One app for all your study abroad needs
IELTS General Writing Task 2 presents a challenge for test takers to craft comprehensive essays. One of the most recurring topics in this segment is the agree/disagree essays. Such essays prompt you to articulate your stance on a given topic, demanding concise, clear, and precise expression. Essentially, you aim to present your reasoned opinions with clarity and avoid redundancy or errors in grammar and spelling. For those seeking to delve deeper into the art of crafting impactful agree/disagree essays for IELTS writing task 2, this comprehensive article offers invaluable insights and guidance. Read the article to know more.
This Blog Includes:
IELTS Agree/Disagree Essay Structure
Mastery of structure is paramount for acing the IELTS agree/disagree essays. A thorough understanding of this format facilitates clear organisation and articulation of your opinions and arguments, leading to a more comprehensive and coherent response. That being said, have a look below to go through the IELTS agree/disagree essay structure.
How to Write An Agree/Disagree Essay for IELTS Writing Task 2?
IELTS writing task 2 frequently features agree/disagree essays. Mastering this format is crucial for success, as these essays offer significant scoring potential. A strong understanding of structure and effective argumentation can pave the way for high band scores. In IELTS Writing Task 2, some essay prompts present a statement and require you to express your level of agreement or disagreement. With that in mind, let’s explore the key elements of crafting a successful agree/disagree essay for this task.
Introduction
This is the most crucial segment of any essay. You must ensure that your introduction is short, crisp and conveys your message. Two sentences are enough here. Whilst writing an agree/disagree essay, always start your introduction by paraphrasing the task question. Once you have paraphrased the task question, you must state your opinion on the topic, i.e., whether you agree or disagree with the given statement. This will let your reader know what you think immediately.
Body Paragraphs
Strong paragraphs play a critical role in structuring, articulating, and ensuring the coherence and comprehension of your agree/disagree essays in IELTS Writing Task 2. Fundamentally, three approaches exist:
- Full Agreement: In the first paragraph, present your compelling arguments supporting the statement. The second paragraph can further reinforce your position with additional justifications.
- Full Disagreement: Dedicate the first paragraph to clearly outline your counter-arguments against the statement. The second paragraph can strengthen your stance by introducing further dissenting points.
- Partial Agreement: The first paragraph should encompass reasons for aligning with certain aspects of the statement. The second paragraph then transitions to explore reasons for disagreeing with other aspects, ultimately presenting a nuanced perspective.
Conclusion
Your conclusion should be crisp and to the point. Brevity can be your ally in this case. One golden rule for writing impactful conclusions is to keep them one to two sentences long. Your conclusion should summarise the entirety of your essay in just a few sentences. Apart from that, you should avoid introducing new information in conclusions. Therefore, it is ideal to not introduce other reasons or topics at the end of your text.
IELTS Agree/Disagree Essay: Do’s and Don’ts
Here is a list of do’s and don’ts that you must keep in mind while writing an IELTS agree/disagree essay.
Do’s
Here are the best practices for writing an impactful agree/disagree essay in IELTS writing task 2.
- In your introduction, leave no ambiguity concerning your level of agreement or disagreement with the prompt.
- Structure your arguments logically. Organise your supporting points into distinct paragraphs, ensuring a coherent flow of ideas.
- Back up your arguments with relevant examples, statistics, or research findings to bolster your credibility.
- Engage in nuanced analysis. Beyond simply stating your stance, explore potential counter-arguments or exceptions to strengthen your overall position.
- Employ a range of sentence structures to maintain reader engagement and showcase your language skills.
- Maintain strong grammar and vocabulary. Demonstrate proficiency in English language mechanics to avoid detracting from your content.
- Limit yourself to writing only four paragraphs.
- Write a short conclusion.
Don’ts
Here are the things you must avoid whilst writing an agree/disagree essay in IELTS writing.
- Avoid ambiguity in your introduction. Ensure to make them as concise as possible.
- Avoid jumping between points or omitting transitions. Doing so can confuse the reader and weaken your argument.
- Assertions without supporting evidence appear unsupported and undermine your credibility.
- Monotonous writing can bore the reader and limit your ability to showcase language proficiency.
- Grammatical errors or vocabulary mistakes can significantly lower your band score, regardless of the strength of your arguments.
- Avoid including too many different ideas.
IELTS Agree/Disagree Essay: Sample Questions With Answers
Sample IELTS Agree/Disagree Essays: Here are some sample IELTS agree/disagree essays that you can refer to whilst attempting the IELTS Writing Task 2.
Question: When new towns are planned, it is important to build more public parks or sports facilities than shopping centres for people to spend their free time. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Ans: The discussion that governments must spend more money on railways rather than roads is a complex one. While railways do have certain advantages, I feel that roads should be given more priority because of several reasons.
Roads serve as the backbone of any nation’s transportation system by helping them interconnect cities, towns, and remote areas to ensure accessibility. On the other hand, railways have limited reach and mostly cater to urban and semi-urban regions. Take India as an example where a significant amount of the population resides in rural areas where roads are vital, for commuting, transporting goods, and accessing essential services like healthcare and education. In addition to this, roads accommodate a range of vehicles ranging from bicycles and cars to buses and trucks. This versatility is not replicated by railways that primarily focus on long-distance travel and bulk transportation of goods. Therefore, roads play a crucial role in both city and inter-city transportation.
Finally, the construction and upkeep of roads typically demand lower costs and shorter timeframes in comparison to the development of railways. This inherent efficiency in road infrastructure allows governments to establish and maintain a more expansive network with the same financial resources. The flexibility and adaptability of road systems contribute to their cost-effectiveness, enabling quicker implementation of projects and more immediate responses to changing transportation needs. This advantage becomes particularly crucial in regions where swift infrastructure development is essential for economic growth and accessibility.
In conclusion, while railways hold importance in a country’s infrastructure and overall development, the advantages and adaptability of roads make them more deserving recipients of government funding. Hence, I respectfully disagree with the notion that governments should prioritise spending on railways over roads.
Question: Governments should spend money on railways rather than roads.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Ans: The discussion that governments must spend more money on railways rather than roads is a complex one. While railways do have certain advantages, I feel that roads should be given more priority because of several reasons.
Roads serve as the backbone of any nation’s transportation system by helping them interconnect cities, towns, and remote areas to ensure accessibility. On the other hand, railways have limited reach and mostly cater to urban and semi-urban regions. Take India as an example where a significant amount of the population resides in rural areas where roads are vital, for commuting, transporting goods, and accessing essential services like healthcare and education. In addition to this, roads accommodate a range of vehicles ranging from bicycles and cars to buses and trucks. This versatility is not replicated by railways that primarily focus on long-distance travel and bulk transportation of goods. Therefore, roads play a crucial role in both city and inter-city transportation.
Finally, the construction and upkeep of roads typically demand lower costs and shorter timeframes in comparison to the development of railways. This inherent efficiency in road infrastructure allows governments to establish and maintain a more expansive network with the same financial resources. The flexibility and adaptability of road systems contribute to their cost-effectiveness, enabling quicker implementation of projects and more immediate responses to changing transportation needs. This advantage becomes particularly crucial in regions where swift infrastructure development is essential for economic growth and accessibility.
In conclusion, while railways hold importance in a country’s infrastructure and overall development, the advantages and adaptability of roads make them more deserving recipients of government funding. Hence, I respectfully disagree with the notion that governments should prioritise spending on railways over roads.
So that was all about IELTS Agree/Disagree Essays. Hope the blog has answered your queries regarding the topic.
FAQs
Ans. You can write a formal letter by including an introduction (Dear Sir/Madam), body paragraphs (1, 2,3 and more), and a signoff (I hope to hear from you, Yours faithfully).
Ans. Test takers can use a range of linkers, adverbial phrases, references, and punctuations to bolster their overall scores in IELTS writing.
Ans. The IELTS General Writing Task 1 (Letter Writing) requires individuals to complete the task within 20 minutes.
Related Reads:
Visit the Leverage Live page of Leverage edu or contact our study abroad experts at 1800-57-2000 to strengthen your scores and application to secure your spot in your dream college.
45,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today.