: Your opinion must be stated in the introduction . Regardless of whether you agree, disagree, or have no strong opinion either way, you must make this clear to the reader. If you fail to do this, you will not score band 7 or above.

Thus, here is how you should start an agreement essay:

You often hear people say that you should paraphrase the question. This is certainly a possible approach, but it presents many problems and often results in terrible first sentences. In fact, it can ruin your whole introduction. You can learn about paraphrasing here .

Examples of agreement essay introductions

To further explain how you can start an agreement essay, let’s look at some examples.

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

Intro to sample band 9 answer:

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.

Instead of paraphrasing the question, I have taken the approach of explaining the wider situation. This is much better! I have used the next sentence to give a more focused introduction, raising the idea of banning traditional cars. Then, I gave my opinion. It is nice and clear and the reader would understand the topic fully before reading the body paragraphs.

A person’s worth nowadays seems to be judged according to social status and material possessions. Old-fashioned values, such as honour, kindness and trust, no longer seem important.

There are numerous ways in which a person can be valued, and these vary widely from culture to culture. They also vary over time, and some people suggest that in the modern era it is more common for people to be judged according to their wealth, rather than personality attributes. This essay will argue that it is probably not true.

Again, you can see that I have avoided blindly paraphrasing the question. Instead, I started with a nice, broad overview of the main idea, then focused it specifically in the next sentence. My opinion is made very clear in the final sentence.

Note: This is a notoriously difficult question and many people struggle with it. I’ve made this video to explain why it is so hard and how people can answer it intelligently.

Using a computer every day can have more negative than positive effects on young children.

Nowadays, it is quite common for children to have access to some kind of computer, and some people argue that this is damaging for their health. This essay will look at both sides of the argument, but ultimately conclude that it is not entirely negative.

This introduction is a little more “standard” in that I have sort of paraphrased the question. Still, it is hard to see that it is paraphrased because it is totally my words and ideas. I have then given my opinion clearly. Note that this may seem like an introduction to a “ discuss both views ” question but really I just wanted to talk about both sides because I feel that there is no clear-cut answer here. In other words, I’m providing balance because I neither wholly agree nor disagree.  

Question #4

Some people think that women should not be allowed to work in the police force.

Traditionally, there were some jobs that could only be done by men. These days, however, it is common to see women doing jobs that they were once forbidden from doing. Some people still hold onto the traditional view in regards the police force, but this essay will argue that women shouldn’t be unfairly restricted.

This goes back to my favoured approach, which is starting with a general statement, then refining it to a more specific point. As always, I have made my opinion very clear in the essay outline sentence. Note that I have avoided personal pronouns by saying “this essay will…” This is a good way to increase the level of formality without making it convoluted.

When you start your agreement essay, you should introduce the main topic and then provide your opinion. That is the key to writing a great introduction. Keep it relatively simple and make sure that your primary aim is to let the reader know exactly what your position is. Don’t try to show off with any fancy language or complicated ideas. Just make it straightforward and your essay will be off to a great start!

About The Author

David S. Wills

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.

Related Posts

How to Write a Positive or Negative Development IELTS Essay

How to Write a Positive or Negative Development IELTS Essay

November 22, 2021

Can Vocabulary and Grammar Mistakes Impact Task Response?

Can Vocabulary and Grammar Mistakes Impact Task Response?

September 9, 2022

Synonyms for People

Synonyms for People

October 14, 2022

Describe a Person You Know Who Dresses Well

Describe a Person You Know Who Dresses Well

June 13, 2022

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Download my IELTS Books

books about ielts writing

Recent Posts

  • How to Score Band 9 [Video Lesson]
  • Taxing Fast Food: Model IELTS Essay
  • Airport Vocabulary
  • How to Put Examples in an IELTS Essay
  • Taking Up A New Sport [Sample IELTS Letter]

ielts writing correction service

Recent Comments

  • fabliha on IELTS Speaking Partners
  • tufail khan on IELTS Discussion Essays [Discuss Both Views/Sides]
  • David S. Wills on The Dangers of Relying on Technology [Sample Answer]
  • Anh Nguyen Duc on The Dangers of Relying on Technology [Sample Answer]
  • nandhu on IELTS Speaking Partners
  • Lesson Plans
  • Model Essays
  • TED Video Lessons
  • Weekly Roundup

IELTS Practice.Org

IELTS Practice Tests and Preparation Tips

Agree/Disagree Essays

Sometimes your task 2 IELTS essay topic asks whether you agree or disagree with a given view. While writing an agree/disagree essay, you have basically three options. You can fully agree with the given view or you can fully disagree. You also have the option to partially agree. It is important to use ideas that support your opinion. For example, if you fully agree with the given view, the whole of your essay should explain why you agree. In this case, you must not include any reasons to disagree. We have got lots of agree/disagree IELTS essays on our blog. Here is a quick collection of agree or disagree or to what extent do you agree or disagree essays.

  • Some people think that governments should increase the tax on unhealthy food to enhance public health. Do you agree or disagree?
  • Some people claim that there are more disadvantages to the car than advantages
  • Leaders should be intelligent. Do you agree or disagree?
  • Plastic shopping bags should be banned because they pollute land and sea
  • Some people think that the most important thing about being rich is the opportunity to help other people
  • Studies show that many criminals do not receive enough education
  • To learn a foreign language successfully you need to spend time in the country where it is spoken
  • Art should be obligatory in schools
  • Some people think that schools have to be more entertaining while others think that their sole purpose is to educate
  • It is a natural process for animal species to become extinct
  • Many people join distance learning programs and study at home
  • Healthy nations should assist poor countries with humanitarian relief during natural disasters
  • Fatherhood ought to be emphasized as much as motherhood
  • It is better for children if whole families are involved in their upbringing.
  • Some people believe that teenagers should be required to do unpaid community work
  • Some people think that watching movies is a waste of time
  • Some people think that in order for a hobby to be enjoyable it should be difficult in some ways
  • Some people say that schools do not do enough to teach young people about health
  • Many foods and drinks contain high levels of sugar. So, sugary foods should be made more expensive.
  • Do you agree or disagree that improvements in technology reduce the role of Olympic games?
  • Many people make friends through social networks and internet chat rooms
  • Some governments say how many people a family can have in their country
  • In many countries today parents are able to send their children to single sex schools of co-educational schools
  • Some people think that things learned at school are not as useful as before, and there are important skills to learn outside school.
  • More and more qualified people are moving from poor to rich countries to fill vacancies in specialist areas like engineering, computing and medicine.
  • Planting trees is very important for the environment.
  • Fast food is a part of life in many places. Some people think this has bad effects on lifestyle and diets.
  • Some people believe that people should not stay in hotels, since living in such places enables them not to get access to local culture.
  • Some people believe that people often make assessments on celebrities based on their clothes, hair styles and other appearance-enhancing products.
  • All cars that burn fossil fuels should be banned and electric cars should replace them.
  • The growth of online shopping will one day lead to all shops in towns and cities closing.
  • Studies show that many criminals do not receive enough education.
  • It is said that those who do physically hard job should be paid as much as those with high-level qualifications. Do you agree or disagree?

To what extent do you agree essays

  • Some people claim that too much focus and resources have been spent to protect wild animals and birds
  • In many countries prison is the most common solution for crimes
  • Besides a lot of advantages, some people believe that the internet creates many problems
  • Watching a live performance is more enjoyable than watching the same event on television
  • With an increasing overweight population some think universities should make sports a compulsory module on all degree courses
  • Marketing and promotion are the key to a successful business
  • The best curriculum is not one based on a static body of knowledge
  • Some people believe that countries should produce the food to feed their population and import as little as possible
  • Some people have forgotten the meaning of festivals
  • The recent popularity of online shopping will result in the end of high street shops
  • Books are losing importance as a source of information
  • The most effective way to solve the current traffic and pollution problems in cities is to encourage people to move into the city centre
  • Nowadays, celebrities are mainly famous for their glamour and wealth
  • Forests are the lungs of the earth
  • Spoken communication is always more powerful than written communication
  • Many people argue that the only way to guarantee a good job is to complete a course of university education
  • The position of women has changed a great deal in many societies over the past 50 years
  • School teachers are more responsible for social and intellectual development of students than parents
  • It is better for students to live away from home during their university studies
  • The growing number of overweight people is putting a strain on the healthcare system
  • Scientific research should be carried out and controlled by the governments rather than private companies
  • Violence in media promotes violence among people
  • The internet means people do not need to travel to foreign countries to understand how others live.
  • Advertising discourages people from being different individuals by making us all want to do the same and look the same
  • Inventors are not as important as doctors | Band 7.5 essay sample
  • Inventors are not as important as doctors | Band 8.5 essay sample
  • In the future, nobody will buy printed books and newspapers
  • In many countries women no longer feel the need to get married
  • Modern technology has disadvantages such as destroying the difference between cultures
  • People give technology companies access to their personal data
  • The youth today spend a large amount of their leisure time in shopping malls
  • n modern world, many children spend a lot of time in front of computers, televisions and smartphones.
  • Some people say now there is less communication between family members than in the past.
  • Some governments spend a lot of money training individuals to be successful in international sporting events.
  • Some people believe that international sporting events are the ideal opportunity to show the world the qualities of the hosting nation.
  • The crime rate nowadays is decreasing compared to the past due to advanced technology which can prevent and solve the crime.
  • It is often thought that the increase in juvenile crime is a direct influence of the increase in violence in media.
  • Many people believe that media coverage of celebrities is having a negative effect on children. To what extent do you agree?
  • Disruptive school students have a negative influence on others. Students who are noisy and disobedient should be grouped together and taught separately.
  • Some people think that watching sport is waste of leisure time.
  • School teachers are more responsible for social and intellectual development of students than parents.
  • Many people use distance learning program to study at home but some people think that it cannot bring the benefit as much as attending college or university.
  • Some people think that dangerous extreme sports such as rock climbing and sky-diving should be banned.
  • Some people say music is a good way of bringing people of different cultures and ages together.
  • The world today is a safer place than it was a hundred years ago, and government should stop spending large amount of money on their armed forces.

Quick Links

  • Band 7 letter Samples
  • Band 8 Letter Samples
  • OET Writing Sample
  • IELTS Practice Tests

IELTS Practice

IELTS Sample Test

Band 9 Essay Samples

  • Band 8 Essay Samples

Band 7.5 Essay Samples

  • Band 7 essay samples

Band 9 letter samples

Band 7.5 IELTS letter samples

  • Band 8 letter samples
  • Band 7 letter samples

Academic IELTS Task 1 reports

Get Free Lessons In Your Inbox

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Author | Manjusha Nambiar

Manjusha

  • Academic Writing Task 1
  • Advantage Disadvantage Essays
  • Advantages/Disadvantages Essays
  • Agree Or Disagree
  • Band 6 essay samples
  • Band 9 IELTS Essays
  • CELPIP Writing Samples
  • Discuss Both Views
  • Discussion Essays
  • Grammar exercises
  • IELTS Books
  • ielts model essays
  • IELTS Model Letters
  • IELTS Questions
  • ielts reading
  • IELTS Writing
  • Learn English
  • OET Letters
  • Positive or Negative Essays
  • Problem Solution Essays
  • PTE Academic Essays
  • Sample Essays
  • Sample Letters
  • Sample Reports
  • Students' Essays
  • Uncategorized
  • Writing Tips
  • Discovering India
  • English Grammar and Writing
  • IELTS Writing Tips
  • Learn Maths Online
  • NCERT Guides

Join us at My IELTS Classroom today for our video courses, marking service, 1-2-1 lessons and so much more…

essay agree or disagree

How to write IELTS agree disagree essay introductions!

Hey! Today Nick and I are trying a new style of lesson. Instead of giving you lots of information about one topic, we are going to break down one element of essay writing – how to write an introduction to an IELTS agree disagree essay. Join us to learn the three ingredients that you need to write an introduction well (they may not be what you expect) and how you can tackle questions that include “some people” or a background statement.

By the end of the short lesson, you should be able to write an introduction to any agree / disagree essay with ease, which should give you more time to tackle the body of the essay, which is where all of the points are to be gained.

Below, you can find a summary of the episode, which includes all of the links to useful materials and the times of each part of the discussion (so you can go directly to the part you want to listen to)   🚀

  • Subscribe to My IELTS Classroom podcast on Apple podcasts   here 
  • Subscribe to My IELTS Classroom on Google podcasts   here
  • Become a Patreon to gain access to extra BONUS episodes here

essay agree or disagree

The three ingredients for a great IELTS agree disagree essay introduction

In IELTS writing, there are no real points to be gained in the introduction. If you take a look at the band descriptors, you will see that most points for Task Response come from your paragraphs in the body of the essay, where you need relevant arguments that are well developed (and if you don’t know how to write those, you can take at this recent blog post ).

However, that does not mean that your introduction is not important.

What you write here will be the first thing that the examiner reads and you really do want to make a good first impression. Plus, the introduction will be the place where you first clearly express your opinion, and this really is an important element of Task Response , so you want to make sure that you get it right.

The good news is that there are just three ingredients in a good introduction for an IELTS agree disagree essay, and if you spend as little as 30 minutes practicing them, you will be able to write one in your exam without even thinking! That will give you more time and brain space to focus on the body. So, what are the three ingredients?

1. Introduce the general topic of the essay

Many students write IELTS agree disagree introductions in the following way:

  • Paraphrase the task in the first sentence
  • Write a memorised sentence such as “I agree with this statement and will explain why in the following paragraphs”

We do NOT recommend that you use this approach. Firstly, the second sentence here is entirely memorised so will be discounted by the examiner as it can be used in any essay. More importantly, no English writer would ever present their opinion in this way. There is no need at all to present your opinion in a separate sentence.

As we will see in a moment, you can easily present your view along with the paraphrase in ONE sentence. 

If you do this, you will have space in your introduction for an opening sentence that introduces the general idea of the essay. There are no “models” for these sentences, but some useful structures are:

  • Nowadays, the number of people suffering from obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. = CHANGE STILL IN PROGRESS
  • Nowadays, more people than ever  use  social media to keep in touch with family and friends  = FACT
  • Recently , the number of electric cars on the road has increased. = CHANGE FINISHED
  • Being able to speak a foreign language is one of the most important skills that a person can have in the modern world.

Want to learn how maximise your writing score with an ex-examiner? Then why not find out more about our Gold Writing Package . It contains everything you need to get a 7.0+ in Writing Task One and Task Two.

essay agree or disagree

2. Present your opinion

This should be the easiest sentence that you write in the introduction. If you agree in an IELTS agree disagree essay, you will simply start the sentence by saying “I agree” and then paraphrase the task. If you disagree, you will do the same, but you will start the sentence with “I disagree”.

  • I agree that countries should invest in railways instead of roads.
  • I disagree that countries should invest in railways instead of roads.

In the episode, Nick and I will discuss how you can paraphrase well by identifying words that CANNOT be paraphrased, and changing the word order. The easiest way to tell if you have paraphrased well is to give your paraphrase to a friend and check that they can understand it. If they cannot, try again.

Remember that it is better to use a word directly from the prompt than to replace it with a word that does not have a clear meaning.

3. Make sure you have good cohesion

The final ingredient in our introduction to an IELTS agree disagree essay will be adding a few words to make sure that you have good coherence and cohesion. Firstly, you will need to add a transition signal between the first and second sentence in your introduction. This will either be “However” or “In fact” depending on the relationship between the first sentence and your opinion.

Take these introductions for example. My opinion is the same (I agree) but the transition is different as in the first introduction, there is contrast between the opening sentence and my opinion sentence, and in the second introduction there is not.

Cleaning is not usually a job that people look forward to. However, I agree with those who feel that having a tidy, well-organised home or workplace is important.   Cleaning is a common chore that most people have to complete on a regular basis. In fact,  I agree with those who feel that having a tidy, well-organised home or workplace is important.

Then, to complete your introduction, you should foreshadow the structure that are going to use by telling the examiner how many paragraphs that they should expect to read. To do this, all you need to do is add “for 2 main reasons” or “for three main reasons” to the end of your introduction (depending on how many reasons you are going to offer!)

Cleaning is not usually a job that people look forward to. However, I agree with those who feel that having a tidy, well-organised home or workplace is important for two main reasons .

Let’s practice writing IELTS agree disagree introductions together!

This week, we want you to work as hard as we do, so we are inviting you to write your own introductions to the following questions as you listen to the lesson.

Governments should spend money on railways rather than roads. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject. To what extent do you agree or disagree? 
Some people say it is important to keep your home and workplace tidy, with everything organised in the correct place. What is your opinion about this?
Many manufactured food and drink products contain high levels of sugar, which causes many health problems. Sugary products should be made more expensive to encourage people to consume less sugar. Do you agree or disagree?
Every year several languages die out. Some people think that this is not important because life will be easier if there are fewer languages in the world. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Posts navigation

  • All Posts , 
  • Writing , 
  • Speaking , 
  • Listening , 
  • Reading , 
  • Grammar , 
  • General Advice , 

My IELTS Classroom's illustrious leader, Shelly, looking happy and excited. She is holding the number eight in one hand and giving a thumbs up with the other.

Real experts, real lessons, real success!

If you like my blog, you'll love our IELTS Writing packages

  • 45 hours of video lessons with a genuine IELTS expert that prepare you for ANY IELTS question
  • Integrated grammar and writing skills lessons to help you reach 7.0+
  • Hundreds of downloadable practice activities and model answers

Try our free video lessons today!

Free IELTS Advice?

Subscribe to our mailing list to receive regular tips, tricks and special offers!

Top Streams

  • Data Science Courses in USA
  • Business Analytics Courses in USA
  • Engineering Courses in USA
  • Tax Courses in USA
  • Healthcare Courses in USA
  • Language Courses in USA
  • Insurance Courses in USA
  • Digital Marketing Courses in USA

Top Specialization

  • Masters in Data Analytics in USA
  • Masters in Mechanical Engineering in USA
  • Masters in Supply Chain Management in USA
  • Masters in Computer Science in USA
  • MBA in Finance in USA
  • Masters in Architecture in USA

Top Universities

  • Cornell University
  • Yale University
  • Princeton University
  • University of California Los Angeles
  • University of Harvard
  • Stanford University
  • Arizona State University
  • Northeastern University

ACCEL PROGRAMS

  • Master of Business Administration
  • MS in Data Analytics
  • MS in Computer Science
  • Project Management Courses in Australia
  • Accounting Courses in Australia
  • Medical Courses in Australia
  • Psychology Courses in Australia
  • Interior Designing Courses in Australia
  • Pharmacy Courses in Australia
  • Social Work Courses in Australia
  • MBA in Australia
  • Masters in Education in Australia
  • Masters in Pharmacy in Australia
  • Masters in Information Technology in Australia
  • BBA in Australia
  • Masters in Teaching in Australia
  • Masters in Psychology in Australia
  • University of Melbourne
  • Deakin University
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Monash University
  • University of Sydney
  • University of Queensland
  • RMIT University
  • Macquarie University
  • Bachelor of Business Administration
  • Bachelor of Computer Applications
  • Data Science Courses in Canada
  • Business Management Courses in Canada
  • Supply Chain Management Courses in Canada
  • Project Management Courses in Canada
  • Business Analytics Courses in Canada
  • Hotel Management Courses in Canada
  • MBA in Canada
  • MS in Canada
  • Masters in Computer Science in Canada
  • Masters in Management in Canada
  • Masters in Psychology in Canada
  • Masters in Education in Canada
  • MBA in Finance in Canada
  • Masters in Business Analytics in Canada
  • University of Toronto
  • University of British Columbia
  • McGill University
  • University of Alberta
  • York University
  • University of Calgary
  • Algoma University
  • University Canada West
  • BBA in Canada, Trinity Western University
  • BBA in Canada, Yorkville University
  • Project Management Courses in UK
  • Data Science Courses in UK
  • Public Health Courses in UK
  • Digital Marketing Courses in UK
  • Hotel Management Courses in UK
  • Nursing Courses in UK
  • Medicine Courses in UK
  • Interior Designing Courses in UK
  • Masters in Computer Science in UK
  • Masters in Psychology in UK
  • MBA in Finance in UK
  • MBA in Healthcare Management in UK
  • Masters in Education in UK
  • Masters in Marketing in UK
  • MBA in HR in UK
  • University of Oxford
  • University of Cambridge
  • Coventry University
  • University of East London
  • University of Hertfordshire
  • University of Birmingham
  • Imperial College London
  • University of Glasgow
  • MBA with Work Placement
  • MSc Data Science with Work Placement

Top Resources

  • Universities in Germany
  • Study in Germany
  • Masters in Germany
  • Courses in Germany
  • Bachelors in Germany
  • Germany Job Seeker Visa
  • Cost of Living in Germany
  • Best Universities in Germany

Top Courses

  • Masters in Data Science in Germany
  • MS in Computer Science in Germany
  • Marine Engineering in Germany
  • MS Courses in Germany
  • Masters in Psychology in Germany
  • Hotel Management Courses in Germany
  • Masters in Economics in Germany
  • Paramedical Courses in Germany
  • Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
  • University of Bonn
  • University of Freiburg
  • University of Hamburg
  • University of Stuttgart
  • Saarland University
  • Mannheim University
  • Master of Business Administration (90 ECTS)
  • MS Data Science 60 ECTS
  • Master in Computer Science (120 ECTS)
  • MBA in Ireland
  • Phd in Ireland
  • Masters in Computer Science Ireland
  • Cyber Security in Ireland
  • Masters in Data Analytics Ireland
  • Ms in Data Science in Ireland
  • Pharmacy courses in ireland
  • Business Analytics Course in Ireland
  • Universities in Ireland

Study in Ireland

  • Masters in Ireland
  • Courses in Ireland
  • Bachelors in Ireland
  • Cost of Living in Ireland
  • Ireland Student Visa
  • Part Time Jobs in Ireland
  • Trinity College Dublin
  • University College Dublin
  • Dublin City University
  • University of Limerick
  • Dublin Business School
  • Maynooth University
  • University College Cork
  • National College of Ireland

Colleges & Courses

  • Masters in France
  • Phd in France
  • Study Medicine in France
  • Best Universities in Frankfurt
  • Best Architecture Colleges in France
  • ESIGELEC France
  • Study in France for Indian Students
  • Intakes in France
  • SOP for France Visa
  • Study in France from India
  • Reasons to Study in France
  • How to Settle in France

More About France

  • Cost of Living in France
  • France Study Visa
  • Cost of Living in Frankfurt
  • France Scholarship for Indian Students
  • Part Time Jobs in France
  • Stay Back in France After Masters

About Finland

  • Universities in Finland
  • Study in Finland
  • Courses in Finland
  • Bachelor Courses in Finland
  • Masters Courses in Finland
  • Cost of Living in Finland
  • MS in Finland
  • Average Fees in Finland Universities
  • PhD in Finland
  • MBA Leading Business Transformation
  • MBA Business Technologies
  • Bachelor Degree in Medicine & Surgery
  • MBBS Courses in Georgia
  • MBBS Courses in Russia
  • Alte University
  • Caucasus University
  • Georgian National University SEU
  • David Tvildiani Medical University
  • Caspian International School Of Medicine
  • Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University
  • Kyrgyz State Medical Academy
  • Cremeia Federal University
  • Bashkir State Medical University
  • Kursk State Medical University
  • Andijan State Medical Institute
  • IELTS Syllabus
  • IELTS Prepration
  • IELTS Eligibility
  • IELTS Test Format
  • IELTS Band Descriptors
  • IELTS Speaking test
  • IELTS Writing Task 1
  • IELTS score validity
  • IELTS Cue Card

IELTS Reading Answers Sample

  • Animal Camouflage
  • Types Of Societies
  • Australia Convict Colonies
  • A Spark A Flint
  • Emigration To The Us
  • The History Of Salt
  • Zoo Conservation Programmes
  • The Robots Are Coming
  • The Development Of Plastic

IELTS Speaking Cue Card Sample

  • Describe A Puzzle You Have Played
  • Describe A Long Walk You Ever Had
  • Describe Your Favourite Movie
  • Describe A Difficult Thing You did
  • Describe A Businessman You Admire
  • Memorable Day in My Life
  • Describe Your Dream House
  • Describe A Bag You Want to Own
  • Describe a Famous Athlete You Know
  • Aquatic Animal

IELTS Essay Sample Sample

  • Best Education System
  • IELTS Opinion Essay
  • Agree or Disagree Essay
  • Problem Solution Essays
  • Essay on Space Exploration
  • Essay On Historical Places
  • Essay Writing Samples
  • Tourism Essay
  • Global Warming Essay
  • GRE Exam Fees
  • GRE Exam Syllabus
  • GRE Exam Eligibility
  • Sections in GRE Exam
  • GRE Exam Benefits
  • GRE Exam Results
  • GRE Cutoff for US Universities
  • GRE Preparation
  • Send GRE scores to Universities

GRE Exam Study Material

  • GRE Verbal Preparation
  • GRE Study Material
  • GRE AWA Essays
  • GRE Sample Issue Essays
  • Stanford University GRE Cutoff
  • Harvard University GRE Cutoff
  • GRE Quantitative Reasoning
  • GRE Verbal Reasoning
  • GRE Reading Comprehension
  • Prepare for GRE in 2 months

Other Resources

  • Documents Required For Gre Exam
  • GRE Exam Duration
  • GRE at Home
  • GRE vs GMAT
  • Improve GRE Verbal Scores

Free GRE Ebooks

  • GRE Preparation Guide (Free PDF)
  • GRE Syllabus (Free PDF)
  • GMAT Eligibility
  • GMAT Syllabus
  • GMAT Exam Dates
  • GMAT Registration
  • GMAT Exam Fees
  • GMAT Sections
  • GMAT Purpose

GMAT Exam Study Material

  • How to prepare for GMAT?
  • GMAT Score Validity
  • GMAT Preparation Books
  • GMAT Preparation
  • GMAT Exam Duration
  • GMAT Score for Harvard
  • GMAT Reading Comprehension
  • GMAT Retake Strategy

Free GMAT Ebooks

  • GMAT Guide PDF
  • Download GMAT Syllabus PDF
  • TOEFL Exam Registration
  • TOEFL Exam Eligibility
  • TOEFL Exam Pattern
  • TOEFL Exam Preparation
  • TOEFL Exam Tips
  • TOEFL Exam Dates
  • Documents for TOEFL Exam
  • TOEFL Exam Fee

TOEFL Exam Study Material

  • TOEFL Preparation Books
  • TOEFL Speaking Section
  • TOEFL Score and Results
  • TOEFL Writing Section
  • TOEFL Reading Section
  • TOEFL Listening Section
  • TOEFL Vocabulary
  • Types of Essays in TOEFL

Free TOEFL Ebooks

  • TOEFL Exam Guide (Free PDF)
  • PTE Exam Dates
  • PTE Exam Syllabus
  • PTE Exam Eligibility Criteria
  • PTE Test Centers in India
  • PTE Exam Pattern
  • PTE Exam Fees
  • PTE Exam Duration
  • PTE Exam Registration

PTE Exam Study Material

  • PTE Exam Preparation
  • PTE Speaking Test
  • PTE Reading Test
  • PTE Listening Test
  • PTE Writing Test
  • PTE Essay Writing
  • PTE exam for Australia

Free PTE Ebooks

  • PTE Syllabus (Free PDF)
  • Duolingo Exam
  • Duolingo Test Eligibility
  • Duolingo Exam Pattern
  • Duolingo Exam Fees
  • Duolingo Test Validity
  • Duolingo Syllabus
  • Duolingo Preparation

Duolingo Exam Study Material

  • Duolingo Exam Dates
  • Duolingo Test Score
  • Duolingo Test Results
  • Duolingo Test Booking

Free Duolingo Ebooks

  • Duolingo Guide (Free PDF)
  • Duolingo Test Pattern (Free PDF)

NEET & MCAT Exam

  • NEET Study Material
  • NEET Preparation
  • MCAT Eligibility
  • MCAT Preparation

SAT & ACT Exam

  • ACT Eligibility
  • ACT Exam Dates
  • SAT Syllabus
  • SAT Exam Pattern
  • SAT Exam Eligibility

USMLE & OET Exam

  • USMLE Syllabus
  • USMLE Preparation
  • USMLE Step 1
  • OET Syllabus
  • OET Eligibility
  • OET Prepration

PLAB & LSAT Exam

  • PLAB Exam Syllabus
  • PLAB Exam Fees
  • LSAT Eligibility
  • LSAT Registration
  • TOEIC Result
  • Study Guide

Application Process

  • LOR for Masters
  • SOP Samples for MS
  • LOR for Phd
  • SOP for Internship
  • SOP for Phd
  • Check Visa Status
  • Motivation Letter Format
  • Motivation Letter for Internship
  • F1 Visa Documents Checklist

Career Prospects

  • Popular Courses after Bcom in Abroad
  • Part Time Jobs in Australia
  • Part Time Jobs in USA
  • Salary after MS in Germany
  • Salary after MBA in Canada
  • Average Salary in Singapore
  • Higher Studies after MBA in Abroad
  • Study in Canada after 12th

Trending Topics

  • Best Education System in World
  • Best Flying Schools in World
  • Top Free Education Countries
  • Best Countries to Migrate from India
  • 1 Year PG Diploma Courses in Canada
  • Canada Vs India
  • Germany Post Study Work Visa
  • Post Study Visa in USA
  • Data Science Vs Data Analytics
  • Public Vs Private Universities in Germany
  • Universities Vs Colleges
  • Difference Between GPA and CGPA
  • Undergraduate Vs Graduate
  • MBA in UK Vs MBA in USA
  • Degree Vs Diploma in Canada
  • IELTS vs TOEFL
  • Duolingo English Test vs. IELTS
  • Why Study in Canada
  • Cost of Living in Canada
  • Education System in Canada
  • SOP for Canada
  • Summer Intake in Canada
  • Spring Intake in Canada
  • Winter Intake in Canada
  • Accommodation in Canada for Students
  • Average Salary in Canada
  • Fully Funded Scholarships in Canada
  • Why Study in USA
  • Cost of Studying in USA
  • Spring Intake in USA
  • Winter Intake in USA
  • Summer Intake in USA
  • STEM Courses in USA
  • Scholarships for MS in USA
  • Acceptable Study Gap in USA
  • Interesting Facts about USA
  • Free USA course
  • Why Study in UK
  • Cost of Living in UK
  • Cost of Studying in UK
  • Education System in UK
  • Summer Intake in UK
  • Spring Intake in UK
  • Student Visa for UK
  • Accommodation in UK for Students
  • Scholarships in UK
  • Why Study in Germany
  • Cost of Studying in Germany
  • Education System in Germany
  • SOP for Germany
  • Summer Intake in Germany
  • Winter Intake in Germany
  • Study Visa for Germany
  • Accommodation in Germany for Students
  • Free Education in Germany

Country Guides

  • Study in UK
  • Study in Canada
  • Study in USA
  • Study in Australia
  • SOP Samples for Canada Student Visa
  • US F1 Visa Guide for Aspirants

Exams Guides

  • Duolingo Test Pattern

Recommended Reads

  • Fully Funded Masters Guide
  • SOP Samples For Australia
  • Scholarships for Canada
  • Data Science Guide
  • SOP for MS in Computer Science
  • Study Abroad Exams
  • Alumni Connect
  • Booster Program

GPA CALCULATOR Convert percentage marks to GPA effortlessly with our calculator!

Expense calculator plan your study abroad expenses with our comprehensive calculator, ielts band calculator estimate your ielts band score with our accurate calculator, education loan calculator discover your eligible loan amount limit with our education calculator, university partner explore growth and opportunities with our university partnership, accommodation discover your perfect study abroad accommodation here, experience-center discover our offline centers for a personalized experience, our offices visit us for expert study abroad counseling..

  • 18002102030
  • Study Abroad

IELTS Agree or Disagree Essay : Format and Sample Essays

  • IELTS Preparation
  • IELTS E-Books
  • IELTS Registration
  • IELTS Exam Fee
  • IELTS Exam Dates 2024
  • Documents Required
  • IELTS Test Centers
  • Test Format
  • Band Descriptors
  • IELTS Speaking Test
  • General Reading Test
  • General Writing Task
  • IELTS Coaching
  • Types of Essays
  • IELTS for Australia
  • IELTS Results
  • Generation Gap Essay
  • GPA Calculator
  • Study Abroad Consultant In India
  • Study Visa Consultants in India

Updated on 02 February, 2024

Mrinal Mandal

Mrinal Mandal

Study abroad expert.

Mrinal Mandal

If you are already in the middle of your IELTS preparation, you must have observed that the writing section involves attempting an essay. The most common type is an agree or disagree essay in IELTS Writing Task 2. This type contains a question with the following phrases or their variations- 

  • Do you agree or disagree?

To what extent do you agree or disagree? 

The question will come after a specific statement outlining something. The aspirant’s job is to write in response to the same. Directly answering the question is always advisable, i.e., stating whether you agree or disagree with the question. You can also clearly express your opinion if you neither agree nor disagree. Paying attention to the words in the statement is necessary. If the question has to what extent , you should clearly say to what degree you agree or disagree, i.e., completely, neither, or partially. If it only asks to agree or disagree, then you need not give the extent. 

The usual practice is to follow this format for the IELTS agree or disagree essay questions : 

  • Introduction 
  • Supporting Paragraph 1
  • Supporting Paragraph 2 
  • Conclusion 

Agree or Disagree Essay Samples

Here are some examples of the agree-disagree essay IELTS questions that you will answer. These are only illustrative, and it is advised to check other practice questions and model answers as well.  

The agree or disagree essay introduction will paraphrase the question, followed by a statement expressing your opinion. You will then have to go with the two supporting paragraphs and end with a brief conclusion.

Table of Contents

Download e-books for ielts preparation, popular study abroad destinations, here are two samples for your consideration.

Earning a high salary is better than satisfied with your job.

Do you agree or disagree ? 

Many people believe that having a big salary package is more important and gratifying than satisfaction from a job. However, in my opinion, I strongly disagree with the statement. 

What do we understand by job satisfaction? It is a sense of contentment or fulfillment with the job. It involves not just financial but several other considerations. People experience job satisfaction when they are happy with their working environments. They feel motivated when they have supportive colleagues and managers. They feel satisfied when they love the projects assigned to them. They feel satisfied when they are contributing actively towards the progress of the organization while being entrusted with responsibility simultaneously. They feel satisfied when they have more opportunities for growth, advancement, and learning along with supportive employers who listen to their needs and help them achieve work-life balance as well. 

Multiple considerations go into creating what we call job satisfaction. It is not just the financial rewards alone that motivate people to step up, take responsibility, and assume ownership for organizational tasks, projects, and assignments. A relative of mine got a rather low-paying entry-level position at a financial services firm. Everyone ticked him off for not applying to bigger firms that were showing interest in hiring him at higher salaries. However, he stuck to his guns, stating that the smaller firm gave him more responsibility and ownership for projects, along with sizably more freedom to experiment, take risks, and grow. Today, after slogging it out at a considerably lower salary, he is the managing director of the organization and has taken it to unimaginable heights in a shorter period. People are motivated to automatically perform better and strive for excellence when they experience all-around satisfaction and fulfillment. Simply paying someone a hefty salary and then expecting the individual to blaze a trail does not work all the time. 

To conclude, I will state that job satisfaction is always more important than earning a big package. People need intrinsic motivation to succeed and stay committed to any cause. Financial rewards are a vital but small piece of the entire pie. We are human beings after all.

Recommended Reads:

IELTS IDIOMS GUIDE

There should be exemplary punishment for fast food companies selling unhealthy items to citizens.

There is a growing wave of support for punishing fast-food companies that sell unhealthy food to citizens. I partially agree with this statement. 

The definition of unhealthy food is highly subjective, i.e., the exact percentage of unhealthy oils, absence of nutrients, harmful elements, and more. There is no uniform definition of these parameters that street food vendors should conform to. When the government and authorities do not have uniform classification standards or uniformity in exceptions, then arbitrarily punishing food vendors and fast-food companies who sell to citizens will not set the right example in my opinion. Fast food companies are driven by market sentiments and consumers desire particular types of food which these companies manufacture. Coming to this point, there are licensing and regulatory procedures that all these companies follow before packaging and selling their products. The gap in inspection and quality assessment is to blame for unhealthy food items still being a concern. While I do agree that there should be some form of action taken against fast food companies who do not adhere to regulations or knowingly sell unhealthy food items which have drastic public consequences, I believe it is the authorities who must set the precedent first.

Uniform measures for inspection and quality assessment aside, there should be laid down standards for people to see and judge. The action on this part should first start with the authorities as I mentioned earlier. I believe that simply punishing fast food companies will be a draconian move, putting several beloved brands out of business and creating uncertainties for thousands of individuals employed with these organizations. Such moves will also lead to economic fluctuations, causing graver crises than what the world can handle at this juncture. Instead, I advocate a solution where the authorities come forward to define every type of fast-food item being sold, analyze, and assess the minimum standards, and set fixed penalties for not adhering to the same. 

To conclude, I will state that simply punishing the fast-food companies will put a lid on the gaping holes created due to administrative apathy or negligence. Fixing this part of the process will automatically clean up the entire sector.

Study in Canada

Study in Canada & Save up to 20 Lakhs with upGrad Abroad

Study in Australia

Study in Australia & Save up to 20 Lakhs with upGrad Abroad

Study in USA

Study in the USA & Save up to 20 Lakhs with upGrad Abroad

Study in Germany

Study in Germany & Save up to 20 Lakhs with upGrad Abroad

Study in Ireland

Study in Ireland & Save up to 20 Lakhs with upGrad Abroad

study in uk

Study in UK & Save up to 20 Lakhs with upGrad Abroad

Mrinal Mandal is a study abroad expert with a passion for guiding students towards their international education goals. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering, earned in 2018. Since 2021, Mrinal has been working with upGrad Abroad, where he assists aspiring students in realizing their dreams of studying abroad. With his expertise and dedication, he empowers individuals to navigate the complexities of international education, making their aspirations a reality.

Important Exams

Important resources for ielts, free study abroad counselling, trending searches, ielts sample essay, ielts reading answer.

  • Art and Culture
  • Business and Money
  • Prevention is Better than Cure
  • Modern Technology
  • Government and Society
  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Fast Food
  • Art is Considered an Important Part of a Society
  • Causes And Effects Of Obesity
  • Nowadays the Way Many People Interact
  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Tourism
  • Capital Punishment
  • Easiest Way Of Communication
  • Should Smoking Be Banned In Public Places
  • Individual Greed and Selfishness
  • Double Question
  • Environmental Problems And Solution
  • When a Country Develops its Technology
  • Describe A Live Sports Match That You Watched
  • Talk About A Time When You Gave Advice to Someone
  • Describe an Art Exhibition that You Visited
  • Describe A Street Market In Your City
  • Describe A Person Who Wears Unusual Clothes
  • Describe an Occasion When Many People Were Smiling
  • Describe A Time When You Felt Bored
  • Describe A Time When You Helped A Friend
  • Describe a Time When You Told Your Friend an Important Truth
  • Describe A Time When Your Computer Broke Down
  • Describe A Dinner You Really Enjoyed
  • Describe a Person Who Impressed You in Primary School
  • Describe A Time When You First Talked in A Foreign Language
  • Describe a Famous Person You Are Interested In
  • Describe a Film that Made You Laugh
  • Describe a Difficult Decision that You Once Made
  • Describe an Expensive Activity that You Enjoy Doing Occasionally
  • Describe an Event You Attended in Which You Didn�t Like the Music Played
  • The Story Of Silk
  • Biological Control Of Pests
  • The Benefits Of Being Bilingual
  • The Psychology Of Innovation
  • This Marvelous Invention
  • Mental Gymnastics
  • Reducing The Effects Of Climate Change
  • Green Wave Washes Over Mainstream Shopping
  • The Meaning And Power Of Smell
  • Moles Happy As Homes Go Underground
  • The Development Of Museums
  • Crop Growing Skyscrapers
  • Eco Tourism
  • The Birth Of Scientific English
  • Collecting As A Hobby
  • An Introduction To Film Sound
  • The History Of Glass
  • IELTS score chart
  • CEFR level IELTS
  • IELTS Full Form
  • IELTS Certificate
  • IELTS Validity
  • Australia Band Requirements
  • IELTS Preparation Books

Call us to clear your doubts at:

Download our App

  • Grievance Redressal
  • Experience Centers
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • University Partner
  • Accommodation
  • IELTS Band Calculator
  • Download Study Abroad App
  • Education Loan Calculator
  • upGrad Abroad Office
  • Expense Calculator
  • Knowledge Base

Top Destinations

Masters programs.

  • MBA in Germany, IU
  • MIM in Germany, IU
  • MS in CS in Germany, IU
  • MS in Data Analytics in USA, Clark University
  • MS in Project Management in USA, Clark University
  • MS in IT in USA, Clark University
  • MS in Data Analytics & Visualization in USA, Yeshiva University
  • MS in Artificial Intelligence in USA, Yeshiva University
  • MS in Cybersecurity, Yeshiva University

Study Abroad Important Blogs

  • Cost of Study:
  • Cost of Studying in Canada
  • Cost of Studying in Ireland
  • Cost of Studying in Australia
  • Cost of living:
  • Cost of living in UK
  • Cost of living in Australia
  • Cost of living in Germany
  • Cost of living in Ireland
  • Cost of living in Canada
  • Career Opportunities:
  • Career Opportunities in Australia
  • Career Opportunities in Germany
  • Job Opportunities in After MS in Canada
  • Job Opportunities After MBA in Australia
  • Job Opportunities After MS in UK
  • IELTS Exam Resources:
  • Academic IELTS
  • IELTS Band Score
  • IELTS Writing Task 2
  • IELTS Slot Booking
  • IELTS Band Score Chart
  • IELTS Score for UK
  • IELTS Score for USA
  • Validity of IELTS Score
  • IELTS Speaking Topics
  • IELTS Reading Tips
  • How to Prepare for IELTS at Home Without Coaching
  • Types of IELTS Exam
  • IELTS Academic vs General
  • IELTS Exam Pattern
  • IELTS Essay
  • IELTS Exam Dates
  • Top Streams:
  • Fashion Designing Courses in Australia
  • Accounting Courses in Canada
  • Management Courses in Canada

essay agree or disagree

Agree Disagree Essays

Ielts writing task 2 – how to write an agree-disagree essay.

21 page PDF download will tell you how to write an agree/disagree IELTS Writing Task 2 essay.

How To Write An Agree Or Disagree Essay

Do you want to learn how to create a agree/disagree/opinion essay worthy of a high band score in writing task 2? Learn the structure needed, useful vocabulary and take a look at the sample answer

Take a look

IELTS Agree/Disagree Essay Sample: Education

Young people prefer listening to music rather than listening to the news on the radio. Is this a positive or a negative trend? Provide reasons and examples for your opinion.

Take a look at the sample answer.

IELTS Agree/Disagree Essay Sample: Society

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

IELTS Agree/Disagree Essay Sample: Environment

When designing building, the intended use of the building should be taken in into account as important rather than the outward appearance? To what extent do you agree or disagree?

IELTS Agree/Disagree Essay Sample: Consumerism

Some people consider price as the most important thing to think about when buying products (such as cellphones) or services (medical treatments) do you agree or disagree?

Students perform better in school when they are rewarded rather than punished. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

The maintenance of public libraries is a waste of money because of computer technologies that have the same function. To what extent to you agree and disagree?

IELTS Agree/Disagree Essay Sample: Family and Children

Some people believe that watching television is bad for children. Other people believe that watching television is educational for children. Which opinion do you agree with and why? Give specific details and examples in your answer.

IELTS Agree/Disagree Essay Sample: Government

The government should close companies that produce toxic waste materials without their own waste treatment facility in order to protect the environment. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Protecting the Environment is the responsibility of the government. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

IELTS Agree/Disagree Essay Sample: Customs/Traditions

People who go to live in other countries should follow the customs and tradition of the new country, to what extent to do you agree or disagree?

Some people think that the government should take care of disadvantaged people such as the unemployed and homeless people. Do you agree or disagree?

IELTS Agree/Disagree Essay Sample: Crime

Some people believe that not all criminals should be kept in prison, but that some of them should be allowed to do unpaid work to help the community. Do you agree or disagree?

Related Posts

IELTS Direct Question Essay Sample 7 - Business

Business: IELTS Direct Question Essay Model Answer

Business: IELTS Writing Task 2 Direct Question Essay Band 8 sample answer. The question is:…

You are employed full-time and also doing a part-time evening course: Semi-Formal Letter [IELTS General Writing Task 1 ]

You are employed full-time and also doing a part-time evening course: Semi-Formal Letter [IELTS General Writing Task 1 ]

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. You are employed full-time and also doing a…

Welcome Guest!

  • IELTS Listening
  • IELTS Reading
  • IELTS Writing
  • IELTS Writing Task 1
  • IELTS Writing Task 2
  • IELTS Speaking
  • IELTS Speaking Part 1
  • IELTS Speaking Part 2
  • IELTS Speaking Part 3
  • IELTS Practice Tests
  • IELTS Listening Practice Tests
  • IELTS Reading Practice Tests
  • IELTS Writing Practice Tests
  • IELTS Speaking Practice Tests
  • All Courses
  • IELTS Online Classes
  • OET Online Classes
  • PTE Online Classes
  • CELPIP Online Classes
  • Free Live Classes
  • Australia PR
  • Germany Job Seeker Visa
  • Austria Job Seeker Visa
  • Sweden Job Seeker Visa
  • Study Abroad
  • Student Testimonials
  • Our Trainers
  • IELTS Webinar
  • Immigration Webinar

ielts-material

Agree Disagree Essays in IELTS

Janet

Updated On Oct 13, 2023

essay agree or disagree

Share on Whatsapp

Share on Email

Share on Linkedin

Agree Disagree Essays in IELTS

Limited-Time Offer : Access a FREE 10-Day IELTS Study Plan!

IELTS Writing Task 2 Agree or Disagree Essay

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

Tips to write Agree Disagree Essays

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

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

IELTS Agree Disagree Essay Structure

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

Paragraph 1: Introduction

How to start an agree disagree essay?

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

Paragraph 2: Body paragraph

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

Paragraph 3: Body paragraph

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

Paragraph 4: Conclusion

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

Sample Checklist for Agree/Disagree essays:

Agree disagree essay topics:.

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

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

Also check :

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Can agree/disagree essays be called as opinion essays?

Can I partially agree?

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

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

What is the structure of Agree/Disagree essays?

Practice IELTS Writing Task 2 based on Essay types

ielts img

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

Janet

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

Explore other Writing Articles

IELTS Essays on Technology – Discussion and Opinion Essays

Kasturika Samanta

Vacancy for Food Preparation Assistant & Setting up a Business Partnership in the UK – IELTS Reading Answers

Ruben Smith

101 Important Synonyms for IELTS 2024

Nehasri Ravishenbagam

View All

Post your Comments

Recent articles.

Many People Think Olympic Games and World Cup are an Enormous Waste of Money- IELTS Writing Task 2

Janice Thompson

IELTS Writing Task 2 Topic: International car-free day is an effective way of reducing air pollution

Courtney Miller

Our Offices

Gurgaon city scape, gurgaon bptp.

Step 1 of 3

Great going .

Get a free session from trainer

Have you taken test before?

Please select any option

Get free eBook to excel in test

Please enter Email ID

Get support from an Band 9 trainer

Please enter phone number

Already Registered?

Select a date

Please select a date

Select a time (IST Time Zone)

Please select a time

Mark Your Calendar: Free Session with Expert on

Which exam are you preparing?

Great Going!

  • What can IELTS do for you
  • Ways to take IELTS
  • Who accepts IELTS?
  • Sample test questions
  • IELTS Progress Check
  • Understanding your score
  • Trust IELTS
  • On test day
  • Test centres
  • IELTS One Skill Retake
  • Cancellations, refunds...
  • Access arrangements
  • Getting and sharing yo...
  • Improving your results
  • Academic Institutions
  • Why accept IELTS?
  • IELTS Scoring
  • Compare IELTS
  • IELTS for your sector
  • Get started with IELTS
  • Verifying IELTS results
  • Research reports
  • Test statistics​
  • Research funding
  • Awards and scholarships
  • Previously funded rese...
  • News and Insights

Need help finding something? Enter a search term below

IELTS I've got this logo

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

Date Published

01 February 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Partially agree - Both needs funding Why?

  • Safety reasons
  • Taxpayers expect government investment in both

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

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

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

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

Introduction

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

Two main paragraphs

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

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

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

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

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

Hope this helps you with your writing. Good luck!

  • Accessibility

2024. IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council; IDP IELTS; and Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Official blue and red logo of pteielts.com

IELTS Agree or Disagree Essay format: Works 100%. Guaranteed

In Writing Task 2 of IELTS , an agree or disagree essay is the most common type of essay. Essentially, a debatable opinion will be presented to you, and you have to propound a discourse either supporting or opposing it .

two girls showing agree or disagree hand gesture

There are multiple ways of going about with agree or disagree essay questions. You can agree with the statements whole-heartedly or totally disagree with the claims. Likewise, you may decide to agree or disagree to a certain degree. All this depends on your perspective as well as the arguments you can think of during the test.

Examples of IELTS Agree or Disagree essay questions

WRITING TASK 2

You should spend around 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

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

Write at least 250 words.

Structure of IELTS Agree or Disagree Essay

Even though we can lean on one side of the argument partially or fully, I recommend to either completely agree or completely disagree with the opinion in agree or disagree essays in the IELTS test.

This is because regardless of what your personal beliefs are on the matter, scoring high in the IELTS Writing Test involves writing in a tightly-structured format with a clear position on the subject matter.

So, during the test, brainstorm for ideas regarding the topic, and choose to agree or disagree depending on how many arguments you can think of on either side. You need to write about two to four separate ideas in support of your position based on the following format:

If you have only two arguments, then develop them into two separate paragraphs with explanations and examples.

When you come up with three arguments, include two of them in one body paragraph and the other in the next.

Similarly, with four arguments, the two body paragraphs should consist of two ideas each.

You do not need more than four arguments for an agree or disagree essay in IELTS Writing Task 2. More is not always better. Too many ideas may make your essay disorganized and lacking focus.

Questions which ask “Do you think this is positive or negative?” can also be answered in the same format as the agree or disagree essay.

Introduction

As we have seen before, an Introduction paragraph in essays has three components.

  • Paraphrase the statements from the question
  • Pick a side: choose between agree or disagree
  • Mention your arguments

The above paragraph is a good Introduction for IELTS agree or disagree essay question. The first sentence paraphrases the statement given in the prompt. The second sentence asserts that the essay agrees with the opinion as well as provides an argument. The third sentence adds more ideas which will be developed in the body paragraphs.

black board with mathematical formula

Body paragraphs

The ideas mentioned in the Introduction paragraph of agree or disagree questions should be extended in the paragraphs that follow. For this, clarification, logical reasoning, and evidences are needed . In Writing Task 2 of IELTS, two body paragraphs work best for an agree or disagree essay.

Just like the Introduction paragraph, the body paragraph also has a three-part structure:

  • State your point
  • Explain what you mean by providing reasons
  • Give examples

people collecting garbage from a beach

Conclusion for Agree or Disagree essay

Like all other essay questions, the IELTS agree or disagree essay also ends with a Conclusion paragraph . It is here in this last paragraph that we summarize the points made in the body .

  • Reiterate your thesis

Next lesson:

Advantages and Disadvantages essay in IELTS Writing Task 2

Related Posts

The government should control the amount of violence on television in order to decrease the violent crimes in society. to what extent do you agree or disagree, nowadays technology is increasingly being used to monitor what people are saying and doing (for example through cellphone tracing and security cameras). in many cases the people being monitored are unaware that this is happening. do you think the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages, ielts essay format: solving writing task 2 easily, a 3-step process for powerful ielts essay introduction paragraph.

guest

sir is there difference between – to what extend do you agree or disagree vs do you agree or disagree questions?

Gaurav Thapa

The two questions are identical. “To what extent” means you can partially or completely agree or disagree with the prompt. Even when the “to what extent” phrase is missing from the question, you can still partially or fully take a side to argue for in the essay.

For practical purposes, there is no difference.

essay agree or disagree

Reading Actual Tests

Download PDF ielts reading test

Listening Recent Tests

Download PDF ielts listening test

english-practice.net

Practice English Exercises to Improve Your Skills

english-exercises.net

Practice More English Exercises to Improve Your Skills

englishpracticetest.net

Practice More English Tests to Improve Your Skills

Cambridge Practice Test

Practice Cam Listening Test with Answer & Transcript

Listening Practice Test

Practice Listening Test with Answer & Transcript

Practice Cambridge Reading Test with Answer

Practice Reading Test

Practice Reading Test with Answer

Practice Reading Mock Test with Answer

Speaking Practice Test

Speaking Practice Test with with Band 8-9 Samples

42 Common Topics for ielts Speaking Part 1

100 TOPICS for ielts Speaking Part 2 with Band 8 Sample

70 TOPICS for ielts Speaking Part 2 with Band 8+ Sample Recordings

Vocabulary Words

Most Common Vocabulary Topics for ielts Speaking

Writing Practice Test

Writing Practice Test with Band 8-9 Samples

Writing Mock Test with Band 8-9 Samples

Writing Task 2 Topics with Band 7-8-9 Samples

General Reading Tests

Practice General Reading Test with Answer

IELTS Writing Task 2 – Topic: AGREE – DISAGREE

ielts writing topics 2019

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

Sample Answer

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

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

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

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

 (285 words, band 9)

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

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

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

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

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

 (322 words, band 9)

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

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

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

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

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

 (296 words, band 9)

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

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

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

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

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

 (275 words, band 9)

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

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

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

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

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

 (287 words, band 9)

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

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

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

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

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

 (299 words, band 9)

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

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

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

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

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

 (269 words, band 9)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 (266 words, band 9)

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

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

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

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

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

 (250 words, band 9)

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

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

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

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

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

 (280 words, band 9)

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

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

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

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

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

 (260 words, band 9)

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

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

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

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

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

 (265 words, band 9)

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Free IELTS lessons signup

home

  • Academic practice
  • General practice
  • Task 1 Academic
  • Task 1 General
  • Task 2 (essay)

To what extent you agree or disagree essay

This lesson will guide you how to write essays in IELTS Writing that ask you to what extent you agree/disagree . Such questions are very common for IELTS Writing task 2 . In such essays your task is to say whether you:

  • completely agree with a given statement 
  • completely disagree with a given statement 
  • partly agree / disagree

and  justify your opinion .

In this lesson you will see IELTS writing task 2 sample question + model answer . Also, you will learn the following points:

  • how to decide on your opinion
  • how to generate ideas to justify your opinion
  • how to give a band 9 answer for agree/disagree question

To what extent you agree/disagree question sample

Let’s look at an example of IELTS writing task 2:

The government's investment in arts, music and theatre is a waste of money. Governments should invest these funds in public services instead.

To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Choose your opinion & generate ideas

essay agree or disagree

Unlike classic agree/disagree questions, to what extent you agree or disagree questions do NOT ask you to clearly determine whether you agree or disagree with the given statement.

In fact, you have 3 major options for your opinion :

   AA : You completely agree (provide 2 ideas that strengthen the statement)    DD : You completely disagree (provide 2 ideas that weaken the statement)    AD : You agree or disagree partly (provide 1 idea that strengthens the statement and 1 idea that weakens it)

After you’ve decided your opinion,  generate 2-3 supporting points for it .

Now let’s generate supporting points for each of the opinions:

AA: Investment in arts, music and theatre is a waste of money

  • Art, music and theatre don’t help to solve urgent problems of the society
  • Art and music can develop as hobbies, and saved money can be directed towards urgent needs of the society
  • If artists and musicians were employed at more traditional jobs, there would be a great benefit for science and industry

DD: Investment in arts, music and theatre is NOT a waste of money

  • The arts and music preserve unique culture and heritage, passing nation’s cultural character and traditions to future generations
  • Arts, music and theatre are an integral part of the society’s cultural and intellectual development and amusement
  • A strong arts, music and theatre sector is an economic asset that creates new jobs and attracts tourism revenue

For this opinion, just combine ideas from the previous points.

For our essay, we’ll choose the last opinion - partially agree / disagree (AD).

Band 9 answer structure

There are a lot of ways to structure your essay, but we’ll use a structure that has been approved by many IELTS examiners to be high-scoring and coherent. Band-9 essay structure :

  • Introduction

Body paragraph 1 - the 1st supporting point

  • Body paragraph 2 - the 2nd supporting point

As you already know, you can write the supporting points of your body paragraphs in the following ways: agree + agree, disagree + disagree, agree + disagree. We’ll use the last option as our opinion is partially agree / disagree .

Let’s take a look at each of these sections in detail.

  • Sentence 1 - paraphrase the statement  (you can use ‘ it is argued/considered/thought that ’ to start):

It is often argued that the government should finance public services instead of spending its budget on arts, music and theatre. 

  • Sentence 2 - give your opinion :

Although I agree that government’s investments in public services play a very important role, I think that proper funding of arts sector is also crucial for the society.

  • Sentence 1 - state the first reason you agree/disagree .

This sentence should contain the main idea of the whole 1st paragraph. In our case we’ll use the reason A: why it is important to finance public services. As we’ll be considering opposite opinions, it is a good idea to use a collocation on the one hand to introduce the first reason:

On the one hand, the government should definitely allocate a large part of its budget on public services.

  • Sentences 2-3 - explain the reason .

To explain the reason effectively, you can imagine that your examiner didn’t understand what you were talking about and you have to explain every detail:

This economic sector determines the overall quality of life, ensuring that some basic services, like schools, hospitals and roads, are available to all citizens irrespective of their income or social status. Public services satisfy the primary needs of the society and thus need a proper funding, while artists and musicians are not curing diseases or building houses, so their role is secondary.

  • Sentence 4 - example .

It’s always good to give examples in your body paragraphs, even if you’re not asked to do it (like in our case):

For example, any country can live without music concerts, but absence of medicine will create significant problems.

  • Sentence 5 - a short summary of your ideas in this paragraph :

That’s why the government should adequately finance public services in the first place.

Body paragraph 2 - the 2nd reason you agree/disagree

  • Sentence 1 - state the second reason you agree/disagree .

This statement should contain the main idea of the whole 2nd paragraph. This time we’ll use the reason D: why it is important to finance public services. As we are considering opposite opinions, it is a good idea to use a phrase on the other hand to introduce the second reason:

On the other hand, arts, music and theatre are not a waste of money, since they are an integral part of the society’s cultural and intellectual development and amusement.

  • Sentences 2-3 - explain the reason  (assume that your examiner doesn’t understand the topic at all):

Firstly, art and music draw people’s attention to diverse phenomena and represent the inward significance of things. Quite often a single drawing, piece or song can exhort myriads of people to reconsider their attitude towards some situation. This way, art serves as a major source of nation’s personal and intellectual development. Moreover, visiting museums, watching movies and listening to music are common ways of relaxation and entertainment.

  • Sentence 4 - support your idea with an example :

The question doesn’t ask us to give examples, plus we’ve already written a lot in this paragraph, so we’ll skip this point. 

  • Sentence 5 - a short summary of your thoughts in the 2nd paragraph .

Thus, art sector is also important for the society and should not be neglected.

You can write the conclusion in  one sentence that summarizes your opinion + 2 reasons for it :

To conclude, though I agree that the government should allocate a large part of its budget on such urgent needs of the society like public services, I think that arts, music and theatre should also be financed since they play an important role in people’s development and entertainment.

DO NOT write new ideas in the conclusion!

Model answer

This is a full band-9 answer for to what extent you agree or disagree IELTS Writing question above:

It is often argued that the government should finance public services instead of spending its budget on arts, music and theatre. Although I agree that government’s investments in public services play a very important role, I think that proper funding of arts sector is also crucial for the society.

On the one hand, the government should definitely allocate a large part of its budget on public services. This economic sector determines the overall quality of life, ensuring that some basic services, like schools, hospitals and roads, are available to all citizens irrespective of their income or social status. Public services satisfy the primary needs of the society and thus need a proper funding, while artists and musicians are not curing diseases or building houses, so their role is secondary. For example, any country can live without music concerts, but absence of medicine will create significant problems. That’s why the government should adequately finance public services in the first place.

On the other hand, arts, music and theatre are not a waste of money, since they are an integral part of the society’s cultural and intellectual development and amusement. Firstly, art and music draw people’s attention to diverse phenomena and represent the inward significance of things. Quite often a single drawing, piece or song can exhort myriads of people to reconsider their attitude towards some situation. This way, art serves as a major source of nation’s personal and intellectual development. Moreover, visiting museums, watching movies and listening to music are common ways of relaxation and entertainment. Thus, art sector is also important for the society and should not be neglected.

IELTS  TOEFL  PTE   YDS  YÖKDİL  iTEP

  • YDS – YÖKDİL
  • AUDIO BOOKS

IELTS ESSAY TEMPLATE-agree – disagree

IELTS ESSAY TEMPLATE-agree – disagree

INTRODUCTION

To agree or disagree with the statement that (summary of the question) is  an important issue. Putting the discussion in a wider context, ( a few words about the subject ) has always been debatable. Even though some people think that (the idea which you dont like) , I wholeheartedly believe that ( the idea which you like ) . First I will discuss some arguments supporting my ideas about this statement, after which some aspects against that will be presented.

 On the one hand, many people agree with this statement for many noteworthy reasons. The most remarkable is that  (reason 1………….).For instance, (example). Therefore , ………  Another key reason is that (reason 2……..) .  For example, (example). Consequently, …………

On the other hand, other people disagree with this statement for many reasons.  The most important is that (reason 1……..) .As an example, (example).T herefore , ……….  One more reason to disagree with the statement is that (reason 2……) .The best example (example). Consequently ,…………

  All in all, when all the specific reasons and relevant examples are considered and evaluated,  I strongly  agree with the idea supporting this statement because its benefits outweigh its drawbacks.

[ Cancel replying ]

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

' src=

thanks ,you solve my problems

How to Disagree Better

Our writers’ perspectives on arguing and communicating in healthier ways

A person dressed in all black stands holding a microphone in the middle of an empty plaza

This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning.

In the 1887 essay “Silent People as Misjudged by the Noisy,” an Atlantic contributor proposed an economical approach to talking: “As we get on in life past the period of obstreperous youth, we incline to talk less and write less, especially on the topics which we have most at heart,” the writer noted. “We are beginning to realize the uselessness of perpetually talking … If there is a thing to be said, we prefer to wait and say it only when and where it will hit something or somebody.”

Many of us wish we were better at waiting to speak until we knew our words would “hit something or somebody” exactly how we want them to. But more often, we’re all just muddling through a daily mess of communication, arguing with loved ones in ways that don’t feel productive (or with strangers on the internet—I shudder to imagine what our 1887 contributor would think of social media). Today’s newsletter explores how to disagree a bit better.

The Books That Taught a Debate Champion How to Argue

Through reading, I learned that disagreement can be a source of good, not ill, even in our polarized age.

Five Features of Better Arguments

By Conor Friedersdorf

A former Clinton-administration official studied how to facilitate more constructive arguments among Americans. These are his conclusions.

How to Have a Healthy Argument

By Hanna Rosin

Hint: It doesn’t involve the facts.

Still Curious?

  • A gentler, better way to change minds : Stop wielding your values as a weapon and start offering them as a gift, Arthur Brooks wrote in 2022.
  • “Listening to my neighbors fight” : When people are crammed into cities, there’s not much privacy, and neighbors become spectators to one another’s personal lives, Maris Kreizman wrote in 2019.

Other Diversions

  • Why Americans suddenly stopped hanging out
  • The carry-on-baggage bubble is about to pop.
  • First comes the breakup, then comes the “thrive post.”

In 2021, Arthur Brooks pointed out a perhaps unexpected upside to changing your mind upon hearing a good counterargument: It can make you less anxious.

Advertisement

Supported by

Justice Amy Coney Barrett Stakes Out Distinctive Stance in Trump Case

The justice distanced herself from the majority, saying it had gone too far, and from the three liberals, saying their tone sent the wrong message.

  • Share full article

Amy Coney Barrett, wearing black pants and a black blouse, sits on a stage with her hands crossed over her knee during an event in Washington.

By Adam Liptak

Reporting from Washington

Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s opinion was just a page long, all of two paragraphs. But in distancing herself from both blocs in Monday’s nominally unanimous Supreme Court decision rejecting a constitutional challenge to former President Donald J. Trump’s eligibility to hold office, she staked out a distinctive role.

Justice Barrett was the third of Mr. Trump’s appointees, rushed onto the court after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, arriving just before the 2020 election. But she is viewed as one of the more moderate members, relatively speaking, of the court’s six-member conservative supermajority. At oral arguments, she can convey a mix of intellectual seriousness and common sense.

In public appearances, she is adamant that the court is apolitical, though she sometimes says so in venues that undercut her message.

In 2021, for instance, Justice Barrett told an audience in Kentucky that “my goal today is to convince you that this court is not comprised of a bunch of partisan hacks.”

She was speaking at the University of Louisville’s McConnell Center, after an introduction by Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, who helped found the center and was instrumental in ensuring her confirmation . Last year, she was the featured speaker at the annual gala of the Federalist Society, the conservative legal group.

At first blush, her concurring opinion on Monday was an act of solidarity with the liberal members of the court — and its other three women. Like them, Justice Barrett wrote that the majority had gone too far in the process of ruling that Colorado could not disqualify Mr. Trump from its primary ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars officials who have sworn to support the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection from holding office.

“I agree that states lack the power to enforce Section 3 against presidential candidates,” she wrote. “That principle is sufficient to resolve this case, and I would decide no more than that.”

But the majority had decided much more than that, she wrote, by saying that detailed federal legislation is needed to give Section 3 force. Again, she was agreeing with the court’s liberal bloc.

“This suit was brought by Colorado voters under state law in state court,” Justice Barrett wrote. “It does not require us to address the complicated question whether federal legislation is the exclusive vehicle through which Section 3 can be enforced.”

Having established that she sided with her liberal colleagues on the substance of what they had to say, she questioned their tone, calling it strident. Members of the court who disagree with the majority, she said, face a choice, adding that her colleagues had made the wrong one.

“In my judgment, this is not the time to amplify disagreement with stridency,” she wrote.

It is true that the joint concurring opinion from the three liberals — Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — contained some sharp jabs, including quotations from opinions in Bush v. Gore, the decision that settled the 2000 election, and Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which eliminated the constitutional right to abortion.

But the joint concurrence was not especially harsh by the standards of recent dissents. Indeed, though it had apparently begun as partial dissent , it was presented as an opinion concurring in the judgment, meaning it accepted the majority’s bottom line but not its reasoning.

Still, Justice Barrett seemed to think her colleagues had crossed a line, at the expense of the court and the nation.

“The court has settled a politically charged issue in the volatile season of a presidential election,” she wrote. “Particularly in this circumstance, writings on the court should turn the national temperature down, not up.”

Then she spoke to the nation.

“For present purposes,” she wrote, “our differences are far less important than our unanimity: All nine justices agree on the outcome of this case. That is the message Americans should take home.”

Adam Liptak covers the Supreme Court and writes Sidebar, a column on legal developments. A graduate of Yale Law School, he practiced law for 14 years before joining The Times in 2002. More about Adam Liptak

IMAGES

  1. Do You Agree or Disagree (400 Words)

    essay agree or disagree

  2. How to Express AGREEMENT and DISAGREEMENT in English

    essay agree or disagree

  3. Agree And Disagree Essay Sample IELTS

    essay agree or disagree

  4. Agree or disagree essay plan and model answer

    essay agree or disagree

  5. Agree And Disagree Essay

    essay agree or disagree

  6. How To Start A Agree Or Disagree Essay

    essay agree or disagree

VIDEO

  1. ielts writing task 2 tips| 2 Dec 2024 ielts writing task 2| To what extent agree/disagree essay

  2. how to write essay / agree or disagree by Rachna Gupta

  3. IELTS 8 Band Essay

  4. IELTS ESSAY (agree/disagree) small tips in MALAYALAM

  5. do you agree or disagree essay

  6. IELTS Essay 0007 Some now feel online coaching is a superior option to in-person coach

COMMENTS

  1. IELTS agree or disagree essay

    Choose your opinion & generate ideas. Agree or disagree question asks you to clearly determine whether you agree or disagree with the statement. Unlike questions that ask you to what extent do you agree or disagree, this question asks you to have a super-clear opinion.After you've decided your opinion, generate 2-3 supporting points for it. For the task above you have two possible options:

  2. How to Write "Agree or Disagree" Essays for IELTS

    As such, here are two possibilities for structuring your "agree or disagree" essay: Introduction. Introduce the topic. State your position ( essay outline) Body paragraph #1. Main argument #1. Support with explanation and example. Body paragraph #2. Main argument #2.

  3. IELTS Agree Disagree Essay Sample Answer

    Below is a model answer for the above Opinion Essay: Agree/Disagree Essay. Owing to the problems which a growing population of overweight people cause for the health care system, some people think that the key to solving these issues is to have more sport and exercise in schools. I completely agree that this is the best way to tackle the issue ...

  4. How to Start your Agree / Disagree Essay in Writing Task 2

    An "agree or disagree" essay offers a statement and invites you either to agree or disagree with it. For this type of task 2 essay, you are expected (1) to state your opinion clearly (2) to address all parts of the statement with which you are agreeing or disagreeing (3) fully to support your opinion with reference to further knowledge or ...

  5. Agree or Disagree Essay- Complete 2023 IELTS Lesson

    This lesson will teach you how to write 'agree or disagree' or 'opinion' IELTS task 2 essays that could score a Band 7, 8 or 9. Agree or disagree question types are among the most common on the IELTS writing paper, so you must learn how to write them properly. We will use a question from an IELTS past paper to help us understand the task.

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

    Here I have collected actual IELTS opinion essays (agree or disagree question) from the last several years - enjoy learning about this task type! Enjoy and consider signing up for my Patreon Ebooks here. Dave. IELTS Task 2 Question Types: Opinion Essays (Agree or Disagree) Everybody should donate a fixed amount of their income to support charity.

  7. An opinion essay

    You can either agree, partially agree or disagree with the statement, explaining and justifying your opinion. The structure should be: Introduction. The first reason why you agree/disagree. The second reason why you agree/disagree. The third reason why you agree/disagree (if you have one) Conclusion. Use phrases to organise and link your ideas ...

  8. Opinion essay

    An "agree or disagree" opinion essay is a type of essay where you are presented with a statement or an opinion and must express your agreement or disagreement with it. The key to writing an effective "agree or disagree" essay is to present a clear opinion and support it with well-developed arguments. It is important to provide evidence ...

  9. IELTS Writing Task 2: How to Structure an 'Agree or Disagree' Essay

    So to summarise, for the question above you must have a clear position and you have three possible options: 1. Strongly agree. You think it's better for governments to spend money on rail rather than roads. You discuss only this side. 2. Strongly disagree. You think it's better for governments to spend money on roads rather than rail.

  10. IELTS Writing Task 2: Agree/Disagree Sample Essay

    IELTS Writing Task 2 asks you to give your opinion on an important social issue. In this particular opinion essay IELTS sample, the question type is called "agree/disagree.". Agree/disagree essays want you to take a position on an issue that is stated. From there, it's your job to say if you agree or disagree with the initial statement ...

  11. IELTS Agree or Disagree Essay

    IELTS Agree or Disagree Essay. For IELTS Writing Task 2 you can receive one of five different essay types. Much of the structure for each type is similar, but there are some differences that you need to pay attention to and learn if you want to succeed on the writing section of the exam.

  12. How to Start an Agreement Essay

    In IELTS writing task 2, you could be asked to write an agree or disagree essay, also known as an "agreement essay." Today, however, I want to show you how to start an agreement essay. This will focus on the first few lines. You can read my full guide to agree/disagree essays here if you want to learn about the overall structure.

  13. Agree/Disagree Essays

    Agree/Disagree Essays. Sometimes your task 2 IELTS essay topic asks whether you agree or disagree with a given view. While writing an agree/disagree essay, you have basically three options. You can fully agree with the given view or you can fully disagree. You also have the option to partially agree. It is important to use ideas that support ...

  14. How To Write An Agree Or Disagree Essay?

    Writing Task 2 Agree/Disagree Essay Structure. The structure that I advise my students to use, will be sure to get you a band score of 7+. You need to practice using this structure, with as many questions as you can, before sitting your IELTS test. This writing task 2 structure has been proven to be successful for my students and when perfected ...

  15. How to write IELTS agree disagree essay introductions!

    2. Present your opinion. This should be the easiest sentence that you write in the introduction. If you agree in an IELTS agree disagree essay, you will simply start the sentence by saying "I agree" and then paraphrase the task. If you disagree, you will do the same, but you will start the sentence with "I disagree".

  16. How to Write the Agree or Disagree Essay for IELTS

    If the question has to what extent, you should clearly say to what degree you agree or disagree, i.e., completely, neither, or partially. If it only asks to agree or disagree, then you need not give the extent. The usual practice is to follow this format for the IELTS agree or disagree essay questions : Introduction. Supporting Paragraph 1.

  17. Agree Disagree Essays

    Do you want to learn how to create a agree/disagree/opinion essay worthy of a high band score in writing task 2? Learn the structure needed, useful vocabulary and take a look at the sample answer. Take a look. IELTS Agree/Disagree Essay Sample: Education. Young people prefer listening to music rather than listening to the news on the radio.

  18. Mastering the IELTS Agree Disagree Essay: Tips for Success

    The agree or disagree essay questions are the most commonly asked in the IELTS examination. They are also called as argumentative essays. In this type of essays, you are asked to give your opinion, whether you agree or disagree on the particular sentence that is given. You are given 40 minutes to complete the 250-word essay.

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

    You partially agree - First paragraph: reasons why you agree. 2nd paragraph: reasons why you disagree. Remember: it's much better to have few well-developed ideas than a lot of poorly developed ones, so when you write the paragraphs make sure to give reasons, examples and details. All these must be relevant to the reason you agree/disagree.

  20. IELTS Agree or Disagree Essay format: Works 100%. Guaranteed

    Guaranteed. In Writing Task 2 of IELTS, an agree or disagree essay is the most common type of essay. Essentially, a debatable opinion will be presented to you, and you have to propound a discourse either supporting or opposing it. There are multiple ways of going about with agree or disagree essay questions.

  21. IELTS Writing Task 2

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

  22. To what extent you agree or disagree essay

    This lesson will guide you how to write essays in IELTS Writing that ask you to what extent you agree/disagree. Such questions are very common for IELTS Writing task 2. In such essays your task is to say whether you: completely agree with a given statement. completely disagree with a given statement. partly agree / disagree.

  23. IELTS ESSAY TEMPLATE-agree

    To agree or disagree with the statement that (summary of the question) is an important issue. Putting the discussion in a wider context, (a few words about the subject) has always been debatable. Even though some people think that (the idea which you dont like), I wholeheartedly believe that (the idea which you like).First I will discuss some arguments supporting my ideas about this statement ...

  24. How to disagree better

    In the 1887 essay "Silent People as Misjudged by the Noisy," an Atlantic contributor proposed an economical approach to talking: "As we get on in life past the period of obstreperous youth ...

  25. Opinion: The Supreme Court has a different view of emergencies ...

    The Supreme Court is playing a long game with former President Donald J. Trump's criminal prosecution, in which politics matters fractionally less than law, as it theoretically should, write ...

  26. Justice Amy Coney Barrett Stakes Out Distinctive Stance in Trump Case

    Members of the court who disagree with the majority, she said, face a choice, adding that her colleagues had made the wrong one. "In my judgment, this is not the time to amplify disagreement ...