IELTS 5.

 AGREE – DISAGREE ESSAY 

STRUCTURES FOR THIS ESSAY TYPE
I totally/completely agree…

 Introduction: Paraphrase the essay prompt and state that you totally agree with the
view in the question in the thesis statement.
 Body paragraph 1: State one reason why you agree and support it.
 Body paragraph 2: State the second reason why you agree and support it.
 Body paragraph 3: State the third reason why you agree or explain why you disagree
with those who have the opposite view.
 Conclusion: Restate your view.

I totally/completely disagree…

 Introduction: Paraphrase the essay prompt and state that you totally disagree with the
view in the question.
 Body paragraph 1: State one reason why you disagree and support it.
 Body paragraph 2: State the second reason why you agree and support it.
 Body paragraph 3: State the third reason why you disagree or explain why you agree
with those who have the opposite view.
 Conclusion: Restate your view.

I mostly/partly agree/disagree…

 Introduction: Paraphrase the essay prompt and state the aspects of the given issue that
you agree with and the ones that you disagree with.
 Body paragraph 1: State 2-3 reasons why you agree with some aspects and support
them.
 Body paragraph 2: State 2-3 reasons why you disagree with some aspects and support
them.
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 Conclusion: Restate your view.

INTRODUCTION
Sentence 1: Introduce the topic

Use the expressions in the worksheet distributed in week 2.

Sentence 2: Thesis statement – 3 possibilities depending on your opinion:

Completely agree: In my opinion, I completely/ absolutely agree that …

In my opinion, I fully support the opinion that …

In my opinion/ From my point of view, …… definitely should …

Completely disagree: In my opinion, I am totally against the idea that …

In my opinion/ From my perspective, it is unjustifiable that …

However, personally, I think the opposite is true for many reasons.

Neutral standpoint: Although (opinion 1), I do believe that (favorable opinion)

While (opinion 1), I find it sensible that (favorable opinion)

In my opinion, I partly agree with this idea for many reasons.

Example introduction:

Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of
high school programs. To what extent do you agree?

Sentence 1 – Introduce the topic:

It is sometimes argued that high school students should be made to do some work in
their local communities.

Sentence 2 – Thesis statement: three options:

I completely agree that this practice would be a good idea.

In my opinion, it is unjustifiable that teenagers are forced to do any kind of unsalaried

work.
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While I disagree with the idea of making such programmes compulsory, I do believe
that community service could benefit young people.

SOME EXPRESSIONS TO SHOW AGREEMENT

First main idea

 To begin with, those who are in favor of (topic – noun phrase) suppose that …

 Firstly, a convincing opinion to support (topic – noun phrase) is that …

Second main idea

 Another reason can be found in the fact that …

 The second reason why this issue is supported/ agreed upon is that …

Third main idea

 The last issue worth mentioning is that …

 The final point which is no less important is that …

SOME EXPRESSIONS TO SHOW DISAGREEMENT

First main idea

 To begin with, those who are against (topic – noun phrase) suppose that …

 Firstly, a convincing opinion to oppose (topic – noun phrase) is that …

Second main idea

 Another reason can be found in the fact that …

 The second reason why this issue is disapproved/ disagreed upon is that …

Third main idea

 The last issue worth mentioning is that …

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 The final point which is no less important is that …

IN CASE YOU TAKE A NEUTRAL STANDPOINT

The first body paragraph:

Depending on whether the opinion you discuss first is the one you agree or disagree on, pick
the right expressions from the previous page.

The second body paragraph:

This is where you discuss the other opinion – the one you are more in favor of. You need a
transition sentence to contrast this paragraph with the first one. You can choose:

 On the other hand, people with a contrasting viewpoint maintain that …

 Regarding this controversy, opponents believe that those who approve fail to take into
account certain aspects. First and foremost, ….

The next ideas (one or two):

 Looking at this issue from another angle, we can see that…

 There is also some truth in the idea that ....

CONCLUSION
Paraphrase the thesis statement with summary of the content in the body paragraphs.

E.g. Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part
of high school programs. To what extent do you agree?

Introduction: While I disagree with the idea of making such programmes compulsory, I do
believe that community service could benefit young people.

Body: Disagree because current curriculums are already overloaded; the voluntary inner
motivation to do good for others is lost due to the compulsory nature.
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Agree because help can reach more people in need; volunteer works build positive
character traits in adolescents (responsibility, compassion, collaboration)

Conclusion: Although unsalaried mandatory volunteer work benefits both disadvantaged

people and those who get involved, from my perspective, making it mandatory would exert
more pressure on schooling and deprives it from its noble cause.