TEAM 5: OPINION

I)

INTRODUCTION:
An IELTS writing task 2 opinion essay should have three sentences and
these three sentences should be:

1. General
Write a sentence introducing the topic and giving somebackground
facts about it .
Example:
Some companies give their employees bonuses or cash awards for
excellent work, in addition to salary. Do you think this is a good idea? Are
cash incentives a good way to motivate employees?
Money makes the world go round, and nowhere is this more
true than in the workplace. Employers know that money is one of the
best motivators. However, are bonuses or cash awards always the best way
to reward employees? In this essay, I will look at some of the arguments for
cash as a reward.

2. Paraphrase
Question: There is a good deal of evidence that increasing car use is
contributing to global warming and having other undesirable effects on
peoples health and well-being.
Rising global temperatures and human health and fitness
issues are often viewed as being caused by the expanding use of
automobiles.
The synonyms Ive used are:
Increasing- expanding
Car use- use of automobiles
Global warming- rising global temperatures
Peoples health and well-being- human health and fitness
As you can see, I then switched the order of the sentence around.

3.Thesis Statement
In my opinion
In my view
From my point of view
It seems to me that
From my perspective
It appears that
I believe that
I realize that

According to me
To my way of thinking
To me
I think
I admit
I suppose
I understand
I concur/ agree

II. BODY:
FOR THE GENERAL BODY PARAGRAPHS
- Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence.
- Use linking expressions and cohesive devices.
- Use Academic Sentence Structures: Clause + Linking + Clause.
USEFUL LANGUAGE: EXPRESSING OPINION
Describing your own opinion

Describing other peoples

opinions

Agree with an idea (+reasons)

It is often said that

I am certain that

It is often claimed that

For me it is obvious that

It seems apparent that

I am convinced that
It has long been my belief that

Scientists are convinced that

Disagreeing with an idea

Many researchers have found

(+reasons)

that

There is no justification for

Some people believe that

I am completely against
I believe there is no evidence to
support
I do not agree with the idea that

X argues/ asserts/ believes/

claims/ concludes/ confirms/
insists/ maintains/ states/ points

out/ that sb + v

Normal structure of an opinion body essay:

1st Paragraph : Main Body

2nd Paragraph: Main Body

-State first reason why you agree

-State second reason why you

or disagree( Firstly/ For a start)

agree or disagree

-Develop/ explain your idea relating

-Develop/ explain your idea relating

to first reason (Furthermore/

to second reason (Furthermore/

Moreover/ More than that/ Besides/

Moreover)

Whats more)

-Give example supporting second

-Give example supporting first

reason (For example/ For

reason (For example/ For

instance..)

instance)

-Concession (However/

-Concession (However/

Nevertheless)

Nevertheless)

Types
Argument
Led Discuss 2
sides of an
argument.

Thesis Led
discuss 1
side of an
argument in
detail.

1st Paragraph
Choose one side of
the argument to
explain. (e.g.
advantages / pros)

2nd Paragraph
Choose another side
of the argument to
explain. (e.g.
disadvantages/
cons)

Choose one of the

Choose another

main ideas that

main idea that

supports your side

supports your side

of the argument to

of the argument to

explain. (e.g. how

explain. (e.g. how

education of

many deaths could

preventative care

be avoided with

saves lives)

education)

Key words
Discuss both
these views and
give your
opinion.

To what extent
do you agree or
disagree.

4.Support the argument with:

Evidence
Examples
Information/ facts
Points of emphasis

5.Linking words:
Vocabulary to
start a
paragraph:

Vocabulary to show
contrast:

Vocabulary to show
consequence, effects
or result:

On the other hand.....

As a result.....

First(ly) ,
First of all ,
In the first place ,
To start with ,
To begin with ,
To illustrate my
point

Vocabulary to
show similarity:

In the same way.....

Likewise.....
Similarly.....
Like the previous
point.....
Similar to.....
Also.....
Not only but also

On the contrary.....
However.....
But...../ Nevertheless.....
Oppositely.....
Alternatively.....
Unlike.....While.....
Even though.....
In contrast to this.....

Vocabulary to show
example/ evidence/
information/ fact:
As an example/
evidence,
For instance,
To show an example,
To illustrate,
To paraphrase,
To demonstrate,
Most compelling
evidence,
As an illustration,
In this case,
For this reason,
In fact,

Consequently.....
As an effect.....
Thus.....
So.....
The reason why.....
Therefore.....
Hence.....
Eventually.....
For this reason.....
Thereby.....

Vocabulary to
emphasise:

To be sure,
Chiefly,
Truly,
Indeed,
Certainly,
Surely,
Markedly,
Especially,
Explicitly,
Specifically,
Expressly,

Due to the fact that,

III. CONCLUSION:
1st Statement: Summarize your ideas by paraphrasing the thesis statement
from the introduction.
2nd Statement: Answer the question directly with your personal opinion.

Strategies
Summarize your

Examples
- All things considered, getting married has ,in
my opinion, more advantages than dis-

essays main points

advantages.
- In conclusion, although living abroad can be

Use a quotation to sum

up the thesis

stressful at first, it is something that proves worth

doing after you have been familiar with it. As
Lyndia Hearn said: A foreigner is only a foreigner
until youve been introduced.
- Above all, what can be more fulfilling than a

Pose questions

reliable relationship with the person you love that

lasts for the rest of your life?
- Recommendation: Because people are able
to work effectivelylonger today, perhaps the
government might reconsider its policy.
- Suggestion: Because costs of living are going

Give a suggestion, a
recommendation or a
prediction

up and people need to work beyond retirement

age, it would be in the interest of the economy
that the government rethink its retirement
policies.
- Prediction: If the government reviewed its
policiesabout mandatory retirement, some ablebodied workers might be able to work beyond
retirement age, to the benefit of everyone.

6. YOU SHOULD AVOID:

- Announcing statements:a ra nhng li tuyn b nh My paper has
proven that . . .
- Repeating the introduction:Paraphrasing instead of repeating the
question in your introduction.

- New ideas that were not covered in the paper: Conclusion = Closure.
You should end the topic without starting any new idea.
- Apologies:You shouldnt show your uncertainty or apology for your
personal opinion in your conclusion,such as I may not be an expert or At
least this is my opinion. Those sentences just make your essay less
persuasive.

IV. SAMPLE ESSAY:

Space exploration is much too expensive and the money should be
spent on more important things.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
There is an argument that exploring space is a waste of money and that
there are more urgent needs to be addressed on earth, such as reducing
poverty and preventing environmental destruction. However, I completely
disagree with this opinion for two reasons.
First of all, many of the technologies we take for granted today were
originated thanks to space research. Take satellite technology, for
example, which we depend on for broadcasting and weather forecasting.
Without satellites, we would not be able to follow global events as they
happen, nor give populations any warning of approaching storms. Space
research has also led to the development of new lightweight materials that
offer us heat protection and enable food preservation. Therefore, the
challenge of sending human beings into space has often driven the
development of new technologies that benefit our everyday lives.
Second, we cannot foresee the distant future, so we ought to develop the
capability to escape from the earth. Gradually, we are learning how
humans can survive for long periods in space and even travel to other
planets in the future. If space exploration is halted, this valuable knowledge
will never be acquired. It is true that environmental destruction is also a
serious issue, but it is also true that we remain dependent on our
environment if we never accept the challenge of exploring other worlds.
In conclusion, while we undoubtedly face serious problems on our own
planet, it is imperative that we continue to explore space. This will promote
further technological advances as well as provide a possible means of

escape should earth become uninhabitable in future. Ideally, all nations

should cooperate in the advancement of space research.
( 278 words, 8.5 IELTS ).

V. EXERCISES :
such as

on the other hand

as a result

as well

for example

when it comes to

lastly

since

First

I strongly believe that

in addition

while

As a result

maybe

Question: Some people believe that it is better to spend your free

time on useful activities, while others feel that free time is best
used for relaxation. What are your opinions on this?
Free time is limited, and 1 ________ precious, to most people. 2___________,
many people carefully consider how to spend it. Some people feel that it is
better to spend your spare time being busy and developing yourself through
useful activities, 3_____others prefer to spend this time relaxing.
Those who prefer to use their leisure time to develop themselves and
remain busy enjoy several benefits.4_____, because such people are busy
gaining knowledge and experience, they will be more likely to get ahead,
both at work and in life. This getting ahead and increased ability and
performance could very well result in promotions and a higher salary at
work. This would, 5________, lead to other benefits 6________ longer
vacations and more money. 7_______, a person who has developed himself
will feel better about himself, his knowledge and abilities, and will have
more self-confidence. This psychological benefit could be reason enough to
some people to remain productive during their free time.
8________________, those who prefer to use their leisure time to relax have
several arguments in their favor. 9___________ they probably enjoy less
stress and therefore better health. 10______________, stress levels and
physical health are strongly linked. 11__________, those who take time out to
relax enjoy better relationships with their friends and family simply because

they have more time to spend with them. Psychologists say

that, 12_______________ spending time with family, quantity is as important
as quality. 13____________________having better relationships with those
most important to us contributes to our overall quality of life. 14______,
those who enjoy their spare time and use this time to rejuvenate and
refresh themselves will ultimately perform better at work, 15_____ their
minds and bodies will be rested. 16_____, they will be ready to give
everything they have at work. Who knows?17_______ they will get further
ahead than those who spend all their time working!

EXERCISES :
Some people who have been in prison become good citizens later,
and it is often argued that these are the best people to talk to
teenagers
about
the
dangers
of
committing
a
crime.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
1) Fully

2) Likely

3) Adolescents

4)
Completely
agree

5) An exoffender

6) In my
opinion

7) Breaking
the law

8) One option
would be

9) In term
of

10) In
conclusion

It is true that ex-prisoners can become normal, productive members of

society. I (.) with the idea that allowing such people to speak to teenagers
about their experiences is the best way to discourage them from (.).
(.), teenagers are more likely to accept advice from someone who can
speak from experience. Reformed offenders can tell young people about
how they became involved in crime, the dangers of a criminal lifestyle, and
what life in prison is really like. They can also dispel any ideas that
teenagers may have about criminals leading glamorous lives. While (.)are
often indifferent to the guidance given by older people, I imagine that most
of them would be extremely keen to hear the stories of (.). The vivid and
perhaps shocking nature of these stories is (.) to have a powerful impact.
The alternatives to using reformed criminals to educate teenagers about
crime would be much less effective. (.) for police officers to visit schools
and talk to young people. This could be useful (.) informing teens about
what happens to lawbreakers when they are caught, but young people are
often reluctant to take advice from figures of authority. A second option

would
doubt
about
would

be for school teachers to speak to their students about crime, but I

that students would see teachers as credible sources of information
this topic. Finally, educational films might be informative, but there
be no opportunity for young people to interact and ask questions.

(.), I (.) support the view that people who have turned their lives
around after serving a prison sentence could help to deter teenagers from
committing crimes.