In IELTS writing, a discussion essay can be pretty difficult. Many of my students certainly struggle to get this type of essay correct and if they have trouble, maybe you do too.
I am going to write an IELTS writing task 2 discussion essay. You can follow along with me as I plan my essay and then see how I write the essay.
I want to avoid the 3 most common mistakes in writing a discussion essay:
- Not giving my opinion
- Not giving an argument for both sides of the argument
- Not developing the argument/opinion
How to structure a discussion essay
The structure that I will use for my discussion essay is detailed below. There are other ways to structure an answer but I find this one works well.
Introduction
- Paraphrase the question
- State up to two supporting reasons for each side
- Give your opinion
Main body paragraph 1
- Topic sentence – outline the view you don’t agree with
- Explanation – explain why the view is held by some people
- Example – give an example
Main body paragraph 2
- Topic sentence – outline the view you do agree with
- Explanation – explain why this view is held by some people (and you)
- Example – give an example
Conclusion
- Summarise the key points and state your opinion
In this structure, the second body paragraph will also be my opinion. This will be clearly stated throughout the essay and will mean that my essay only needs 4 paragraphs instead of 5.
Planning an answer
First, I am going to analyse the question. What topics or themes do I need to talk about and how many questions do I need to answer?
It is important to read the question carefully as some questions will ask you to talk about 2 different opinions whereas others ask you to discuss both sides and give an opinion (3 things).
I will answer the following question:
Some people think that getting a degree from a university is the best way to guarantee a good job, others believe that it would be better to go straight into work and get experience instead.
Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
This question asks me to do 3 things, talk about both sides and give my opinion. If I don’t make my opinion clear, I will risk getting a bad score for task response.
The following are my ideas of what I will discuss for both sides of the argument in main body paragraphs 1 and 2. There will be 3 areas to plan for each paragraph. Look back at the structure to check what these will be.
Reason for university (body paragraph 1)
- Lets students gain knowledge before work
- The students can pursue academic studies uninterrupted
- Example – If someone wants to become a lawyer it is vital they understand the law before starting work.
Reason for not going to university (body paragraph 2)
- Learning on the job – This lets workers gain practical knowledge and experience
- Meaning they can earn money, support themself while learning
- Example – Someone wants to become a plumber
Paraphrase the question
Next, I want to paraphrase the question. The keywords that I will paraphrase are underlined with synonyms listed below.
Some people think that getting a degree from a university is the best way to guarantee a good job, others believe that it would be better to go straight into work and get experience instead.
Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Some people – Many people
Think – Believe
Job – Career
Work – Employment
Better – Beneficial
Opinion – Viewpoint
Now it is time to write my introduction paragraph. If you look at the structure above and read what the question asks, my introduction needs to do 3 things:
- Paraphrase the question
- State up to two supporting reasons for each side
- Give your opinion
My introduction paragraph is now finished and you can read it below:
Many people believe that obtaining a degree and being a university graduate is a great way to secure a good job because it guarantees that you have the appropriate knowledge to start a career. Others are of the opinion that obtaining employment and learning on the job is more beneficial because it lets you learn as you go, picking up practical skills and experience along the way. Although this essay discusses both viewpoints, I feel that learning as you work is a much better option for most individuals.
Look at the last sentence, this clearly shows that I agree with the 2nd opinion. By making this clear at the beginning the examiner can see that I have started to answer all 3 parts of the question.
Writing the essay
Now that I have finished the introduction and planned my 2 main body paragraphs, writing the rest of the essay should be fairly easy. All I need to do is refer to my plan and the structure stated above.
If you look carefully, I state my opinion 3 times in the essay (in the introduction, 2nd body paragraph and the conclusion). Therefore, the examiner is very sure what my opinion is.
My finished discussion essay
Many people believe that obtaining a degree and being a university graduate is a great way to secure a good job because it guarantees that you have the appropriate knowledge to start a career. Others are of the opinion that obtaining employment and learning on the job is more beneficial because it lets you learn as you go, picking up practical skills and experience along the way. Although this essay discusses both viewpoints, I feel that learning as you work is a much better option for most individuals.
It is a traditionally held belief that graduating with a university degree will ensure that someone is ready for the jobs market and will guarantee obtaining a great job. Furthermore, this period of uninterrupted learning allows that student to concentrate on academic studies before having to worry about earning a living. For instance, if a person wants to become a lawyer, it is vital that they understand the law and legal process before they begin to give actual legal advice. For this reason, at least 4 years of higher education are necessary.
On the other hand, I believe that gaining practical knowledge and experience as you work is a much more suitable choice for most people. It will allow them to earn money, to see the practical applications of what they learn, all while learning the ropes. On top of that, they will be able to stimulate both their bank balance and their brain. If someone wanted to learn a practical trade like plumbing, it would be much better for them to gain hands-on experience learning through doing rather than spending years in a classroom studying theory. This is why apprenticeships have always been popular for manual and trade jobs.
In conclusion, many people think that a university graduate is better positioned to secure a good job and will be ready for a career because of their academic studies. Conversely, I’m of the opinion that learning while pursuing a vocation is a more suitable choice for most people because it allows the gradual acquiring of knowledge alongside an income.
Now that you have read my essay, have I fully answered the questions? Does my address the 3 most common errors that we discussed earlier?
- Not giving your opinion
- Not giving an argument for both sides of the argument
- Not developing the argument/opinion