Education Discuss and give your opinion ielts essay band 9 writing

How do I structure a ‘Discuss and give your opinion’ essay for IELTS?

What things is the discuss both sides and give your opinion question asking you do to?
explain side 1, explain side 2 then discuss which of these two you agree with.
That naturally organises the essay into paragraphs.

Discuss both views structure: 3 body vs 2 body.

Balanced vs unbalanced discussion essay

3-Body Structure (The Investigative Pillar)	2-Body Structure (The Integrated Fortress)
Introduction: Establishes background and links directly to the thesis.	Introduction: Establishes background and links directly to the thesis.
Body 1: Analysis of Side A (Objective).	Body 1: Side A analysed: your opinion.
Body 2: Analysis of Side B (Objective).	Body 2: Side B analysed: your opinion.
Body 3: Your explicit opinion/synthesis.
Conclusion: Final reinforcement of the thesis.	Conclusion: Final reinforcement of the thesis.

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Which structure is stronger in terms of band descriptors and making yourself clear?

Point 1: The 3 body structure ensures that you and the examiner both know that you have answered all parts of the question clearly. 

Point 2: If you put your opinion at the end of each body 1-2, you need to be very careful that you don’t agree with both. You need to agree with one and disagree with the other. (Putting your opinion in a separate paragraph allows you to evaluate body 1 and 2 together in one paragraph. You can talk about the good/bad parts of one aspect of the situation and say what you think in one place. This is easier for the examiner to follow.)

IELTS ‘Discuss and give your opinion’ essays examples explained. 

The IELTS Writing Task 2 Prompt

Some people believe that the primary purpose of university is to provide students with the skills needed for the workplace. Others, however, maintain that university should be a place for academic pursuit and intellectual growth, regardless of career outcomes. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

Which version is best and why?

Version 1: The role of higher education has become a central point of debate as global economies shift and the cost of tuition continues to rise. The tension between providing practical, job-ready skills and fostering pure academic inquiry defines the modern university experience. This essay asserts that although vocational preparation is a significant benefit, the primary purpose of a university must remain the intellectual development of the student, as this provides a more versatile foundation for both life and career.

Version 2: As more and more people drive cars in major cities, the number of serious accidents grow each year. Some people believe that the best way to address this problem is to reduce the speed limit on city streets while others disagree and think that there are more pressing issues that need to be addressed to keep people safe. Although speeding is an issue, I agree that more needs to be done to ensure that everyone can travel without fear. This essay will consider the different viewpoints before deciding what is the best solution.

Version 3: While university study can provide important general intellectual skills, it can also be shown that it is useful to study a skill that is directly related to a career. This essay will examine the benefits of critical thinking and the ways in which studying a specific career skill advances a career path and argue that general skills are favourable in the long run because we live in a working environment that is rapidly changing. 

Assessment of each version

Version 1: Gemini AI

1. The first sentence doesn’t advance an argument or even give a background. It just says ‘there is a debate’, but we know there is a debate, it’s useless to repeat it. (It does nothing to advance your band score)
2. The second sentence says that there is tension between the two sides. This is essentially saying the same as the first sentence. (You need to ask ‘so what?’ After every idea you want to propose or write. If there’s no reason for it, scrap it`!

Version 2: IDP

1. The first sentence gives the background, but when you write ‘more and more’, the examiner immediately thinks, band 6. *use an increasing number of……. Have been…..
2. You can see the problem with the second sentence now. 
3. The thesis is just lame as they come. It doesn’t even foreshadow (say what will come) in the essay. It’s generic, and you could put it in any essay and get a band 6.

Version 3: Richard Elite: The third tells you what university can do right away. It is a complex sentence, so it will also get grammar marks. 

1. The thesis takes the background and gives more detail. This is called ‘depth’ and it is the number 1 part that students, AI and ielts teachers miss. By adding depth here, you can go deeper than other essays in the body paragraphs, and you are signalling organisation (25% of your mark) to the examiner. In the other essays, the examiner has to guess… not good. 

Can you assess this next introduction?

“There is an ever-increasing use of technology, such as tablets and laptops, in the classroom. It is often argued that this is a positive development, whilst others disagree and think it will lead to adverse ramifications. This essay agrees that an increase in technology is beneficial to students and teachers.”

1. Grammar: The first sentence gives the basic background. This is right, but it’s very plain and boring and is only a simple sentence. (Not wrong, just not helping your band)
2. The second sentence just repeats the question and adds nothing to your score.
3. Task Response and Organisation: The thesis is not laying out the essay structure, nor is it answering the question.

Submit your essay to find which band descriptors you need to improve.

How to write a thesis statement for discuss both views

Say that you will discuss the ‘agree idea’ whatever that is, and you will discuss the ‘disagree idea’ and then yours.

This essay will discuss how learning specific skills provides students with job credentials and how general skills can also apply to jobs. Finally, I will argue that general skills are best because people often change jobs.