IELTS Writing Task 2: one view or both views?

This is one of the most common questions that students ask me:

For "agree or disagree" questions, do I have to discuss both sides,
or should I just support one side of the argument?

The answer is: it's your decision. If you completely agree (or completely disagree), you don't need to mention the opposite view - just support your side of the argument. If you partly agree, you should write something about both sides.

Comments

[Neel Kamal]

Sir in the case of 'both views and give your opinion' is this right to write both views and a extra paragraph with our opinion or we can write our opinion in conclusion of writing task 2

[Wanda]

@ Neel Kamal

http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2013/06/ielts-writing-task-2-discuss-both-views.html

http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2016/09/ielts-writing-task-2-discussion-opinion.html

Band 7 requires you to "present a clear position throughout the response": it is not enough to just put your opinion in the conclusion.

[Chloe]

Hi Simon
Can I start the essay with ‘some people think...’ and then give my opinion like ‘However, I disagree with the idea’.

I tired to avoid using ‘some people think..’ in ‘agree or diagree essay’ but just rephrasing the quesion without ‘some people think’ sometimes sounds unnautal.. ( depending on questions).

For example, ‘Living in a country where you have to speak a foreign langauge can cause serious problems as well as practical problems.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

If I start the sentence with ‘some people think living in a forein country.....’ ‘however, I disagree with the idea that living in a different country...’
It would be repetitive. should I write just ‘however, I disagree with the idea’. But then it sounds unclear..

If my view is ‘the problems could be minor but not serious’...

While I partly agree with the idea, I believe the problems could be minor, not serious’.

How do you think about this for instruction? I think this is better than ‘disagree sentence’.

Thank you
Chloe

[Fruzsi]

@Chloe

There is nothing in the public band descriptors that requires you to restate the question, although an essay does need some kind of introduction.

Consider the following model answer by British Council:

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

Answer (introduction):
Given the power and influence of the super rich, it might seem as if social status and material possessions are the new symbols of personal worth, but in everyday life I do not think this is true.

In your case, something like:

There are some issues which warrant consideration when living in a foreign country, but in general I believe they are relatively minor, and rarely serious.

OR

There may well be some aspects of living in a foreign country which prove problematic, but overall I believe ....

To me, it is more important to state your position clearly than worry about restating the question. So just focus on explaining your position.

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