Do you agree or disagree?

For this type of question, you should choose one of the options that you consider to. Whether you agree or disagree is does not matter as long as you could express your opinion properly.

Question Examples:

Leaders and directors in an organization are normally older people. Some people think younger leader would be better. Do you agree or disagree?
Some people say that too much attention and too many resources are given in the protection of wild animals and birds. Do you agree or disagree about this opinion?
Some people think that the best way to increase road safety is to increase the minimum legal age for driving cars or riding motorbikes. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
The use of mobile phone is as antisocial as smoking. Smoking is banned in certain places so mobile phone should be banned like smoking. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Some people think that the increasing use of computers and mobile phones in communication has negative effects on young people's reading and writing skills. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Young people who commit crimes should be treated in the same as as adults who commit crimes. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Advertising discourages people from being different individuals by making us want to be and to look the same. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
As well as making money, businesses also have social responsibilities. Do you agree or disagree?
Some people who have been in prison become good citizens later. Some people think that having these people to give a talk to school students is the best way to tell them about dangers of committing a crime. Do you agree or disagree?
Everyone should become vegetarian because they do not need to eat meat to have a healthy diet. Do agree or disagree?
Studies show that criminals get low level of education. Some people believe that the best way to reduce the crime is educating people in prison so they can get a job after leaving prison. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Some people think that in order to prevent illness and disease, governments should make efforts in reducing environmental pollution and housing problems. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Students today can easily access information online, so libraries are no longer necessary. Do you agree or disagree?
Whether or not someone achieve their aims is mostly a question of luck. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Too much emphasis is placed on going university for academic study. People should be encouraged to do vocational training, because there is a lack of qualified tradespeople such as electricians or plumbers. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
The government and individuals are spending too much money on national celebrations like new year or festivals. Do you agree or disagree?
When people live in a foreign country, they should follow local traditions and customs. Do you agree or not?
It is more important for schoolchildren to learn about local history than world history. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Although more and more people read the news on internet, newspapers will remain the most important source of news for the majority of people. Do you agree or disagree?
Prison is the common way in most countries to solve the problem of crime. However, a more effective solution is to provide people a better education. Agree or disagree.
It is impossible to help all people in the world, so governments should only focus on people in their own countries. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
In the future, it seems more difficult to live on the Earth. Some people think more money should be spent on researching other planet to live, such as Mars. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
In the future, it seems more difficult to live on the Earth. Some people think more money should be spent on researching other planet to live, such as Mars. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Introduction Paragraph

In this paragraph you only need to paraphrase the question and include your opinion in the last sentence of paragraph.

these are sentences and vocabularies which may help you producing the first paragraph

It is true that........is prevalently ..... (Prevalent definition, widespread; of wide extent or occurrence; in general use or acceptance. ). While some people believe .......would demonstrate better, it is in my opinion that....... possess more advantages over the ....... in.....
.......has become a frequent subject of debate with strong arguments for and against. Personally, I believe that................, as will now be explained.
Some individuals believe ............... is the most effective method of ........ While I accept that .........is good to some extent, I believe it is not the best because there are much better measures to........
It has been claimed that........................due to/because of.............. While I accept that .............. in some ways, I believe ..................
There is an opinion that ...................should be ................While I find this viewpoint of some people justifiable to some extent, I also argue that.............may prove to have adverse effects.
An often debated topic is whether .............................. Personally, I partly agree/disagree with this opinion for a number of reasons.
People have different views about ....................... While I accept that ................., I believe ................
....................... is of paramount importance in any country, but ...........is often a subject of debate in society. While I agree that ...................., I also believe that there are better alternatives to the problem, as will now be discussed.
Many people in the world currently choose........................ While I accept that this tendency can (help people to) ..........., I believe not everyone should...............
......................... has evolved as a major topic of concern in today’s society. While I agree that such a solution is effective to .............., I am convinced that it is far from being the best method and there are many better ways of .................
...................... is a challenging problem for any community. Although many people may be skeptical about the ........................, I believe that it is a good solution to the issue, as will now be discussed.
............are currently able to acquire information on the Internet in a much easier way than in the past. While I accept that........................have advantages over ...................., I would argue that there is still a great need for .............in today's world
The debate whether ...................... has been heated constantly. My position is that...................... are far more important than ................, while ........... must not be considered as..............
It goes without saying that society always needs ...................., and therefore I disagree with the statement that ....................should be .....
People have different views about whether............. nowadays. While I agree that..................... I would argue that ..................... and therefore can be considered acceptable.
As .....................are .............., an opinion emerges that ............ In my personal view, such .................is completely justifiable for certain reasons.
............... has been a heated topic constantly. There is a common belief that.................. However, I disagree with this belief.
There is a common belief that............. despite ................ Personally, I disagree with this view.
People have different views about the most effective way to .............. While I agree that ..........., I would argue that it is much better............
The role of one government to ....................has been a major topic of concern in today’s society. From my perspective, this practice is feasible and there are compelling reasons why ..........
Advances in technology make the prospect to find the second Earth potentially viable. While I agree that terrestrial life has become increasingly difficult, I do not believe that we should invest money in finding a new planet to live on.

Also Read How to make second and third Paragraph of Agree or Disagree Question in IELTS Writing Test

Tips for Writing Task 2 - Essay

You don’t have to be a writer to write a good essay. This task may look even harder than the letter, but it is only a first impression. Just follow the rules, keep the right structure, use some “smart” words and practice a little. This way you can easily reach a level, where no matter what topic they give you, after 40 minutes you turn a beautiful 2 pages long essay and walk out of the room with a huge smile on your face.

Structure of essay

Every essay should have this exact structure: introduction, body and conclusion.

It is very important because your grade is affected by it. Introduction usually takes one paragraph, body – two or three paragraphs and conclusion – one paragraph.

Essay topics – 3 different kinds

There are only 3 kinds of essay topics in IELTS, let’s call them A, H, S.

Topics “A” present an Argument and you need to explore pros and cons, reasons for and against, while you support only one side.

Topics “H” present a Hidden argument. These topics usually ask “To what extent

…?”, “In what way…?”, “How has something change…?”.

Topics “S” present a Situation and you need to explore reasons why it is what it is, assume what will happen in the future and suggest solutions to problems, if required.

The following examples demonstrate the difference between topics of A, H or S kind:

A: “Modern society benefits greatly from computer technology. However, becoming more dependent on computer has its disadvantages. Discuss threats of computers.” Here the 2 sides of argument are the advantages and disadvantages of computers.

H: “To what extent should television participate in our children’s education?”

What they really ask here is whether the television should educate the children or not.

S: “Due to change of women’s role in modern society, men are now the ones suffering from sexual discrimination. Do you agree?”

Here you can see the description of situation and you have to write what you think about it.

Essay of A(rgument) kind

1. Introduction paragraph must clearly state the argument, both sides of it.

Do not simply copy the topic from instruction, write it in other words. Don’t give your opinion, save it for later.

2. Body paragraphs (at least 2) must refer to each side of the argument. Write first paragraph about the side you disagree with. The side you do agree with should be in the last body paragraph, because this way it naturally leads to conclusion.

3. Conclusion paragraph should contain summary of the points you were making. Never mind if the paragraph turns out to be short, the important thing is that you kept the structure of the essay.

Essay of H(idden Argument ) kind

1. Introduction paragraph must define the question. You need to reveal the hidden argument. Rewrite the topic, so it will say what it really means:

from “to what extent something affects…?” to “Does something affect…?” from “in what way something contributes?” to “does something contribute?” from “how does something influence…?” to ”does something influence …? Now it became an argument with two sides, and you write essay of kind “A”.

Essay of S(ituation) kind

1. Introduction paragraph must state the situation and explain it. Don’t give your opinion here.

2. Body paragraphs (at least 2) should describe reasons that lead to the situation, making it like it is now. Each paragraph should talk about one reason.

3. Conclusion paragraph should summarize the points of the essay. If the task requires suggesting solution to problems, recommendations, advice - this is the place for it. If your opinion is required – you should also give it in conclusion paragraph.

General suggestions

· Write on given topic directly, don’t slide to another theme.

· Write in general, not about your personal experiences, but what is going on in the world.

· Read task instructions and write about every little thing that is requested. If the task requires suggesting solution – do it.

Don’t forget to give recommendations or advice, if requested.

Baby Steps through essay

After you have read all that, you still have no idea how to start writing. So let’s do it together:

First

Read and classify the question. You need to decide what kind of topic you have got, an A, H or S. It will affect the way you plan an essay.

Example:

“Home schooling belongs to the past and is unacceptable in the modern society. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Use your own knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence”

We can clearly see a hidden argument here. By revealing the real meaning of the topic we get “Is home schooling acceptable in modern society?”. This way it becomes an “A” topic, an argument with 2 sides – for and against home education.

Here you need to come up with ideas, thoughts and opinions on the given topic. The best way to do it is to think of some main ideas and then to write everything you can think of regarding those ideas. In case you are working on essay of “A” or “H” kind, these ideas are opposite sides of the argument .If you are working on essay of kind “S” – it is the reasons for the situation to be what it is.

Example:

Let’s say that after some thinking you came up with the following ideas, and your opinion is against the education at home.

For: Against:

parents know their children no scientific approach (like associative learning) learning is more enjoyable not every parent is capable

children feel safe parents forgot the material

Now you should think what goes where in your essay. On the same draft paper you have written the ideas, group them and decide which paragraph will describe which idea. If the topic is an argument (type A), remember to put side you don’t agree with first and the side you do agree with second. Think how you move from one paragraph to another. There should be a connective logical sentence that drives you towards next paragraph’s topic.

Example:

Parents know their children -1st body paragraph – side you don’t agree with Learning is more enjoyable -1st body paragraph

Children feel safe -1st body paragraph

no scientific approach -2nd body paragraph – side you do agree with associative learning -2nd body paragraph

not every parent is capable -3rd body paragraph parents forgot the material -3rd body paragraph

Third

It is time to write the answer. According to the plan you have made, start writing the essay. First sentence of introduction gives main idea of the essay, either presenting sides of the argument or describing a situation. The last sentence of introduction should naturally lead into first paragraph of the body. Remember to keep the paragraph structure and to connect paragraphs so one will lead to another.

Important! Try to start body paragraphs with a linking word (like However, Therefore, Moreover, Nevertheless, etc.). It raises your score.

Example:

This is an essay written according to the ideas you came up with. The ideas are in bold font for easier understanding.

Everything has two sides and home schooling is not an exception. In the past it seemed like the most natural way of educating the children, but today many people criticize it.

We must acknowledge that parents know their children best. That gives them a good chance of knowing how to make child understand certain concepts. Using child’s interests, parents can make a process of learning more enjoyable and effective. In addition, being at home makes child feel safe, which contributes to his ability to concentrate on studying.

Nevertheless, many people believe that teaching should be done by professionals. There are many proven scientific approaches that produce good results and without those techniques parents who teach their kids at home have no chance of success. Associative learning is a good example of such a technique. Showing the child images while learning the alphabet (apple for “a”, boy for “b”) makes him or her remember the letters faster and easier.

Also not every parent is capable of teaching his or her child at home because the blind can not lead the blind. Parents can not teach the children something they don’t know themselves, and let’s face it – not all of us have profound knowledge of history or geography even on a school textbook level. Eventually, even those mums and dads who had succeeded at school could forget the material as the time went by.

In conclusion, I have more trust in abilities and experience of professional teachers then I do in my own.

And finally - read the essay carefully from the beginning and check it for errors.

40 minutes? Not enough!

Almost no one can get their first essays done on time. So don’t be disappointed if it takes you an hour or even longer. First try to get used to the Baby Steps process that I explained earlier. After a little bit of practice, you will start writing essays faster and faster, and finally you will reach your goal – essay in 40 minutes. You should work with a clock all the time – this is the only way for you to monitor you progress.

Helpful phrases

Usually people who don’t read and write in English every day have trouble expressing themselves in essay. So I enclose here a list of phrases to help you write more elegant sentences.

Phrases to show two sides of argument

· “Some people prefer …. Those who disagree point out that…”

· “We must acknowledge … Nevertheless, …”

· “No one can deny … However, …”

· “Many people hold the opinion… Others, however, disagree…”

· “Although it is hard to compete with …, some people still prefer …”

Phrases to add

· “Not only…, but…”

· “Also

· “Furthermore,”

· “In addition,”

· “Moreover,”

Phrases to deny what was said before

· “Although…”

· “However,”

· “Nevertheless,”

· “Even if…”

· “In spite of”

· “On the other hand”

Phrases for examples

· “For example,”

· “For instance,”

· “In particular,”

· “…, such as”

· “To illustrate …”

Phrases for results

· “As a result”

· “Therefore”

· “Thus”

· “So”

· “Eventually”

Phrases for conclusion

· “Lastly,”

· “Finally,”

· “To conclude with,”

· “In short,”

· “In conclusion,”

Practice, practice, practice!

My advice would be to practice on essays as much as you can. Your goal is to be able to write essay of 250 words in 40 minutes on any given topic. Topic doesn’t matter, the important thing is that you know and implement the technique you’ve learned.

So for those of you, who don’t take chances, follows list of topics similar to those you will get in IELTS. Practice with a clock and count words. Enjoy!

Topic 1

You are advised to spend the maximum of 40 minutes on this task.

Even though globalization affects the world’s economics in a very positive way, its negative side should not be forgotten. Discuss.