How to write a Task 2 discussion essay:
- Introduction: paraphrase the question, state both points of view, make a thesis statement and outline your sentence.
- Main body paragraph 1: state the first viewpoint, discuss it, state whether you agree or disagree and give an example to support your view.
- Main body paragraph 2: state the second viewpoint, discuss it, state whether you agree or disagree and give an example to support your view.
- Conclusion: summarise and state which viewpoint is better or more important.
- Remember that each Task 2 essay requires a different structure. It is important to learn each structure and practise your writing at home.
Introduction
This lesson will help you answer IELTS Writing Task 2 discussion (or discuss both views and give your opinion) questions.
These particular questions require a different approach to opinion essays because you have to discuss both sides rather than argue in favour of one side.
This post will look at:
- Identifying the question
- Example Questions
- Structure
- Sample Answer
- Task Achievement
- Coherence and Cohesion
- Lexical Resource
Many students fail to do well in these questions because they do not do what the question asks them to do and do not use an appropriate structure. This post will help you overcome these problems and give you a sample answer.
We will also look at ‘lexical resource’ and ‘coherence and cohesion’; two of the IELTS examiners’ marking criteria when marking your essays. Understanding the marking scheme will help you get inside an IELTS examiner’s head and give them exactly what they want.
Identifying the Question
Look at the three questions below and choose the one you think is a discussion question.
- Computers are being used more and more in education and so there will soon be no role for the teacher in education.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
- Computers are being used more and more in education.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own opinion.
- 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 then give your own opinion.
The first question is an opinion question, and we can tell this from the instructions ‘To what extent do you agree or disagree?’.
The second question is obviously an advantages and disadvantages question.
The third question is the discussion question. We can tell this from the typical instructions in the question, ‘Discuss both sides of the argument and then give your opinion’.
You may also be asked to ‘Discuss both views and give your opinion’ or ‘Discuss both sides of the argument and give your opinion’.
Each of these questions is asking us to do different things, and we, therefore, need a different structure for each question.
Example Questions
Here are a few other typical discussion questions:
- A growing number of people feel that animals should not be exploited by people and that they should have the same rights as humans, while others argue that humans must employ animals to satisfy their various needs, including uses for food and research.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
- Bloodsports have become a hot topic for debate in recent years. As society develops it is increasingly seen as an uncivilized activity and cruel to the helpless animals that are killed. All blood sports should be banned.
Discuss the main arguments for this statement and give your own opinion.
- Some people think that the best way to reduce crime is to give longer prison sentences. Others, however, believe there are better alternative ways of reducing crime.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
As you can see, they typically state two opinions and then ask you to discuss both and give your opinion. Make sure you do these things in the essay. If you only discuss both views and fail to give your opinion you will lose marks.
Structure
For discussion questions, I suggest you use the following four-paragraph structure.
2- State Both Points of View
2- Thesis Statement
3- Outline Sentence
Main Body Paragraph 1
1- State first viewpoint
2- Discuss first viewpoint
3- Reason why you agree or disagree with viewpoint
4- Example to support your view
Main Body Paragraph 2
1- State second viewpoint
2- Discuss second viewpoint
3- Reason why you agree or disagree with viewpoint
4- Example to support your view
Sentence 1- Summary
Sentence 2- State which one is better or more important
Practice
Here is a sample answer, but I have mixed up the sentences. Can you match the sentences below to the structure above?
This exercise will help you understand the structure.
- In conclusion, while the benefits of technology, particularly the internet, allow students to tap into limitless sources of information, some still feel that people should be wary of this new phenomenon and not allow it to curb face-to-face interaction.
- There is an ever-increasing use of technology, such as tablets and laptops, in the classroom.
- The internet has provided students with access to more information than ever before.
- Moreover, learners can research and learn about any subject at the touch of a button. It is therefore agreed that technology is a very worthwhile tool for education.
- However, many disagree and feel that technology deprives people of real human interaction.
- Human interaction teaches people valuable skills such as discourse, debate and empathy.
- Despite this, human interaction is still possible through the internet, and this essay disagrees that technology should be dismissed for this reason.
- This essay agrees that an increase in technology is beneficial to students and teachers. This essay will discuss both points of view.
- For instance, Skype and Facebook allow people to interact in ways that were never before possible.
- Wikipedia is a prime example, where students can type in any keyword and gain access to in-depth knowledge quickly and easily.
- However, as long as we carefully consider the importance of human interaction in education, the educational benefits are clearly positive.
- It is often argued that this is a positive development, whilst others disagree and think it will lead to adverse ramifications.
Example Answer
Computers are being used more and more in education. Some people say this is a positive trend, while others argue that it leads to negative consequences.
Discuss both sides of this argument and then give your own opinion.
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.
The internet has provided students with access to more information than ever before. Moreover, learners can research and learn about any subject at the touch of a button. It is therefore agreed that technology is a very worthwhile tool for education. Wikipedia is a prime example, where students can type in any keyword and gain access to in-depth knowledge quickly and easily.
However, many disagree and feel that technology deprives people of real human interaction. Human interaction teaches people valuable skills such as discourse, debate and empathy. Despite this, human interaction is still possible through the internet, and this essay disagrees that technology should be dismissed for this reason. For instance, Skype and Facebook allow people to interact in ways that were never before possible.
In conclusion, while the benefits of technology, particularly the internet, allow students to tap into limitless sources of information, some still feel that people should be wary of this new phenomenon and not allow it to curb face-to-face interaction. However, as long as we carefully consider the importance of human interaction in education, the educational benefits are clearly positive.
Task Achievement
This is one of the four areas you will be assessed on in the IELTS writing test.
Task achievement refers to your ability to address all parts of the question and present a fully developed answer. By following the structure above, we have fully discussed both sides of the argument and given our opinion. This is exactly what the question asked us to do, no more, no less.
Coherence and Cohesion
Discourse markers (words like ‘however’, ‘despite this’ and ‘In conclusion’) are also referred to as ‘linking words’ and ‘linking phrases’, or ‘sentence connectors’. They are quite formal and are used more in academic writing than informal speech.
You gain marks for using these under the ‘coherence and cohesion’ section of the marking scheme. These words ‘stick’ the other words together and lend continuity to sentences and paragraphs.
If you do not include discourse markers in your IELTS writing, your answer will appear illogical and more difficult to understand.
However, this does not mean that you should try to insert as many of these words into your writing as possible. This is a common mistake in IELTS writing. Using too many of them, or using them inappropriately, can make your writing sound too heavy and unnatural. They are important but must only be used at the appropriate time.
Practice
Try to identify any discourse markers in the essay above. Don’t look at the essay below yet. How many can you find?
Student Sample Answer with Discourse Markers
Here is the sample answer again with the discourse markers in bold.
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.
The internet has provided students with access to more information than ever before. Moreover, learners can research and learn about any subject at the touch of a button. It is therefore agreed that technology is a very worthwhile tool for education. Wikipedia is a prime example, where students can type in any keyword and gain access to in-depth knowledge quickly and easily.
However, many disagree and feel that technology deprives people of real human interaction. Human interaction teaches people valuable skills such as discourse, debate and empathy. Despite this, human interaction is still possible through the internet, and this essay disagrees that technology should be dismissed for this reason. For instance, Skype and Facebook allow people to interact in ways that were never before possible.
In conclusion, while the benefits of technology, particularly the internet, allow students to tap into limitless sources of information, some still feel that people should be wary of this new phenomenon and not allow it to curb face-to-face interaction. However, as long as we carefully consider the importance of human interaction in education, the educational benefits are clearly positive.
Lexical Resource
This is also one of the four criteria you will be marked on, and it refers to your ability to use a wide range of accurate vocabulary.
A common mistake is to repeat the same words over and over again. You will lose marks if you do this. A solution to this problem is to use synonyms. You can either think of synonyms as you are writing or leave time, in the end, to add them in.
Practice
Can you identify any synonyms in the essay above?
Here are some examples:
Computers- technology
Computers- the internet
Education- in the classroom
Education- students and teachers
Positive trend- positive development
Negative Consequences- adverse ramifications
By varying your vocabulary this way, you are demonstrating that you have a wide vocabulary, which will boost your band score. However, like discourse markers, be careful not to use inappropriate/inaccurate words. Only use words you are confident about. Mistakes will lead to fewer marks.
Next Steps
Do you need me to correct your essays and give you feedback on them? Check out our essay correction service.
I hope this post helps you with discussion questions, and if you have any questions, please comment below.
