i enjoy work assignments with simple challenges agree or disagree

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Here we discuss all things personality tests. Our recommended test is Traitly's Enneagram Test: https://traitly.me/enneagram

A Personality / Job Fit Test

Here is a personality test used by companies like Hibbett sports for screening new applicants.

My hope is that some HR professional or psychology buff can determine the best way to answer these questions. I also do not know what exactly the test determines or what it will say about an applicant.

For each question: completely agree, strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree, completely disagree.

_________________________________

I want to be the boss.

I need opportunities to advance in the company.

I am driven to obtain the highest position possible in the organization.

I prefer problems that require a lot of thought.

It is important that my job involves thinking about complex problems.

I like work assignments where the solution is difficult to find.

It is best to withhold unpopular opinions.

I avoid expressing my opinions if my boss might disagree.

I will agree with my boss to prevent a confrontation.

Focusing on small issues is unproductive.

I do not obsess over the minor parts of my work.

It is not worth obsessing over every detail.

It is frustrating when companies change existing work procedures.

Coworkers would say I prefer the old way of doing things.

I generally dislike it when company policies change.

I prefer familiar tasks to new tasks.

I need to know what tasks I will be doing each day.

I prefer to work on familiar work tasks.

I set my work aside to assist coworkers with their work.

People should take time away from their work to assist their coworkers.

I dislike taking time away from my work to assist coworkers.

People have said that I should pursue a career in the arts.

I am very skilled in the arts.

I am happiest expressing myself through the arts.

I sometimes start projects that I have difficulty finishing.

Some employees care too much about finishing tasks ahead of schedule.

Taking frequent breaks from your work helps keep you refreshed and productive.

People can tell when I am stressed.

No one can see when I am in a bad mood.

My coworkers know when I am frustrated at work.

I am the first to notice when coworkers are unhappy.

People are easy to understand.

I know how coworkers are feeling.

I let others know of my success.

I seek work that will get me noticed.

My successes should be rewarded.

It is sometimes difficult to stay positive

in uncertain times.

I am sometimes surprised when things go without a problem.

I notice the negative aspects of my job.

People should slow down at work.

People who work quickly make a lot of careless mistakes.

People get too stressed when they try to work fast.

I trust data more than my instincts.

It is best to avoid making decisions based on intuition.

I feel uncomfortable making decisions based on my intuition.

I stop thinking about a decision once I make it.

I often think about previous conversations I've had at work.

There is no point in worrying about past decisions.

You have to risk money to make money.

I avoid taking risks.

I have taken risks when the odds were against me.

Friendships are unimportant at work.

I do not expect to form friendships at work.

It is possible to have too many friends at work.

Most projects should be completed as group work.

I accomplish more if I work in a group.

Everyone performs better when working in a group.

An employee who fears being fired will work hard.

Poor performance indicates that an employee needs to be disciplined.

Good managers discipline employees who do poor work.

I have been annoyed by a coworker before.

I never make mistakes at work.

I have gotten upset at work.

I seek out projects where I can be in charge of others.

Coworkers would say that I am aggressive about trying to advance my career.

I prefer a position that has status.

I prefer a position that has power.

Trying to solve problems without clear solutions is fun.

I dislike problems without clear solutions.

Simple tasks are the most enjoyable.

I enjoy simple assignments at work.

I avoid disagreeing with coworkers.

I avoid making unpopular decisions.

I avoid correcting my boss when I know he or she is wrong.

I will correct my boss if I know he or she is wrong.

It is unnecessary to discuss every detail of a plan.

Small issues deserve less time.

A person can be too precise about their work.

Concerning yourself with many details is unproductive.

Changes to workplace policies are often unnecessary.

I generally like it when companies change their policies.

Successful companies resist changing too much.

Companies should focus on using only established strategies.

I seek out familiar tasks at work.

I want to know what to expect on a daily basis at work.

I enjoy a predictable routine.

I enjoy jobs where the duties rarely change.

I am frustrated by coworkers who need a lot of help doing their jobs.

My own work tasks often prevent me from helping others with theirs.

At times, you have to let coworkers fail at a task.

I let coworkers fix their own mistakes.

I am a very artistic person.

People would say that I am most talented at creative projects.

People say that I am eccentric.

I need work that requires artistry.

I sometimes welcome distractions at work.

People worry too much about work deadlines.

I occasionally delay working on unpleasant tasks.

It is sometimes necessary to leave projects unfinished.

People do not realize when I am upset.

My coworkers can see when I am upset.

Coworkers are aware of how I am feeling.

It is difficult for coworkers to know how I am feeling.

I understand why people do what they do.

I know why my coworkers act the way they do.

Coworkers often discuss their problems with me.

I am uninterested in other people's problems.

I expect to be recognized for good work.

I enjoy it when others talk about my accomplishments.

I need to hear that I do a good job.

It is important to receive praise from others.

I sometimes expect the worst.

Most people have difficulty remaining positive during bad times.

Trusting most people is unwise.

People will often let you down.

It is important not to be rushed in your work.

People need to slow down at work.

I prefer to work at a calm pace.

I dislike being rushed at work.

The best leaders rely on the facts, not intuition.

Using your intuition to make decisions is usually a bad idea.

I rely on my intuition to help me make good decisions.

I rely on my instincts to make decisions.

I rarely think about work issues after I leave work.

I continue to think about a problem even after choosing a solution.

I spend a lot of time thinking about the effects of others' actions.

I think about my past decisions a lot.

Potential gains are worth potential losses.

I will risk a loss if it might payoff in the end.

I prefer to spend my time on high-risk opportunities with the potential for greater rewards.

Much of the fun in life involves risk.

I am happiest when I am interacting with my coworkers.

I like to maintain a personal distance from coworkers.

I need to feel like I belong to my coworkers' social group.

I like to know what is happening in my coworkers' personal lives.

Work is more enjoyable when you share responsibility with others.

I prefer to work in a team.

I prefer to work by myself.

I work better alone.

I would threaten to take away employees' raises to make them work harder.

I would regularly use discipline as a means of correcting employees' performance issues.

My job performance would improve if I were paid more.

People will work harder if they are paid more.

I have said things before that I wish I had not said.

I have never been dissatisfied with a job.

I have never had a bad day at work.

All of my coworkers admire me.

It is important to have a position of power.

I belong in a position of power.

My rank in the company is important to me.

I prefer simple work-related assignments.

I enjoy work projects that require little thought.

I enjoy work assignments with simple challenges.

I avoid correcting coworkers when I know they are wrong.

I correct my boss when I know he or she is wrong.

I state my opinions to my boss even if he or she might disagree.

People exaggerate the importance of details.

I try to avoid getting trapped in conversations about specifics.

People are too concerned with the details of a task.

Business success relies on avoiding change.

Businesses are too quick to change to new organizational trends.

Changing an organization's business strategy causes too many problems.

I like having a job with routine duties.

I prefer an unchanging set of duties.

I prefer routine work.

At times, you have to let coworkers struggle with their work.

Coworkers can help each other too much.

When a coworker asks for assistance, sometimes you have to say, "No."

I spend much of my leisure time imagining.

Others are not as curious as I am.

I need a creative outlet at work.

I need to finish my work ahead of schedule.

I sometimes postpone beginning a new project.

I need to complete projects early.

I hide my emotions at work.

Coworkers are unaware of my emotions.

My coworkers can see what I am feeling.

I feel it is my job to make others feel better.

I spend time cheering up coworkers who are unhappy.

Spending time to understand my coworkers' feelings is important.

I do not care if I am recognized for my work.

It is important that my coworkers acknowledge my successes.

It is important to be praised for success.

Coworkers often have hidden agendas.

People are trustworthy.

People will do the right thing.

I prefer to work fast.

A fast-paced work environment is tiring.

I prefer to work at a slow, steady pace.

I make good decisions by relying mostly on my instincts.

The best leaders rely on their intuition.

I trust my instincts when making decisions at work.

I spend a lot of time thinking about past decisions.

I am sometimes anxious about the consequences of my decisions.

I think about work decisions when away from my job.

I prefer activities that involve an element of risk.

I enjoy taking risks for the rewards.

I enjoy jobs where success involves taking chances.

I like sharing personal stories.

I want to confide in my coworkers.

I am disappointed if I miss an opportunity to visit with coworkers.

I like working by myself to complete a task.

I accomplish more if I work by myself.

I like working alone.

Money is the best way to motivate employees.

People work more when they are paid more.

The prospect of a raise motivates workers the most.

My work has never been criticized.

I am never stressed at work.

My work is always flawless.

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Some Answers to the Unicru personality test

Commentary by Timothy Horrigan ; January 27, 2009 (last updated November 15, 2011)

Many of us find ourselves in need of whatever dumb job we can get. And one dumb job which is still reasonably abundant even in these bad times is "Big Box" Retail . Many of these stores use a seemingly inscrutable personality test called the " Unicru " test. Even though I tend to be good at standardized tests and have even worked in the testing industry for a while , I have flunked this one a time or two. Happily, I found one of several answer keys which is floating around the internet, and I tweaked it a little.

I do have an MBA in Marketing from the Marshall School at the University of Southern California , and I did work for the educational testing company Measured Progress for a while, but I am not a trained psychologist. This is a totally unofficial key, based on random materials which have been floating around the web for years. Use it at your own risk. I got the basic info from a blogger named " Yowling Cat " on an autism/Asperger's blog called WrongPlanet . He or she got it from someone named Daniel. I tweaked it by sorting the prompts by the expected answers— which are always "Strongly Agree" or "Strongly Disagree."

You have four options to choose from, when asked whether a statement applies to you or not. Supposedly, the right answer is always "Strongly Agree" or "Strongly Disagree":

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Agree

There are (supposedly) 99 questions in this list. I have taken this test several times, and I am pretty confident all these questions are still in use, and I don't specifically recall any other questions, though there I would not be shocked if new ones got added. You will not have to answer all 99 of them, but you will be asked about half of these questions.

If you get enough right answers, you go in the Green pile and you may be called in for an interview. If you get almost enough right answers, there is a Yellow pile, which is used if no one from the Green pile wants the job. If you get too many wrong answers, you go in the Red pile and the store will be unable to proceed with the hiring process.

The general drift of the test is to try to make sure that you are honest and hard-working but not too ambitious— and you must be cheerful all the time and enjoy being around people all day. The answers are mostly straightforward. The only surprising answers are that they think it is good if you think that "You are somewhat a of a thrill-seeker" and that it is bad if you think "Many people cannot be trusted." To quote someone who commented on Reddit.com a while ago: "I find all of these tests are best approached by answering all the questions as Ned Flanders. "

The Unicru test is one of many HR-related products made by Kronos, Inc. of Chelmsford, Massachusetts.  

Click here to read an job-application letter I sent them back in 2002!

Click here to learn more about applying to Best Buy & similar employers!

Click here to read about the 6 steps in the Kronos/Unicru hiring process

November 14, 2011 Reddit thread "Applying for a job at Macy's and I see this…"

WrongPlanet blog thread

MelBel's Unicru hub

Audacious Shelley's HubPages.com article

Matt Burns's article "Personality Tests: Survival of the Phoniest"

Kronos's 6-step hiring process

80 people started working at Best Buy one day in 2006 without applying for a job first!

Merry Christmas from Bangalore!

My December 2, 2002 Kronos job letter

Hiring Success: The Art and Science of Staffing Assessment and Employee Selection (Pfeiffer Essential Resources for Training and HR Professionals) — the author, Dr. Steven Hunt, was for many years a manager at Kronos/Unicru

Kronos Retail Labor Index

undated (circa March 2009) Liekkisuki's Soapbox blog posting

blog also includes the "Unicru Assessment Guide" (in PDF format)

My January 29, 2009 DailyKos diary (about the same as this article)

January 7, 2009 Wall Street Journal article

February 16, 2006 Chico News-Review article: "Cult of Personalty Tests" by Wil Morat

August 27, 2004 StorefrontBacktalk.com posting (Unicru's David Scarborough says here that the test was designed to catch potential thieves.)

January 2002 Fast Company article, later recycled as blog posting

International Personality Item Pool: A Scientific Collaboratory for the Development of Advanced Measures of Personality and Other Individual Differences

Looks Good on Paper?: Using In-Depth Personality Assessment to Predict Leadership Performance (Columbia Business School Publishing) by Dr. Leslie S. Pratch (about how to identify executive job applicants with "active coping" skills and " high integrity ," using a four-hour-long test)

Getting a job scoring standardized tests

The Bartleby Project: urging you to simply answer "I prefer not to take this test."

My novel, The Forgotten Liars

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How to disagree at work without being obnoxious

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What does healthy friction look like?

When should you speak up at work, how to disagree with someone at work.

Collaboration doesn’t always mean that everyone agrees. No matter how well you get along with your colleagues, there are bound to be times when you have a difference in opinion.

Not only is this perfectly normal, it’s also a great thing. Teams that work together benefit from productive conflict. Adam Grant says, “If two people always agree, it’s a sign that at least one of them isn’t thinking critically — or speaking candidly. Differences of opinion don't have to be threats. They can be opportunities to learn.”

Still, it can be nerve-wracking to speak up when you have a different opinion — especially when it seems like everyone else agrees with each other. Read on to learn how to disagree respectfully and productively at work.

What is a healthy disagreement? Wouldn’t it be better for everyone to just get along? 

In truth, you don’t have to choose one over the other. Healthy relationships — whether with family members or coworkers — mean that people can disagree and get along. The secret ingredient lies in how they communicate their disagreement .

Being able to disagree with your colleagues — and even your boss — is a sign of a psychologically safe workplace. Psychological safety is an important component of belonging. It means that people feel comfortable not just disagreeing, but collaborating, taking risks, and asking for help.

Most of us can easily spot an unhelpful disagreement or signs of a toxic workplace . But what does a productive dispute look like? Here are some signs:

• All the parties involved are calm and communicate respectfully
• There’s a tangible measure of goodwill and humor
• The conversation is about solutions, not problems
• No one is “taking sides”
• The conversation encourages deep thought
• People are engaged, not uncomfortable

It can be hard to know when you should step up and say something at work, especially if difficult conversations in the past haven’t been very productive. In worst-case scenarios, you may even feel like speaking up may put your job at risk.

If you’re in that type of work environment, you may find that you need to be very careful about how you bring up any form of disagreement. When workplaces are toxic, the tension often impedes conversation. A genuine concern may come out sounding like a challenge.

If that’s the case, consider bringing up your questions via email. It's a smart way to communicate when you're worried about how you'll come across. You’ll have a little more time to consider both your initial message and your responses. If your manager does take it as a personal attack , you’ll benefit from a paper trail.

However, if your workplace is open to communication, you shouldn’t have to worry about asking questions or bringing up your concerns. When I feel like the environment I’m in is receptive to feedback , I often find that speaking up is a matter of overcoming my own nerves. Usually, there’s a little inner voice that begins to speak up before I do. I’ve learned to trust that it has something valuable to say.

Why speak up?

When you share your thoughts, opinions, and concerns at work, you do much more than make yourself heard. Productive conflict has the following benefits:

• You open the floor for more ideas and viewpoints to be shared
• You voice a thought that someone else may have been too afraid to say
• You build a culture of psychological safety and respect
• You stand out (in a good way) to your leaders
• You may save the team money or time by avoiding pitfalls
• You build your confidence and self-trust

So how do you let someone know you don’t agree with them while keeping everyone calm? Here are some strategies on how to disagree respectfully without becoming “that person.”

1. Stay calm

It’s just business — but that doesn’t mean that workplace disagreements don’t often feel personal. If it’s a topic that you feel particularly passionate about (or a colleague you have a history of disagreements with), avoid bringing up your concerns in public. You may have an easier time (and be less likely to trigger pushback) if you schedule a time to talk with them privately. 

If you’re too upset to regulate your own feelings about it, take the time to write out your concerns beforehand. This can help you release some of the charge around your feelings (so they don’t come out when they’re not expected).

2. Check for understanding

Before you disagree with what’s being said, it’s a good idea to make sure you understand what they’re saying . Rephrase their idea for clarification. You may find that you misunderstood what they said, and that you’re actually on the same page.

If not, asking questions is a useful first step in opening a discussion. It can help create a foundation for you to challenge their point of view and gives context to your point.

Let’s look at an example:

Colleague: “I think we should aim to finish the project within a week.”

You could now interject in one of a few ways:

Option A: “A week? That’s not enough time. We already have a project due next week.”

Option B: “I have a question. Did you mean a week from now or a week after the project officially launches? I wouldn’t be able to start working on this until at least next week.”

With Option A, you risk putting your colleague on the defensive. Just as importantly, though, you don’t provide enough context for your point. That doesn’t mean that you have to throw the kitchen sink at them. But adding your concern helps to keep the conversation solution-oriented. Option B clearly states the concern, guiding the conversation towards a resolution.

3. Look at your intentions

What do you hope to get out of disagreeing? Your intentions should be clear. You might have a question, a new idea, or a concern about moving forward. When you’re clear on why you’re speaking up, the conversation stays positive and productive.

4. Reserve judgment

If your intentions are clear and you know why you’re disagreeing, you’re less likely to come across as judgemental or harsh. There are disagreements about ideas, and then there are disagreements between people. You don’t want to come off as if you’re attacking the person behind the idea.

One way to avoid this is to be mindful of the words you choose. Try not to use terms like “stupid,” “rushed,” or “silly.” Adjectives like these can be easily taken the wrong way. If you stick to a central point, you can make your counterargument without making enemies.

5. Get in their shoes

Most of us aren't raised with excellent confrontation skills . For most of us, differences in opinion often turned into name-calling, heated debate. By the time the conversation ended, you probably completely forgot what the main point was.

Know that if you're nervous about speaking up, it's likely that the other person feels the same way. Show respect for their perspective, their ideas, and the effort they put into presenting them. If you take a moment to look at the conversation from the other person's perspective, it will go a long way towards helping you find common ground .

Ways to disagree respectfully

• Check for understanding
• Look at your intentions
• Reserve judgment
• Get in their shoes

Disagreeing with your boss

Sharing a difference of opinion with a manager is the same, but with two important caveats. For one, the stakes will feel a lot higher. You’ll likely be nervous about possible negative repercussions. 

Don’t give into this. It’s rare that someone gets fired for politely disagreeing with a manager . If you’re really worried or the conversation needs more time, you can always ask for permission to disagree. Try saying, “I’m not sure that this plan is the right way to go, but I think I have a good alternative. Can I schedule some time to run it by you?”

The other caveat is that your boss has the power to veto you. You could present a thoughtful case that makes sense, and your manager could say “Great, but we’re still going to do it the other way.” 

At that point, there’s not much you can do. It’s really important, then, to revisit your original reasons for disagreeing. If you’ve clearly communicated your point, then it makes sense to move on. If you have concerns about how things will move forward, see if you can address those within the parameters of the original plan.

Let’s revisit our example from earlier:

Manager: “I think we should aim to finish the project within a week.”

Your response: “I have a question. Did you mean a week from now or a week after the project officially launches? I wouldn’t be able to start working on this until at least next week.”

Manager: “No, this is a higher priority. We should work on this first.”

Even though your manager just disagreed with you (and you with them!), you’re closer to a resolution. You can follow up — either immediately or later on — with new timelines for the projects at hand.

Bottom line

Disagreement is a normal part of any healthy relationship — and that’s not the same as conflict. Learning how to disagree respectful makes you a better communicator and a better leader.

It may be nerve-wracking, but if you’re clear on why you’re disagreeing and try not to take it personally, it’ll become second nature. You’ll know when — and how — to speak up, and your team will know they can trust you to say what needs to be said.

Understand Yourself Better:

Big 5 Personality Test

Allaya Cooks-Campbell

With over 15 years of content experience, Allaya Cooks Campbell has written for outlets such as ScaryMommy, HRzone, and HuffPost. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and is a certified yoga instructor as well as a certified Integrative Wellness & Life Coach. Allaya is passionate about whole-person wellness, yoga, and mental health.

How to give kudos at work. Try these 5 examples to show appreciation

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Mindful communication

The smart way to disagree at work

By Kasey Fleisher Hickey

Constructive conversations at work are often wrecked by emotion, despite our best efforts. When decision-making is driven more by your emotion than reason, the very best ideas can get lost, the outcome is less productive, and detrimental to your office relationships.

Today, emotional awareness is standard subject matter in many schools and the importance of self-awareness is core to developing better relationships with everyone from our parents to our teammates . Our bodies are wired to react immediately to our limbic brain (the hippocampus and amygdala, where core emotions start), but in a team dynamic we need to buffer in reaction and reflection time. You’ll have to train yourself to develop this sort of self-awareness and patience, but once it becomes ingrained in how you operate, you’ll realize that you’ll have more open, honest, and productive conversations with your teammates.

Take out the emotion of ‘I’m right, you’re wrong, I disagree’

Knowing that you both possess different data sets can help you manifest a conversation that stems from a place of curiosity, as opposed to disagreement.

The first step to having an intellectually honest conversation is to recognize the person you are talking to as an intellectual peer. Regardless of your relationship, it’s important to take into account that they bring their unique experiences and knowledge to the table. Knowing that you both possess different data sets can help you manifest a conversation that stems from a place of curiosity, as opposed to disagreement.

Over the course of any conversation, you’ll want to remain curious about why someone has a different point of view than you: they’ve thought of something you haven’t thought of, or maybe they haven’t yet been introduced to your information.

Setting yourself up for success

It takes up to six seconds for our automatic emotional reactions, to be felt, processed and controlled. In those six seconds, you might get mad, raise your voice, or change your facial expression or body position; in that window, you’re not really in control.

When you’re at work, being aware of the reality that you’re going to have an emotional response before an intellectual one will help you recognize the trigger point, and help you identify what to do next. An important part of the interaction is to work on processing the emotional response while still maintaining the intellectual conversation.

Here are a few techniques that have worked for us:

• Remind yourself that if you bring only your Amygdala into the meeting, you will fail.
• Pause before you speak. Take a break. Allow the emotional response to pass through you silently, as opposed to verbally.
• Think about the pursuit: a passionate, intellectual honesty and your challenge (your emotional response). When you’re ready, return to the conversation more aware of the ultimate goal.

Outcomes and goals

Often, our disagreements stem from our worldviews on an outcome so it’s crucial to get on the same page with a teammate about the ultimate goals you may be arguing about. Reframe your disagreements:

• Decide on a starting point: figure out what you both agree is true.
• Examine what you think is right: ask yourself what you think they’re right about and what you think you’re right about. Start with questions like, “What’s working? What’s not working?” Maybe you’re both on the same page about the outcome, but the strategy you’re taking differs. Lay out all the information you know about your strategy and listen to theirs so you both have equal data points moving forward.
• Stay committed: the more you’re able to have these sorts of honest conversations, the better you’ll be at removing emotion and focusing on the outcome.

Managers: Creating an environment for open conversation

Most of us are only slightly biased but when pushed to our edges in a two-party dialogue we find polarization.

When there’s no space to disagree, every divergence in opinion that arises on the team is painful. If you’re a manager, create a dedicated space for conversation. 1-1 meetings on a weekly or bi-weekly basis are a great way to talk with reports and teammates about worries, goals, and frustrations.

Generally speaking, the things everyone agrees on tend to be known, but the ideas at the edges — the ones that often push us to think out of the box and try new things, to succeed and to fail — that can cause disagreements. Pushing ourselves to a space where judgment is required helps move our organizations forward and build character in individuals. Everyone should be able to effectively operate in that space, but it’s not easy.

Most of us are only slightly biased but when pushed to our edges in a two-party dialogue we find polarization; we defend our points with more fervor and move further and further apart. If you’re a manager, be mindful of creating a feedback loop with your employees — explicitly state that you’re hearing them, or invite a third person to observe the polarization and help bring balance to the conversation.

Agreeing to disagree

Not having self-awareness can prove to be a blind spot for both managers and individual contributors. The work you put into this practice will help you tremendously not only throughout your career, but in your life.

To remain open, continually understand the goals of your goals, and revisit them regularly. Managers should understand shared goals of their team, as it’s the foundation of their work. If you’re not a manager, don’t shy away from the opportunity to bring your point to the table, especially if you believe you possess knowledge your manager may not.

Disagreements at work can be a healthy way to question goals and strategies, and to push both yourself and your organization to try new things. But not every disagreement has to be resolved. As long as both individuals keep thinking about the data points, revisit goals, and try new things, progress is being made.

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• You can make disagreements work for you by 1) Asking more questions; 2) Using them as an opportunity to learn; and 3) Using them to hone your negotiation skills.
• As long as you show respect to the other person, while safeguarding your self-respect, disagreements can fuel better work relations and performance.

What’s your first reaction when you don’t agree with what your manager is saying? You might imagine everything that could go horribly wrong if you pushed back. When you’re young and in the early stages of your career, disagreeing with someone more experienced than you can be incredibly difficult.

• Vasundhara Sawhney is a senior editor at Harvard Business Review.

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How to Write “Agree or Disagree” Essays for IELTS

Posted by David S. Wills | Jan 15, 2021 | IELTS Tips , Writing | 1

There are various types of essay that you may be asked to write in task 2 of the IELTS writing test, but one of the most common ones is the “agree or disagree” question. This will provide some kind of statement and then ask you whether (or to what extent) you agree or disagree.

In this article, I will tell you everything you need to know about writing an agree or disagree essay .

What is an “Agree or Disagree” IELTS Question?

There are various kinds of questions in IELTS writing task 2, and one of them is called “agree or disagree” because that is precisely what you are asked to do. The question will normally contain those words although there are slight variations:

• Do you agree or disagree?
• To what extent do you agree or disagree?

This question will follow a statement and your task is to give your reaction to that statement. As long as you can understand the precise nature of the statement, this question is quite to understand.

Note that some people would call this an “opinion essay” but I would disagree with that label. Whilst it is certainly a type of opinion essay, there are other question types that require your opinion, so this is a problematic label. Here’s my guide to opinion essays.

How Should I Answer an “Agree or Disagree” Question?

The important thing about this sort of IELTS question is that you answer the question directly . In other words, you should state whether you agree , disagree , or neither agree nor disagree .

Some people wonder whether it is possible to give a balanced answer and others seem to think that you must always give a balanced answer, but the truth is simple:

You can agree, disagree, or neither agree nor disagree. Any of these is acceptable.

Just pay attention to the exact wording of the question. If it asks “to what extent…?” then you should clearly state the extent to which you agree/disagree:

• Completely agree
• Partially agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Partially disagree
• Completely disagree

If it just says “Do you agree or disagree?” then you don’t necessarily need to give the degree and you could just say “I agree” or “I disagree.” However, it is better to provide more explanation and detail.

If you want a more in-depth discussion of the issue of balanced answers, you can read this article .

Structuring “Agree or Disagree” Essays

Some kinds of IELTS essay are easy to structure. For example, “ Discuss both views ” and “ Advantages and disadvantages ” questions can easily be answered with a predictable four-paragraph structure. However, “agree or disagree” questions require a little more thought. Sometimes it can be a little difficult to find the right structure.

Generally, I recommend writing four or five paragraphs and preferably just four. As such, here are two possibilities for structuring your “agree or disagree” essay:

As you can tell, the second structure is more complicated and thus there is more scope for mistakes in terms of Task Response or Coherence and Cohesion . However, if you do this right it can provide a more interesting and developed answer.

In any case, the important thing to know is that your structure should be coherent and logical. Your reader should never feel confused. If you make a plan before writing, this will really help you to stay on topic and deliver your views effectively.

Let’s look at an example:

Some people argue that the government should give every unemployed person a mobile phone and should make sure they have access to the Internet. They believe this is the best way of using public money to reduce the problem of unemployment. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

To answer this question, I would firstly decide the extent to which I agree or disagree. I disagree that it is the best use of public money, so I would structure my essay thusly:

Now let’s look at how I would write that essay:

Sample Band 9 Answer

It has been suggested that governments should give jobless people phones and internet access to alleviate the unemployment problem. This essay will argue that, whilst this may be a good idea, it is certainly not the best way of using public money to solve the problem.

To begin with, it could be seen as a positive step to give unemployed people phones and internet access. This would certainly help improve their lives in a small way and may give them the ability to hunt down job leads. However, it is not a guaranteed method of finding employment. For one thing, phones are severely limited in comparison with computers, which would be far more useful for jobseekers. A computer is more appropriate for writing CVs and scrolling through lists of adverts. As such, perhaps public funds would be better spent on computers rather than phones.

In addition, the idea of just giving unemployed people technology in order to solve their problems seems a little wishful. The fact is that most people have phones and internet access in 2021, suggesting that this is not what prevents them from finding work. Perhaps the money would be better spent on job fairs, counselling, benefits, or even investment in local businesses to spur the hiring process. Indeed, whilst none of these is a perfect solution, they all seem rather more realistic and preferential than buying thousands of phones and internet contracts.

In conclusion, while it may be a good idea to give all jobless people a phone and internet access, it is almost certainly not the best use of public funds in terms of tackling unemployment.

Language for Agreeing and Disagreeing

Once you have figured out the structure for your essay, you need to have the right language to accurately and effectively express your ideas. Most of the grammar and vocabulary you need will be dependent upon the topic , but there are some useful words and phrases to know for all “agree or disagree” essays.

Giving Purpose and Position

In your introduction, you need to clearly state your position vis-à-vis the question. You can also state what you will do in this essay.

Here are some great phrases:

This essay will…

To avoid being overly personal or informal, you can speak as though your essay is writing itself. This might seem a little strange, but it is perfectly normal. It is a great idea to use this for the overview section of your introduction to say “This essay will argue that…” or “This essay will agree with the idea that…”

Alternatively, you can include yourself:

In this essay, I will…

The use of the personal pronoun is a little informal but these questions are directly asking for your opinion and so there is nothing really wrong with it. This is a good way of stating your intentions clearly from the offset.

Just be careful to avoid redundant phrasing here, like “In my opinion, I think that…” It is not necessary to say both “In my opinion” and “I think” because they both express the same basic meaning.

It is also worth making sure that you completely understand how to use the words “agree” and “disagree.” This probably sounds very easy, but many people make mistakes. I have a full article on it here .

One of the biggest mistakes is saying, “I agree to the idea.” Instead, you need to say “I agree with the idea.” The preposition here is a huge difference and completely changes the meaning of “agree.”

Language for Structuring your Ideas

You can use some cohesive devices when explaining your ideas but be careful not to over-use them and make sure that each one is used accurately. For example, the phrases “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” are really useful here but many people make mistakes by saying “On one hand” or “One the other hand.”

You can also use words like “Firstly” and “Finally” to order your ideas but remember that having every sentence start with the same sort of word sounds repetitive, so don’t use these too much.

Some other useful phrases are:

The first reason why I think/believe that [summarise view] is…”

In this case, we are directly communicating to the reader that this is the first (and therefore most important) reason to support our opinion. To remove the personal pronoun, simply change to:

The first reason why [summarise view] is…

Here are two examples:

• The first reason why I think that families should take care of their elderly relatives is that it allows more freedom for the individual.
• The first reason why families should take care of their elderly relatives is that it allows more freedom for the individual.

Should You Totally Avoid Personal Pronouns?

For IELTS, some people say that you should always avoid personal pronouns but other people suggest that they are acceptable. It is true that they are acceptable because some questions directly ask for your opinion and experiences. However, it is also true that an advanced writer can answer these questions without personal pronouns, thereby increasing the level of formality .

Take a look at this question:

Rich countries often give money to poorer countries, but it does not solve poverty. Therefore, developed countries should give other types of help to the poor countries rather than financial aid. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is clearly asking for your personal opinion, so it would be fine to say “I think…” or “I believe…” However, we could definitely answer it in a more detached, formal sense.

To give my opinion, I will say:

this essay will argue that giving money is not simply enough and that more nuanced, long-term solutions are necessary

Later, in the conclusion, I will use similar language to affirm my view:

whilst it may seem reasonable to donate money to poor countries, it would be far better to help them through education

Here is the full essay:

The topic of international aid is incredibly controversial and there are no simple solutions. However, this essay will argue that giving money is not simply enough and that more nuanced, long-term solutions are necessary.

To begin with, it is important to acknowledge that poor countries need some form of aid and that money is better than nothing. Wealthy countries give vast sums of money, but there are numerous problems that emerge. Firstly, this money usually has strings attached, meaning that the poor countries often end up owing favours or debts, which exacerbates their problems. Secondly, poor countries are typically poor because of endemic corruption, and money donated is usually embezzled immediately after receipt. As such, giving money is understandable but problematic, and other forms of aid are thus preferable.

Nowadays, many people realise that it is better to provide poor countries with the means to help themselves. This can be done in various ways, including education. As such, perhaps the best way to help these nations is to provide them with teachers and educational facilities. This can allow them to raise a generation of intelligent, motivated people who will shape the future. It can clearly be seen that the education of women is of particular importance, as this lowers the fertility rate, further stopping other problems that contribute to poverty. Therefore, the education of young women should be made a top priority.

In conclusion, whilst it may seem reasonable to donate money to poor countries, it would be far better to help them through education.

Writing an essay for an IELTS “agree or disagree” question is probably a little more difficult than writing one for other question types. However, it is not much more difficult and if you follow the advice above, you can definitely create a wonderful essay that will get a high score. Just remember to answer the question directly and also to use appropriate language throughout.

About The Author

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.

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thanks for such great help.

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IELTS Writing Task 2: How to Structure an ‘Agree or Disagree’ Essay

by Dave | Structuring your essay | 40 Comments

A lot of my IELTS students struggle with how many ideas they need and how to structure their essay.

This article with explain clearly what you need to do and why. if you want to read some examples of different essays you can click here ., let’s look at an example:.

Governments should spend money on railways rather than roads. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Don’t miss out on my new Patreon exclusive essays here if you want to really improve on IELTS!

Clear position, the first thing to remember is for the question above you don’t need to discuss both sides but you can if you want., therefore you have a choice about whether to discuss the ‘agree’ side, the ‘disagree’ side or discuss both sides. we’ll examine these options later., even if you choose to discuss both sides you must clearly state whether your opinion is agree or disagree. this is very important for your task achievement score., you can see from the table below that if you don’t clearly choose a side, you will not score above a 5 for task achievement – no matter how good the rest of your writing is..

So to summarise, for the question above you must have a clear position and you have three possible options:

1. strongly agree. you think it’s better for governments to spend money on rail rather than roads. you discuss only this side., 2. strongly disagree. you think it’s better for governments to spend money on roads rather than rail. you discuss only this side., 3. discuss both sides. you discuss both sides but you have a clear opinion about rail or road., clear essay structure, as you can see from the table above a clear position throughout your essay is very important for your task achievement., so i always recommend to my ielts students that they give their opinion in the introduction as well as the conclusion (for all task 2 questions)., technically, it’s ok to write a very general introduction and leave your opinion to the end., but i strongly suggest that you don’t do this because it’s not as clear., also, you might run out of time before you’ve got to your conclusion, so overall it’s a risky strategy.  , therefore my suggested ielts task 2 essay structure is four paragraphs – an introduction, two main (or body) paragraphs and a conclusion., the opinion is presented in the introduction and re-stated in the conclusion, and each body paragraph should only discuss one main idea., now let’s look at the options in more detail., possible essay structures, 1. strongly agree – you feel rail is much more important than roads., you need two good reasons why rail is more important..

2. Strongly disagree – you feel roads are much more important than rail.

You need two good reasons why roads are more important., 3. discuss both sides – you think one side is good but overall the other side is more important., you need one good reason for each side ., in the example below you feel the reason for supporting rail is more important than the reason supporting roads., so in summary, one thing that all three options have in common is that each essay clearly chooses a side and that is clear throughout the essay., none of these options ‘sit on the fence’ (stay in the middle), because you should never write a 50/50 essay., you should never say “both roads and rail have benefits and drawbacks.”, that is not a clear conclusion, so you will definitely lose marks for your task achievement., also, you shouldn’t say “overall i think roads are important and rail is also important so governments should spend money on both.”, technically this is ok as your opinion is clear, but some examiners might not agree so this is risky., so the safest strategy is to choose a side, even if that isn’t your real opinion., now it’s your turn put your answers in the comments., look at the question below then compare your ideas with this  sample answer (written by an ex-examiner)..

Check out our expert sample answer with line by line analysis and key vocabulary.

Plastic shopping bags are used widely and cause many environmental problems. Some people say they should be banned. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Brainstorm some main ideas – what are the main benefits and drawbacks of banning plastic bags.

What’s your overall position – do you agree or disagree, which essay structure are you going to choose – will you discuss one side or both, recommended for you.

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Nowadays, the topic of plastic bags and their adverse effect on environment, has become hot news, which has led many activists and social groups to promote tackling of such item in our everyday life. As far as I am concerned, I strongly concur with taking serious measures to ban plastic bag usage because if we proceed with such pace our global home will be set into serious risk which will in turn be reflected in global population’s health and wellbeing. Truth be told, plastic shopping bags have always been widely used by everyone but in the recent decades due to rapid increase of world’s population their usage and disposal have reached concerning levels which is seriously causing devastating and unreversed damage to our planet. Given the fact that plastic needs years and even decades to degrade, substantial upraise of this product in our environment has released considerable amount of pollutants in the air, water and land putting into risk marine creatures’ lives and human’s wellbeing as well. Everyone must have come across to the widespread video of a diver filming the detrimental truth of marine creatures in the Indonesian waters suffocated by the vast amount of plastic underneath the surface of the sea. As a matter of fact, not only does plastic endanger water habitat but it also has damaging effect on soil fertility putting into risk the quality of our food products which will obviously impact human’s physical and mental health in the future. On grounds of such concern, scientist have long repeatedly pointing out the urgent necessity of plastic replacement with eco-friendly products such as paper or canvas containers, which remain way more effective and environmentally healthy. On the other hand numerous people around the planet are joining environmental activists who are taking substantial steps to tackle such phenomenon as soon as possible. To conclude, I strongly concur with fact that plastic bag should be banned in every country around the world as increasing amounts of non-biodegradable material will soon affect our health and the wellbeing of future generations. Serious steps should be taken by governmental and social actors to prevent such process from becoming irreversible.

Well written Flor!

You don’t need so many introductory sentences. Try to follow my structure more closely – 2 sentences for the introduction, 4-5 for the next two paragraphs and then 2 for the conclusion.

Otherwise really strong vocabulary throughout!

Some of your ideas seem to jump around and it would be better to have clear topic sentences and then develop your answers with specific examples.

Is that clear?

If question ask Do you agree or disagree? Not to what extent.

Can we still discuss both the sides?

When is it important to state an advantage and reject it?

Yes, you can. You can talk about each side and then choose one overall.

I would highly recommend that approach because then you will be able to talk about two different main ideas.

But you can also choose one side and simply defend that one. It is a matter of choice.

Some people consider acknowledging the other side to be a stronger structure but for IELTS both are fine and equal.

Yes, It is clear.

I have one more question related conclusion. In discuss both views and give your opinion and agree or disagree questions.

These questions are type of questions. How we have to state our main points?

Do we have reject which the proponents support? And say other idea is more important?

Or we only have to state the main reason why we support this idea?

I am asking this because there is no consistent pattern in the sample essays.

Hi Mani – great questions!

You do not have to repeat your main ideas – stating your overall opinion is the important part.

Just say your opinion and the main reason why – keep it simple!

There is no consistent pattern because it is only important to follow the rules of the ban descriptors.

They ask that candidates have a clear position – there is more than one way to do that do the structure will not always be identical depending on the question and writer.

Just make sure you have a clear position/opinion!

With the changing times, plastics have become an important accessory of human life, which is produced at large scale, all over the world. The characteristics of plastic has made it one of the widely used item. Few people believe that it should be banned while others think that it should be not be banned. In my opinion, I feel that a plastic has an adverse effect on the environment and on the animals as well as the marine life.

Plastics are so widely used that they are often thrown into the garbage, drains etc. Though gazillions of plastics are sent for recycling but few are still left behind, not properly disposed. The same approach is adopted by the industries or large/ small scale companies resulting in throwing of plastics into sea, in large chunks. This further ends up in a mammals body or at times wrapped around its body, leading to physical injuries and finally results in death. This pattern is observed in the developing countries, also the under developed countries, where lack of awareness is one of the major reason for damage to the other living beings. Educating the people would benefit these countries enormously.

Banning plastic would mean that we have increased the rate of survival of the other living beings along with the humans. This would not only improve the food chain, which has been disturbed lately but will also result in ecological balance. Burning it in excess, often releases harmful gases, changing the composition of atmosphere, resulting in damage the ozone layer. Air pollution would be another consequence of burning it and may result in health issues.

At last, it would be beneficial for the mankind to ban the plastic and come up with other items that are biodegradable and also not a threat to the other living beings.

Well written, PK!

A couple of notes:

Your intro should only be two or three sentences, then you can write longer body paragraphs.

Great second paragraph!

There could be better linking between your sentences and ideas. Your ideas are great but sometimes don’t flow together naturally.

At the end, you can simple include ‘In conclusion’ not ‘at last’

Over the last few years, people have become increasingly concerned about the overuse of plastic bags, which leads to environmental pollution and other issues. Personally, I am of the conviction that plastic bags should be eliminated because they are not only bad for the environment but also harmful to human bodies. To start, using plastic bags has many negative effects on the environment. Since plastic bags are nonrecyclable, used bags accumulate in landfill as garbage, where they will take a prolonged period of time, sometimes over a hundred years, to degrade. During this process, an extended area of land is wasted and polluted. Worse still, some used bags were dumped in the ocean and consumed by ocean animals, which significantly threatens their well-beings and even their lives. Statistics show that the extinction of several species of tortures is related to the increasing volume of ocean garbage, plastic bags in particular. In addition, using plastic bags can also harm our health. It is generally acknowledged that these bags contain toxic chemicals, which can enter people’s systems via oral consumption and skin contact, and make them sick. In some underdeveloped countries, people carry food in plastic bags, which allow those harmful substances to enter through their month. Besides, our skin also absorbs those unwanted chemicals during handling and manipulating. As a result, an increasing number of people are suffering from illnesses due to the excessive use of plastic bags. This is why they need to be banned immediately. In conclusion, no more plastic bags should be produced, considering how much damage they cause to our home planet as well as our health. If we continue using them for convenience, our children and grandchildren will have to pay the price of this fault. (290 words)

Great paragraphing and well-supported main ideas – keep it up!

Thanks for your helpful writings.

Nowadays government are struggling with a lot of environmental side effects of plastic bags overuse so some people believe that usage of these should be limited.In the following essay, I will discuss my opinion and reasons why I completely agree with this group. The main reason is plastic bags,which are usually thrown out to the environment,are not degradable.It’s takes more than 1.000 years or more for a plastic to be break down and get back to the nature and till then, they will make the environment un pretty therefore,I think e should use other reusable types of shoppig bags rather than thses plastic ones. secondly,as we know,plastic bags are made from oil, which is non-renewable source of energy. I believe that by using more and more plastic bags, we will end up lacking of this kind of energies so we should use plastic bags more considerably. in conclusion,in my opinion,usage of plastic bags should be limited as much as possible because the have number of negative effects on environment like polluting lands and also consumption of oil for producing these.

Good work – keep it up!

Corrections: the environmental, with this viewpoint, thrown out are not biodegradable, to break down, and return to a natural form, litter the land and ocean, lots of spelling mistakes too!

Remember an essay has to be 250+ words!

I wrote this after the railways and roads topic. Can anyone let me know if i can get a band 6 with this. Thank you!!!

People believe that governments should invest in railways transportation rather than the expense on roads. From my perspective, I agree with the statement above. In this essay, I will demonstrate my reasons.

First of all, trains are more eco friendly than automobiles. Since the train is a public mean of transport, it could carry lots more passengers than any car or motorbike, which means the consumption of energy will be cut down. To be more specific, for example, a train transports 100 people would use fewer fossil fuels than the same amount of people use fuel for personal vehicles. On the other hand, according to a forecast of a university, the population on Earth in 2050 will be 10 billion leading to a gradual rise in personal transportations. So that, in order to keep the environment sustainable, politicians should increase the expenditure on constructing and maintaining railways.

The second reason for my agreement with the belief above is railways are safer than roads. Because trains run on certain pathways and separated with other trains and other vehicles then there would be a remarkable reduce on crashing issues. Moreover, the railways net is controlled by a special centre so different trains would schedules and different ways to obey. Besides, not only safer the train is but it is also much faster than private automobiles.

In conclusion, I strongly agree with the statement of spending money on railways rather than roads. The governments should increase the investment in trains because they are safer and more eco than roads

You have a clear opinion in the introduction and conclusion and your second paragraph is great.

I think this essay would be in the band 6 range but you need to clean up the 3rd paragraph – try to focus on a single main idea fully developed and make it more like your 2nd paragraph.

You are capable – just be disciplined too!

over the current century, it have been common to use plastic material for shopping bags because of their excellent quality and their lower price. on the other hands,they surely cause cause variety of environmental as well as human health issues which need immediate concern, one of the possible solution which i firmly believe would work is to prohibit production of them for not only shopping bags but also for other unnecessary items.

there are plenty of serious current problems and upcoming devastating results which could come from using plastic materials. The first and foremost one is the nature of plastic material which is not degradable. it means that it takes up long period of time to being dissolved in the soil or decompose to their original composition. for example, plastic bottle which is unfortunately becoming ubiquitous might maintain their shapes and body for a hundred of years which is real threat for the next generation. they would be detrimental for the soil productivity and reduce its fertility due to their long-term effect on the soil ingredient quality and minerals. therefore, these pernicious effect should incline people to avoid using this type of material and save the natural resources for the future generations,

secondly, although production of plastic materials could be economical for the manufacturer, their recycle would be extremely expensive and bring social problems.there are plenty of measurement Which should be taken in when it come to collect the used synthesized plastic materials and their process of recycling. firstly it notoriously causes creation of labor children searching for plastics and try to divide them form other type of rubbish, including those which may cause illness and serious infectious disease, which is a global problem. besides that, factories which have the industrial equipment to recycle them, need pricey procedure to turn them into raw material. whats more, harmful gasses which is a byproduct of the whole process, surely pollute the atmosphere and make it unhealthy for the children and the elderly. all in all, considering these deleterious impact of plastic materials on society should convince us to prohibit them to preserve the well-being of each member of it.

in conclusion, although addiction to usage of plastic bags would be hard to leave, it is time that we educated us to replace them with more environmentally-friendly materials. i personally agree to ban using of them in the foreseeable future in order to maintain our environment more sustainable.

Good but be more careful with your punctuation and paragraphing, Mehdi!

Majority of people in the world are using plastic every time they go shopping even though they have bad effect to nature. That’s why many people agree that they must be prohibit. I totally agree because many seas lives died by taking plastic and they take long time to be destroyed.

The reason why I support people avoid using plastic bags because there are numerous animals in the sea all around the world were killed by eating it. Moreover, some of them were endangered species. The poor animals took the plastic because they thought the plastics were food. People can see that on the news, and it shows that people are careless about the fact that they are killing many lives by leaving garbage which contain a lot of plastics on the beaches. To illustrate, when I when to the beach with my family on holiday, I saw many tourists were having fun and didn’t realize that they left plastics on the beach.

In addition, in order to get rid of the plastic, it takes more than thousand years because of the substances. It is said that a huge amount of plastics is burned in fire, the substances within plastics can destroy the atmosphere. They are not environmentally friendly for both animal and human being.

In conclusion, I completely agree that plastic bags should be avoided because they can cause animal’s deaths. Furthermore, they are difficult to be destroyed and it takes a lot of time to do. Personally, People must realize how dangerous of using the plastic not only to human but to animal as well. We live in the same world so we should take care of each other.

Try to keep your claims weaker, don’t use contractions in formal writing and reduce the size of your conclusion – the paragraph before should be longer so that you can more fully develop your main ideas.

Keep working hard!

Is the format for “Do you Agree / Disagree” & “What extent do you Agree / Disagree?” the same if I only plan on supporting one side? Is it a necessity to acknowledge the other side?.

For example, if I only support one side, can I support it in both my body paragraphs?

Yes, they are exactly the same.

You can but I would strongly recommend writing about both sides so that you don’t repeat your main ideas.

good morning, I’m very happy that I have read this site, and also everyday I use

Happy to help!

Hello, Dave thank you for your explanation! I’ve written my essay based on yours Dunno whether it is a good tip for acquiring academic writing technique or not ) Thank you in advance

A lot of environmental problems are caused by the wide usage of plastic bags, hence, some people consider that those bags ought to be prohibited. In my opinion, they have a negative effect on landfills and the seas, however, the replacements for plastic bags also carry significant environmental risks, that is why I think that plastic bags should not be bunned.

To begin, the main environmental side effect caused by plastic bags is the earth and water contamination. An insignificant percentage of people may reuse them, but most would simply litter or throw them in the trash. If individuals continue to throw plastic bags in the trash, they will turn to an ever-increasing number of landfills and contribute to soil pollution. For example, the ones that are simply thrown on the street tossed into clog drains after that find their way to the sea and entangle marine life. 

Another view is that if plastic bags would be prohibited a harmful effect from biodegradable products. Most people suggest that paper bags and reusable bags made from cotton are the best solutions, however, these remedies are even worse. Paper bags require us to continue clearing forests, besides, reusable bags are plagued by similar problems. Independent studies have shown that the production of cotton and reusable plastic causes more harm to the environment than disposable bags due to factories’ exhausts. 

In conclusion, owing to broadly usable plastic bags nature snowed under many problems; some people support the idea to restrict those bags. Plastic bags are the main reason for landscape and water contamination, however, I think that if plastic bags would be bunned the side effects for nature will be even worse, hence, they should not be prohibited.  

Nowadays, the massive use of plastic bags has resulted in a lot of environmental issues. It is because plastic is a material that is harmful to the sea and land. To cherish and save our earth, I strongly agreed with the idea that plastic shopping bags should be prohibited.

First of all, marine pollution can be attributed to plastic bags. A pile of plastic bags are discarded into the oceans every year. Most of them are non-biodegradable. Animals like fish, whales, crabs, seabirds might not be able to distinguish between food and rubbish. Marine creatures may mistake plastic for food. Since the plastic is difficult to be digested, it will stay in their stomachs for a long time. If they swallow the plastic bags, it may become a deadly threat to their life. For this reason, plastic waste has brought about a detrimental effect on the world’s ecosystem.

Next, the excessive use of plastic bags are closely bound up with land pollution and agricultural development. Landfill sites of used plastics seem to occupy a large piece of land which will not / is possibly not able to be restored for a long period of time and affect the fertility of the soil. Besides, It will deteriorate the crops’ absorption of nutrients and water, thus reducing productivity. Therefore, plastic products has brought an adverse effect on soil environment and crop yields.

In conclusion, the impact of the use of plastic shopping bags on the environment must be minimised. For the sake of the earth’s health / the planet’s sustainability, It is advisable that plastic bags should be banned while encouraging people to think invent alternative ways on shopping bags. 

Plastic bags are in high demand for shopping purposes. Some people believe that there should be a ban on the usage of these bags, and I completely agree with this opinion because of their adverse impact on the environment.

Plastic bags are in high demand due to their cheap cost, however, these materials pollute the environment. One of the biggest causes is, it acts as a pollutant when we burn it after its usage. It produces toxic gases which are not suitable for human lungs and may cause severe lung diseases same as smoking does. For example, In India, items such as vegetables, groceries, and dairy products come in plastic bags. After the single-use, people burn empty bags with other garbage which unknowingly impact their health. If it is not replaced with other alternatives, people will need to compromise with their health.

Furthermore, It does not only make humans unhealthy but also does the same with other species. Animals when in extreme hunger, mostly street dogs or cows, eat things from garbage boxes that contain plastic bags massively because people throw leftover food after wrapping it in these bags. Animals eat these small bags very often, and it sticks to their organs, which is not digestible and creates stomach issues. Apart from animals, Marine life is also in danger because of plastic when thrown on beaches. Plastic does not dissolve in water and many marine species stuck in these bags and can not move freely. 

Considering the negative impacts mentioned in the above paragraphs, I personally recommend the government to ban plastic shopping bag’s usage. It will be beneficial for all of the living beings on the planet to live a healthy life.

Great work! Very accurate writing.

Love how specific your answers are though it could be more academic at times.

Keep it up!

It is often argued that it is more advantageous to ban plastic shopping bags because of widely used and environmental problems. I completely agree with this opinion and think that plastic must be banned. Plastics are made from raw materials like natural gas, oil or plants, which are refined into ethane and propane. Plastic is durable and provides protection from contaminants and the elements. It reduces food waste by preserving food and increasing its shelf life. It protects food against pests, microbes and humidity. Without this protection, food is more likely to get damaged and become unusable. 

First of all, I believe that plastic pollution is really bad for the environment. Because of, plastic pollution causes harm to humans, animals and plants through toxic pollutants. Plastic pollution is caused by the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment. For instance, if plastic are burned, it releases a toxic substance into the air causing air pollution. That is why it is more important for people to use organic plastic or bring their own shopping bag instead of using new plastic bag

Secondly, in my opinion, It can take hundreds or even thousands of years for plastic to decompose so the environmental damage is long-lasting. Plastic sticks around in the environment for ages, threatening wildlife and spreading toxins. Plastic also contributes to global warming. For example, filter feeding animals, like whale sharks, can ingest plastic by accident and jellyfish-eating species mistake plastic bags and balloon ribbons for jellyfish. 

In conclusion, I strongly believe it is better to banned plastic shopping bag because it can encourage people to use less plastic to reduce plastic pollution and environmental issues.

Great work!

Your introduction is a little long though – try to achieve a better balance and develop your ideas more.

Assume that I was given a both side question. Then, my approach was to discuss both side, but I prefered view 1 to view 2.

I want to ask: “if I choose a 60-40 structure, will I have to write view 2 paragraphs less than view 1 paragraph???”

Have a beatiful day, sir!

I don’t think the length of the paragraph matters in the so-calle 60-40 structure.

You just need to choose one of those sides – ideally, it should be a little bit of a longer/stronger argument for that side but as long as you have an overall opinion then that isn’t so important.

Hi, Dave! May I ask for the strongly agree opinion, I have two paragraphs which support rails are more important, should I compare with the roads?

If you are just going to write about one side, then you can just write about that one side.

I wouldn’t recommend it for two reasons:

1. Students tend to repeat their ideas when they just choose one side. 2. I’ve heard some examiners are a little picky/idiosyncratic when it comes to just have one side. Safer and easier for you to discuss both sides!

Respected Sir, In this essay, should we write the reasons for banning plastic bags or results of banning plastic bags ?

means Agree as animals suffers a lot and air pollution increases

Agree because it saves animals life and people become healthy

You should write about whether or not they should be banned.

Both those options would work.

It is believed that the production of plastic bags ought to be abandoned as it causes environmental issues. I find the above arguments to be logical as it saves not only marine lives but also human lives as well.

This development would definitely protects the lives in the oceans. This is because in many developing countries such as China and India, large amount of plastics are being trashed into garbage, and the garbage is directly thrown into the oceans without proper degradation process that consequently damages organ of marine species by feeding them and turn them into death; therefore, if plastics bags are banned to use, no plastics would be thrown into the oceans. Resultantly, it would save millions of marine animals which are responsible for maintaining the ecological balance.

Addition to saving marine lives, it could be also beneficial for the human body. Since large amount of deadly chemical gas omits in air from the plastic manufacturing firms by making plastic bags, masses suffer from respiratory issues, such as asthma and pneumonia, by inhaling the polluted air. For example, a recent study conducted in the USA indicated that owing to the emission of chemical gas from the production of plastic bags in air, the rate of patients suffering from Asthma, the respiratory disease, has increased doubled in recent decade. As a result, health of human would protect, if use of plastic bags is banned.

In conclusion, I completely convinced that production of plastic bags should be banned as it brings benefits to save marine species besides protecting people from respiratory diseases.

In the technologically modern world , where everything has been upgraded to its maximum capacity, material storing and transporting components are also been upgraded into something which is compressible, easy to carry , and has a very complex and unbreakable structure “Plastic”. Due to its compositions, and non degrading structure , it is very harmful to the environment and should be definitely be banned for usage.

Plastics as stated are complex carbon structures with have whatsoever no impact on its structure due to environment. it stays for million of years in the face of earth. the only way to get it out of the ecosystem is to burn it, which in turn releases multiple green house gases , causing global warming.

Plastics were initially manufactured for ease of humans itself. A medium which is waterproof, does not tear easily, Manufactured in bulk and can be recycles as well. but over the years with increased population , and increased use of plastics , it is seen that the waste rate is way up than the manufacturing rate. even thiugh recycling is done, million of bags doesnt even get back to the factories are lost in the envioronment in between , harming soil, aquatic animals, Land animals and also our us in return.

in conclusion , i would like to state that plastics were a tremendous inventions in the early times, But now its abundance in the earth have much more harming effects than positive effects. and thus they should be banned in every country , so as to protect the earth from further degradation.

A little long but good work Sohini!

You should try to balance your paragraphs a bit better and have clear sentences with periods and good punctuation.

Plastic shopping bags are used widely and cause many environmental problems. Some people say they should be banned.To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is important to understand the role of plastic in the degradation of the environment. While, Some believe that usage of plastic carry bags should be banned, I tend to disagree with a complete ban because of its economic and technological benefits, and instead plastic use should be regulated by filtering out the ones which do noticeably less harm to the nature.

On the one hand, plastic as a material to make bags is choosen by industry because of its low cost of production and operation. There is continous research in the manufacturing and logistics to meet the evergrowing demand. Furthermore, it is cheap and easy to recycle a plastic bag. As a result, it becomes economically viable to setup recycling units across the landscape close to towns, where the usage is very high. If the same bag was to be made by cloth or paper, then the overall operation would have been costly. 

On the other hand, there is a need to place restrictions on the usage of such variant of plastic which has and will cause harm to the environment. Studies have shown that plastic material made using high degree polymer is the main pollutant of the oceans and wetlands. This doesn’t stop with oceans ,as the carry bags which were thrown in the open could seep down the ground and pollute pure underground water. Moreover, such variant of plastic bags are hard to recycle. However, it is worth noting the noticeable decrease in the use of these plastic bags.  To sum up, given the pros of using shopping bag made of plastic such as its cost and ease of production, it should not be banned entirely. However, the version of plastic which is proven to be detrimental need to be banned from being used as a shopping bag.

It is often noted that many governments are adopting policies that allow a few offenders to perform charitable services instead of staying in prison. I completely agree with this because it reduces reoffending and develops the personal and practical skills of the prisoners.

 Sometimes the criminals are not in their senses while doing the violations such as juveniles. These lawbreakers should allow a chance to reform rather than put with serious criminals which can result them to become dangerous offenders. I believe if these young people are allowed to do some volunteer social services, their minds will get distracted to a positive aspect of life which can be a major step towards stopping them from committing further crimes. For example, this has been confirmed by a recent study in the USA, that most of these ages of criminals have adopted a positive outlook on life after spending some time performing community services.

Some crimes such as drug addiction or burglary may be the outcomes of bad company or poverty. In my opinion, these offenders should be dealt with empathy and a bit of leniency. While serving community, individuals learn a new skill or meet new people. As a result, they develop some personal and professional skills such as adaptability, problem-solving, diplomacy and empathy towards others, that can help them to find suitable employment and live a respectful life in future. For instance, many of these minor criminals have found better employment after coming out of prison due to valuable skills they learned in community services.

In conclusion, crimes should indeed be punished, but the ways of punishment should not be the same for all. Rather, people with less serious crimes should be given the chance to improve by permitting them to do community service where they learn new skills and it will stop them from repeating those criminalities.

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IELTS Agree Disagree Essay Sample Answer with Tips

For an IELTS agree disagree essay you can either agree with the statement, disagree with the statement or give your opinion which contains a balanced approach to the issues in the statement. However, this does not mean you can discuss both sides impartially – you must give a clear opinion to get a good score in the criterion of Task Response which is 25% of your marks. Another name for an agree disagree essay is an opinion essay or argumentative essay.

The Agree Disagree Essay is also called the Opinion Essay. They are not different essays. On this website, I usually refer to this essay as the Opinion Essay. However, I am using a different name here just for people who are used to calling it “agree/disagree essay”.

IELTS Agree Disagree Question

Remember, this is also called an Opinion Essay.

The growing number of overweight people is putting a strain on the health care system in an effort to deal with the health issues involved. Some people think that the best way to deal with this problem is to introduce more physical education lessons in the school curriculum. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

IELTS Agree Disagree Model Essay

Below is a model answer for the above Opinion Essay = Agree/Disagree Essay.

Owing to the problems which a growing population of overweight people cause for the health care system, it is thought that the key to solving this issue is to have more sport and exercise in schools. I agree that this is one way to tackle the problem, but diet must also be taken into consideration.

Increasing sport or regular exercise in schools is a useful way to tackle weight problems in the long run in the general population. This method will encourage a new generation to develop vital habits which support overall health and also help them maintain a reasonable weight. At the moment, the average child in the West does sport possibly twice a week, which is not enough to counteract their otherwise sedentary lifestyle that comes from many hours each day of sitting at a desk for their lessons. By incorporating more exercise time and possibly extracurricular physical activities, they will undoubtedly become fitter and more active, and continue living that way after leaving schools.

However, targeting physical exercise in school children to reduce the current issue of obesity in the wider population is not effective enough on its own. Firstly, children in schools need to also be educated about what constitutes healthy foods and why in order to ensure a new generation of people who understand clean eating. Secondly, for a more immediately impact, it is important to look at reducing the number of Ultra processed foods (UPF’s) on the market which too many people gravitate towards. For example, the government could impose a tax on UPF’s to increase the price, and also reduce the cost of healthy foods, such as vegetables, to encourage a better diet.

In conclusion, I believe the best approach to tackling weight issues in the population starts with diet and exercise in schools but must also include encouraging a healthier diet through price changes targeting specific foods on the market.

TIPS FOR AGREE/DISAGREE ESSAY (OPINION ESSAY)

• An Agree Disagree Essay is 100% the same as an Opinion Essay – they are two names for the same essay.
• Always analyse the essay question carefully and make sure you identify the key issue or issues in the essay question.
• Plan your main ideas and supporting points before you start writing.
• Introduction
• Topic Sentence
• Supporting points (usually two or three)
• (please note that sometimes it is possible to have three body paragraphs, you’ll find examples for model essays here: ALL MODEL ESSAYS FOR WRITING TASK 2
• Conclusion paragraph
• Make sure your introduction is not too long. Just paraphrase the essay question (background statement) and present your opinion (thesis statement).
• Make sure your opinion is consistent from introduction to conclusion. You can’t change your opinion during your essay.
• Each body paragraph presents a main idea which explains your opinion.
• Your body paragraphs should be equally developed for a high score.
• Supporting points must be relevant to the topic sentence of the paragraph.
• Never miss the conclusion. Keep it short, but make sure you write it! See this video about missing the conclusion: Using the last 5 mins in the writing test
• It is possible to have a partial agreement for the essay above where you think sports lessons are a good solution, but there is another more effective solution that must also be taken into consideration.
• Aim to write between 270 and 290 words. As you can see, my model essay above is over 300 words. However, that shouldn’t be your aim. More words open you up to more criticism.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU When to give your opinion in an IELTS essay Advantage Disadvantage Model Essay Discussion Essay Model Answer OPINION ESSAY PRACTICE QUESTIONS ALL WRITING TASK 2 MODEL ESSAYS AND TIPS

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The increasing number of overweight people is becoming a serious problem in the health care system which is why we should take immediate action to tackle this problem. In my opinion, the most effective solution to this problem is improving the physical education programs in school. However, I also believe diet is important to health.

Initially, enhancing our knowledge of physical education will help us to realize the importance of healthy lifestyle which is often be ignored. In some cases, people usually remains unaware of how the overweight can becomes the serious problem. For this reason, I think the most initial course of action to solve this problem is to introducing them the real possible consequences of being overwighted. So that, people will be more encouraged to take action by learning profoundly about the physical education.

In additionally, in order to making the solution more complex, lessons about healthy diet also needs to be implemented all together. The primary reason of overweight mainly comes from bad eating habits or heavy diets.

In conclusion, the best way to deal with this problem is encourage people to have a good knowledge of psysical education and healthy diets.

I would like you to go to the main writing task 2 page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/ and review everything about how to structure an essay, how long it should be and review the length and format of all model essays. This why you will learn more about tackling an IELTS essay.

Hi, liz this is my approach for this essay have divided it into 4 para but the approach in writing is a bit different, would love to get some pointer on this essay which I wrote. thank you. time taken: 25 min 59 sec

Due to the growing number of obese people increasing strain on the health care system. Some suggest that the most efficient way to deal with this crises, is to introduce more physical education lessons in the school curriculum. This essay agrees with this view as regular exercise keeps one fit, but there are certain aspect like genetics, which also plays an important role.

Increasing regular exercise in schools definitely helps in tackling the issues of being overweight by making exercise a regular habit. As the student in school will be forced to do exercise every day as a part of curriculum, which helps the future generation be more healthier thereby putting less strain on the healthcare ecosystem. A recent study found that a person who does regular exercise will generally be much more healthier and in a good shape than one who does not.

However, there are some other aspect which may lead one to be fat. One such reason is genetics which is inherit and no amount of exercise can treat it. So a more holistic approach can give a much better result in long term which may include dietary guidelines to be followed with regular exercise, as unhealthy diet also leads to obesity. A similar strategy is followed in Japan, where students are involved in physical activities every day followed by a nutritious diet plan. This helped Japan to have a really healthy population reducing a huge amount of stress from their hospitals.

I would like to conclude my essay, supporting the initiative to introduce physical activities in class. However I believe additional changes in the initiative such as healthy diet plan will bring over better results.

Although my website doesn’t provide a feedback service, I will give you a couple of pointers relating to how to tackle an IELTS essay, particularly an Opinion Essay. 1) You are being asked for your opinion. This means it is your personal opinion. The words “this essay agrees” is not your personal opinion. You MUST use “I believe” or “In my opinion” – any words that use I or My to express your own view. 2) Grammar – pay attention to your complex sentences. The first sentence is grammatically incorrect without a clear verb. So, you mean “the growing number of people are putting an increased strain”? 3) Your first body paragraph is about how exercise/sports in schools can combat being overweight. This isn’t about being fit or being healthy – it’s about weight. Your paragraph must address the issue directly – overweight people. 4) This essay is about solutions to obesity. The suggested solution is more exercise/sports in schools. Your task is to give your opinion about whether this is the best solution to tackle obesity and possibly offer alternatives. This essay is not about the reasons people are obese. So, mentioning genetics is irrelevant and your topic sentence is offer topic. Certainly, you can tackle diet, but to write a whole sentence at the start of a body paragraph giving the reason of obesity is off topic. The first sentence of any body paragraph contains the main ideas of the whole paragraph. If the whole paragraph is about diet, then the first sentence introduces it. 5) “In conclusion” is the right way to introduce a conclusion in a formal essay. You can also use “To conclude” or “To sum up.” Linking words are for accuracy and clarity – not to used in a creative way or a chatty way.

Review all my free model essays and tips: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/ . You’ll see all my model essays are similar in structure and linking words – this is because they illustrate the right way to approach an IELTS essay to fulfil the requirements of a high score. If you need training, see my advanced lessons in my store: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Thanks for the input, I will check out your advance lesson and try to reproach writing task 2

I redid the easy

An increasing number of obese people is straining the healthcare system, thus a number of people think that the best way to tackle this particular issue is to introduce more physical education classes in school curriculum. In my opinion I don’t agree that introducing more physical education lesson will help over weight crises. Instead awareness on balance diet and medication is the correct way forward.

Introduction of a balance diet in school is actually an optimum way to tackle the obesity issue rather than focussing on exercise. Nowadays students tend to eat a lot of ultra processed food, which is said to be a leading cause to get fat. Therefore schools should focus more on their student diet and change their lunch program to include much healthier option by introducing more protein and fibre (meat and vegetables) and reduce carbs.

Furthermore, more than half of the young population in India is obese not due to lack of exercise, but rather due to extreme amount of stress. Already students are quite stressed out and overworked. Adding extra hours of physical classes, without their consent, will further stress them out which can lead to issues such as over eating and eventually getting much fatter than before. So school should focus more on rest and introduce a program where students receive an optimum amount of rest.

Lastly, a large number of population is obese because of genetics, in such case exercise is not the way out. Rather an awareness program is needed, where students should be thought about the medication required in this case and its diagnosis, so they can start early and avoid further complications, thus reducing the load on the medical system.

I would like to conclude by adding that extra physical classes do not help with weight loss. Balance diet and correct medication is the right way forward.

Your ideas are being marked on relevancy and whether you have fully addresses the task. Your idea that stress causes obesity isn’t actually explained. It is an unusual idea to present. Personally, I would stick with points that we already know – exercise, diet and a balanced, healthy life style all play a role. And please remember that “I would like to conclude” is not appropriate for a formal essay. Just use “In conclusion” or “To conclude” – you need to no other linking words to open the conclusion for a band score 9.

I knew that stress could be a weird point but I came across that in an article and was impressed as it was a very unusual, I don’t know if the point holds true but I still thought to add it

You definitely should not be going for unusual ideas. The way ideas are marked in IELTS is not based on how interesting or unusual they are. In fact, that plays no part in marking. You are marked on how relevant the ideas are. This means the more normal and usual the idea is, the better. So, choosing points such as diet, exercise and life style in relation to weight are the ideas that known to be relevant and valid – those are the ideas to choose. Always remember that you must choose wisely in IELTS writing. Choose ideas that are known to the relevant and easy to explain for a high score. If the examiner stops reading your essay to think – that’s weird, that doesn’t make sense – you’ll get a lower score.

Hi Liz, thanks for all the tips. How would you rate my answer, and how can i improve it? I would be grateful if you could answer these questions! ans One of the main problems in the health care system is the increasing number of overweight people. It is thought by some people that the best method to handle this issue is to introduce exercise and sports classes in the school timetables. I strongly agree with these statements as obesity might not be seen as a major problem in the country, but health deteriorating due to obesity is a major issue.

Being overweight can cause a lot of problems not only in one’s physical health but also in one’s mental health. While exercise and sports can help overweight people in losing excess fat, diet is a crucial aspect too. One reason that people are overweight is because they had no subjects or courses on physical education in their school curriculum. Sports and physical education not only help students maintain good fitness, but they also bring discipline to them and a sense of responsibility.

However, sports and fitness alone are not enough to deal with this problem on a large scale. Diet must also be introduced in the course curriculum as it plays just as important a part as sports in maintaining good health. Students must be taught about various aspects of diet such as healthy food, food to avoid, palm oil, processed food, trans fat, sugar, etc. Teaching them the concept of calories can be very beneficial for them.

In conclusion, I believe sports, physical education, and diet are three of the most important aspects of maintaining good health and a healthy weight.

The aim of my website is not to provide feedback. But today I do have some time to drop a comment. 1) There is only one statement that you need to give an opinion on and that is about schools providing more exercise classes to tackle the number of overweight people. Your aim is not to comment on the fact that this puts a strain on the health care system (that is just background information). The aim is also not to discuss the problems of obesity. 2) Your introduction does not provide a clear opinion – do you think physical education is schools is the best way to tackle obesity? What is your answer? Be clear and be direct. If you agree that physical education in schools is a good way to tackle this, then you must say it clearly. Your thesis statement does not contain a relevant opinion because you are not being asked if you think obesity is a problem. So, you will be marked down on this. 3) Your first body paragraph contains mixed ideas with no clear relevant opinion. a) your topic sentence is confusing – you’ve written that being overweight is a problem – this isn’t what the essay is about, the essay is about solutions to obesity. Your topic sentence must contain a clear point in favour of your opinion relating to the solutions of obesity. b) the next sentence is confusing – is this paragraph about sports or diet? You can have only one clear point per paragraph in IELTS. You will be marked down for this. c) you add that sports lessons help bring discipline – this is off topic and irrelevant to the essay which is about solutions to obesity. The examiner will note all these details about your essay (a, b & c) and your score will suffer for them. 4) Note that sports are part of physical education in schools – they aren’t separate.

All these points above relate to both Task Response and Coherence & Cohesion. That means they will impact your score for both marking criteria which together count for 50% of your writing task 2 marks. These aren’t small issues. They all relate to your technique. IELTS essays are not “normal essays”. They are essays designed specifically for IELTS to fulfil the marking criteria. So, you must learn the techniques and the right way to approach writing task 2. Your English is good enough for a high score, but your lack of understanding of IELTS essays will lower that score a lot. Here is a link to my free lessons, model essays and tips: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/ . But to learn the techniques for essays relating to the band score requirements in detail, see my advanced lessons in my store for step by step guidance: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

I hope everyone can learn from this example essay and feedback.

Hey liz, i hope you are doing well. Would you spare a time for me to give a check on my essay and give recommendations and bands. I would be thankful to you.

The figure of fatty people has been increasing , and it can cause serious health problems. This has caused the distress among health department. To confront this issue, some people suggest that many fitness pertaining subjects should be added in school. In this essay, i will provide my opinion.

Firstly, by introducing physical health subject would result in improvement in the knowledge of students regarding body. many students does not have concern regarding their shape because they do not know that maintaining it is actually a thing to do and how many benefits are for maintaining a fit body. By the time, people grow they do not realise how they have destroy their body by not maintain it.

If we discuss further, junk food has also become a problem for youth. Mainly, the reason for over weight is due to eating burgurs, pizza and all sort of fast food. Majority of people does not think of that how much fat, oil it has which causes problems. Moreover, it has become a social status for people there are certain applications inwhich people give photos and videos what they eat following that other people also do the same which creates a trend of eating and showing of fast food.

In contrast, introducing health lectures in education system can cause over thinking among children. The children who enjoys alot of eating without any thinking would be in sudden depression if he/she know about the problems it may cause and it would destroy the enjoyment of children.

All thing considered, it can be seen that launching fitness period in academic can have variety of benefits to the youth.

The aim of my website doesn’t include writing feedback, but today I have some time for a few comments.

1) Paraphrasing – you paraphrase when you are 100% sure a word is a perfect replacement or to even improve language. The word “fatty people” is not suitable and shouldn’t be used. Likewise, “among health department” “fitness pertaining subjects” “a fit body” or “fitness period”. Each time you paraphrase and get it wrong, it is a reason for the examiner to lower your score. Your first two sentences should be: “The number of people who are overweight is increasing and this causes problems for health care services.” If you are not sure about changing a word, don’t change it. It is better for your score to repeat a word than choose badly.

2) You do not need “In this essay, I will provide my opinion”. Your thesis statement should provide your opinion. Watch the video on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/how-many-paragraphs-for-an-ielts-essay/ to learn how to write an introduction.

3) This is an Opinion Essay so introduce your opinion in the introduction and explain your opinion with one clear point in each body paragraph.

4) Never have one main point less developed than the other. All body paragraphs are equal length.

5) Don’t go off topic. This essay isn’t about why people become overweight (such as taking photos of food for social media). It’s about solutions to the problem. The whole essay, every paragraph and every single sentence must address and relate to ways of tackling this problem.

What I see from your writing is that you lack an insight into IELTS writing skills. You must learn what IELTS wants from an essay. I highly recommend you get my advanced lessons which you can find in my store: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

thankyou liz , for your feedback . I will work on it. 🙏❤️

Thank you for the good work you are doing and wish you a speedy recovery. I’m a big fan of your website actually and hoping to come out with flying colors in my up coming ielts exams.

Please in your thesis statement you agreed with the background statement but you also used the word ”BUT” and introduced diet as one way of tackling the overweight issues. Now my question is, doesn’t the word ”BUT” contradict your opinion and therefore nullify everything you’ve said?

Thank you for your response.

When you first learn English, you are often given simple explanations of how to use a word or what the word means. But as you develop your English, you become aware that words can have extended meanings and other uses. This is the case with But or However. It isn’t only used to negate the clause before, but can be used to add information as well that is conditional. For example, I love pizza, but only if there’s pineapple on it. This doesn’t mean you don’t love pizza, it just means there are conditions to the pizza you like. So, in this essay, the writer agrees it is a good solution, but adds the condition that there are other solutions that also must be considered alongside the first one. The examiner will notice how well linking words are used to reflect a higher understanding of English.

well understood. Thank you so much Liz

Due to an increasing number of obese people and their health concerns, health authorities have to make a significant effort to solve their health issues. To control this, some people believe that teaching physical workouts in schools is the best measure. However, I disagree with it because there are more effective solutions, such as educating people about balanced meals, and public awareness on quick home-workouts.

Public awareness about a balanced diet is a paramount concern in this regard. This is because that many people do not know about nutrition quantities that they should take in each meal. Hence, they eat junk food, excessive amounts of carbo-rich food, and fatty-food, which lead to obesity and related health issues. If they are educated about this, they will start to eat healthy food, and it will alleviate this situation. For instance, in Sri Lanka, many obese people have reduced their weights by following the meal plans that are published in the Face Book by Dr. Wannaku.  

One another important measure to mitigate this situation is educating public about an easy exercise schedule that can be done in home. This is effective because many people avoid physical exercises due to unavailability of facilities, and due to the difficulty of traveling to such facilities. Therefore, if they are taught to do a home-workout, they can do it from their homes without any equipment. This will help people to maintain healthy weights. For example, nowadays, some people stay healthily by doing equipment-free workouts available in mobile applications.

In conclusion, I believe that rather than teaching physical education lessons in the school, there are more effective solutions, such as educating people about eating healthy meals and equipment-free home exercise schedules.  

Although the aim of my website isn’t to provide feedback on writing, I do have time for a quick comment. The essay is about physical education in schools as a solution for obesity. In your introduction, you have stated you don’t agree. But where is the body paragraph that explains it? Just because you don’t agree doesn’t mean you can basically ignore the specific topic given (physical education in schools). You must address this in your essay. Then you can add your own understanding in another body paragraph. This is part of the marking criterion of Task Response.

Thanks a lot Liz for your valuable feedback. I just confused during planning on this point. I am well clear now for this type of questions. Thanks again for your valuable time.

The increasing number of overweight cases is placing a burden on the healthcare system in an attempt to resolve the problem. It is thought by some people that introducing sports and exercise lessons into school curriculum can help tackle this issue effectively. In my opinion, I think that this kind of scheme will be a good idea, however, health education should also be taken into consideration.

One good reason of introducing physical education lessons in school curriculum in order to tackle overweight problems is that it will help maintain the fitness levels of students. In other words, sporting activities will help students to be active and also give them a sense of consciousness about their health. This will help them to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle even after school as this will become part of them. The physical education lessons will stress on the importance of healthy living through exercise which will greatly benefit both individual and the nation.

Another point to consider in addressing this issue is to emphasize the importance of health education. Health education will help create awareness and also educate people about the advantages of living and maintaining healthy lifestyle as well as the complications bad habit will have on their health. Through health education people will be conscious about their diet, the need to reduce stress, and the value of regular exercise which is essential in preventing obesity. This will go a long way to benefit the society because a healthy people builds a healthy nation. It will also help reduce the workload on the healthcare system. Government will also spend less on treatments of these health related problems and can channel the money to other aspect of the economy.

In conclusion, the introduction of sporting activities into school curriculum and the education of people on their health will go a long way in tackling overweight issues in a country.

Hi Liz, Thank you for this wonderful website. I have a small doubt. In the “to what extent do you agree or disagree” questions, we have three options. (Completely agree, completely disagree, or have a balanced view)

For questions like “Do you agree or disagree?” can we have a balanced view? Or should we choose either completely agree or completely disagree and give my opinion on what I chose? Thank you.

It actually makes no difference how the instructions are written. The instructions could be: To what extent do you agree? Do you agree? Do you agree or disagree? What do you think? To what extend do you agree or disagree? All these instructions are the same and they are all Opinion Essays. IELTS likes to change the wording so that people don’t become dependant on wording. You can have a balanced view (partial agreement), full agreement or disagreement – the choice it yours, no matter the wording of the instructions. But never forget that a balanced view does NOT mean you agree with both sides – it is about having a specific view point and must be written carefully or you’ll get a low score in Task Response.

The increasing number of overweight issues is placing a burden on the healthcare system in an attempt to resolve this problem. It is thought by some people that introducing sports and exercise lessons into the school curriculum can help tackle the issue effectively. In my opinion, I think that this kind of scheme will be a good idea, however, health education should also be taken into account.

One good reason of introducing physical education lessons in school curriculum in order to tackle overweight problems is that it will maintain fitness levels of the students. In other words, sporting activities will help students to be active and also give them a sense of consciousness about their health. This will help them develop and maintain healthy lifestyle even after school as this will become part of them. The physical education lessons will stress on the importance of living and maintaining healthy lifestyle through exercise which will greatly benefit both individual and the nation.

Another point to consider in addressing overweight issues is to emphasize the importance of health education. Health education will help create awareness and also educate people about the advantages of maintaining a healthy lifestyle as well as the complications bad habits will have on their health. Through health education people will become conscious about their diet, the need to reduce stress, and the value of regular exercise which is essential in preventing obesity. This will go a long way to benefit the society because a healthy people builds a healthy nation. It will also help reduce the workload on the healthcare system. Government will also spend less money on treatment of these health related problems and can channel it to other aspect of the economy.

In conclusion, the introduction of sporting activities in school curriculum and the education of people on their health will go a long way in tackling overweight issues in a country.

Hi Liz, what would be the score if it’s written in a real exam?

All model essays on my website are band score 9. The techniques and tips are the same regardless of which band score you are aiming for. The difference in the final score will depend on how good you are at applying those techniques and the level of your English.

Hi Liz, thank you very much for all the tremendous work you’ve been doing! I feel a bit confused re the topic sentence for the first body paragraph as it seems to me extremely similar to the thesis. Do you think we can use the second sentence of this para as a topic sentence instead, saying “Firstly, this method will….etc”. Thank you in advance!

This is a good question. When we write “This method will ….” it is called referencing. It is a language feature that is marked in IELTS Writing, under Coherence & Cohesion (not grammar). In IELTS essays, you count each paragraph as a new entity. You can reference inside the paragraph but not from one paragraph to another. So, we could write “this method” …” in the same paragraph where we have already mentioned the method. We cannot use “it” or “this” at the start of a new body paragraph referring to something in the previous paragraph. The first sentence of a body paragraph is called a Topic Sentence, it contains the main point – it must always be written in full. The examiner should never have to stop reading to go back to a different paragraph to see what you are talking about. IELTS essays are different from other academic essays you might write in school, college or university.

Liz, thank you!

it’s very interesting and looks perfectly logical now.

Hi Liz, thanks for your wonderful website. I’m learning so much.

I want to ask you about the opinion essay. What is the difference between To What Extend Do You Agree and the essay which is Do You Agree? Are they the same or different. I’m confused.

Please advice me.

This is a common concern that people have. An Opinion Essay question might have different instructions. It might be “To what extent do you agree?” or “Do you agree?” or “Do you agree or disagree?” or “What is your opinion?”. Regardless of how the instructions are written, you can use the same approach, the same techniques because it is exactly the same essay task but with paraphrased instructions. You could agree, you could disagree or you could have a partial agreement, which is sometimes called a “balanced view” but does not mean that you convert it into a discussion essay. At no point can you sit on the fence. You are being marked on giving a clear opinion and explaining your opinion.

I watched lots of video of you 3 years ago and now I am preparing my IELTS test.

Please i need clarity in this kind of opinion question. From the available sample, the agreement is always the last sentence in the introduction paragraph. can i start the paragraph with “I agree” and have other parts of the intro coming after it?

Is it possible too to, in restructuring the introduction paragraph to fuse the “I agree” statement and continue with other supposed parts of the introduction ?

Please advise

You’ll find a free video lesson about how to write an introduction for writing task 2 on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

Dealing with obesity issues has long been a concern, as it poses a significant burden on health care organizations. Some people argue that introducing more physical education lessons in the school curriculum is the best solution. I completely agree with this opinion because it will motivate individuals to become healthier. First and foremost, introducing physical education lessons in the school curriculum will educate students about the detrimental effects of being overweight. Regular physical exercise has been proven to encourage a healthy lifestyle. For instance, schools that incorporate daily physical activities see lower rates of obesity among students. This demonstrates that the more physical exercise students engage in, the higher their potential to maintain a healthy and well-shaped body. Secondly, more physical education lessons will inspire students to engage in sports and develop lifelong healthy habits. From a young age, students will learn that exercise is fundamental to maintaining good health, which will help build a healthier generation in the future. By fostering a culture of physical activity, we can ensure that individuals grow up understanding the importance of fitness and incorporating it into their daily lives. In conclusion, I believe that incorporating more physical education lessons into the school curriculum is an effective way to combat obesity. Such programs would instill healthy habits in young people and raise awareness about the health risks associated with being overweight.

In past 10 years have seen a dramatic increase in the obesity rate .These numbers are rising day by day ,thereby putting stress on medical system to tackle these issues . It is considered by some people that by providing physcially or sports education in schools this problem can be solved . I partially agree with this idea and in this essay i will support my opinion with examples.

Firstly , long- term approach must be introduced by schools . For example, sport or health care syllabus should introduce in school curriculum because by doing this , students will habitual of playing games in ground ratherthan spending their time leisure time on mobile phones. Consequently , this idea will assists people to keep away from sedentary lifestyle. Moreover,by organisisng monthly sport tournaments, obesity rate is likely to be decrease as well as that will help for their good mental growth as well such as, if people will take part in sports that will assist for decrease the weight also they can relief from the pressure of daily other activities . Futher and even more interesting note that these activites will develop positive attitude towards their health and give solutions to control on obesity .

On other hands, medical system is also responsible for tackle this problem because not all students have same ability to play in ground such as , some students are not physcially strong thus they are unable to play games . Thus , health care assits these people to get rid from overweight . Futhermore , students from low – income families could not pay for extra seesions or games activities resultant they have to suffer with obesity and worse mental health . Therefore , health care department is also considerable for find the solutions regarding obesity .

In conclusion , although school plays important role to decrease this problem , role of medical system can not be given nelson ‘s eyes .

It has been noted that there is an increase in the number of people who are overweight, and this increase has a negative impact on the health care system. Physical activity awareness could be incorporated in schools to counter the problem and help reduce the pressure that the health care system faces.

Healthcare systems are created to help in the recovery and maintenance of health in the human population. In over the years, being overweight has been linked to the cause of many illnesses and sometimes the reason why recovery of health is slow or unsuccessful. I believe that exposure to information about physical health is important and influence the population to engage in more physical activity especially if it is introduced in early ages, for example, in schools as a subject.

Developing a hobby through physical education at schooling age will most certainly improve the populations awareness in maintaining a healthy weight and therefore help the health care system to provide efficient services with ease. I fully agree that physical education is a good intervention that should be implemented globally.

Don’t forget you will definitely get a low score if you fail to write a conclusion. It’s essential.

hello, i’ve noticed that you did not mention your opinion in the introduction.

A large number of people who are overweight, causing different difficulties in the health care system. A group of people think that adding more sports and exercise in the school might be helpful in order to mitigate the issue. However, I do partially agree with this and believe that along with the physical education lessons in the school, education about healthy diet and physical activities outside of the school is also essential to tackle the issue. Gaining weight is 80% depending on what we are eating in a day. the knowledge of the carb, protein, and vegetable intake in a meal can be helpful to maintain a healthy lifestyle and control weight. As a result, schools can arrange sessions for the students and sometimes for the parents to educate what a balanced meal is. In addition to this, educating about the impact of junk foods on our bodies also how it can damage our different organs can be beneficial for individuals at schools. Another key factor for gaining weight is less activity after school. Usually, after a tiring day at school, most student prefers to stay at home, play video games, or be idle. As a result, they do less physical activities and gain weight. Parents can play an important role in the early childhood of students by encouraging them to do outdoor activities like swimming, skiing, and playing badminton during weekends or after school hours. This will be helpful to keep them active throughout the day/week. In conclusion, adding physical activities to the school curriculum can be a good initiative. However, focusing on educating about a balanced diet and ensuring to do after-school activities can be helpful in handling the issue of being overweight.

Your thesis statement states that you agree exercise in school is needed. Then your body paragraphs completely ignore that point and only talk about food education and after-school activities. You’ll get a low score for ignoring the main part of the task, which is your opinion (fully developed) about exercise in schools. I strongly recommend that you get my advanced lessons to learn precisely how to tackle these essays: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/ . You must learn how to tackle essays for IELTS so that you fulfil the marking criteria. The other issue is grammar. For example, your first sentence: “A large number of people who are overweight” = this is the subject of the sentence. It is a noun phrase. The next word should be a verb, but it isn’t. You ought to write “is causing” which is a present continuous because the problem is happening now. There also shouldn’t be a common between the subject and verb. The more errors you make in grammar and vocabulary, the lower your score. Aim for accuracy in every sentence and with every word. I have a Grammar E-book in my store to help you with your grammar.

As a result of the strain being placed on the healthcare system due to the growing number of overweight people, a number of people think that the best way to deal with this problem is to introduce more physical education lessons in the school curriculum of which I strongly disagree. I believe that providing easy accessibility of healthier foods and provision of foods that are lower in calories, as well as reducing the amount of sugars present in packaged foods and beverages would be a more effective method of tackling the problem of a growing number of overweight people in the society.

According to numerous researches conducted in recent times, the major cause of the growing number of overweight people in this generation is poor diet. An increasing number of people rely on fast foods and packaged foods for their main meals during the day and unfortunately, most of these foods are loaded with an outrageous amount of artificial sugars and are very calorie dense leading to a higher number of obese people in the society. Making healthier foods such as vegetables and whole grains more accessible and affordable by slashing their prices and making them available across all mini marts and supermarkets would go a long way in making it easier for people to make healthier food choices without breaking the bank or going to extreme lengths to access these foods.

In addition to this, the government should make it compulsory for packaged food producing companies to reduce the quantity of artificial sugars in the foods they produce. They should be mandated to make their foods as healthy as possible and made to reduce the quantity of calories present in these foods as much as is possible while retaining all the health benefits of such foods. For example, the Coca-cola company recently reduced the sugar content in their drinks while retaining the same taste, this goes to great lengths to prove that this is indeed a possibility.

In conclusion, I reiterate my stance that rather than introducing physical education lessons in the school curriculum which is a more passive approach to such an urgent matter, a more effective method of tackling the growing number of obese people in the society would be promoting accessibility and affordability of healthier food choices as well as mandating packaged food producing companies to reduce the quantity of sugars in foods they produce.

Try to remember your aim is to write an essay of around 270-290 words. Longer is definitely not the goal for IELTS. See this page with model answers and tips: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

The increased rate of obesity is creating a problem in the health care system. Some people believe that to help solve the crisis it is imperative to present additional physical activities as part of school curriculum. I highly agree that it will be a crucial start to motivate young individuals in making way towards a healthy living.

Nowadays, most schools have a physical education intended for every student as part of their school curriculum. In addition to the said physical education are numerous kinds of extracurricular activities that some active students participate in. For example, football, basketball and running- all these activities are not graded as it is only an optional activity for students. In spite of the encouragement of many educators for young individuals to get engaged in many sports, there are many students who opt not to be involved at all. As a result, physical education only works if there is a grading system for students to follow. Moreover, students will be more motivated if they are constantly reminded that health education is a competitive subject that they need to pass.

Moreover, physical education that will be implemented at school will be a beginning of the young generations’ choices towards a healthy life. If the students know the importance of being in a good shape has a significant effect on their future, it will be a solid foundation for them to continue their healthy lifestyle even after they graduate from school. Through this they will aim not only to have good grades but for a positive and long lasting effect on their life.

In conclusion, physical education that is introduced as part of school curriculum will be a beginning of building a strong motivation to young individuals in making good and healthy choices throughout their lives.

I have a question: in opinion essays, should we present points in favor and points against, or should all points support our opinion? My issue is that I’ve seen some essays uploaded to these websites that have two paragraphs stating why they hold the opinion they have chosen, while others, like this one, list points in favor and against as if it were a discussion and finally state which one carries more weight. The difference is that in this one, it only states whether one agrees, and in the other, it states whether one agrees or disagrees (social media opinion). Can you explain this? Thank you in advance

I’m not fully sure I understand what you mean. So, I’ll try to guess. All Opinion Essays focus on your opinion only, not the opinion of other people. You can agree, you can partly agree (ie agree to some extent but not totally or have a specific view point) or you can disagree. Whatever your opinion, the whole essay is about it. This essay above agrees with the statement that exercise is the best method and the whole essay explains. The essay about social media asked about the effects on individuals and the community. The writer said it was positive for individuals but negative for communities – that was the opinion, the whole essay tackled that opinion. It is not about being in favour or against, it is about having an opinion, stating it and then explaining it. It is not related to other people’s opinions, only your own. See my advanced lessons for more detailed training: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Hi Liz! I hope you’re doing well. It’s so nice to see you back😊. Liz I have a question I am going to write computer based test so in listening part can I write the answers in capital letters. Please let me know I am going to write my exam this week on April 27th

For the computer based test, handwriting is not an issue so you can use upper or lower case, as you wish.

Can I write examples from my own life? like ” For example, my friend was fit because……….”

All IELTS writing task 2 essays, for both the GT test and Academic test, are formal essays. That means you are not writing about friends, family or yourself. But rather your understanding and knowledge of people and the world in general. See all my model essays to learn the tone and types of essays: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/ . For detailed training, get my advanced lessons in my store: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

It is true that nowadays, the rise in the ratio of obese patients, are putting a significant amount of pressure on health systems to cater for their deteriorating health needs. A good number of people believe that the best way to deal with this endemic is to incorporate health education in school programs. This essay will completely agree to this statement and give relevant examples.

First and foremost, there are various reasons to this statement. However, the most powerful to this, is the ability to increase the life span of the young adults. This means that when adolecents are being educated enough on the risk of overweight, they are likely to change their habits. Most especially, when they are practiced at school level, this is because children learn better when they are with their colleagues. For example, a result to a research conducted in a montessori school revealed that children aged 4-17 consumed a ton of sugary snacks which was filled with unhealthy calories and they never liked fruits and vegetables as well. All of them had unequal body mass index which was detrimental to their health and if had continued they were continously going to be filled with infirmity and weren’t going to live long. The school changed and incorporated health science in their curriculum. In less than a year after evaluation, the children were all living well, loved healthy snacks. which resulted zero hospital visit.

Furthermore, the second benefit to eradicating obesity is incorporating sporty activities in the routine of their students. By so doing, pupils will always burn off excess calories while engaging in their favourite sports. This will also encourage people around them like their parents to get fit when they see the benefits in their kids. It is proven that parents with sporty children ends up finding interest in sports to encourage their children in doing better. In doing this, they are unconsciously living a healthy lifestyle thereby reducing the risk of obesity in the society.

To sum up, the preferred method to eradicate unhealthy weight is by educating children in schools and instilling exercise in their routine.

Just a quick comment. For an opinion essay, you can’t write “this essay will”. This essay question is asking for your opinion – your personal opinion. If you fail to give it, you will lose marks. Also make sure body paragraphs are equally developed and equally supported. See my advanced lessons to learn how to tackle this essay type: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

I was able to score 7.5 for my Academic Writing with the help of your valuable guidance. Thanks a lot for your genuine effort

That’s a great score! Very well done 🙂

Hii mam, please check the essay below and tell me band score of it and also tell where I did mistakes.

I argued that the people who are heavyweight visiting health care systems to reduce the weight,but few people thought that correct way to solve this issue at school about physical education lessons.I completely agree about the problem think that each and every school should introduce about physical education. first of all, nowadays most of the people are visiting to healthcare to reduce the weight because their is no proper exercises.so,to solve this problem at school education has to introduce about physical education lessons although they have to take care about exercise thrice in a week even though keep more activities about exercise. moreover encourage the children to participate in the physical activities while it should introduce from schooling about the physical exercise so their people donot face any issues about their weight.By using medication people can face health issues.Fir example in an army education they thought about physical activities like running, long jumps, overweight lifts so,in this education they maintain a proper weight however people don’t have any health issues. To conclude every educational institution should have about physical exercise and educate them by keeping the lessons on physical activities so we can avoid overweight problems.

Can you please share your feedback on my essay:

Overweight has always been a great challenge in the past few decades. These days patient list is increasing, not because of serious illness or emergency cases, but because of weight gain problems. Lately, people have started believing that to combat this issue; schools must include physical education as extra course. Although, the idea behind the belief is partially correct, but providing students with only these classes will not address the problem completely.

In a World health survey report of 2019, it was recorded that in Finland, there are least number of cases when it comes to health and fitness related sickness. Finland spends heavily on the health awareness programs at schools, and which, in turn, prepares students right from the very beginning, to be conscious about their body. However, this research doesn’t show the full picture, because Finland’s residents are eating only organic food since last 3 decades. Moreover, the deep cultural and traditional norm of Finland is to have only one meal a day, which automatically keeps people fit and fine.

Adding to the above point, school teachings are not the only way to create health awareness. In a research published by Doctor Prakashmurthy, at IIT Roorkee, it was discovered that hormones and stress levels play a crucial role in fat storage. Hence rather than some exercises, people of India opt for Yoga and meditation as tools to combat body problems related to weight gain.

To conclude, I agree that children should be trained about health and fitiness in schools, but it is also vital to teach them discipline about eating food and involve them in other activities, which are related to calmness of body, as these eventually leads to a healthy and fit body and mind.

It is often argued that the increasing number of obese people is putting a strain on the healthcare system. Some masses believe that the best way to tackle this problem is to introduce more physical education in the school curriculum. I completely agree with this opinion and think that it’s the most important thing that every school should do.

First of all, doing physical exercises daily enhances not only your physical health but also your mental health. Introducing physical education in the school curriculum provides daily basis physical training which helps to remove unnecessary fats and also helps to become free from anxiety, tension, and pressure which ultimately benefits both physical and mental health. For instance, students involved in daily basis physical education can be qualified for jobs related to body physics such as Army. Thus it is better to introduce more physical education.

Secondly, physical activity in schools is one of the best ways to eradicate obesity problems. It helps to form the habit in students on involving in physical activity. Even if the student completes their education in school, they have good knowledge of physical education which they can apply for the rest of their life. That’s why it is important to include physical education in every school, curriculum.

To conclude, I strongly believe that involving physical education in the school curriculum is beneficial because it helps to eradicate the obesity problem in a more holistic way.

there is no doubt that, I contemporary era, the majority of individuals are becoming victims of obesity, hence, it is suggested by few masses that involving the vast information regards physical education in school study, can be proved beneficial to tackle with this issue. I completely agree with this statement. Now I will discuss about this statement in my next sections along with explanation. To commence with, there are numerous reasons for increasing weight related issues. the first and the foremost is unawareness of folks towards balance diet. To clarify it, in modern era, human give high priority to fast food instead of home made, however, junk food has plenty of calories, which is responsible to make people fatty, therefore, it is excellent concept to give possible knowledge about physical education in school to children, because in this age they easily can understand and definitely follow in their future life. furthermore, advancement of technology is second cause fir this problem, To elaborate it, it can be seen that in earliest time, human being needed to move out for work, however, in modern time, it yas become straightforward for them to finish their at home, it means the roberts have been taken replace of human labour, for this reason, people have become lazy and do not anything to keep their body fit and health, and if the knowledge about demerits of enhancing weight will be given in younger age, can be fruitful for adolescence in further life. to conclude, after discussing this statement it is clear that everyone has various thinking, but, in my opinion, this notion is better for every person.

Nowadays, increasing number of obese people is putting a strain on the health care system. Some masses believe that the best way to tackle this problem is to introduce more physical activities lessons in the school curriculum. I completely agree that this is the best way to solve this issue.

to begin with, obesity is become a major problem in the society and adding more physical education lesson in school is the best way to solved this problem. for instance, if more physical lessons are introduced in the schools then children get more time to do physical activities like playing football, cricket and many more physical games, this thing not only make them physically fit but also make them more socialize and mentally happy. hence, adding more physical fitness lessons can change the lifestyle of the students and make them fit physically as well as mentally.

Another point to be consider is that introducing more sports lessons for pupils in school may result in creating more interest of children towards sports and also encourage them to take part in different sports event. Moreover, if a child take part in many sports events then he/she can also encourage their parents to do more physical activities. In other words, parents with more sporty child are more likely to involve in sports as a way of increasing interest of their child towards the sports. Thus, by both parents and children involvement in sports can create a good and healthy society.

In conclusion, to deal with unfit population changing the lifestyle of the coming generation by adding more physical activities in school is the easiest and most effective method.

Very good man

Hello Liz, thank you for making your website a great resource for many of us who are studying for the IELTS!

Essay on obesity topic, any inputs or comments would be greatly appreciated:

Reducing weight can be a challenge for many, and figuring out a solution to this health issue is an important task. Being overweight comes with its own related co-morbidies, such as heart disease, hypercholesterolemia, and osteoarthritis, just to name a few. Consequently, these health issues invariably put a strain on the healthcare system, through the involvement of multidisciplinary teams needed to manage these conditions as well as the cost of medications needed to treat the symptoms. Having said that, physical education lessons implemented at school is a possible solution. However, I disagree with the view that it is necessarily the ‘best way’ to deal with this problem.

Being overweight is defined as having a body mass index greater than 25 kilograms per meter square. Overweight and obesity are becoming an increasingly prevalent condition across the globe, more specifically in first world countries. This is partly because of the surplus in food available (especially fast food) as well as the sedentary lifestyles afforded by the children.

Physical activity in schools is just one way to combat obesity. Evidence-based research has shown that being overweight is not just caused by a sedentary lifestyle, it is a multimodal condition with several etiologies: genetics, diet and lifestyle. Hence, just focussing on one cause will insufficiently address and tackle the issue at hand. There needs to be enough done on all fronts in order to not only tackle the present issue, but also to take preventative measures for future generations.

Besides physical educations classes, governments can direct funds towards preventative campaigns through educational sessions in both school and through advertisements. Moreover, policy changes need to be implemented, which include -but not necessarily limited to – the following: banning sugary drinks and candies from school canteens, reducing junk food availability and providing healthier options such as salads. Parents should also be educated on the need and importance of reducing screen time – a known risk factor for obesity.

In conclusion, there cannot be one “best way” to deal with a complex issue such as overweight. This has to be tackled in a more holistic way in order to attain more statistically signifiant results and outcomes to have an impact on the healthcare system.

I am so grateful for your tutorials. I followed all your lessons, bought some of your e-books for my personal studies and finally wrote my exams this year. I am happy to say that I had Reading 8.0, Listening 7.5, speaking 7.5 and writing 7.0. Now I have informed all my friends about your wonderful website. God richly bless you Liz.

That’s wonderful. Well done to you 🙂 And thanks for sharing my website with others 🙂

It is considered that the best option to mitigate the stress of the health care system in tackling with the increasing overweight population is to make students take more physical education lessons at school. Although I agree that students having more exercise will help to deal with the issue to some extent, more attention should be put on enhancing the health awareness of people from all walks of life to solve the problem thoroughly.

On the one hand, exercise is definitely the best choice to keep fit compared to other improper methods like medicine therapy, especially for younger groups like students who are more energetic and able to refresh themselves at a relatively high speed after a running race. The obesity rates of students who have engaged in a sports club at school are averagely lower than those who have not. Therefore, increasing the number of lessons related to sports at school will have positive impact on tackling with the issue.

On the other hand, the physical education lessons cannot stop the rising trend of the obesity population outside the school, it is necessary to let people of all ages receive the health education. Children at school contributed a part of the population who are overweight, the rest part consist of people with unbalanced lifestyle and people suffered from diseases which are the primary cause of obesity like diabetes. It is inevitable to improve their awareness of staying healthy to deal with the growing number of overweight people. This can be achieved in many ways, health experts can give lectures on prevention of obesity and nutritionists can provide advice on daily diet, which are available for everyone on smartphones or TVs. A great number of people who are out of shape will benefit from the health education, which is the cornerstone of winning the battle with obesity.

To conclude, thought I agree that more sports lessons at school may contribute a part in solving the obesity issue, it is more important to improve the health awareness of people of all ages and only in this way, can we solve the problem thoroughly.

Could someone please give feedback on my essay.

The health care system is struggling to resolve the health problems caused by a number of more and more overweight people. It is addressed that introducing more physical education lessons in the school curriculum is the most efficient method. I totally agree that applying the new classes is the key for public health improvement. One plausible effect of the method is that people will spend more time outside and less time in bed. In fact, overweight and obesity people who are likely to eat quite much are not very active. Additionally, modern technologies contribute a huge impact on the sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, getting them engaged in such outdoor activities will help to improve their body health in a positive way. In other words, they can do frequent exercise and burn more unnecessary fat. Creating a stronger society bond is another feasible consequence of the teaching application. Attending physical lessons at school, people can find new friends, especially when they work in teams, and enhance the mental health. Achieving which, a chain effect on their existing relationships such as parents, siblings and classmates will blast. Gradually, people will get to know each other more and more. Nationwide competitions can be held on a regular basis, producing TV shows which entertain viewers and reducing stress among workers. Therefore, the health care system is no longer restrained. In conclusion, to tackle overweight problems, I consent that people should be active on both their mind and behaviors by emerging themselves in the school curriculum. This is among the easiest and most effective way that is either good for body development and social connection.

You’ve got some grammatical errors and I suggest contracting contractable words…. so instead of saying obesity people, say “obese.”

Overall, good job!

It is thought that some of the problems that the health care system faces due to the growing populations of overweight people can be solved by introducing sport and exercise lessons in the schools’ curriculum. I completely agree that this is the best solution to overcome such some of the health issues, in addition to increasing the awareness of people about healthy diet.

Firstly, I believe that making sport as a mandatory subject in schools will decrease the problems that face the health care system. When children do some exercises at different times in the day, they will get healthier and more fit in the future. Also, this will be reflected to their parents as they watch them. For instance, when parents take their children to a garden and the children start to practice what did they learn in their school, their parents will notice the elasticity of their children and they will start do like their children. This encourages most of people and increases their awareness about the importance of sport to their health.

Secondly, besides sport, an awareness about a healthy diet should be taken into account. Eating a lot of fats and sugar can cause some health problems regardless that someone does some exercises. For example, the government should put some taxes on fast food and reduce the taxes on the healthy food.This will encourage people to buy healthy food and as it becomes a habit to them and their children and they notice the difference in their weight and in turn their health. Thus, I strongly recommend to increase the awareness of people about their healthy food bedsides doing sport.

To conclude, I believe that sport and healthy diet will make a big difference in the health care system when they are introduced to children at schools. This results in increasing the awareness of the next generation about avoiding health problems and following a healthy lifestyle.

I dont think the second point was relevant. If it is being marked for Response point, adding and explaining how diet is helpful seems off-point. I think answering like that will be good for questions that ask you for more ways and solutions to the problem, rather than this type

Hello Respected Madam Liz 💗 Please help me to sort out the problem with the question type * To what extent do you agree or disagree) please i am having so much trouble in this ..

If you need training, please go to my store where you can find an advanced lessons about this essay: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Obesity has become more common in our society due to the busy lifestyle practiced by individuals. This has caused enormous strain on the health care system, which can be avoided by practicing a healthy lifestyle.

It is important to promote awareness among the general public of the health problems that can occur due to obesity.

Increasing the frequency of physical education alone will not effectively solve the issue. That is one of the several other steps to inculcate a healthy lifestyle among people. Exercises have the potential to eliminate the excess calories present in our bodies. Exposing children to a variety of sports can help to identify their interests and sometimes, it can help to create a habit among them. In such cases, it can be taken as a very effective option to prevent the flooding of the health care system due to obesity. According to available statistics, the probability of such an occurrence is negligible.

More than that, a well-balanced, nutritious and healthy diet should be practiced. Governments should step up measures to reduce the accessibility of fast foods rich in Sodium and Sugar. They also can educate their citizens about the healthy diet options, which can be easily substituted for the fast food.

In conclusion, a healthy lifestyle, involving nutritious food, adequate sleep, rest and exercise, when combined in the right proportion, is the only solution to deal with any of the lifestyle abnormalities which overwhelm the health care system.

Hi Liz, Is it correct to write the thesis statement as: “I completely agree with this statement for two reasons which I will elucidate below.” Here, I am not using words related to the prompt because they will be used again in the topic sentences of both the body paragraphs.

That is a learned phrase. Each sentence should be connected to the topic you are given and created uniquely by yourself in the test. Is the topic about family? Is it about education? Each sentence must connect to the specific issues presented in the essay question. However, please note that all my advice is aimed at people aiming for the higher band scores. If you are needing only band 5 or around that score, it would be fine to use such techniques in your essay.

Wow… Liz you are back ..so happy for you ❤

Liz, hi. When they ask to what extent do you agree can I write my thesis statement I completely disagree. What is the difference between to what extent do you agree or disagree question and to what extent do you agree question.

There is no difference at all. IELTS like to paraphrase instructions – it’s still the same essay.

Very magnificaant👍👍👍

Hi Liz, thank you for the tips here, they are really helpful. What is the difference between these two essay types- ‘To what extent do you agree/disagree’ and ‘Do you agree or disagree’

Do i have to answer that ‘I completely agree’ to ‘To what extent do you agree question’ OR should i just answer ‘ I agree’ ( I mean, do i have to state the extent of my agreement or i should just simply say i agree)

They are 100% the same. IELTS like to paraphrase instructions from time to time.

Thank you for the response.

Thank You Liz.

I started my prep using your site, a week before my IELTS exam and I scored an overall 7.5 using your tips. Thanks for uploading such amazing tips and samples. They really helped me a lot in my exam.

Great to hear that you did well. Good for you !! 🙂

Hi. Pleaseeeee answer me if possible. In body paragraphs of agree/disagree essays, the first body paragraph should be assigned to agreement side and the second paragraph should be assigned to disagreement side? Or both paragraphs could be assigned to agreement or disagreement side? Thanks in advance.

Your whole essay is a presentation of your opinion. It is not a discussion essay. If you are unsure, please get my Advanced Lessons: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Hi, Liz. I’ve seen certain solutions to the writing task 1 and 2 with a heading or title. Is that necessary please?

You definitely do not use headings or titles in any IELTS Writing task.

Hi Liz, I had practiced GT Writing Task 2 recently first time. Please check and tell that how much band score I’ll get if the following question will come. I’ll be thankful to you for this. Q- You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic. Write at least 250 words.

In some countries it is thought advisable that children begin formal education at four years old, while in others they do not have to start school until they are seven or eight.

How far do you agree with either of these views?

Answer- In world, some countries believed that proper education of a child should start at the age of 4. On the other hand, other countries do not want to start the education of child before the age of 7 or 8. In my opinion, children have to start his/her education from the age of 4 so that basic concepts will be clear in coming 3-4 year. Firstly, if we discussed about formal education, it requires a formal schooling with adequate content and materials that create interest and increase knowledge related to the subject in a child. A young child brain is in developing stage up to the age of 5. If any country want to start primary education in formal way, it helps to increase knowledge of the children’s. Additionally, They will catch the new terminologies and content in a different ways e.g., play-way method. Secondly, if a country want to start children’s study from the age of 7-8 in formal school, they have to provide some materials and content before school. In other words, they have to provide them education in play schools and with new techniques e.g., learn and play, visual learning etc. When children join the formal school, an evaluation test needs to be taken to check the knowledge and capability they’ll have. After that, based on the performance, particular actions and classes should be arrange so that they all come at equal level. Lastly, I want to share my view that early education is very important. I would prefer to provide early school from the age of 4 so that kids brainstorming can be done at right time. I am strongly agreed to start education from the age of 3-4 years.

Hello, I just took Ielts indicator test. I really messed up with the writing task 2. What I wrote is off topic. I don’t remember the question clearly. It is about lectures and technology and maybe it means that teaching in the class I wrote about lecture paper and students should find information from internet by their own I didn’t write about teaching in class. Do you think I can get 6. Please, reply my message I really need to know If I can’t get 6 I have to try again on 27. I need all skills at least 6.

For listening, In Sec 4, there are 4 multiple questions so I think questions are not the same. I just wanna share the others.

It is important to understanding the way Writing Task 2 is marked. If your essay is off topic then you might get only band 4 or 5 for Task Response. It will depend on whether some parts of your essay are relevant as to what you get for Task Response. Task Response counts for 25% of your Task 2 marks. The other marking criteria for Task 2 will not be affected. You could get band 4 in TR, but get band 8 in the other three marking criteria. You can do the maths. On top of these considerations, you must also consider that Task 1 counts for about 33% of your final marks for Writing. With all these considerations, your overall score will depend on so many factors. You will need to judge for yourself what score to expect in the three other criteria then calculate your prediction for your score in Task 2. Then you will need to add your prediction for Task 1 on to that as well.

Thank u so much for your reply Tr, Liz. In task 1 they asked for one bar chart and pie chart and I think I did well. And thank you so much for your lessons. These help me a lot I really appreciate all these lessons provided, I really mean it. In speaking part 2, the time you didn’t tell a truth to your friends and in part3 why children lie to parents and why people tell lies and that kinds of questions. (just sharing the other friends ). I can’t use earphones in speaking maybe because I’m under 18 and my father had to sit near me. It is ok to use earphones in listening.

Good luck with your results !! Let me know how you do when they arrive

Yes, teacher, I will. Thank u so much for the lessons. My result will not be good as others but I’m glad to study your lessons.

GOD Bless You Hello Liz very thnx for your help

You’re welcome 🙂

Good afternoon Liz.I should say You are very intelligent and thank you very muuuuuch .Since your tips help improve my writing .Thanks😘

Please Liz I took my ielts today I completely agreed on an opinion in my introduction but ended up discussing on partially agreed in the paragraphs, please how will this affect my score

It will affect your score for Task Achievement which is 25% of your task 2 marks. If you look at this page: https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/ielts_task_2_writing_band_descriptors.pdf , you’ll see that presenting a clear position throughout is a requirement for band 7. This means that for this marking criterion, you would struggle to hit band 7 if you alter your opinion in the middle or end of your essay. But luckily. it won’t affect your score for the other three marking criteria for task 2. Hopefully other people reading this comment thread will see the importance of fully planning your essay before you start writing your introduction.

Thank you very much Liz for such a kind support. Your’s blog is the best one which i follow the most in my preparation. Specially i recently bought your Essay ideas e-book, which is also very helpful.

Kind Regards

I’m so glad you are enjoying my Ideas for Topics E-book 🙂

Hello, ma’am, I took my IELTS exam on 11th nov. 2020. and i got only 5.5 band(overall).i am struggling with grammar and lack of confidence. please assist me for that.

This year I released a Grammar E-book. However, the level of the e-book is quite high. It will help you, but make sure you don’t overreach yourself. It is important to only produce English within your level rather than trying to impress. The more errors you make, the lower your score. So, use the e-book to improve your accuracy and reduce your errors: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Thank you liz.।।। Making content accessable

I took the test on 12th of Sept 2020. Here is the Writing Task 2 question: The most important priority of any governments is to provide housing. To what extent do you agree or disagree. I hope it helps.

Dear Liz, Your lessons are really very helpful and easy to understand.Thanks for the useful instructions:) Could you please help in assessing the below essay?

Looking at the eating habits and sedentary lifestyle of people, obesity problem has grown over the years which in turn is increasing pressure on the healthcare systems. In my view, introducing physical exercise lessons alone in the school cannot solve this problem. In addition to this, proper eating habits should be followed by people.

Firstly, there is no doubt that physical education can help people maintain their weight and thereby reduce the health problems arising due to overweight. Making students aware of the importance of body stretching on a regular basis is the initial step towards solving this problem .Students can learn a lot about the body structure , its functioning and the ways to keep the body fit through exercises. When the students understand the value of physical exercise, they can pass on this information to their families as well. This is the kind of transformation which is possible only by involvement of not only students but also elders .

Secondly, doing exercise alone cannot be a solution to this problem. There are many more factors such as eating habits (junk food) and sleep cycle , which are responsible to this overweight issue.So , along with the physical fitness, people should start working on their eating patterns and the type of food they eat. Taking an average amount of sleep is also required for healthy lifestyle.This can be achieved by introducing healthy-lifestyle specific lessons in the school curriculum and make children implement the healthy eating habits in their life.

In conclusion, adding more physical fitness lessons at the school level will greatly help in improving the health of people. However, eating habits should also be in control to keep oneself fit and active.

Thank you very much for the free lessons. Can I partially agree in agree and disagree essay even when I’m not asked: ”to what extent do you agree”?

Yes, you can.

But, I was told never to have a clear opinion in agree and disagree question. It’s not only in situations of “to what extent” that we can decide our grace.

Do you agree? Do you agree or disagree? To what extent do you agree? To what extent do you agree or disagree? What is your opinion? All the above are the same instructions which are used for an Opinion Essay. They are not different instructions. This means the techniques for an Opinion Essay apply to an Opinion Essay regardless of how the instructions are phrased. They are simply paraphrases of the same instructions. If you are confused, please get my Advanced Lessons so you can learn the right way to tackle an IELTS essay: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

My instructor told me my reasoning behind my opinion was not strong enough. For instance, when the topic was about the advantages of having older people in a country, I discussed my views as “Children need older people at home for supervision as most of them have working parents”, whereas, my instructor thinks, I should’ve discussed it in country’s perspective saying ” older people are experienced in their occupations”.

I described my arguments clearly with supportive lines. But he didn’t like the “argument” itself. Is that a problem? Will I get less marks for this?

Both you and your instructor are thinking about two different points, not the same point. Your instructor is talking about how older people have more experience in their work which is beneficial for a country. Your point is that elderly people provide family support to take care of the grandchildren if their parents are working. Both points are relevant, but they are completely different points. You get a high score to organising your clear points into logical paragraphs and explaining what you mean in detail. As long as your point was well explained, it’s fine.

You are really super and your explanatory techniques and exemplification in addition to how simple you discuss and present the material are awesome. you have a high talent or skill in analyzing all the discussed and handled topics. thank you from the depth of my heart as you are helping me alot Haytham Selim Egyptian in UAE

I’m really pleased you are finding my lessons useful. Good luck in your test!!

hey liz, Thank you so much for your free content. I did my IELTS test today and it was quite fair. My task 2 was “employers should give their employees at least 4 weeks holiday per year. Do you agree or disagree with the statement?”

Thank you so much for the wonderful tips and lessons, I have learned so much in my short time of preparing. I would be taking the test for the first time in Aug. I hope I make it.

I do have a question on paraphrasing. Is it OK to paraphrase only the 1st sentence of the question, as I saw this done on a model essay. The 2nd sentence was used as the thesis statement. Please find Sample question below. I would truly appreciate it if you could give a model answer.

“According to a recent study, the more time people use the Internet, the less time they spend with real human beings. Some people say that instead of seeing the Internet as a way of opening up new communication possibilities world wide, we should be concerned about the effect this is having on social interaction. How far do you agree with this opinion? ”

Thank you for your help ☺️

Learn how to write an introduction and see model essays on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

Hey Liz, It’s Mr. Jasjit singh here and I am working as an IELTS trainer in a company. Here, my concern is to point you out that you have used “sporty children” in the essay’s body para – 2, even though, the word SPORTY is an informal. According to the parameters of marking, the informal language must not be used basically in the essay writing, otherwise there is a penalty. Do you think it is worthy to be used by the candidates?

Kindly share your perspective asap!!

“sporty” is completely fine. However, to use the word “kids” is too informal.

I have a question, please answer me.

In my IELTS writing, while checking things at last minute, I did a foolish mistake and change all the words next to comma “, ” in a capital letter.

i.e “However, This was…..”

So, the question is how many marks did the checker will cut or how many bands of mine are at risk. I am worried sick.

Please reply.

Well, I still don’t understand how I did that mistake. Time was ticking and something pushes me to do it :@ maybe this was because of C.D test. I am.sure if I were writing on a paper it would not happen. But fate :@

Since childhood, we know that after full stop next letter is Capital and not after the comma :@ but…argh

This would just count as one systematic error. It means you make the same mistake over and over again. It will affect your score for Grammar, but it isn’t possible to predict your overall score. Your Grammar score will depend on how many other errors you made and the range of grammar features you used. Good luck with you results! Try not to worry too much.

Hello Liz and thank you for all the info that you give us!! I would like to ask you. In this type of essay can I add examples from my personal experience? or I just say my opinion at the introduction and nowhere else?

The style of all essays should be formal which means you should avoid writing about your family and friends. Instead share your experience of the people in your country or around the world.

Dear Liz, Please, I am confused; agree/disagree is opinion essay? I mean: both are the same? Regards

Yes, they are the same. Do you agree or disagree? To what extent do you agree? What is your opinion? All the above are Opinion Essays.

Should I write the word count at the end of the writing task 2?

No, definitely don’t waste your time with that. The examiner will count the words himself if necessary.

Hi Liz, First of all thanks a lot for your great website and youtube channel. These are treasure troves of information. Millions of thanks to you.

I took the test couple of days ago. Writing part 2 was a bit confusing for me.” some people agree it is the best way to make detailed plan of activities in their free time”. While others disagree. Discuss both the views and give your opinion. I read this question more than 10 times, meanwhile, I was writing the essay. Whether it is asking about ‘ free time activities plan’ or ‘If we are free and utilize that time to make a plan about upcoming activities’. I hope you can solve my confusion.

However, the remaining questions are:

Writing part 1: write a letter to the manager about an accident you met with? Speaking: part1: about me, my residential area, facilities, whether you like living in an apartment or not? did you write with a pen or pencil as a child? what do you think if you get a pen as a gift? How do you think when it is compulsory to write only using a pencil-like this test? speaking part 2: An incident when you were not allowed to take a phone with you. (No more points to explain). speaking part 3: why the phones are restricted in some areas of the hospital? Importance of politeness, Need of rule for using mobile phones.

You haven’t remembered the essay question correctly – there are English language mistakes in it. For this reason, I can only speculate. Most questions like this are about whether you should make plans for free time activities or not. Many people like to plan each and every activity they do in their free time, whereas others prefer to wake up and decide what to do based on how they feel that day or how the weather is etc – they don’t want to schedule or plan.

I am preparing my IELTS exam and I have written the below eassy all myself can I please have your feedback

Since the 18th Century technological advances have replaced people in the workplace. with today’s technology this process is happening at a greater rate. Technology is increasingly responsible for unemployment.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Since Industrial age technological breakthroughs have taken the place of individuals in many companies. Now a day’s Digital process plays a great role in many organizations due to which a lot of people are jobless. I completely agree that machines have taken place of human beings. Firstly, mobilized process has fasten the work and brings out better results than of humans. Organizations doesn’t have to double check the work as its scientifically proven that computers and machines are not liable to make errors or mistakes. Many firms are trying to replace the employees with robots where possible to reduce the number of workers in their company, save money which can be used to do investments, buy shares and make profit. For instance, I work in a water company, where distribution of water is 24hours. there are many departments were large number of employees are working. In the production department, earlier men’s where used to drive the forklift and load the trucks now they have been replaced with robots to do the same job.

Secondly, Using Scientific advancement can lead to organizational growth in very less time. As the employer doesn’t have to go through the hiring process which is time consuming and sometime leads to failure as the wrong person is hired for the job. A good illustration of this is, Accounts department is the most important section in any huge firm if the employees are not provided with computers the calculations may go wrong and in worst case the firm could face loss.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend especially large organization to save their time, efforts and utilize their money in digitalizing their work which will lead them to huge profit.

Number of overweight people and children are increasing from last 10 years. Some people think that to solve these issues, facilities of sports and exercises should be provided in school. I completely agree that this is the best solution to tackle the issue for improving public health in relation to weight.

Firstly, to deal with increase in number of obesity and weight of people, some steps should be taken by schools and colleges. Easy access and more facility in sports should be introduced for children and people. This will ensure fitness among students and people interested to take part can join with no age barrier. This will result in reducing sadentry lifestyle and will encourage all to take part in competition.

Secondly, the sports lesson for children in school would result in children developing interest in exercise which might encourage the old age or parents to get motivated. In other word parents with sporty children will try to involve themselves with sports to make their children happy. If both of them get interested, they will practice daily. This would be the best and natural way to improve health of people.

In conclusion, to deal with reducing laziness and overweight people, changing the lifestyle and access to more facility will change the body shape with less problems.

Hi Liz, Is this an opinion essay and we need to cover both sides? Or just the side that I support. I am confused.

It is generally accepted exercise is good for children and teenagers. Therefore physical education and sports should be made compulsory for all students in all schools. What do you think ?

IT is asking for your opinion. It is an opinion essay. It is the same as “do you agree or disagree?” or “To what extent do you agree?”. You present your opinion of the issue or issues stated and use the body paragraphs to give reasons and explanation for your opinion.

Thank you so much Liz! I got a score that is very useful (lrsw=8,9,8.5,7.5). I was just 0.5 away from 8 in writing to get a perfect score! It was an opinion question. I agreed in part in other to have ideas to get my body paragraphs. Number of words 330 essay and 190 letter (computer-based IELTS is the best if you enjoy typing but hurrible hand written like me). I looked through all your model essays, and I discovered that my issues were mainly articles and punctuations).

Well done with your results 🙂 I’ve put loads of information about articles in my new Grammar E-book as well as a chapter on punctuation. I hope to have the e-book ready at the end of April or beginning of May 🙂

May I ask could I take both sides on the question like “Do you agree or disagree”?

Sorry, I think I just found the answer in the comments… 100% same. Which is strange. I thought agree or disagree should give only one position; and for “to what extent do you agree or disagree” require two positions.

Thanks for the great community!

They are the same instructions, just paraphrased.

Hi Liz, is “the key to solving these issues is” correct? Shouldn’t it be “the key to solve” ? Thank you

“the key to solving” is 100% correct. The word “to” is used as a preposition in this phrase, not as part of the verb.

Hi, Liz! I’ll have an IELTS test next week, but am still confused about agree-disagree essay.

Here’s the question: Some people think that employers should not care about the way their employees dress, because what matters is the quality of their work. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Is that alright if I say on my introduction as follows: In my opinion, dress codes are significant in a working environment, while employees’ competence should matter as well.

My first body paragraph explains the reason why dress codes are important, and my second body paragraph is about why competence should matter.

I do hope you answer my question. Thank you, Liz! Get well soon.

You’ve got the right approach for a partial agreement. However, you need to address your English. “In my opinion, both dress codes and employee competence should be important to any employer.” Try to aim for accuracy and clear meaning in your written English. Don’t try to write in any particular style – just be clear and direct.

Wish me all the best liz!!… I ve covered all your lessons!!…

Thank you very much Liz. Your lessons were of immense help. I got the band score that I wanted.

That’s great to hear. Well done 🙂

Thanks for all time! We truly appreciate your efforts in making IELTS easier to tackle. However I would like to ask about recent questions reported by student for writing task 2. My exam is on the 13th of this month.

Thanks! Don’t forget to get well soon 🙂

I will post Recent Questions for January 2020 soon.

Hi Liz, Thank you soo much for your help.

Should we quote example only if they asked for it in the question or should we give it for all essay questions?

You give examples when you know of a good example to use that will help support and explain the main idea of the body paragraph.

Hi dr liz u r great soul i ever seen wish u a happy happy new year

Thanks 🙂 Happy New Year 🙂

Hi dear liz,wish u a very happy new year ,stay blessed always. U r the great soul i ever seen. I have a doubt regarding essay. If the question was asked about leadership innate or achieved opinion essay shall i write my balanced view lik this, i agree that this skill must be innate for political leadership i bliv this should be achieved for managerial leadership.is this stand ok for partly agree. Thanks in advance for reply

If you want a quantified response which you by you say it is X in this situation and Y in this, make sure your grammar and language are 100% clear. If you make any mistakes with that statement it could have serious consequences. So, make sure you write it clearly without any errors at all.

Its quite evident that the physical structure of humans are mainly measured in terms of average weight and height. This aspect of human body varies based on several factors. Also there are many speculations anticipated especially with respect to the optimal weight of any person. This requires a lot of monitoring and maintenance efforts to predict the health related outcomes of any individual who is known to be overweighted. I totally agree with some of the initiatives incorporated at the school levels in order to mitigate the above factor. School Managements in recent days have implemented diet related programs with the strong vision of maintaining advisable health care system, particularly for stalwarts who are considered be above the average weight. Furthermore, the students have to be encouraged rigorously to participate in sports, games and other outdoor activities. Now a days, we also find a typical gymnasium court with trained experts dedicated to help students who are weighing above the acceptance level. The above attempts can also be recommended to help students to address their depression levels if they are facing any sort of misbehaviour from their fellow mates. There are many real-time scenarious wherein a kid is illtreated or accused by his or her classmates due to their physical appearances pertaining to overweight. It should also be treated as key responsibilities of teachers especially physical fitness trainers in schools. Overall, these kind of programs will always stand as unique and responsive while addressing many health related issues due to overweight. Irrespective of any barriers pertaining to this, the schools shall give atmost importance to motivate students who are observed to be above the normal weight.

You definitely need to realise that an IELTS essay is an essay formed and structured in a particular way for this test to adhere to the band score requirements. You must first learn how to structure your essay. Look at all the differences between my model and your own essay. If you can’t see the differences, please get my advanced lessons which teachin how to write an IELTS essay step by step: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Really you are a very good trainer.

How are you ? Will you please explain the difference between writing task 2 of academic and general? in your website nothing is mentioned like for academic and general for writing task 2. i am preparing for general. please let me know writing task 2 is same for academic and general or different ?

Go to the RED MENU BAR and select “Test Info”. You’ll see an option for GT IELTS information. Always use the MENU BAR to access what you need.

Hi Liz !thanku so much for your topic they are all very useful. I think I got a high band score for writing task 2 thankuuuuu sooo much dear.

That’s really good to hear !! Very well done 🙂

Hi liz, this is the first time I am commenting! Hope you are well. Please tell me where I can find the model answers of writting task 2 provided in your WT – 2 section !

You can find all model essays, tips etc in the main writing task 2 section of the website. Just click on the RED MENU BAR at the top of the page to open the section of the test you want to learn.

That’s is really great for my IELT practice and I’m just 13 and I’m gonna take it when I’m 13 and a half thanks for the information

Good luck 🙂

hi !!! Can we use ‘A LOT OF’ and ‘SO’ in task 2 ? as someone told me that we cannot use it in writing , reason being these both are INFORMAL. Is it true ?

No, that isn’t true. It’s completely fine to use those words.

Hey there!! Can we use “And” and “But” For the beginning of the sentence in between the body paragraphs to add and contrast information respectively ???

PLEASE PROVIDE ME WITH AN EXPLAINED INFORMATION ASAP, I WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR THAT.

— Jasjit Singh

No, you can’t. See the linking words page for details: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

Hi Liz , I sat for my academic test on the 28 of September, 2019. I got an overall score of 7.5. LRWS = 7.5, 8.0,6.0,8.0. For the Speaking questions. Part 1: 1.Tell me your full name please? 2. Do you work or study? 3.How is the weather in your country?. 4.Would you like to live in a place with a different weather from your country? 5. Where do you like to read? 6. Do you like to read in an hot weather or cold weather?. Part 2: Talk about an historical building you visited in your country. Part 3:1. Should the appearance of public buildings be designed ? 2. Do you think people should pay taxes to use public buildings? I can’t remember the other 3 questions she asked. For the reading questions, most of them were Yes, No, and Not given questions. I think I did well because the passages were close to what I studied in school. The listening was easy. I got lost in some places though. Writing Task 1. I was given a table to describe the population of people in Jakarta, Sao Paolo, and Bangkok in 1999 and 2001. There was a column for the projected population in 2001.The numbers were too close. I got confused a bit. Writing task 2: Some people believe that university admissions should only be offered to young people with the highest merits while some believe that admissions should be given to all people without considering their grade. Discuss both views and give your opinion. I didn’t finish my writing to my satisfaction. I think that’s the reason for my low score. Time finished faster than I thought. I just want to say Thank you Liz for everything. I learnt a lot from your lessons. Hopefully,i won’t write this exam again.

Well done with your results and thanks for sharing 🙂

Hi Liz, I love all your content. Thank you so much for helping us through IELTS. I just wan to know is there a difference between “Do you agree or disagree” and “to what extend do you agree or disagree ” also are opinion essays same as agree disagree essays ?

They are 100% the same.

Hi Liz, thanks for all your help to prepare for my IELTS exam. I can’t thank you enough. I have a doubt regarding “To what extent do you agree or disagree” question. Can I just see it as Agree or Disagree question and just take one side or do I need to address both the side? This question type is really confusing. Kindly advise me. Thanks again for all your help and you are indeed my God for IELTS 🙂 🙂

Thanks, Karthik

They are 100% the same essay – no difference at all.

I am also confused about “to what extend do u agree or disagree” and “Do u agree or disagree” Is there any diference in their answer plz explain

No, there is no difference at all.

hello madam I’m Nikhil I have a doubt that crushing my mind since 10days, please madam could you solve it.

my Institute tutor said we must follow this pattern for agree or disagree question Introduction paraphrase question thesis statement ( not mentioning agree or disagree)

para1 (agree|) statement ! example

para2 (agree) sate3ment2 example

para3 statement3 example

conclusion now I must discuss my opinion

Above essay can also write in vise verse with disagree madam, I already comment you, but you didn’t give reply madam please help me out from this problem, I would be ecstatic.

There is no such thing as a fixed content for body paragraphs. Of course you should state your opinion in the introduction – give your answer and then explain it in the body paragraphs. Please see my Advanced Writing Task 2 lessons if you need training: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Hi Liz! Thank you for your lessons. They are all very useful.

I would like to ask your opinion regarding examples in body paragraphs.

To get a high band score for writing task 2, it is necessary to support and develop our main ideas. I found some websites recommend providing examples from surveys, polls, government report, etc to support main ideas. Is example really needed? Are there any other ways to support main ideas without using examples?

If we really want to give an example, does it have to be a real example? Can we fabricate false/unreal example?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you, Liz!

Examples with data from sources are definitely not required. You can explain and illustrate your ideas in any way you want. Giving the source of information is a waste of time in IELTS because a) it is written as a learned phrase which doesn’t help your language score b) the examiner doesn’t mark data in task 2 so it won’t help your score either. You decide how to explain your main ideas. You can see most of my essays don’t have examples with data.

Thanks, Liz! It’s so helpful.

Hi Liz, i want to clear my doubts regarding this essay type. There is an essay question in your website which is about the rapid expansion of supermarkets because of which local shops are closing, and some people believe that this is causing death of local communities.

I disagreed with this argument and wrote that supermarkets provide efficacious results for native communities. In body paragraphs i wrote reasons of my opinion, and i hadn’t mentioned local shops in body paragraphs. I just wrote reasons to support my view that this and this are the advantages which benefit local communities. I want to ask is it okay to not mention local shops because i am supporting my view for supermarkets?

You can’t ignore part of the essay question. The fact presented to you is that supermarkets are expanding and local shows are closing. This is the basis of your essay. The opinion you tackle is “do you think this is the death of local communities?”. So, if you think supermarkets are good for local communities – do you also think it is good that local shops are closing?? You need to address the issue or issues in the question.

But if i also acknowledge that local shops are good for local communities then i might be contradicting my own agreed view point that supermarkets are good for local communities, so it means that i have to say that local shops are not good for local communities?

It would mean you have a partial agreement. You don’t have to agree with one side. Think more carefully about why you think supermarkets are good for local communities and then think about what effect local shops closing will have. Once you’ve brainstormed, analyse your ideas and think of exactly what your view is and how to you will express it. After that, plan supporting points. Hopefully you can now see how important planning is 🙂

Hi Liz… Your website is so helpful for me. Thank you much for that. My confusion is…. In this model esssy, there is no discussion about health system. Should we avoid discussion about it? I used to elaborate about helath system in one paragraph . Am I wrong? Please guide.

An opinion essay is not a discussion essay. This essay does not ask you to discuss the health care system. It is asking your opinion about whether you think the problem that obesity is causing on the health care system can be solved by offering more physical education in schools – do you agree with this solution?? Your whole essay from beginning to end is about your opinion of solutions to the problem.

Hi Liz, thank you for all the tips and essay examples. They really help us to achieve better scores on IELTS. Anyway, I was practicing this essay before reading the example, and I wrote it differently. So I want to know your opinion on how I wrote it.

In the first body paragraph, I wrote that including physical activities such as sports in schools’ curriculums is the best way to introduce children to an active and healthier life, giving the example of how US do this.

However, in the second body paragraph I explained that there are other approaches that should be done to countries witness a really dramatic decrease of healthcare use: lowing the taxes of companies that produce natural and organic food, to make these types of food cheaper to people, and making awareness campaigns about having a healthier diet.

I conclude restating that physical activities in schools are essential to create the habit of being physically active, but it should be combined with an awareness of healthy diet.

So the question is: can I agree and also include other aspects to the subject? Thank you!

Yes, of course. It’s called a partial agreement (or balanced approach). It means that you agree to some extent but not 100%. So, you would explain what you agree with and then add what else needs to be considered. I find this approach to be very useful sometimes because it’s easier to find unique ideas for each body paragraph which results in a more focused essay and also a better range of language. See my Advanced Writing Task 2 lessons if you want more training: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Oh nice! That’s a relief. I don’t agree completely sometimes with the affirmation on the question, so I’ll look the page that you recommended. Thank you very much for the answer!

I love this response.

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Methodology

• What Is a Likert Scale? | Guide & Examples

What Is a Likert Scale? | Guide & Examples

Published on July 3, 2020 by Pritha Bhandari and Kassiani Nikolopoulou. Revised on June 22, 2023.

A Likert scale is a rating scale used to measure opinions, attitudes, or behaviors.

It consists of a statement or a question, followed by a series of five or seven answer statements. Respondents choose the option that best corresponds with how they feel about the statement or question.

Because respondents are presented with a range of possible answers, Likert scales are great for capturing the level of agreement or their feelings regarding the topic in a more nuanced way. However, Likert scales are prone to response bias , where respondents either agree or disagree with all the statements due to fatigue or social desirability or have a tendency toward extreme responding or other demand characteristics .

Likert scales are common in survey research , as well as in fields like marketing, psychology, or other social sciences.

Download Likert scale response options

Table of contents

What are likert scale questions, when to use likert scale questions, how to write strong likert scale questions, how to write likert scale responses, how to analyze data from a likert scale, advantages and disadvantages of likert scales, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about likert scales.

Likert scales commonly comprise either five or seven options. The options on each end are called response anchors . The midpoint is often a neutral item, with positive options on one side and negative options on the other. Each item is given a score from 1 to 5 or 1 to 7.

The format of a typical five-level Likert question, for example, could be:

• Strongly disagree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Strongly agree

In addition to measuring the level of agreement or disagreement, Likert scales can also measure other spectrums, such as frequency, satisfaction, or importance.

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Researchers use Likert scale questions when they are seeking a greater degree of nuance than possible from a simple “yes or no” question.

For example, let’s say you are conducting a survey about customer views on a pair of running shoes. You ask survey respondents “Are you satisfied with the shoes you purchased?”

A dichotomous question like the above gives you very limited information. There is no way you can tell how satisfied or dissatisfied customers really are. You get more specific and interesting information by asking a Likert scale question instead:

“How satisfied are you with the shoes you purchased?”

• 1 – Very dissatisfied
• 2 – Dissatisfied
• 4 – Satisfied
• 5 – Very satisfied

Likert scales are most useful when you are measuring unobservable individual characteristics , or characteristics that have no concrete, objective measurement. These can be elements like attitudes, feelings, or opinions that cause variations in behavior.

Each Likert scale–style question should assess a single attitude or trait. In order to get accurate results, it is important to word your questions precisely. As a rule of thumb, make sure each question only measures one aspect of your topic.

For example, if you want to assess attitudes towards environmentally friendly behaviors, you can design a Likert scale with a variety of questions that measure different aspects of this topic.

Here are a few pointers:

Include both questions and statements

Use both positive and negative framing, avoid double negatives, ask about only one thing at a time, be crystal clear.

A good rule of thumb is to use a mix of both to keep your participants engaged during the survey. When deciding how to phrase questions and statements, it’s important that they are easily understood and do not bias your respondents in one way or another.

If all of your questions only ask about things in socially desirable ways, your participants may be biased towards agreeing with all of them to show themselves in a positive light.

• Positive framing
• Negative framing

Respondents who agree with the first statement should also disagree with the second. By including both of these statements in a long survey, you can also check whether the participants’ responses are reliable and consistent.

Double negatives can lead to confusion and misinterpretations, as respondents may be unsure of what they are agreeing or disagreeing with.

• Bad example
• Good example

Avoid double-barreled questions (asking about two different topics within the same question). When faced with such questions, your respondents may selectively answer about one topic and ignore the other. Questions like this may also confuse respondents, leading them to choose a neutral but inaccurate answer in an attempt to answer both questions simultaneously.

The accuracy of your data also relies heavily on word choice:

• Pose your questions clearly, leaving no room for misunderstanding.
• Make language and stylistic choices that resonate with your target demographic.
• Stay away from jargon that could discourage or confuse your respondents.

When using Likert scales, how you phrase your response options is just as crucial as how you phrase your questions.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Decide on a number of response options

Choose the type of response option, choose between unipolar and bipolar options, make sure that you use mutually exclusive options.

More options give you deeper insights but can make it harder for participants to decide on one answer. Fewer options mean you capture less detail, but the scale is more user-friendly.

Usually, researchers include five or seven response options. It’s a good idea to include an odd number so that there is a midpoint. However, if you want to force your respondents to choose, an even number of responses removes the neutral option.

You can measure a wide range of perceptions, motivations, and intentions using Likert scales. Response options should strive to cover the full range of opinions you anticipate a participant can have.

Some of the most common types of items include:

• Agreement: Strongly Agree, Agree, Neither Agree nor Disagree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree
• Quality: Very Poor, Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent
• Likelihood: Extremely Unlikely, Somewhat Unlikely, Likely, Somewhat Likely, Extremely Likely
• Experience: Very Negative, Somewhat Negative, Neutral, Somewhat Positive, Very Positive

Some researchers also include a “don’t know” option. This allows them to distinguish between respondents who do not feel sufficiently informed to give an opinion and those who are “neutral” on the topic. However, including a “don’t know” option may trigger unmotivated respondents to select that for every question.

On a unipolar scale, you measure only one attribute (e.g., satisfaction). On a bipolar scale, you can measure two attributes (e.g., satisfaction or dissatisfaction) along a continuum.

Your choice depends on your research questions and aims. If you want finer-grained details about one attribute, select unipolar items. If you want to allow a broader range of responses, select bipolar items.

Unipolar scales are most accurate when five-point scales are used. Conversely, bipolar scales are most accurate when a seven-point scale is used (with three scale points on each side of a truly neutral midpoint.)

Avoid overlaps in the response items. If two items have similar meanings, it risks making your respondent’s choice random.

Before analyzing your data, it’s important to consider what type of data you are dealing with. Likert-derived data can be treated either as ordinal-level or interval-level data . However, most researchers treat Likert-derived data as ordinal: assuming there is not an equal distance between responses.

Furthermore, you need to decide which descriptive statistics and/or inferential statistics may be used to describe and analyze the data obtained from your Likert scale.

You can use descriptive statistics to summarize the data you collected in simple numerical or visual form.

• Ordinal data: To get an overall impression of your sample, you find the mode, or most common score, for each question. You also create a bar chart for each question to visualize the frequency of each item choice.
• Interval data: You add up the scores from each question to get the total score for each participant. You find the mean , or average, score and the standard deviation , or spread, of the scores for your sample.

You can use inferential statistics to test hypotheses , such as correlations between different responses or patterns in the whole dataset.

• Ordinal data: You hypothesize that knowledge of climate change is related to belief that environmental damage is a serious problem. You use a chi-square test of independence to see if these two attributes are correlated.
• Interval data: You investigate whether age is related to attitudes towards environmentally friendly behavior. Using a Pearson correlation test, you assess whether the overall score for your Likert scale is related to age.

Lastly, be sure to clearly state in your analysis whether you treat the data at interval level or at ordinal level.

Analyzing data at the ordinal level

Researchers usually treat Likert-derived data as ordinal . Here, response categories are presented in a ranking order, but the distances between the categories cannot be presumed to be equal.

For example, consider a scale where 1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = neutral, 4 = disagree, and 5 = strongly disagree.

In this scale, 4 is more negative than 3, 2, or 1. However, it cannot be inferred that a response of 4 is twice as negative as a response of 2.

Treating Likert-derived data as ordinal, you can use descriptive statistics to summarize the data you collected in simple numerical or visual form. The median or mode generally is used as the measure of central tendency . In addition, you can create a bar chart for each question to visualize the frequency of each item choice.

Appropriate inferential statistics for ordinal data are, for example, Spearman’s correlation or a chi-square test for independence .

Analyzing data at the interval level

However, you can also choose to treat Likert-derived data at the interval level . Here, response categories are presented in a ranking order, and the distance between categories is presumed to be equal.

Appropriate inferential statistics used here are an analysis of variance (ANOVA) or Pearson’s correlation . Such analysis is legitimate, provided that you state the assumption that the data are at interval level.

In terms of descriptive statistics, you add up the scores from each question to get the total score for each participant. You find the mean , or average, score and the standard deviation , or spread, of the scores for your sample.

Likert scales are a practical and accessible method of collecting data.

• Quantitative: Likert scales easily operationalize complex topics by breaking down abstract phenomena into recordable observations. This enables statistical testing of your hypotheses.
• Fine-grained: Because Likert-type questions aren’t binary ( yes/no , true/false , etc.) you can get detailed insights into perceptions, opinions, and behaviors.
• User-friendly: Unlike open-ended questions, Likert scales are closed-ended and don’t ask respondents to generate ideas or justify their opinions. This makes them quick for respondents to fill out and ensures they can easily yield data from large samples.

Problems with Likert scales often come from inappropriate design choices.

• Response bias: Due to social desirability bias , people often avoid selecting the extreme items or disagreeing with statements to seem more “normal” or show themselves in a favorable light.
• Fatigue/inattention: In Likert scales with many questions, respondents can get bored and lose interest. They may absent-mindedly select responses regardless of their true feelings. This results in invalid responses.
• Subjective interpretation: Some items can be vague and interpreted very differently by respondents. Words like “somewhat” or “fair” don’t have precise or narrow definitions.
• Restricted choice: Since Likert-type questions are closed-ended, respondents sometimes have to choose the most relevant answer even if it may not accurately reflect reality.

If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Student’s  t -distribution
• Normal distribution
• Null and Alternative Hypotheses
• Chi square tests
• Confidence interval
• Quartiles & Quantiles
• Cluster sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Data cleansing
• Reproducibility vs Replicability
• Peer review
• Prospective cohort study

Research bias

• Implicit bias
• Cognitive bias
• Placebo effect
• Hawthorne effect
• Hindsight bias
• Affect heuristic
• Social desirability bias

A Likert scale is a rating scale that quantitatively assesses opinions, attitudes, or behaviors. It is made up of 4 or more questions that measure a single attitude or trait when response scores are combined.

To use a Likert scale in a survey , you present participants with Likert-type questions or statements, and a continuum of items, usually with 5 or 7 possible responses, to capture their degree of agreement.

Individual Likert-type questions are generally considered ordinal data , because the items have clear rank order, but don’t have an even distribution.

Overall Likert scale scores are sometimes treated as interval data. These scores are considered to have directionality and even spacing between them.

The type of data determines what statistical tests you should use to analyze your data.

Operationalization means turning abstract conceptual ideas into measurable observations.

For example, the concept of social anxiety isn’t directly observable, but it can be operationally defined in terms of self-rating scores, behavioral avoidance of crowded places, or physical anxiety symptoms in social situations.

Before collecting data , it’s important to consider how you will operationalize the variables that you want to measure.

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IELTS Agree or Disagree Essay

• Opinion Essays
• Discussion Essays
• Problem Solution Essays
• Advantages & Disadvantages Essays
• Double Question Essays

Example of IETS Opinion essay

• You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
• Write at least 250 words.
• Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

Structure of IELTS Opinion Essay

• Paragraph 1: Introduction
• Paraphrase the Essay Topic
• Thesis Statement
• Paragraph 2: Supporting Paragraph #1
• Topic Sentence
• Support (Example or Experience)
• Explanation
• Paragraph 3: Supporting Paragraph #2
• Paragraph 4: Conclusion
• Restate Thesis/Summarize your ideas

To what extent..

Example vocabulary and phrases: stating your opinion.

• In my opinion I believe that education should be free because it helps move society forward.
• As far as paying for education is concerned, I believe that you should have to pay because it creates competition which helps to develop stronger institutions.
• My impression is that education should require a cost whether it be through tax payer money or private institutions.
• Most institutions require tuition to attend. However. I believe that education should be free because it helps move society forward.

Example Vocabulary and Phrases: Arguing Your Point

• This proves that free education can provide many opportunities for those who cannot afford it.
• According to this, it can be argued that financial aid is a way to support students who cannot afford to pay for education.

Example Vocabulary and Phrases: Adding Adverb

Beginning of the sentence, middle of the sentence.

• Clearly, this is an example of numerous afford a proper education.
• This is definitely true because there are many students who are unable to attend school because they cannot afford it.
• Deciding whether education should be free is absolutely a major challenge to consider.
• The right to receive an education is substantially more important than earning money.

Example Vocabulary and Phrases: Verbs

• I disagree that education should cost students.
• I believe that education should be free.
• I have no doubt that society will benefit with free education.
• I think that education should be free.
• It cannot be denied that education costs money because teachers, faculty, and staff all need to be paid.
• As I see it, education has costs, so someone needs to pay for it.

Before You Start

• Think about how you will plan to write your essay.
• Brainstorm and generate ideas.

Outline structure for IELTS Essay

• ________________________________

Outline structure for IELTS Opinion Essay

• Paragraph I: Introduction
• Paraphrase the Essay Topic - I believe that everyone should have access to free education without limitations.
• Thesis Statement - Education is a valuable resource and it advances society.
• Education is tool that helps us succeed
• Germany - Free education
• Same philosophy - society advances
• Paying for education helps drive competition between institutions, but I believe this restricts social mobility.
• Student cannot afford education
• If every person of society is allowed to move forward, then all of society will benefit.
• In conclusion education is essential to any society
• By restricting access to it because of tuition limits societal advancements, it is important that we eliminate sort of barriers to education, Including costs.

Example Essay

• Thesis Statement - Education is a valuable resource and it advances society. If there are certain barriers to receiving education like costs, many students would lose the opportunity to pursue an education because of this.
• Education is a tool and it advances society and with free universal access to education, there are no limits to what a country and what a society can obtain.
• A perfect example of this Is Germany, where universities are now tuition-free.
• If all countries developed the same philosophy towards education as German. I have no doubt that society will benefit.
• Some may argue that paying for education helps drive competition between institutions and helps to develop stronger schools. However. 1 completely disagree because I believe this restricts social mobility.
• In other words, if a student who would like to pursue a degree In higher education, but cannot afford the high tuition rates then he or she will be unable to further their education.
• On the other hand, If every person of society is allowed to move forward, then all of society will benefit.
• In conclusion education is essential to any society.

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Respuesta: Pablo tiene 29 años, Manuel tiene 56 años y Julio tiene 30 años.

Paso 1: Resolver el sistema de ecuaciones dado: Paso 2: Pablo = 29 años, Manuel = 56 años, Julio = 30 años.