Discuss both the views and give your opinion essay question type
An introduction
This is one of the 10 question types that can be asked in your exam. In
this type of essay, the candidate is required to follow the task response
as per the question. It is very important to attend to all parts of the task
to get a good score in task 2.
Nature of the question
The question asked in task 2 of your essay writing is divided into two
parts. One part is the situation/statement given to you and the second
part is the actual question you have to answer. The majority of the
candidates make mistakes in trying to understand the structure of the
question. Some of them answer to the situation given to them and omit
the actual question. A few of them do not pay attention to the situation
given to them and only focus on answering the question asked.
It is very important to take note of this. Let us look at an example of
this question type.
Computers are being used more and more in education. Some people
say that this is a positive trend while others argue that it is leading to
negative consequences.
Discuss both sides of this argument and give your opinion.
The test taker must write relevant points with good coherence and
unity in both the main paragraphs. The essay must have the opinion of
the candidate as this is asked in the question. Let us analyze the
example given.
Computers are being used more and more in education. Some people
say that this is a positive trend while others argue that it is leading to
negative consequences.
PART 1
This is the situation given to you.
Discuss both sides of this argument and give your opinion.
PART 2
This is the question you have to answer
Structure to follow
Introduction
The points you are going to discuss in the body paragraphs
Body paragraph 1
Advantages of using computers/technology in education. The flow of
ideas should follow a logical order.
Body paragraph 2
Demerits of using computers/technology in education. The flow of
ideas should follow a logical order.
Conclusion
Summarize the points that have been discussed in the 2 main
paragraphs and give your opinion. This should be done in not more
than two sentences. The opinion follows next. The test taker can either
take sides (merits or demerits) or can have a diplomatic opinion. All of
this must be written in a formal tone.
It is always important to plan your essay before you start writing it. This
will help you to avoid rewriting and coming back to erase a couple of
pointers you have already penned down. Always remember that more
weightage will be given to your body paragraphs rather than the
introduction and conclusion part. This is the case with all essays in
writing task 2. Task 2 contributes 66% of your score whereas task 1
contributes 33% of it. Out of the 66%, most of your marks come from
the 2 main paragraphs. Read the below pointers to better understand
this module.
1. Read the statement and the question twice if you have to.
2. Understand the nature of your question.
3. Plan your essay
Prepare a rough draft of how your essay will look.
List out the keywords you will be discussing in paragraph 1&2
Start planning the sentence structures that will fit it.
Analyze what you have to write in the conclusion accordingly.
Do check for your word count. (250 words)
Tips to follow
After completing your task 2, you must read the whole essay two to
three times if necessary. This will help you to filter out basic grammar
errors like punctuations, spelling mistakes, capitalization, and so on.
Basic grammatical mistakes might not get you the first impression of
the examiner even though you had good points of discussion. One can
also probably change a couple of vocabularies that are more relatable
to the context along with upgrading your sentence structures.
Make sure that your word count is not too less or too many. A word
count of up to 300 is valid. If your word count is too lengthy, there is a
good chance that the examiner might not even read it. The writing
module in IELTS is all about quality and not quantity. Unnecessary
content and complicated vocabularies might work against you and not
fetch you a good score. It is more than sufficient that you adhere to the
guidelines provided and pen down satisfactory content.
