Academic Writing & Speaking Course

WRITING LESSON 2

 Opinion Essay
Lesson focus
 Vocabulary topic: Work - Education

I. OPINION ESSAY

Model question: To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Two approaches:
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Example:

Some people think that men and women have different qualities. Therefore, some
certain jobs are suitable for men and some jobs are suitable for women.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Introduction

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Body 1

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Body 2

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Conclusion

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Sample essay:
It is thought that there are disparities in the types of job compatible for males or females
owing to their distinct physical and mental strengths. Although occupational suitability
based on gender is justifiable to some degree, reality, in my opinion, has proven otherwise.

On the one hand, it would be absurd to ignore the fact that jobs which require tremendous
physical strength and agility such as mining feature male labor. Women, meanwhile, are
assumed to be better at tasks that take great patience as well as skills to perform like
household chores. In fact, a majority of men and women could not exchange their preferred
fields of expertise, which is a strong reason for the distribution of the types of jobs among
the two sexes.

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On the other hand, I still believe there should not be any specific rules for occupational
compatibility regarding gender. A lot of men are growing more interested in taking
responsibilities for childcare and housework which are typically considered feminine.
Women, by contrast, are showing great versatility in various jobs, even those demanding
both brains and brawn. Female gymnasts have been increasing in number; and nobody can
deny that mental and physical perseverance are fundamental for gymnastics. In addition,
women’s social status has been improved thanks to the success of world-class
businesswomen and politicians, Hillary Clinton for example. This is a plain proof against the
belief of gender-specific career pursuit.

In conclusion, while there is still some truth to the aforementioned disparity in job selection,
I think men and women are now equal in terms of such an aspect.

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*Useful linking words and cohesive language for the body

*Transitions between two paragraphs:

Body 1: On the one hand, First, Firstly, To begin with, First of all, First and
foremost,…
Body 2: On the other hand, However, From another angle,…

*Transitions between ideas in a paragraph

- First / Firstly,…
- Second / Secondly / Also / In addition / Similarly/ On the other hand,…
- Finally / More importantly / Last but not least,…

How to write a topic sentence?

S + many/a lot of benefits/advantages/positives in some

has/brings/creates few/several drawbacks/disadvantages/negatives certain
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with to a
certain
S + is/are extremely/really beneficial/ advantageous/ positive
extent
problematic/disadvantageous/negative

There is/are some/ plenty of merits/challenges/ issues with/of +

S

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II. PRACTICE

Some people think that everyone has the right to have access to university
education, and that governments should make it free for all students no matter
what financial background they have.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion.

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Academic Writing & Speaking Course

Sentences to avoid (Hackneyed phrase)

This essay will discuss both sides and give an opinion at the end.

I shall put forth my arguments to support my views in the following paragraphs.

With the development of science and modern technology

In the modern era, … / Since the dawn of time, …

This is a highly controversial issue.

The crux of the discussion is …

---> Instead, you should write in a more natural way, such as “The most important
aspect …” or “One of the key issues is …”

For example, a recent study from IMF showed that … / Research indicates that …

The examples you give in IELTS writing task 2 do not need to come from published sources
or known research. They can just be an example of a situation: “For instance, the mojority of
working people do not …”. Avoid learning opening phrases to common sentences.

- It can broaden a person’s horizons

I would be better to write “learning more”, “opening their mind to something”, or

“developing deeper understanding of something”.

- There are good grounds to argue in favour of …/ It cannot be denied that …

It would be better to write more naturally “One reason why X is important/ crucial …”

- In a nutshell, …

- … the aforementioned arguments offer insights into vindications for the impression that …

You only need to restate the main points clearly without using learned phrases.