IELTS Writing Task 2 Agree or Disagree Essay: Structure & Band 7 Tips

Agree/disagree looks simple until you mark a stack of them. The prompt asks to what extent, and a lot of scripts never quite answer. Some students describe both sides like a discussion essay and never lean. Others plant a strong I agree in the introduction, then spend Body 2 quietly arguing the opposite. Task Response is already shaky before the language gets judged.

What you need is plainer than a template book suggests: a position the examiner can find early, two body ideas that actually grow, and a conclusion that matches what you already said. Partial agreement is fine — sitting on the fence without reasons is not.

Aim for roughly 280–320 words. About five minutes to plan, then write.

Related: All 5 essay types | Introduction paragraph examples | Structure templates | Agree/disagree Band 7+ vs 8.5 sample

Last updated: July 24, 2026

What this question is asking

Task 2 is not one fixed format. Most papers fall into five groups teachers keep using: opinion (agree/disagree, to what extent), discussion, advantages/disadvantages, problem–solution, and two-part. If you are new here, start with the map: IELTS Writing Task 2 essay types.

Opinion prompts give you a statement and ask how far you agree. Your job is not to “discuss the topic.” It is to take a side — fully, largely, or with a clear limit — and defend it. That is different from a discussion essay, where both camps need real space before your view. On agree/disagree, a thin courtesy paragraph for “the other side” is optional; burying your own position is not.

When we mark, Band 7 scripts usually keep the same lean from introduction to conclusion. Band 6 scripts often waver, or stay so general that any education or technology prompt could wear the same essay.

A workable structure

Four paragraphs is enough for most opinion essays:

P1  Introduction   — paraphrase + thesis (your position)
P2  Body 1         — strongest reason + explanation + example
P3  Body 2         — second reason, OR a short concession + pushback
P4  Conclusion     — restate the lean (no new arguments)

Sample prompt: Some people believe that university education should be free for all students. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

You do not need a rigid chant in every paragraph. You do need a path the examiner can follow without guessing. Fuller templates: Task 2 essay structure. For openings by type, see introduction paragraph examples.

Thesis lines that actually answer

Put your position where it is hard to miss — usually the last sentence of the introduction. There are two sides to this issue is not a thesis.

On the free-university prompt, these are the kind of lines that work:

• Fully agree: I completely agree that university tuition should be abolished, because high fees limit social mobility and waste talent.
• Fully disagree: I strongly disagree with free university for everyone, because governments cannot fund it without cutting quality elsewhere.
• Partial: I largely agree that fees should fall for many students, although I do not believe tuition can be zero for every course and every applicant.

The partial line still picks a direction (largely agree). That is what to what extent is asking for — not a shrug.

How the body should grow

A body that earns marks usually does four jobs: say the point, explain it, ground it, then link back. Labels are optional; the jobs are not.

Weak Body 1 we see all the time:

Free university is good for poor students. Many people cannot pay. So I agree.

It names a side and stops. There is no mechanism, no scene, nothing an examiner can picture.

Stronger version of the same idea:

Free higher education widens access for low-income students. High fees discourage applicants whose families cannot borrow, even when the student is strong. In systems with low tuition, participation from poorer regions is often higher — not because the exams got easier, but because the money barrier fell. Removing fees, then, is not only “kind”; it is a direct way to keep talent in the system.

Body 2 can be a second reason, or a short concession then pushback (Admittedly free education is costly… However, long-term tax from graduates can offset part of that). Either way, keep the lean you promised in the introduction.

Partial agreement (to what extent)

To what extent invites nuance. You can largely agree with one limit, partly disagree while accepting one point, or go all the way if you can defend it.

What fails is It depends with no “on what,” or a conclusion that suddenly invents a new half-position. If you are mostly against free tuition, say so early — then use one paragraph to admit a real pressure (debt, access) and answer it. Do not save your real view for the last three lines.

I notice students improve fastest when they write the thesis first, then check every body sentence against it: does this still support the same lean?

Mistakes we see in drafts

No clear thesis. Two careful sentences about “education in modern society,” then I will discuss this topic. The examiner still does not know agree or disagree. Fix: paraphrase, then a real lean in sentence two.

Writing a discussion essay by accident. Both sides get equal weight and your opinion never lands. That pattern fits discuss both views. On agree/disagree it usually costs Task Response. Pick a side (or a partial side) and keep it.

Examples that could fit any essay. Many people, in some countries, nowadays — thin support. One concrete scenario per body is enough: a fee level, a first-year student who cannot cook because practical classes never existed, a city with low-emission zones. Specific beats flashy.

Conclusion that starts a new argument. If paragraph 4 suddenly says “also, online learning…” and that idea never appeared before, it looks bolted on. Summarise the lean you already proved.

Memorised openers. In this day and age, It is irrefutable that — examiners see them constantly. Paraphrase the actual prompt in your own words.

One marking pattern: a student stuck at 6 kept writing balanced “both sides” intros on opinion questions. After we forced a mostly disagree thesis and made Body 2 answer the critic instead of switching camps, TR moved before the vocabulary changed much. Side-by-side models: Agree/disagree Band 7+ vs 8.5.

Questions students ask

Can I write “I partly agree and partly disagree”?

Yes — if you define what you agree with and what you reject. From the scripts I mark, the vague version (I partly agree and partly disagree with no split) still reads like no position.

Should my opinion appear in the introduction?

Yes. Examiners should not hunt for it. On opinion and discussion tasks, burying the lean makes Task Response harder to follow.

Is one reason enough?

Two developed reasons — or one strong reason plus a clean concession — is safer for Band 7. One thin paragraph and a long conclusion rarely works.

How is this different from a discussion essay?

Discussion asks you to develop both views fairly, then give your opinion. Agree/disagree asks you to answer how far you agree with a statement. Mixing the two templates is a common Band 6 leak. More on the other type: discussion essay guide.

After you check your score

Score a timed draft and look at Task Response first: is the lean as easy to find as in the samples above? Then rewrite one weak body with clearer reason → example → link. Mixed short drills between full essays match Personalized Practice (Practices 1–15 mixed, 16–20 timed essays; Practices 1–2 free).

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