IELTS Opinion Essay: Agree or Disagree Model Answer

An IELTS opinion essay is a Writing Task 2 response in which you state how far you agree or disagree with a statement and develop that position in at least 250 words. It sits in the 60-minute Writing paper, where Task 2 is the longer task, with no more than 40 minutes suggested for it, and it carries more weight in marking than Task 1. The question wording varies, but the task stays the same: a clear position, supported ideas and a response written as full, connected text.

The same four criteria apply to every Task 2 essay type: Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. For an opinion question, Task Response judges whether the position is clear, whether the ideas are extended and supported, and whether the conclusion follows from them, so planning starts there. A full or partial agreement structure, two developed body paragraphs and a conclusion that restates the position address those points within the 250-word minimum, and a worked model answer on a general topic shows the result.

How do you recognise an opinion question in Writing Task 2?

An opinion question gives a statement and asks for your view, usually with wording such as to what extent do you agree or disagree, or do you agree? Task 2 asks candidates to formulate and develop a position in relation to a prompt that takes the form of a question or statement, so the prompt itself shows exactly what you are being asked to judge. Underline the key claim in the statement, and note any limiting words such as all, only, should or most, because these decide how far you can reasonably agree.

Check how many instructions the prompt contains before planning. Task Response assesses how fully the candidate responds to the task, so every main part of the prompt needs an answer. A prompt that asks only for your agreement needs one position; a prompt that adds a second question, such as why, or what should be done, needs that question answered as well.

How do you choose a clear position and keep it throughout?

Choose a position in the first minutes of planning and write it as a single sentence that answers the question directly. Task Response looks at how clearly you open the discourse, establish your position and formulate conclusions, so the same view has to appear in the introduction, run through each body paragraph and return in the conclusion. Test the sentence by asking whether a reader could tell, from the introduction alone, which side you are on.

Pick the side you can support with the most specific ideas, which may differ from your personal view. Examiners assess how relevant and well supported your ideas are, and the task allows examples drawn from your own experience. Write down two main ideas that serve your position before you begin, and discard any idea that pulls against it, because a point that contradicts the position tends to make the answer read as undecided.

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Should you agree fully or partly?

Full agreement, full disagreement and partial agreement are all workable structures, provided the position is stated clearly. In a full agreement or full disagreement answer, both body paragraphs support the same side, and a short acknowledgement of the other view can sit inside one of them. In a partial agreement answer, you say in the introduction exactly which part you accept and which part you reject, for example that you agree with a principle but limit it to certain cases.

Partial agreement works well when the statement contains two claims or an absolute word. Give one body paragraph to the part you accept and one to the part you qualify, and keep the introduction's wording consistent with that split. A response that says "I agree" in the introduction and then argues against the statement in both body paragraphs presents two positions, which weakens how clearly the position is established.

How should the introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion be written?

The introduction has two jobs: paraphrase the statement in your own words and state your position. Replace the key terms with accurate alternatives, then add a sentence beginning with a phrase such as "I agree that" or "I partly agree that", so the reader meets the writer's view within the first two sentences. Copying the task wording gives the reader no evidence of your vocabulary range, which Lexical Resource assesses through the use of synonyms.

Each body paragraph is built from three parts, and two paragraphs of this kind usually fill the remaining length comfortably. The explanation step is where an idea is extended, which Task Response assesses directly.

The conclusion restates the position in different words and closes the argument. It can briefly recall the two main ideas, but it should leave out new ideas, because the criterion looks at how clearly conclusions are formulated. Opening with Overall, or with a plain sentence that restates your view, keeps the last paragraph tied to the introduction.

• Main idea: one sentence making a point that supports your position.
• Explanation: one or two sentences saying why the point holds or what follows from it.
• Example: a specific case, from general knowledge or your own experience, showing the point at work.

Model answer: Opinion essay on government funding for the arts

Task: Governments should use public money to fund the arts, such as theatres, museums and orchestras. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words. You should spend no more than 40 minutes on this task.

"

Public spending on theatres, museums and orchestras is often questioned when budgets are tight. I agree that governments should fund the arts, although I believe that the money should come with clear expectations about who benefits.

"

The strongest reason for public funding is access. Commercial venues depend on ticket sales, so they tend to set prices that many families cannot afford and to stage only what is certain to sell. Public grants allow a regional museum to offer free entry or a local theatre to sell discounted tickets to students. In several European cities, for instance, state-supported galleries admit visitors without charge, and school groups use them as a regular part of the curriculum. A child who never visits such a place is unlikely to develop an interest in it later.

"

A second reason is that the arts support wider economic and social aims. Festivals and theatres draw tourists, who spend money in nearby hotels, restaurants and shops, so a grant often returns part of its value through local business. Community arts programmes also give young people structured activities, which can reduce isolation. A low-priced concert series in a neglected district, for example, can introduce many residents to live music for the first time. However, I do not think funding should be unlimited. Governments also have to pay for hospitals and schools, so arts grants should be assessed on measurable outcomes such as attendance and the number of schools reached.

"

I agree that governments should fund the arts, because public support keeps them affordable and brings benefits to local economies and communities. Funding should still be targeted and reviewed, so that taxpayers can see what their money achieves.

What this model answer does:

• The introduction paraphrases the statement and states the position in its second sentence, which meets the Task Response expectation that a position is established clearly.
• Both body paragraphs follow a main idea, an explanation and an example, extending each point as Task Response rewards.
• A single qualifying sentence about unlimited funding adds nuance without changing the position, so the view stays consistent from introduction to conclusion under Task Response.
• Linking phrases such as A second reason and However mark each stage of the argument, which Coherence and Cohesion assesses through logical sequencing.
• Synonyms for funding, including public spending, grants and public support, show the range of general vocabulary that Lexical Resource assesses.

How is Task Response assessed on an opinion essay?

Task Response is one of four criteria, alongside Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and all four are applied to every Task 2 script in both the Academic and General Training tests. The published wording for Task Response lists five points, which together cover the response to the prompt, the ideas, the position and the conclusion.

Each task is assessed independently, and Task 2 carries more weight than Task 1. Read each of the five points as a question to put to your own draft, checking the first sentence of every paragraph as the place where the position and the main idea should be visible.

• How fully the candidate responds to the task.
• How adequately the main ideas are extended and supported.
• The relevance of the candidate's ideas to the task is assessed here.
• Also assessed is the clarity with which the candidate opens the discourse, establishes their position and formulates conclusions.
• Finally, the appropriateness of the response format to the task is judged.

What are the most common ways to lose Task Response marks on an opinion essay?

The usual losses of Task Response marks on an opinion essay map onto the five published points, so each one can be checked in a finished draft by reading the answer back against a short list. Reading the draft once for position alone, with language set aside, usually finds most of them.

Each item below can be corrected during practice, and a habit of checking for them before the final read-through tends to stay in place on test day.

• No clear position, or a position that appears only in the conclusion.
• A position that shifts between paragraphs, so the answer reads as two views.
• Answering one part of a prompt that contains more than one instruction.
• Ideas stated without an explanation or an example.
• Ideas that drift from the statement into a general essay on the topic.
• A response shorter than 250 words, or one using sub-headings or bullet points instead of full, connected text.
• Copied passages, since scripts that are partly or wholly plagiarised may be penalised.
• A conclusion that adds new ideas or leaves the final position unclear.

How should you practise opinion essays for the test?

Practice works best in a fixed order, because each step feeds the next and the published criteria give a way to check the result at every stage. The early steps are quick to drill, and the full timed essays then bring the skills together under the conditions of the Writing paper.

Keep a record of repeated issues, such as a position that weakens in the second paragraph, and set each new practice essay to correct one of them. Re-marking the same essay a few days later often shows problems that were missed on the first read, particularly where the position softens or a paragraph drifts from the statement.

• Read the published descriptions of the four criteria until you can state what each one assesses.
• Write only the introduction for a set of opinion statements on varied topics, paraphrasing each and stating a position.
• Plan full essays in a few minutes: a position sentence, two main ideas and one example for each.
• Write full essays in no more than 40 minutes, with at least 250 words, in connected paragraphs.
• Mark each essay against the four criteria, starting with Task Response and the five points listed above.

Related guides

• What is IELTS? Format, versions and scoring
• Task 1 map model answer
• IELTS General Training letter (Task 1)
• IELTS Writing Task 2 essays
• Discuss both views essay
• Advantages and disadvantages essay
• Problem and solution essay

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