IELTS Writing Task 2: How to Answer 'Discuss Both Views and Give Your Opinion'

The "discuss both views and give your opinion" essay is one of the most common tasks in IELTS Writing Task 2, and it has a built-in trap. It contains two separate instructions, discuss both sides and give your own opinion, and answering only one of them caps your Task Response mark no matter how good your English is. This guide gives you a structure that covers every part of the question.

Recognising the discussion essay

The signal is almost always the word discuss paired with a request for your view. Typical wordings:

• "Discuss both these views and give your own opinion."
• "Discuss both sides of this argument and give your opinion."
• "Discuss both these views and state which you agree with."

The prompt gives you two positions to work with, usually introduced as "some people think X, while others believe Y." Your job is to explain both fairly and then tell the examiner where you stand. This is not the same as an agree or disagree essay, where you defend a single position and are not obliged to argue the other side. Mixing the two up is the fastest way to drift off task.

The mistake that caps Task Response

Task Response is 25% of your Writing band, and on this essay type it hinges on one rule: you must cover both views and make your own opinion unmistakable. Two failures are common.

• Forgetting the opinion. Candidates discuss both sides neatly, then stop. Without a stated view, you have answered only half the task and cannot reach Band 7 here.
• Ignoring one side. Candidates who disagree with view Y give it two rushed sentences and attack it. Both views must be discussed properly, even the one you reject.

Decide your opinion before you start writing, and keep it consistent from the introduction to the conclusion. An opinion that appears only in the last line reads as an afterthought.

The four-paragraph structure

You have about 40 minutes and a 250-word minimum. Four paragraphs cover everything without running over time.

Introduction (2 sentences)

Paraphrase the two views, then state your opinion directly. Do not save your position for the end. Example opening: "Opinions differ on whether children benefit more from competitive sport or cooperative activities. While both develop useful skills, I believe cooperation offers the more valuable long-term lesson."

Body 1 — the first view (about 90 words)

Explain the view you find less convincing, but explain it fairly. Give the strongest reason someone might hold it, plus a specific example. You are showing the examiner you understand the debate, not knocking down a straw man.

Body 2 — the second view, which you support (about 90 words)

Explain the view you agree with, developed more fully, and make clear this is your position. This paragraph carries the weight, so it deserves your best example and your most careful reasoning.

Conclusion (1-2 sentences)

Summarise both sides in one clause and restate which you favour. Add nothing new.

Where to put your opinion: two safe options

Both approaches score Band 9 if done consistently:

1. Opinion aligned with one side. State in the introduction that you agree with view Y, discuss view X fairly in Body 1, then argue view Y as your own in Body 2. This is the cleaner, lower-risk option and the one most candidates should use.
2. Balanced opinion. You genuinely think both views have merit under different conditions. This is harder to control and easily becomes fence-sitting, so avoid it unless you can state the condition clearly.

Model paragraphs

Question: Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school. Others feel students' time is better spent studying. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Body 1 (the view I reject, explained fairly): "Those who want school time reserved for study have a reasonable concern. Teenagers face increasingly competitive university entry, and every hour spent volunteering is an hour not spent on the subjects that determine their grades. For a student already struggling in mathematics, a weekly placement could be the difference between passing and failing, so the worry is not unfounded."

Body 2 (my view, developed further): "Nevertheless, I believe compulsory service is worth the time it costs, because it teaches lessons no classroom can. Working in a care home or a food bank exposes sheltered teenagers to problems they would otherwise never see, and that experience tends to build empathy and responsibility far more effectively than a textbook chapter on citizenship. The modest cost in study hours buys a disproportionate gain in maturity that a higher exam mark could never provide."

Notice that Body 1 gives the opposing view a real argument, and Body 2 clearly signals "I believe" so the opinion is never in doubt.

Language that keeps both sides clear

• Introducing a view: those who support this argue that, on the other hand, some maintain that.
• Signalling your own opinion: in my view, I am inclined to believe, to my mind the stronger case is.
• Conceding then countering: while this concern is understandable, it overlooks, there is some truth in this, but.

Common mistakes checklist

• Discussing both views but never stating your own opinion.
• Giving one side a full paragraph and the other only a sentence.
• Changing your position between the introduction and the conclusion.
• Treating it as an agree or disagree essay and arguing only one side.
• Writing under 250 words, which costs marks automatically. Aim for 260 to 290.

How to practise this

Write one discussion essay under timed conditions, then check it against the four criteria. The quickest test is whether a stranger could point to your opinion in under five seconds. Get an instant criterion-by-criterion estimate from our free AI IELTS essay checker, and find more prompts on the Writing practice pages. For the framework behind every Task 2 type, see our guide to Band 7 Task 2 structure, then run your scores through the band score calculator.