IELTS "discuss both views" essays: structure and example

A "discuss both views" question has two jobs in it: explain two opposing views, and say which one you agree with. Most candidates do the first job well and the second one badly. They give a balanced essay and then leave their opinion until the last sentence, or never give it at all. The fix is simple: write four paragraphs, explain each view in its own body paragraph, and put your opinion in the introduction as well as the conclusion.

This guide covers how to recognise the question, where your opinion should go, two paragraph plans, an original sample essay with comments, and the mistakes we see most often in Task 2 scripts at AIL.

How do you recognise a discussion question?

The question gives you two views and then asks you to discuss them. The wording usually looks like this:

Some people believe that X. Others think that Y. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Two words in that instruction matter. "Both" means each view needs real development, not one sentence. "Your own opinion" means you lose marks in Task Response if the examiner can't tell what you think.

Compare it with an opinion question ("To what extent do you agree or disagree?"). There you only need to argue your own side. If you treat a discussion question that way and only argue one view, you haven't answered the question. If you treat an opinion question as a discussion and spend half the essay on the side you reject, your position becomes unclear. Our opinion essay guide covers the other type, and the Task 2 overview lists all five.

Where should your opinion go?

Give it in the introduction, and repeat it in the conclusion.

Many candidates are taught to "discuss both sides, then give your opinion at the end". That can work, but it is risky. The band 7 descriptor for Task Response asks for "a clear position throughout the response". An essay that stays neutral for three paragraphs and then decides in the last two lines reads as a position that appears late, not one that runs throughout.

Putting your view in the introduction also makes the body easier to write. When you explain the view you disagree with, you already know you are explaining it, not arguing for it. When you explain the view you support, you can show why it is stronger.

You can support one view, or you can take a middle position, for example "both are right in different situations". A middle position is fine if it is specific. "I think both views have merit" is not a position. "Building upwards makes sense near train lines, but not everywhere" is.

Two paragraph plans

Aim for 260 to 300 words in about 40 minutes.

Plan A: one view per paragraph (recommended for most candidates)

Put the view you disagree with first. Then body 2 can answer it, and the essay builds towards your conclusion.

Plan B: a separate opinion paragraph

Some candidates prefer five paragraphs: view 1, view 2, then a short paragraph with their own opinion and reason. This suits a middle position, where you need space to explain where you draw the line. The risk is time. Three body paragraphs in 40 minutes often means three thin ones. If you use Plan B, keep the first two body paragraphs to about 70 words each.

Writing the introduction

Two sentences are enough. The first paraphrases both views. The second gives your opinion.

Some people argue that growing cities should build more high-rise apartments, while others believe new housing should be spread across new suburbs on the edge of the city. In my view, building upwards is the better choice, mainly because it uses existing transport and services more efficiently.

Notice what the introduction doesn't do. It doesn't start with a general sentence about housing in the modern world, and it doesn't say "this essay will discuss both views", which tells the examiner nothing.

Explaining the view you disagree with

This is the paragraph where candidates lose the most marks. There are two common problems.

Too short. One sentence like "Some people prefer suburbs because they have more space" is not a discussion. The examiner needs to see why people hold the view.

Arguing against it in the same paragraph. If half of body 1 explains why the view is wrong, you have only really explained one view. Save your reply for body 2.

Here is the difference, using the question in the sample below.

Around band 6:

On the one hand, some people think suburbs are better. Houses are bigger and there are gardens. Also, it is quieter. However, this is not a good idea because people have to drive a lot.

Around band 7:

Those who favour new suburbs point out that many families do not want to live in a small apartment. A detached house on the edge of a city usually offers more space for the same price, along with a garden where children can play safely. For a couple with two young children, this can matter more than being close to the city centre, and many are willing to accept a longer journey to work in exchange.

The second version explains the reason (space for the price), gives a specific case (a couple with two children) and shows why it is persuasive to the people who hold it. It doesn't argue back. That comes next.

Sample essay (original question)

Question: Some people think that cities with growing populations should build more high-rise apartment buildings. Others believe it is better to build new suburbs on the edge of the city. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Some people argue that growing cities should build more high-rise apartments, while others believe new housing should be spread across new suburbs on the edge of the city. In my view, building upwards is the better choice, mainly because it uses existing transport and services more efficiently.

Those who favour new suburbs point out that many families do not want to live in a small apartment. A detached house on the edge of a city usually offers more space for the same price, along with a garden where children can play safely. For a couple with two young children, this can matter more than being close to the city centre, and many are willing to accept a longer journey to work in exchange.

However, the cost of that journey falls on more than the family. When a new suburb is built thirty kilometres from the centre, it needs new roads, schools, bus routes and water pipes, and these often arrive years after the first residents. In the meantime, almost every adult has to drive, which adds to traffic for everyone. Apartment buildings near existing train stations avoid most of these costs because the infrastructure is already there. They also do not have to mean cramped housing: well-designed buildings can include larger units for families and shared green space.

In conclusion, suburbs offer families more space, but high-rise housing near public transport makes better use of what a city already has. For this reason, I believe governments should focus most new housing on building upwards rather than outwards.

(289 words)

Why this would score around 7:

• Task Response: both views are explained with a reason and an example. The opinion is in the introduction, supported in body 2 and repeated in the conclusion.
• Coherence and Cohesion: one view per paragraph. "However, the cost of that journey" links body 2 to body 1 through meaning rather than a stock phrase.
• Lexical Resource: precise phrases such as "detached house", "infrastructure is already there", "building upwards rather than outwards".
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy: relative clauses, a conditional idea, a passive ("is built") and complex noun phrases, with no noticeable errors.

To push it towards 8, body 2 could deal with the space problem more directly, perhaps with a short example of a family-sized apartment building.

Common mistakes in discussion essays

1. No opinion, or an opinion only in the last line. Put it in the introduction.
2. A one-sentence paragraph for the view you reject. Both views need a reason and an example.
3. Arguing with view 1 inside body 1. Explain it fairly first; reply in body 2.
4. Writing about the topic, not the two views. An essay about whether cities are getting too big misses the question, which is about two ways of housing more people.
5. "On the one hand… on the other hand" doing all the work. These phrases are fine, but they don't create coherence by themselves. The ideas have to connect.
6. Changing your mind in the conclusion. If the introduction supports apartments, the conclusion can't decide that "it depends". Read the first and last paragraphs together before you finish.

Practice: plan in 8 minutes

Use these original questions. For each one, spend 8 minutes on a plan, not a full essay.

• Some people think sport should be compulsory at school until the final year. Others believe older students should be free to choose whether to take part. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
• Some people believe shops and businesses should close on one day every week. Others think they should be allowed to open whenever they like. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
• Some people think young adults should move out of their parents' home as soon as they finish school. Others believe it is better to stay until they have finished studying. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

For each plan, write down:

1. Your opinion in one sentence, including any limit.
2. The strongest reason for view 1, plus one specific example.
3. The strongest reason for view 2, plus one specific example.
4. One sentence that explains why your side outweighs the other.

When you have written a full essay from one of these plans, paste it into our free Writing Task 2 checker for an estimated band on each criterion. If Task Response comes out lowest, check whether your opinion is in the introduction. The band descriptors guide explains what each criterion rewards.