IELTS Agree or Disagree Essay: IELTS Writing Task Guide

IELTS Agree or disagree essay is one of the most common question types. This type of essay is also known as an argumentative or opinion type of essay. We will discuss a little about this. Let us go then!

Most common mistake

Think of yourself as a lawyer fighting a case against your opponent in a courtroom. Whose side will you take? Of course, your client! You must 100 percent trust your client, otherwise you cannot win. 

Will you take the opponent’s side? No way! The same thing happens with most inexperienced writers in IELTS. They will often ask if they can talk about both sides of the statement given – agreement or disagreement and close by giving which side he is supporting. 

They even do this vile act on the test day. This is an absolute blasphemy from the judge’s point of view. This means a few things – you are trying to waste the examiners’ time, you think you can fool them by writing more but wasteful words and they will not understand, you are an absolute novice who does not even know how to tackle this type of question, etc. 

If you agree to the statement given in the question, choose carefully which side you want to write about – for or against the statement? If you are a novice, the most expected thing you can do is to choose the easiest side. 

If you are an experienced writer, you will write about the most unexpected side. If writing FOR the statement or in agreement with the statement is the easiest thing to do, then most people taking the test will take the easiest route. 

However, if you are good enough with your English you can turn to any side and write a very powerful essay, because IELTS will never ask you to write a subject specific essay, like, write about how the first ever astronaut felt when he landed his feet on the moon, etc. 

IELTS chooses a very general topic that can be explained by test takers with basic English knowledge. So, the maxim here is, always choose your side carefully, and stick to it. Never talk about both sides. Choose the side you feel comfortable with and stick to it till the end. Please, follow the tips below.

1. Analyze the statement. 
2. Pick a side.
3. Now, brainstorm for supporting things you would bring in favor of your opinion.
4. Note down the points.
5. ALWAYS, write an introduction and a conclusion.
6. Introduction is just like a table of content. Mention the points you wish to bring in the body of the essay. If you have 4 mentionable points just bring 4 sentences that you will explain inside the body of the essay. Do not go and explain the sentence in the introduction. Just mention what you will talk about. Then start the main body.
7. For each of your points, bring 4 distinct paragraphs. Use connecting words well. The continuation of the essay should be fluid. Transition from paragraph to paragraph should be natural.
8. Do not write too much. Be precise and use various sentence structures. 
9. Use varied vocabularies where possible. Do not use the same word over and over again. 
10. Never miss the Conclusion. Just say what you believe and that you have given enough proof of your conviction.
11. Always keep an eye on your time.
12. Finish your essay with a good revision.

If you follow these tips and practice IELTS agree or disagree essay, you will definitely see the difference in your own writing. Good Luck! Practice a lot to make things perfect!