IELTS agree/disagree question sample

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

Big salary is much more important than job satisfaction.

Do you agree or disagree?

Provide relevant examples if necessary.

This is a classic example of agree or disagree question that you may get on IELTS Writing
task 2.

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:

1. You fully agree that big salary is more important than job satisfaction
2. You completely disagree that big salary is more important than job satisfaction

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

 ▪ Big salary is more important
o Having a job with a high salary makes people feel satisfied no matter what
kind of job they do
o Money is essential for survival and good living

▪ Job satisfaction is more important

o Job satisfaction gives you a sense of fulfillment
o Doing what you like keeps you motivated and therefore leads to a career
growth
o Money can’t buy happiness and it’s more pleasant to pursue what you’re
interested in

For our essay, we’ll choose the second opinion.

Band 9 answer structure

After you’ve decided whether you agree or disagree and generated your supporting points,
it’s time to start writing your essay.

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:

1. Introduction
2. Body paragraph 1 - the 1st reason you agree/disagree
3. Body paragraph 2 - the 2nd reason you agree/disagree
4. Conclusion

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

Introduction
Write your introduction in two sentences:

• Sentence 1 - paraphrase the statement (you can use ‘it is

argued/considered/thought that’ to start):

It is often argued that it is more advantageous to choose a job with high wage,
even if it doesn't appeal to you at all.

• Sentence 2 - say whether you agree or disagree with it and extend your
opinion:

I completely disagree with this opinion and think that job satisfaction is much
more important than salary.

Body paragraph 1 - the 1st reason you agree/disagree

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

This sentence should contain the main idea of the whole 1st paragraph. Use
words firstly or first of all to introduce the first reason. In our case we’ll use the
reason that job satisfaction gives you a sense of fulfillment:

First of all, I believe that job satisfaction gives people a sense of fulfillment
that no money can guarantee.

• Sentences 2-3 - explain the reason.

To explain the reason effectively, you can imagine that your examiner has no
knowledge of this subject at all and you have to explain every detail:

Even if someone is earning a high salary, but feels tensed and compromises
with his conscience, this person won’t enjoy his life. While pursuing one’s
interests will always bring pleasure and feeling of satisfaction.

• Sentence 4 - example.

It’s always good to give examples in your body paragraphs, even if you’re not asked
to do it. In our case, the task asks you to provide relevant examples:

For example, a lot of famous researchers made their career choices not
because of appealing wages, but because they were passionate about
science.
 • Sentence 5 - a short summary of your ideas in this paragraph:

That’s why it’s more important to choose the kind of work that makes you
happy than to look only at a high salary.

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. Use
words secondly or moreover to introduce the second reason:

Secondly, doing what you like keeps you motivated and therefore leads to a
career growth.

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

In other words, there is a strong relation between job satisfaction and

productivity. People who love their jobs can easily excel in their fields of work
and achieve better results than those, who put salary on the first place.

• Sentence 4 - support your idea with an example:

For instance, Henry Miller decided to leave his everyday job despite a good
wage and ventured to become a writer. And after enduring years of ups and
downs he became one of the most famous and well-paid authors of the
twentieth century.

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

Thus, advantages of jobs that keep you satisfied outweigh the drawback of a
low salary in a long-term perspective.

Conclusion

You can write the conclusion in one sentence that summarizes your opinion + 2
reasons for it:
To conclude, I strongly believe that job satisfaction is more beneficial than high
salary because it makes people happy and motivated.

DO NOT write new ideas in the conclusion!

IELTS agree/disagree model answer

This is a full band-9 answer for IELTS agree or disagree question above:

It is often argued that it is more advantageous to choose a job with high wage, even if it
doesn't appeal to you at all. I completely disagree with this opinion and think that job
satisfaction is much more important than salary.

First of all, I believe that job satisfaction gives people a sense of fulfillment that no money
can guarantee. Even if someone is earning a high salary, but feels tensed and
compromises with his conscience, this person won’t enjoy his life. While pursuing one’s
interests will always bring pleasure and feeling of satisfaction. For example, a lot of famous
researchers made their career choices not because of appealing wages, but because they
were passionate about science. That’s why it’s more important to choose the kind of work
that makes you happy than to look only at a high salary.

Secondly, doing what you like keeps you motivated and therefore leads to a career growth.
In other words, there is a strong relation between job satisfaction and productivity. People
who love their jobs can easily excel in their fields of work and achieve better results than
those, who put salary on the first place. For instance, Henry Miller decided to leave his
everyday job despite a good wage and ventured to become a writer. And after enduring
years of ups and downs he became one of the most famous and well-paid authors of the
twentieth century. Thus, advantages of jobs that keep you satisfied outweigh the drawback
of a low salary in a long-term perspective.

To conclude, I strongly believe that job satisfaction is more beneficial than high salary
because it makes people happy and motivated.

(277 words)

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?

This is a classic example of an IELTS Writing question that asks you to what extent you
agree or disagree.

Choose your opinion & generate ideas

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

o Art, music and theatre don’t help to solve urgent problems of the society
o Art and music can develop as hobbies, and saved money can be directed
towards urgent needs of the society
o 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

AD: Investment in arts is important, but public services should be financed in the
first place

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:

1. Introduction
2. Body paragraph 1 - the 1st supporting point
3. Body paragraph 2 - the 2nd supporting point
4. Conclusion

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.

Introduction
Write your introduction in two sentences:

• 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.

Body paragraph 1 - the 1st supporting point

• 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.

Conclusion

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.

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.

(317 words)

IELTS Writing: advantages & disadvantages essay

In this lesson you will learn how to produce a band 9 answer for advantages &
disadvantages essay in IELTS Writing. As an example, we will use a topic of tourism in
modern world. Basically, in all advantages and disadvantages essays your task is to
describe positive and negative sides of a given topic + give your opinion.

In this lesson you will:

• see a question sample

• learn effective ways to quickly produce ideas for your answer
• learn band 9 answer structure

for advantages and disadvantages essay in IELTS.

IELTS advantages & disadvantages question sample

For example, you can get this question for IELTS writing task 2:
A lot of places in the world rely on tourism as a main source of income. Unfortunately,
tourism can also be a source of problems if it is not managed correctly.

Describe the advantages and disadvantages of tourism in the modern world. Do you think
that benefits of tourism outweigh its drawbacks?

This essay topic is related to tourism. Of course, topics for questions will vary, but ideal
answer structure is the same for all advantages & disadvantages essays in IELTS.

Producing ideas for your answer

Before you start writing your essay, you should always spend 1-2 minutes on producing
ideas for your answer. This way, you’ll know what to write about and your answer will be
more coherent and well-structured. In case of advantages & disadvantages essay, you
need to think of 2-3 advantages and 2-3 disadvantages of the given issue.

Let’s think about advantages and disadvantages of tourism in the modern world.

Advantages of tourism:

• boost in country’s economy due to increased spending

• new job opening for local people
• opportunities to discover new places for individual travelers

Disadvantages of tourism:

• destruction of popular tourist destinations by large numbers of tourists

• development of illegal economic activities
• local people can experience loss of privacy
Now, after we’ve collected some ideas, it’s time to use them in our essay.

Band 9 answer structure for causes & solutions essay

Though there are many ways to structure your IELTS essay, we’ll use this time-tested band
9 essay structure:

1. Introduction
2. Body paragraph 1 – advantages
3. Body paragraph 2 – disadvantages
4. Conclusion

Tip: before starting to write your essay, decide what you think: does tourism have more
advantages or disadvantages? You’ll need to make accent on your opinion in one of the
body paragraphs.

We’ll use the opinion that tourism has more advantages.

Introduction Write the introduction in 2 sentences:

o Sentence 1 - paraphrase the question (restate the problem):

Nowadays tourism generates a significant portion of national income for many

countries, but it has certain drawbacks too.

o Sentence 2 - tell the examiner what you’re going to describe in your essay:

This essay will examine the advantages and disadvantages of tourism and
provide a logical conclusion.

Body paragraph 1 - advantages

o Sentence 1 - state 2 main advantages:

 The two main advantages of developed tourism industry are boost in
country’s economy and a large number of new job openings for the local
people.

o Sentences 2-4 - explain the first advantage + give an example (if possible):

Firstly, tourists spend money on a wide range of services, including hotels,

amusements, transportation, food and medical services. This way, tourism
yields an additional income, greatly supporting the countries’ economies.

o Sentences 5-7 - explain the second advantage + give an example (if possible):

Secondly, tourism increases the level of employment by bringing new jobs.

For instance, the influx of tourists results in a larger demand in restaurant
workers, tour guides, hotel staff and employees of retail services, exhorting
business owners to hire more people for these positions.

Body paragraph 2 - disadvantages

o Sentence 1 - state 2 main disadvantages:

However, tourism also has some major disadvantages like destruction of

popular tourist destinations and development of illegal economic activities.

o Sentences 2-4 - explain the first disadvantage + give an example (if possible):

Ancient buildings, temples and monuments struggle to cope with a vast

amount of visitor’s traffic and get damaged. Also, the large number of tourists
can cause environmental problems. For instance, when places of interest are
overcrowded, natural resources often become overexploited.

o Sentences 5-7 - explain the second disadvantage + give an example (if possible):

What’s more, tourism can create more serious situations where criminal
issues are involved. The presence of a considerable number of tourists with a
lot of money to spend, and often carrying valuables such as cameras and
jewelry, increases the attraction for criminals and brings with it activities like
robbery and drug dealing.

o Sentences 8 - make an accent on your opinion (we’ll use the opinion that tourism
has more advantages):

However, proper hospitality management and correct usage of tourism

revenue by the local government can eliminate these disadvantages.
Conclusion

o Sentences 1-2 - briefly restate the advantages and disadvantages

To conclude, although tourism has certain disadvantages like destructive

effects and growth of crime rate, it has an extremely positive impact on
country’s economy and provides a large number of new jobs for the local
people.

o Sentence 2 - give your final opinion

I believe that these benefits of tourism outweigh its drawbacks.

Band 9 answer sample

Nowadays tourism generates a significant portion of national income for many countries, but
it has certain drawbacks too. This essay will examine the advantages and disadvantages of
tourism and provide a logical conclusion.

The two main advantages of developed tourism industry are boost in country’s economy
and a large number of new job openings for the local people. Firstly, tourists spend money
on a wide range of services, including hotels, amusements, transportation, food and
medical services. This way, tourism yields an additional income, greatly supporting the
country’s economy. Secondly, tourism increases the level of employment by bringing new
jobs. For instance, the influx of tourists results in a larger demand in restaurant workers,
tour guides, hotel staff and employees of retail services, exhorting business owners to hire
more people for these positions.

But tourism also has some major disadvantages like destruction of popular tourist
destinations and development of illegal economic activities. іAncient buildings, temples and
monuments struggle to cope with a vast amount of visitor’s traffic and get damaged. Also,
the large number of tourists can cause environmental problems. For instance, when places
of interest are overcrowded, natural resources often become overexploited. What’s more,
the presence of a considerable number of tourists with a lot of money to spend, and often
carrying valuables such as cameras and jewelry, increases the attraction for criminals and
brings with it activities like robbery and drug dealing. However, proper hospitality
management and correct usage of tourism revenue by the local government can eliminate
these disadvantages.

To conclude, although tourism can have certain negative effects like destructive impact and
growth of crime rate, it has an extremely positive influence on country’s economy and
provides a large number of new jobs for the local people. I believe that these benefits of
tourism outweigh its drawbacks.

(299 words)

How to write cause/effect essays in IELTS?

Cause and effect essay questions in IELTS Writing task 2 give you a problem and ask
you to state the main causes of this problem and discuss its possible effects.

In this lesson you will see:

• how to generate ideas for causes and effects

• band 9 answer structure for causes/effects essay
• cause/effect model essay

This is an example of cause/effect IELTS writing task 2 question:

Today more people are overweight than ever before.

What in your opinion are the primary causes of this?

What are the main effects of this epidemic?

Generating ideas
After you’ve read the question, you can clearly determine the problem: growing number of
overweight people.

But before you start to write your essay, it’s a good idea to think of 2-3 causes and 2-3
possible effects of the problem.
Causes of obesity:

1. inactive lifestyle (relying on cars instead of walking, fewer physical demands at work,
inactive leisure activities)
2. unhealthy eating habits (eating fast-food, drinking high-calorie beverages,
consuming large portions of food, eating irregularly)

Effects of obesity:

1. physical health problems

2. loss of productivity
3. depressions and mental disorders

Now, after we’ve generated the main ideas for causes and effects, it’s time to use these
ideas in our essay.

Band 9 answer structure

As you know, there are many 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 - causes
▪ Body paragraph 2 - effects
▪ Conclusion
Let’s take a look at each of these sections in detail.

Introduction

Write your introduction in two sentences:

• Sentence 1 - paraphrase the statement (you can use ‘nowadays/today/these days’ to

start):

Nowadays the number of overweight people is constantly growing.

• Sentence 2 - say what you’ll write about in your essay:

This essay will discuss the main reasons of this epidemic and then describe
the possible effects of the problem.

Body paragraph 1 - causes

• Sentence 1 - state all the main causes of obesity:

In my opinion, the foremost causes of obesity are inactive lifestyle and

unhealthy eating habits.

• Sentences 2-3 - describe the first cause. Assume that your examiner has no
knowledge in this area and you have to explain all the details to him.

Today more and more people rely on cars instead of walking, have less
physical demands at work and prefer inactive leisure activities. This results in
burning less calories and gaining weight.

• Sentences 4-5 - describe the second cause. Don’t forget that it’s useful to give
examples while describing causes!

Moreover, the problem is accentuated by the growing number of people, who

eat irregularly and consume large portions of high-calorie food. For example,
about 50% of the adult population in Europe with so-called disordered eating
suffer from obesity.

Body paragraph 2 - effects

 • Sentence 1 - state all the possible effects:

The possible effects of this problem include physical health problems and loss
of productivity.

• Sentences 2-3 - explain the first effect and give an example:

First of all, obesity results in incorrect functioning of the human body and
contributes to the risk of developing some chronic illnesses. For example, as
body fat percentage increases, the person’s metabolism worsens, which in
turn may result in diabetes or heart diseases.

• Sentences 4-6 - explain the second effect and support it with an example:

Secondly, overweight people are very unhealthy and often suffer from stress
and tiredness. This lessens their work capacity and results in lower
productivity. For example, it has been proven that an obese person needs to
put more effort to complete some task than a person with normal weight.

Conclusion

For the conclusion you need simply to restate the problem and sum up the causes and
effects that you described in your body paragraphs:

To sum up, obesity is a big problem that affects a lot of people nowadays. It’s
mainly caused by inactive lifestyle and eating disorders and results in severe
health problems and loss of productivity.

Model essay
Nowadays the number of overweight people is constantly increasing. This essay will
discuss the main reasons of this epidemic and then describe the possible effects of the
problem.

In my opinion, the foremost causes of obesity are inactive lifestyle and unhealthy eating
habits. Today more and more people rely on cars instead of walking, have less physical
demands at work and prefer inactive leisure activities. This results in burning less calories
and gaining weight. Moreover, the problem is accentuated by the growing number of
people, who eat irregularly and consume large portions of high-calorie food. For example,
about 50% of the adult population in Europe with so-called disordered eating suffer from
obesity.
The possible effects of this problem include physical health problems and loss of
productivity. First of all, obesity results in incorrect functioning of the human body and
contributes to the risk of developing some chronic illnesses. For example, as body fat
percentage increases, the person’s metabolism worsens, which in turn may result in
diabetes or heart diseases. Secondly, overweight people are very unhealthy and often
suffer from stress and tiredness. This lessens their work capacity and results in lower
productivity. For example, it has been proven that an obese person needs to put more effort
to complete some tasks than a person with normal weight.

To sum up, obesity is a big problem that affects a lot of people nowadays. It’s mainly
caused by inactive lifestyle and eating disorders and results in severe health problems and
loss of productivity.

(251 words)

IELTS Writing: problem and solution essay

In this lesson you’ll learn how to answer problems/solutions questions in IELTS
Writing. This type of questions gives you an issue and asks you to describe some
common problems associated with it and propose some possible solutions.

In this lesson you will:

• See problem-solution question sample

• Learn how to generate ideas
• Learn band 9 answering strategies
• See full band 9 answer

Question sample

This is an example of problem-solution question in IELTS Writing:

Despite a large number of gyms, a sedentary lifestyle is gaining popularity in the

contemporary world.

What problems are associated with this?

What solutions can you suggest?

How to answer the question?

Before starting to write your answer, you should think of 1-2 problems and 1-2 solutions,
so you know what to write about. In our case:
Problems associated with sedentary lifestyle:

• obesity
• problems with backbone (osteoporosis, scoliosis)

Solutions:

• promote walking and cycling as safe and attractive alternatives to motorized transport
• promote visiting gyms and doing exercises

Now, after we’ve generated some ideas for our essay, it’s time to use them in our
writing.

Remember: it’s not enough to simply state these facts, you should also extend the
ideas in your writing.

Band 9 answer structure

Although there are many possible ways to structure your essay, we’ll use this band 9
answer structure that has been approved by many IELTS examiners:

Band-9 essay structure:

• Introduction
• Body paragraph 1 - problems
• Body paragraph 2 - effects
• Conclusion

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

Introduction
Write your introduction in two sentences:
 ▪ Sentence 1 - paraphrase the statement (you can use ‘nowadays/today/these days’ to
start):

These days a sedentary lifestyle is becoming more and more popular

despite a big number of sport facilities.

▪ Sentence 2 - say what you’ll write about in your essay:

This essay will discuss the main problems associated with this epidemic
and propose some possible solutions to avoid them.

Body paragraph 1- problems

▪ Sentence 1 - summarise the main problems of inactive lifestyle:

The main problems caused by inactive lifestyle are obesity and various
spine disorders.

▪ Sentences 2-3 - state and explain the first problem (you can also give an example). It’s
very important to expand your opinion! Imagine that your examiner doesn’t know this
subject at all and you have to explain everything in detail:

A growing number of body research shows that long periods of physical

inactivity raise a risk of becoming overweight. This is because people burn
fewer calories and easily gain weight.

▪ Sentences 4-5 - describe the second problem (as usual, expand your opinion). You can
give an example and use linking words ‘moreover’, ’what’s more’ or ‘also’ to start:

What’s more, a lot of studies show that so-called ‘sitting disease’ often
results in posture and backbone problems. Due to constant sitting, person
loses muscle tissue and curves spine, developing numerous spinal
diseases. For example, it has been proven that about 80% of people
experience backache at least once a week.

Body paragraph 2 - solutions

▪ Sentence 1 - briefly state the main solutions:

In my opinion, the best solution to this problem is promoting active lifestyle.

▪ Sentences 2-3 - write the first solution and explain it:

 Firstly, millions of people stay less active because they use cars instead of
walking. Therefore, an effective way to make people more active is to
advertise walking and cycling as safe and attractive alternatives to
motorized transport.

▪ Sentences 4-5 - describe the second solution (don’t forget to expand your opinion!):

Moreover, inactive lifestyle is gaining popularity because nowadays a lot of

people prefer passive rest to workouts in the gym. And the best way to
avoid the hazards of unhealthy living is to obtain a regular dose of physical
activity. Thus, promoting gyms and regular exercising would increase the
level of activity.

Conclusion

Write your conclusion in 2 sentences by summing up the problems and solutions you’ve
written in your body paragraphs:

In conclusion, leading a sedentary lifestyle causes a lot of health problems,

including obesity and spinal diseases. The most effective solution is to increase
the level of fitness among the society by advertising physical activity.

Band 9 answer sample

These days a sedentary lifestyle is becoming more and more popular despite a big
number of sport facilities. This essay will discuss the main problems associated with this
epidemic and propose some possible solutions to avoid them.

The main problems caused by inactive lifestyle are obesity and various spine disorders.
A growing number of body research shows that long periods of physical inactivity raise
a risk of becoming overweight. This is because people burn fewer calories and easily
gain weight. What’s more, a lot of studies show that so-called ‘sitting disease’ often
results in posture and backbone problems. Due to constant sitting, person loses muscle
tissue and curves spine, developing numerous spinal diseases. For example, it has
been proven that about 80% of people experience backache at least once a week.

In my opinion, the best solution to these problems is promoting active lifestyle. Firstly,
millions of people stay less active because they use cars instead of walking. Therefore,
an effective way to make people more active is to advertise walking and cycling as safe
and attractive alternatives to motorized transport. Moreover, inactive lifestyle is gaining
popularity because nowadays a lot of people prefer passive rest to workouts in the gym.
And the best way to avoid the hazards of unhealthy living is to obtain a regular dose of
physical activity. Thus, promoting gyms and regular exercising would increase the level
of activity.

In conclusion, leading a sedentary lifestyle causes a lot of health problems, including

obesity and spinal diseases. The most effective solution is to increase the level of
fitness among the society by advertising physical activity.

(268 words)

IELTS Writing Task 2: discuss both views + give your

opinion
In this guide, you'll learn how to answer IELTS writing task 2 questions that ask
you to discuss both points of view before giving your opinion. This type of
question is often confused with an agree/disagree question or a give your
opinion question. In the latter types of questions, you can choose an opinion
and generate your arguments. However, for a discuss both views + give
opinion question, you have to discuss both points of view impartially before
giving your own view.

In this lesson you will see IELTS writing task 2 sample question + model answer
and learn:

• how to impartially discuss the points of view

• how to present your own point of view
• how to give a band 9 answer

IELTS question - discuss both views + give opinion

Let's look at an example of IELTS writing task 2 question that asks you to
discuss both views and give your opinion:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

It is commonly believed that nowadays main factors that affect a child's development
are media, pop culture and friends. A different point of view is that family plays the
most significant role.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Write at least 250 words.

Step 1:

Generate arguments for each point of view:

First of all, you have to identify the two opinions. These are:

1. External factors have more considerable influence on a child's

development.
2. The family has a greater influence on a child's development.

Next, let's brainstorm for arguments that support each side:

1. External factors have a more considerable influence on a child's

development.
a. Children tend to copy the behaviour of their favourite fictional
characters.
b. Children spend a lot of time with their peers.
c. Technology has an all-pervasive impact on children.

2. The family has a greater influence on a child's development.

a. Parents are always present in the life of a child.
b. The younger the children are, the more malleable their character is.
 c. Parents can set boundaries and have more control over their
children.

Step 2:

Choose your point of view:

For our essay, we will agree that although external factors influence the
development of a child, parents and family still have the upper hand.

Our reason: A child's choice of friends, books or music depends on the values
instilled in them by their parents.

Band 9 answer structure for discuss both views + give opinion essay

Though there are many ways to structure your IELTS essay, we’ll use this time-
tested band 9 essay structure:

1. Introduction
2. Body paragraph 1 – discuss the first opinion
3. Body paragraph 2 – discuss the second opinion
4. Body paragraph 3 – give your own opinion
5. Conclusion

Tip: Use linking structures, vocabulary to write essays and some words
from academic wordlist.

Introduction

Paraphrase the statement (sentences 1 and 2) and give your own opinion
(sentence 3):

It is often held that teachers, peers and the media have a significant influence on
the life of children. While some people argue that these factors are predominant
in shaping a child's future, others believe that parents impact their offspring in
more critical ways. This essay will discuss both these points of view and argue
in favour of the latter.

Body paragraph 1
 For this essay, it is good to write three body paragraphs. In the first
paragraph, you can dissect the first argument.

On the one hand, the books children read and the music they listen to form their
belief system. In other words, children tend to copy the behaviour of their
favourite personality or fictional character. Moreover, when little ones work
and play in groups, they are influenced by their peers. Finally, other factors,
like the media, prompt children to want things regarded as fashionable. For
instance, children demand toys that they see on television.

Body paragraph 2

In the second paragraph, you can discuss the second point of view.

On the other hand, a child's personality is malleable at a very young age, and
parents are always present in their life at this stage. Also, very young children
love to imitate. For example, children who come from a dysfunctional family
often exhibit behavioural problems at school. An emotionally secure
environment at home is critical for the child's confidence. Moreover, parents
also teach children about setting boundaries.

Body paragraph 3

In the 3rd body paragraph, which is shorter than either of the above, you
can give your opinion.

In my opinion, children's choice of friends, books or music depends on the values

instilled in them by their parents. Therefore, parents hold more substantial
sway over their offspring than media, pop culture and friends circle.

Conclusion

In the concluding paragraph, briefly summarise what you have written

and restate your opinion:

In conclusion, the outside world influences the intellectual and social

development of children. However, I believe that it is parents who set the stage
for these developments by laying a strong foundation from a very young age.

Band 9 answer sample

It is often held that teachers, peers and the media have a significant influence
on the life of children. While some people argue that these factors are
predominant in shaping a child's future, others believe that parents impact their
offspring in more critical ways. This essay will discuss both these points of view
and argue in favour of the latter.

On the one hand, the books children read and the music they listen to form
their belief system. In other words, children tend to copy the behaviour of their
favourite personality or fictional character. Moreover, when little ones work and
play in groups, they are influenced by their peers. Finally, other factors, like the
media, prompt children to want things regarded as fashionable. For instance,
children demand toys that they see on television.
On the other hand, a child's personality is malleable at a very young age, and
parents are always present in their life at this stage. Also, very young children
love to imitate. For example, children who come from a dysfunctional family
often exhibit behavioral problems at school. An emotionally secure environment
at home is critical for the child's confidence. Moreover, parents also teach
children about setting boundaries.

In my opinion, children's choice of friends, books or music depends on the

values instilled in them by their parents. Therefore, parents hold more
substantial sway over their offspring than media, pop culture and friends circle.

In conclusion, the outside world influences the intellectual and social

development of children. However, I believe that it is parents who set the stage
for these developments by laying a strong foundation from a very young age.

(273 words)