IELTS Task 2: Discussion essays
Marked by "discuss both views and give your own opinion". It asks for three things — view one, view two, and your position — and the one most often left out is the third, because candidates read it as an instruction to be balanced.
Two structures that work
| Three-body version | Two-body version | |
|---|---|---|
| Body 1 | View one, explained fairly | View one, explained fairly |
| Body 2 | View two, explained fairly | View two, plus why you find it more convincing |
| Body 3 | Your own view and why | — |
| Suits | Writers who plan quickly | Writers short of time |
Both are acceptable. The three-body version is clearer; the two-body version is safer at 250 words, because three bodies in 280 words tend to be thin and Task Response rewards development.
Discuss means discuss
- Each view gets a genuine explanation — a reason someone holds it, not a sentence set up to be knocked down.
- Signal whose view it is: *those who support this argue…*, *the opposing view holds that…*.
- Then make your own position unmistakable and explain it.
- Do not introduce a third view of your own invention; the prompt names two.
Presenting one view in two lines and the other in a paragraph is a Task Response problem even if your opinion is clear. "Both" means both, fairly.
Discussion essays — FAQs
2 questions
Yes, whenever the prompt asks for it. Leaving it out is an incomplete answer.
Yes, and it usually should. Agreeing with one side and saying why is a complete answer.
More writing question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.