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Hello,

I have subscribed to the Road To IELTS preparation site. However, I find it very confusing to figure out how to structure my answers in the second part of the writing section because of the various types of questions. I do not know when they want me to express an opinion, and when they want me to consider an argument (for/against).

An example of this is questions such as "To what extent do you agree…" In their sample answers they seem to include BOTH for and against. Does this mean that I will lose marks only arguing for OR against?

I really hope anyone is able and willing to help me!

Thank you.

Hello,

Don't worry, you won't lose points if you only argue for something or only argue against something. It's just a common strategy to mention the points on the other side of an argument so you can disagree with those points. You don't need to follow the strategy though if you don't want to.

For the "To what extent do you agree..." questions, they are just asking you how strong your opinion is on one side or the other. The easy way to answer these types of questions is to just choose whichever easier to argue for "strongly disagree" or "strongly agree" and make that the focus of your answer. It doesn't matter if it is what you really believe, you can lie on the test. It's just what is easier.

So for example:

To what extent do you agree that cigarette smoking should be banned in public places.

- It's easier to think of arguments for "strongly agree". (health, comfort, safety, etc.) Even if you actually disagree, choose what is easiest to argue for.

So your answer can be something like:

I strongly agree that governments should ban people from smoking in public areas.

Then go on to say why you think so in the introduction, give more details for your reasons in the body, and wrap it up with a review of your reasons in the conclusion. Since you strongly agree, you don't need to mention the opposing side of the argument.

I hope this helps, I know it was a bit rambling but let me know if you have any questions or if it wasn't clear.

^Good points, Larry. I think a common misconception IELTS takers have is that they feel they need to show some support for the opposing point in their argument essay. What unfortunately happens in this scenario is that the essay starts to contradict its thesis, and this won't do much for the Task Achievement portion of the student's mark.

A little bit of concession is OK, but this should be linked tightly to a point that supports the central argument of the essay. For example:

"Although mobile phones can act as a distraction to students, the manner in which they provide access to information from anywhere makes them an extremely helpful tool to the modern academic experience."

^In this sentence, I concede that mobile phone use among students isn't 100% positive. However, I make it clear that this blemish is overshadowed by the ability of mobile phones to better the academic potential of the students that use them. Thus, the strength of the central argument of my essay (which would be something like "mobile phone use among students is a positive thing") is retained.