IELTS Task 2: Opinion essays
Marked by the phrase "to what extent do you agree or disagree". The question asks for your position and the mark depends on holding it — the one thing that cannot be done is leaving the reader unsure what you think.
A partial position is allowed
"To what extent" invites a degree. You may agree completely, disagree completely, or agree with qualifications — all three are fine if stated clearly and held. What fails is the essay that argues one way in body 1, the other way in body 2, and announces in the conclusion that both sides have merit.
- Full agreement — two reasons supporting it.
- Full disagreement — two reasons against.
- Partial — one paragraph on what is true in the claim, one on where it breaks down, and a position that says which outweighs which.
Where it goes wrong
- Position stated only in the conclusion. It belongs in the introduction; a marker should know it after two sentences.
- Fence-sitting. "There are arguments on both sides" is not a position.
- Position drift. Body 2 quietly arguing against body 1 reads as a discussion essay with no view.
- Answering a different claim. Narrowing or widening the prompt is a Task Response error.
Your actual beliefs are irrelevant. Argue whichever side you can support better in forty minutes — nobody is marking the opinion, only how it is argued.
Opinion essays — FAQs
2 questions
Yes, and it often produces the stronger essay — as long as you say which way the balance falls.
In the introduction, carried through the body, and restated in the conclusion.
More writing question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.