How to answer IELTS Writing Task 2 discuss both views questions
Quick answer
A discuss both views question gives you two jobs: discuss each view fairly, and give your own opinion. Do both. Give each view its own developed paragraph, then make your opinion clear and keep it consistent with the rest of the essay. IELTS publishes no fixed place for the opinion, but the Task Response criterion asks for every part of the question to be answered and a clear position throughout, so a view that appears only in the last line is risky.
The app marks a Task 2 essay on four criteria with an Examiner's Summary, so you can check whether both views and your own opinion were covered.
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On this page
IELTS.org’s Academic Writing format page introduces Task 2 as a point of view, argument or problem that you need to discuss. It does not divide questions into types. “Discuss both views” is a label from practice material for one shape a question takes: two opposing views, then a request for your own opinion. The four criteria that mark an essay are identical whatever the shape, so this guide is a way of reading this wording, not a separate rule of the exam.
Below: how to recognise the shape, what Task Response asks for at bands 6 and 7, a plan, where the opinion goes and what to avoid. The whole test is described in the Writing test format guide.
Key takeaways
- The wording gives you two jobs: discuss both views, and give your own opinion. Skipping either leaves part of the question unanswered.
- Present each view as its holders would, then say what you think.
- Balance means both views are developed, not that they are equal in length.
- IELTS publishes no fixed position for the opinion. Choose one place and keep the opinion the same everywhere.
- The same four criteria mark every Task 2 shape.
A shape, not an IELTS category
IELTS.org says only that Task 2 gives you a topic, and that you must discuss the relevant issues in a clear, relevant argument supported by evidence or examples, in connected text. It publishes no list of essay types and no figures for how often any shape appears. If a question mixes two shapes, answer the wording in front of you, part by part.
How to recognise the shape
Look for two views in the question, joined to an instruction:
- “Some people think X. Others think Y. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.”
- “Some believe that A, while others argue that B. Discuss both these views and say which you agree with.”
Two things mark it. There are two opposing positions given to you, and the instruction asks for discussion of both. The second job, your own opinion, may be written as “give your own opinion”, “say which you agree with” or “what is your view?”. If it is missing from the wording, there may be no opinion job at all, so read to the end of the question twice.
What Task Response asks for at bands 6 and 7
This is the site’s own paraphrase of the public descriptors. You can browse them in the Writing band descriptors.
Band 6. Every part of the question is answered, though one part may get much more room than another. Your view is on-topic and visible. The conclusion can turn murky or repeat itself, and a point or two is named without being explained.
Band 7. Every part is answered, one position runs from start to finish and nothing later quietly contradicts it. Main points are explained and supported. Sweeping statements still show up in places.
In this shape, “every part” means three things: the first view, the second view and your opinion. A common band 6 pattern is two thin view paragraphs and a late opinion. A band 7 essay develops both views and keeps the opinion visible. The criterion-by-criterion detail is in how to get band 7 in IELTS Writing.
Balanced paragraphs
Discussing a view means giving the reasons its holders would give, in your own words, with an example or consequence. It does not mean agreeing with it, and it does not mean describing it in one sentence.
A balanced essay typically has one body paragraph for each view, built the same way: a topic sentence naming the view, an explanation of why people hold it, and a supporting example or consequence. Equal length is not required. What matters is that neither view is a one-line summary beside a developed one. If you prefer one side, show that through your argument, not through the amount of space.
Describe the view fairly. If you present the side you reject as foolish, the reader may take your discussion as a weaker answer to the task.
Where the opinion goes
IELTS publishes nothing about where the opinion must appear. Two layouts are common:
- Early. One sentence in the introduction says which view you favour, or that you combine them. The body discusses both views, with your own reasoning visible in the way you present them. The conclusion repeats your opinion in new words.
- Developed late. The introduction states the opinion in a sentence. The second body paragraph, or a short third, develops it, and the conclusion confirms it.
The public band 7 wording asks for a clear position throughout the response. A reader who first meets your opinion in the last line has had no position to follow for most of the essay, so some statement of it near the beginning is the safer reading. That is an interpretation, not a rule IELTS states.
Plan it in a few minutes
IELTS.org says Task 2 should take no more than 40 minutes, so keep the plan short.
- Mark the two views and the second job in the question.
- Write your opinion in one sentence, including any combination: “both matter, but X matters more because…”.
- For each view, choose one strong reason its supporters would give and one example or consequence.
- Decide where the opinion sits and write the sentence you will use there.
- Check the last line against the first: do they state the same opinion?
For the general four-paragraph shape, see the Task 2 essay structure post; this plan fills it for two views.
A paragraph plan
- Introduction. The topic, both views in your own words, then your opinion in one sentence.
- Body paragraph one. The first view: why people hold it, supported by an example or consequence.
- Body paragraph two. The second view, built the same way, ending with a sentence that links to your opinion.
- Conclusion. Your opinion again, briefly, with no new idea.
A worked example (invented)
The prompt, outline and paragraph below are invented for practice. They are not from a real paper, and the paragraph is not a model answer that earned a band.
Prompt: Some people believe the best way to learn about other cultures is to travel. Others think it is better to study them through books and films. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Outline
- Opinion: travel gives the strongest understanding, but reading prepares you to understand what you see.
- View one (travel): direct contact, daily life, language heard in use.
- View two (books and films): depth, context and history that a short visit cannot give.
- Conclusion: the two work best together, with travel as the stronger of the two.
Sample body paragraph, view two (invented):
Those who prefer books and films argue that a visitor sees only the surface of a culture. A tourist staying a week in a city may notice food and architecture, but will rarely understand the history that shaped them or the reasons behind local customs. A well-researched documentary or history, by contrast, can set out these causes in a way no short trip can. This explains why many people feel they learned more from a good book than from a holiday. However, a book cannot replace the experience of hearing a language used naturally, which is why I still place travel first.
The paragraph treats the view fairly, develops it with a reason and an example, and ends by tying back to the writer’s opinion without abandoning the discussion.
Traps specific to this shape
Only one job done. Discussing both views and never saying what you think, or giving a strong opinion and covering one view lightly, both leave a part of the question unanswered.
Describing instead of discussing. “Some people like travel because it is enjoyable” is a statement, not a discussion. Add why it matters and what follows from it.
A caricature of the other side. Presenting the view you reject in its weakest form makes the discussion look like a set-up.
An opinion that changes. An introduction that favours travel and a conclusion that favours books signals a shifting position.
An opinion with no reason. “In my opinion, travel is better” is a label. Give the reason that makes it your view.
Invented evidence. “Studies have shown” with no study in mind reads as invented. Use reasoning and ordinary examples.
How the app marks it
IELTS Mentor AI marks a Task 2 essay with an overall Writing band, a band for each of the four criteria and an Examiner’s Summary, plus what worked and how to improve for each criterion. The timed editor runs at 40:00 and shows a live word count against the 250 minimum. For this shape, read the Task Response comments first: they show whether both views and your opinion registered.
Where this fits
This is one shape among several. If your question gives a single statement to judge, see agree or disagree essays. If it asks you to weigh benefits against drawbacks, see advantages and disadvantages essays. For how the Writing result is built from the two tasks, read how the IELTS Writing score is calculated.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to give my own opinion if the question says discuss both views?
Only if the wording asks for it. When the question says "and give your own opinion", that is a second job and leaving it out means part of the task is unanswered. If the wording asks only for a discussion, read it closely and answer what it asks.
Where should my opinion go in a discuss both views essay?
IELTS publishes no required place. A common choice is a short statement in the introduction, developed in the body and repeated in the conclusion. Whatever you choose, the public band 7 wording asks for a clear position throughout the response, so an opinion that appears only at the very end gives the reader little to follow.
Must both views get equal space?
Not exactly equal, but both need to be developed. The public band 6 wording describes one part of a question getting far more room than another, and band 7 gives every part a fair share. Aim for two similar body paragraphs, and let your opinion lean to one side without dropping the other.
Can I agree with one view and still discuss the other?
Yes, and that is the usual case. Discussing a view means explaining its reasoning fairly, not agreeing with it. Your opinion can favour one side or combine both, as long as it is clear and the essay supports it.
Is discuss both views the same as agree or disagree?
No. IELTS.org describes Task 2 only as a point of view, argument or problem to discuss, and these shapes are labels from practice material. An agree or disagree question gives you one statement to judge. A discuss both views question gives you two to explain, and then asks for your own.
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