Short answer: A "discuss both views and give your opinion" essay has three jobs, not two: present the first view fairly, present the second view fairly, and state which one you hold. Your opinion goes in the introduction, is made explicit again in the body paragraph of the view you share, and is restated in the conclusion. Four paragraphs: an introduction that paraphrases both views and states your position; one body paragraph per view, each with a reason and an example; a conclusion that summarises and confirms your side. Below: how to read the instruction, the plan sentence by sentence, a full model essay of about 300 words annotated by criterion after each paragraph, the connectors of contrast and concession, and the five mistakes this essay type produces.
This is the Task 2 type that candidates most often answer well on language and badly on Task Response, because the instruction contains two requests and one of them is easy to lose. The first is to discuss both views, which candidates do. The second is to give your opinion, which candidates postpone to a last sentence, phrase vaguely, or forget. The examiner reads the instruction as a list, and an essay that misses one item on the list is scored as partially addressing the task.
Reading the instruction
The question comes in a fixed shape: a topic, two views, and the line "Discuss both views and give your own opinion." Sometimes the two views are two positions on a policy ("some people think schools should teach practical skills, while others believe academic subjects should come first"); sometimes they are a choice ("some think a university education is the best preparation for a career, others think work experience is more valuable"). The wording changes, the demand does not.
Three things follow from that line. You must present the view you do not hold as if someone intelligent held it, with a reason and an example, not in one dismissive sentence. You must state a position of your own, not "both have advantages". And the position must be visible early: an introduction that says "this essay will discuss both views" and nothing more leaves the examiner reading two body paragraphs without knowing where you stand, which is what the band 6 descriptor for Task Response describes when it says the position may be unclear.
A common variant is "Discuss both views and give your opinion" on a question that already contains a proposal, such as whether governments should fund the arts. The method is the same: one paragraph for the case for, one for the case against, and your side stated in the introduction and held throughout.
The plan, sentence by sentence
The four-paragraph shape from the general IELTS Writing Task 2 Structure: Band 7 Templates, 4 Types guide applies here, with one adjustment: the body paragraphs are organised by view, not by reason, and the second body paragraph is the one where your opinion becomes explicit.
Sentence 1 paraphrases the two views in one line, joined by "while" or "whereas", so that the reader sees both sides at once. Sentence 2 states your position: "While there is some truth in the first view, I believe the second is more convincing because ..." or "I side with those who ...". Optional sentence 3 names the reason in a few words; it becomes the argument of your second body paragraph.
Sentence 1 introduces the view and its holders: "Those who favour ... argue that ...". Sentences 2 and 3 give the reasoning behind it, in your words, as its supporters would put it. Sentence 4 gives one example, specific rather than general. Sentence 5 concedes what is true in the view, in a clause that leaves room for the next paragraph: "These are real advantages, particularly in ...".
Sentence 1 turns with "However" and states the second view as your own: "However, ... prepares people for ...". Sentences 2 and 3 explain the mechanism, why this view is right. Sentence 4 gives an example. Sentence 5 compares the two views directly, "whereas", and says why this one outweighs the first. Sentence 6 makes the opinion explicit: "This is why I consider ...".
Sentence 1 summarises both views in one line, with a concession clause for the one you do not hold: "although ... gives ..., ... develops ...". Sentence 2 restates your opinion in new words: "so I believe it remains the better ...". Nothing new.
Five minutes of planning are enough to fill this shape: decide your side, write one reason and one example for each view, and write the sentence of the introduction that states your position. If you cannot write that sentence, you have not chosen a side yet, and the essay will show it.
A full band 7 model essay, annotated
The question: "Some people believe that a university education is the best preparation for a successful career, while others think that work experience is more valuable. Discuss both views and give your own opinion." The essay follows the plan above and is written to the band 7 descriptors: a clear position throughout, both views developed, one central topic per paragraph, a range of structures with few errors. It is a model to imitate, not an official sample. Word counts are given per paragraph so that you can see the balance.
Whether a degree or time in the workplace prepares a person better for a career is a question that many school leavers face. While practical experience teaches skills that no lecture can, I believe that a university education offers the broader preparation, because it develops abilities that outlast any single job.
Task Response: both views are in the first sentence, the position is in the second ("I believe"), with the reason that Body 2 will develop. Coherence: "while" signals the concession and tells the reader the shape of the essay in advance.
Those who favour work experience argue that employers value what a candidate can do on the first day. A trainee who has spent a few years in an office knows how to manage deadlines, handle difficult clients and work in a team, none of which a syllabus teaches directly. In fields such as sales or hospitality, this practical knowledge is often what decides a promotion. There is also a financial point: someone who starts work straight after school earns a salary while a student accumulates debt. These are real advantages, particularly in careers where the skills required change slowly and can be learned on the job.
Task Response: the view the writer does not hold is presented with two reasons and an example, as its supporters would put it; the last sentence concedes its strength and limits it ("particularly in careers where ..."), which keeps the writer's position visible. Lexical Resource: "on the first day", "syllabus", "accumulates debt", "learned on the job". Grammar: a relative clause with "none of which", a colon introducing a point, "while" for a contrast inside a sentence.
However, a university education prepares people for the careers they will have, not only for the first job they take. Studying a subject in depth teaches how to analyse unfamiliar problems, weigh evidence and write clearly, and these abilities transfer when an industry changes or disappears. A graduate in engineering who moves into project management, for example, carries the analytical habits of the degree into a role that did not exist when she enrolled. Work experience tends to be specific to one employer and one set of tasks, whereas a degree provides a foundation that can be built on repeatedly. This is why I consider it the more valuable preparation.
Task Response: the second view is developed as the writer's own, the two views are compared directly ("whereas"), and the opinion is made explicit in the last sentence. Coherence and Cohesion: "However" marks the turn, "for example" introduces the example, "This is why" links the paragraph to the position. Lexical Resource: "in depth", "weigh evidence", "transfer", "a foundation that can be built on". Grammar: a "not only" contrast, a "who" clause carrying the example, a "whereas" comparison, all error free.
In conclusion, although practical experience gives an immediate advantage and suits some careers well, university develops the transferable skills that a long working life demands, so I believe it remains the better preparation for most people.
Task Response: both views in one sentence, the concession kept ("although ... suits some careers well"), the position restated in new words. Nothing new is added. Total: 303 words.
Read the four paragraphs as a whole and notice the balance: the two body paragraphs are the same length, and the view the writer rejects gets as much argument as the one the writer holds. That is what "discuss both views" means. The opinion is stated three times in three different forms, in the introduction, at the end of Body 2, and in the conclusion, and never contradicts itself.
Connectors of contrast and concession
This essay type lives on contrast, and the examiner scores cohesion on whether the connectors are used correctly and not mechanically. Two families do most of the work: connectors that set two things against each other, and connectors that admit a point before overriding it.
| Function | Connectors | How it is used | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contrast inside a sentence | while, whereas | "Work experience tends to be specific, whereas a degree provides a foundation." | The two clauses must be genuinely opposed. "Whereas" needs a comma before it. |
| Contrast between sentences | however, on the other hand, by contrast | "However, a university education prepares people for ..." | "On the other hand" only after a first hand has been presented; one per essay is enough. |
| Concession inside a sentence | although, even though, though | "Although practical experience gives an immediate advantage, university develops ..." | The main clause carries your view; the "although" clause carries the other side. |
| Concession with a noun | despite, in spite of | "Despite its cost, a degree ..." | Followed by a noun or an -ing form, never by a full clause. |
| Admitting then overriding | it is true that ... but, admittedly, granted | "It is true that graduates start later, but ..." | Useful once, at the end of Body 1 or the start of Body 2, to show the position is held with the other side in view. |
| Taking a side | I believe, I side with, in my view, this is why I consider | "This is why I consider it the more valuable preparation." | Use plain first person. "It could be argued that" hides the opinion the question asked for. |
Two things to avoid. Opening every sentence with a connector, which reads as a list rather than an argument; referencing words ("this", "such experience", "the former") carry most links better. And "on the one hand ... on the other hand" as the whole structure of the essay, which presents two sides without ever choosing, and delivers the essay straight into the first mistake below.
The five mistakes this essay type produces
- No opinion, or an opinion only in the last line. "This essay will discuss both views" is not an opinion. An essay that argues both sides and ends with "in my opinion both are important" has not given a position. Decide before you write, state it in the introduction, hold it.
- Two unbalanced paragraphs. One view gets a full paragraph with an example; the other gets two sentences. The examiner reads the short one as not discussed. Give the view you reject the same shape: reason, explanation, example.
- A contradictory opinion. The introduction says one side, Body 2 drifts to the other, the conclusion picks a third. This happens when the position was not decided at the planning stage. The fix is the sentence in the introduction: write it first, and check every paragraph against it.
- Paraphrasing the question instead of arguing. A body paragraph that says "some people think work experience is better because it gives experience" restates the prompt. Each view needs a reason that is not in the question, and an example that is not a generality.
- A third body paragraph for "my opinion" that repeats Body 2. Some candidates present view one, view two, then a paragraph headed by "in my opinion" that says what Body 2 already said. If your opinion is one of the two views, it belongs inside that view's paragraph. A separate opinion paragraph is only justified when your position is a third one, and then it must add an argument.
When you have written one, the Task 2 checker on this site returns an estimated band per criterion with the correction, and for this essay type the Task Response line is the one to read first: it says whether both views were developed and whether the position was clear. The band is an estimate to guide practice, not an official result.
Quick answers
Do I have to give my opinion?
Yes. The instruction "discuss both views and give your own opinion" contains two demands, and Task Response is scored on whether both were met. An essay that presents the two views fairly but never says which one the writer holds is marked as addressing the task only partially, whatever the quality of the English. "Both views have merit" is not an opinion; "I believe the second view is more convincing because ..." is.
Where does the opinion go?
In the introduction first, in one clear sentence after the two views have been paraphrased. Then it becomes explicit again in the body paragraph of the view you share, usually the second, with a sentence such as "This is why I consider ...". Then it is restated in the conclusion in new words. Three statements, three forms, one position. Leaving it to the conclusion alone reads as a position that was not clear during the essay.
Can I agree with both?
Partly, if you say so precisely. "I agree with both" is not a position. "Each view is right for a different situation: work experience for careers where skills change slowly, a degree for those where they do not, and since most careers today are of the second kind, I favour the degree" is a position, and it can score well because it is clear and held throughout. What loses marks is a balanced essay that never commits, or a position that changes between the introduction and the conclusion.
Is the AI band official?
No. The band from the checker is an estimate produced by an AI model against the four official criteria, to guide your practice. Only a certified examiner gives an official IELTS band. This site is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to IELTS, the British Council, IDP or Cambridge English.
The short version: two views, one position; the position in the introduction, at the end of the paragraph of the view you hold, and in the conclusion; the same shape and length for the view you reject; a real reason and a real example for each. Paste the result and read the Task Response line first.