7 WritingThe opinion question in IELTS Writing Task 2, To what extent do you agree or disagree?, is the type many candidates practise first. It is also an easy type in which to write an essay that looks complete but is actually off topic. The question asks for your attitude to a statement, so the whole essay has one job: let the examiner see your position in every paragraph, together with the reasons you hold it. Below are the steps in the order you write them: decide how far you agree, arrange the paragraphs, develop the reasons, and finally check.
- Read the questionFind the statement and the words that set its scope, then decide how far you agree
- IntroductionParaphrase the question and state your position
- Body 1Reason one: an explanation plus one concrete situation
- Body 2Reason two; or concede first, then respond
- ConclusionRestate exactly the same position
First decide: fully agree, disagree, or partly agree
The two common opinion forms are To what extent do you agree or disagree? and Do you agree or disagree?. They mean almost the same thing: both ask for a clear attitude. First look for the words in the question that set the scope, such as all, only, always and should.
Take this question:
Every university student should be required to learn a foreign language. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
The statement is "every university student must learn a foreign language", and the limiting words are every and required. You could fully agree, or you could say "I agree that universities should encourage language study, but it should not be required in every subject". The second is partial agreement. As long as you state which part you agree with and which you do not, it is still a clear position, not a neutral one. Unless your essay is already strong, avoid writing "both sides have a point", because that position is very vague. Which approach to choose depends on whether you can write two substantial reasons for it, not on which one sounds more impressive.
The introduction: paraphrase the question and state your position
The introduction does two things: it paraphrases the question in your own words, then states your position. Paraphrasing is not swapping a few synonyms; it is saying the same idea in a different way. Your position needs to be specific about the scope you agree with, not just I agree. For the full introduction, three models and how to adapt common sentence patterns, see How to write the introduction of an IELTS Writing essay.
Body paragraphs: one reason each, in four steps
An opinion essay usually has four paragraphs: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Each body paragraph presents only one reason, developed in four steps:
- Topic sentence: what the reason for this paragraph is.
- Explanation: why the reason holds, and how it happens.
- Example or consequence: make it concrete with one person or situation.
- Back to your position: what this shows, and how it relates to your stance.
Here is a model paragraph for the question above:
Learning a foreign language can widen a graduate's career options. Many employers deal with overseas clients, so a candidate who can write an email or join a call in another language is easier to place. For example, a graduate in logistics could take on a role coordinating shipments with suppliers abroad rather than being limited to local work. This gives universities a practical reason to encourage language study.
Each of the four sentences has its own job. The third sentence is a situation the writer made up, not a statistic. Do not invent figures such as "a university study found that 87% of respondents...": examiners give no credit for it, and the essay looks less credible.
When an argument is thin, ask yourself "why?" and "and then what?" twice for each point, then put the answers into the paragraph. Three reasons of one sentence each are worth less than one reason written in four sentences.
Concession and response: make the position firmer
If you want your position to have more depth, the second body paragraph can admit one reasonable point from the other side, then return to your position:
Admittedly, building new roads can ease congestion in the short term. However, ...
Common pairs are Admittedly, ... However, ... or While it is true that ..., .... The concession should be one sentence; the focus stays on your response and your reasons. If the concession is longer than the reason, the position gets diluted. In the conclusion you can restate it once more with an although structure, so the whole essay closes neatly.
Three common ways to lose marks
- Missing the scope word: the question says only or all, but the essay discusses "whether it is important".
- An inconsistent position: the introduction says "encourage but not require", and the conclusion becomes "everyone must learn". After writing, reread the introduction and conclusion and check that the scope of the statement matches.
- Listing without developing: three reasons of one sentence each, every one left half-finished.
Four checks before you hand in
- Does the introduction paraphrase the question and state a position?
- Does each body paragraph contain only one reason, with an explanation and a concrete situation?
- Does the position in the conclusion match the introduction?
- Is the essay at least 250 words?
For a fuller checklist aimed at Band 6 to 6.5, see How to move from Band 6 to 6.5 in IELTS Writing. A short guide to the opinion type is on the opinion question page. After you write a paragraph, you can use the Task 2 structure checker to look at paragraphs and word count.
To try one of your own opinion essays, paste it into the free IELTS Writing checker: one free check, and 3 more free checks after you sign up. AI scores are for reference only.
Our course content is compiled from materials by a Band 8 Writing teacher. The course splits reading the question, choosing a position and developing a paragraph into small exercises, and AI feedback marks your writing afterwards. The first two chapters are free, so you can try the course now.