Part 3: opinions, agreement and disagreement
Decode what speakers really think: full and partial agreement, polite disagreement, doubt, suggestions, tutor feedback and final decisions, including when a ‘yes’ actually means ‘no’.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Recognise the language of agreement, partial agreement, disagreement, doubt, suggestion and evaluation
- Read attitude from the whole turn and the next speaker's reaction, not from single words
- Interpret tentative language and tutor feedback correctly
- Answer Part 3 questions about what speakers think, feel, suggest and decide
How opinion questions are worded, and what each one needs
| Question stem | What you must hear | The usual trap |
|---|---|---|
What does the tutor think about…? | The tutor's own evaluation: positive, negative or mixed | A student's opinion that is stated more strongly and more clearly |
How does Sam feel about…? | An attitude: keen, worried, reluctant, surprised, annoyed | Sam's words are polite, but the attitude behind them is negative (‘I suppose I could…’) |
What do the students agree about…? | One speaker makes the point AND the other accepts it | A point made by one student and challenged by the other |
What does Anna suggest…? | Anna's proposal (‘Why don't we…?’, ‘Wouldn't it be better to…?’) | Confusing her suggestion with what is finally decided |
What do they decide to do? | The final, accepted plan | The first idea, or a suggestion that was rejected |
Why does the tutor recommend…? | The reason linked to the advice | A different reason that is mentioned but not linked to the recommendation |
The language of opinion: a decoder
| Function | Phrases you'll hear | What it means for your answer |
|---|---|---|
Strong agreement | Exactly. · Absolutely. · I couldn't agree more. · That's just what I was thinking. · You're spot on. | Full agreement: the point is now shared by both speakers |
Weak or reluctant agreement | I suppose so. · I guess you're right. · Fair enough. · If you say so. · I can live with that. | Acceptance without enthusiasm; often a decision the speaker didn't originally want |
Partial agreement | That's a fair point, but… · Up to a point. · True, although… · I see what you mean; however… · Yes and no. | Agrees with part of it; the speaker's real opinion comes AFTER ‘but’ |
Disagreement | I'm not convinced. · I'm not so sure about that. · I don't think that's quite right. · Really? I'd have thought… · I take your point, but I still think… | Polite rejection: the idea is probably a distractor |
Doubt | I wonder whether… · I'm not sure it would work. · Maybe, but… · I have my doubts about… · It's hard to say. | Uncertainty or scepticism, not a firm ‘no’ |
Suggestion | Wouldn't it be better to…? · Why don't we…? · How about…? · What if we…? · It might be worth… | A proposal: check whether the other speaker accepts it |
Positive evaluation | It was a real eye-opener. · It's exactly what we needed. · I was really impressed by… | Praise, often matched by options like ‘useful’, ‘valuable’ or ‘informative’ |
Negative evaluation | It was a bit of a let-down. · It wasn't as useful as I'd hoped. · It's rather superficial. | Criticism, usually softened |
Decision | Let's go with… · OK, that's decided. · Right, the second plan it is. · So we're agreed. | The answer to ‘What do they decide…?’ |
Sounds negative, means positive (and the reverse)
Negative words, positive meaning
- ‘I couldn't agree more.’ → total agreement
- ‘You can't argue with that.’ → agreement
- ‘I wouldn't change a thing.’ → strong approval
- ‘Wouldn't it be better to…?’ → a suggestion in favour
- ‘It's not a bad idea.’ → mild approval
Positive words, negative meaning
- ‘Great, another survey.’ (flat tone) → annoyance
- ‘It's fine, I suppose.’ → unenthusiastic
- ‘Interesting idea… but who's going to pay for it?’ → doubt
- ‘Yes, in theory.’ → doubt about the practice
- ‘I like it, but I'm not convinced it'll work.’ → reservation
Never judge an opinion by one word. Listen to the whole turn, and to what the speaker says next.
One reply, five attitudes
Check your understanding
7 questions- 1
Listen to the audio above, then match each version to Sam's real attitude.
Version oneVersion twoVersion threeVersion fourVersion five - 2
In Version two, what is Sam's main concern?
- 3
A student says: ‘Wouldn't it be better to use the library's database?’ The speaker is…
- 4
‘That's a fair point, but the sample is still too small.’ What is the speaker's main opinion?
- 5
Complete the phrase for strong agreement: ‘I couldn't agree .’
- 6
Ben: Should we add a section on costs? Lucy: I'm not convinced we'll find reliable figures. Ben: Hmm, you may be right.
Lucy is enthusiastic about adding a section on costs.
- 7
Which TWO responses show reluctant agreement?
Select 2.
Answer every question to check.
Tone and tentative language
Tone supports the words. In IELTS recordings, attitude is always made clear by the language as well. You will never need to guess from intonation alone, but tone helps you notice it sooner:
- A strong fall (“Exactly.”) sounds certain and final.
- A rise (“Really?”, “A good idea?”) signals surprise or disbelief.
- A fall-rise (“We-ell…”, “In theory…”) signals reservation: there's a ‘but’ coming.
- A flat, low voice (“Fine. Whatever.”) signals reluctance or boredom.
Tentative language is the polite, careful way academics express opinions: might, could, perhaps, I'd tend to think, it seems to me, to some extent, arguably, I'm not sure that…
The key point: a tentative opinion is still an opinion. Tutors in Part 3 almost never say “That's wrong.” They say “You might want to look again at that.” If the question asks what the tutor thinks, the tentative criticism IS the answer.
Tutor-speak decoder
| What the tutor says | What the tutor means |
|---|---|
‘You might want to look again at your conclusion.’ | Your conclusion has a problem. Fix it. |
‘Have you thought about interviewing staff as well?’ | You should interview staff. |
‘That's one way of doing it.’ | There's a better way. |
‘I'd be a little careful with those figures.’ | The figures may be unreliable. |
‘That's certainly ambitious.’ | It's probably too much to do in the time. |
‘It's a solid start.’ | Good, but not finished: it needs more work. |
‘I wouldn't worry too much about the length.’ | Length isn't the problem; focus on something else. |
‘I'm not sure the markers will see it that way.’ | This will lose you marks. |
How to answer opinion and decision questions
- 1
Whose view, about what?
Underline the person (the tutor, Hannah, both students) and the topic (the documentary, the structure). The topic is your landmark; the person tells you whose voice matters.
- 2
Turn options into attitudes
Reduce each option to a simple label before listening. A It was too technical → negative: hard to follow. B It overstated the benefits → negative: exaggerated. C It was a useful source → positive. Now you know what kind of language would prove each one.
- 3
Listen to the reply, not just the statement
Opinions are negotiated in three moves: statement → reaction → resolution. The first speaker's statement is often the distractor; the reaction and the resolution give you the answer.
- 4
Use ‘but’ as a pointer
After but, though, however, although, still, the speaker's real opinion usually appears. Everything before it is often a concession.
- 5
‘Agree’ needs two people
For What do the students agree…?, you need one student to say it and the other to accept it (“True.”, “Exactly.”, “You're right.”). A point that one speaker makes and the other challenges is a trap.
- 6
For decisions, wait for the last word
Plans change two or three times. Keep the options open until you hear “Let's go with…”, “OK, so…” or “…it is”, then commit.
What do the students think about the free online survey tool?
A It was difficult to set up. B Its analysis features were limited. C It was not worth the cost.
Aisha: The free survey tool was easy enough to set up, I'll give it that.
Ben: Easy, yes. But the reports it produced were pretty basic, weren't they? Just a few pie charts.
Aisha: True. We ended up doing all the proper analysis in a spreadsheet.
Ben: Still, we can't complain. We didn't pay a penny for it.
Answer: B
- Option AAisha says the opposite: ‘easy enough to set up’. ‘I'll give it that’ is a concession, a sign that criticism is coming next.
- Option BBen: ‘the reports… were pretty basic’. Aisha agrees (‘True’) and adds evidence (‘all the proper analysis in a spreadsheet’). Both speakers hold this view, so it answers ‘What do the students think?’
- Option CCost is mentioned, but the tool was free (‘didn't pay a penny’) and they ‘can't complain’. The topic is heard; the opinion is the reverse.
- Tag question‘…weren't they?’ invites agreement. When the other speaker replies ‘True’, the view is shared.
Practice: planning a seminar on green roofs
8 questionsTwo environmental science students, Hannah and Tariq, discuss sources and plans for a seminar presentation on green roofs (roofs covered with plants). Every question asks what they think, feel, suggest or decide.
Recording
🎧 Read the questions first, then play the recording once — just like the real test. You can replay it after checking your answers.
Questions 21–26
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
What does Hannah think of the documentary?
What do the students agree about the Kowalski article?
What does Tariq suggest they should do?
How does Hannah feel about including information on costs?
What do the students decide about the structure of the presentation?
How does Tariq feel about presenting the data section?
Questions 27 and 28
Choose TWO letters, A–E.
Which TWO aspects of their work so far are the students pleased with?
Choose TWO answers · 0/2 selected
Final quiz: opinions and decisions
10 questions- 1
Tutor: Your introduction's a solid start. You might want to look again at the second paragraph, though.
What does the tutor think of the introduction?
- 2
Lily: Shall we include the interviews with shop owners? Omar: I'm not saying they're useless, but they don't really answer our research question. Lily: Hmm, OK. We'll leave them out.
What do the students decide about the interviews?
- 3
Ravi: The museum visit was a real eye-opener. Jess: It was, although the guide spoke far too quickly.
What does RAVI think about the museum visit?
- 4
Which TWO phrases introduce a suggestion?
Select 2.
- 5
Match each phrase to its function.
‘Up to a point.’‘I have my doubts about that.’‘That's just what I was thinking.’‘Right, the second plan it is.’‘It was a bit of a let-down.’ - 6
Maria: The software was supposed to save us time. Joe: In theory. In practice, we spent two days learning how to use it.
Joe believes the software saved them time.
- 7
Tutor: Your choice of case study is certainly ambitious. Have you thought about how you'd get access to the factory?
The tutor has some concerns about the students' case study.
- 8
Nadia: I'd rather present first. Ali: Fine by me.
Ali is nervous about presenting.
- 9
Find and correct the mistake:
I couldn't agree less, it's exactly what we need.
- 10
‘That's a fair point, the sample is still too small.’ (The speaker's real opinion comes after this word.)
Answer every question to check.
Key takeaways
Attitude words you'll meet in Part 3 options
Saved as flashcards with a free accountsceptical
adjective/ˈskeptɪkl/
having doubts that something is true or will work (US spelling: skeptical)
সন্দিহান
Hannah was sceptical about the claims made in the documentary.
reluctant
adjective/rɪˈlʌktənt/
not wanting to do something and therefore slow or unwilling to do it
অনিচ্ছুক
Tariq was reluctant to present the statistics.
enthusiastic
adjective/ɪnˌθjuːziˈæstɪk/
showing a lot of excitement and interest in something
উৎসাহী
The tutor was enthusiastic about their new structure.
tentative
adjective/ˈtentətɪv/
not definite or certain; said or done carefully because you are not sure
অনিশ্চিত, সাবধানী (চূড়ান্ত নয় এমন)
She made a tentative suggestion that they change the title.
concede
verb/kənˈsiːd/
to admit, often unwillingly, that something is true
(অনিচ্ছায়) মেনে নেওয়া
Chloe conceded that the questionnaire had been fun to design.
dismissive
adjective/dɪsˈmɪsɪv/
showing that you think something is not important or not worth considering
অবজ্ঞাপূর্ণ, তাচ্ছিল্যপূর্ণ
He was dismissive of the online sources, calling them ‘just blogs’.
cautious
adjective/ˈkɔːʃəs/
careful to avoid risks or mistakes
সতর্ক
The article's conclusions are cautious rather than biased.
ambivalent
adjective/æmˈbɪvələnt/
having two opposing feelings or opinions about something at the same time
দ্বিধাগ্রস্ত (মিশ্র অনুভূতিসম্পন্ন)
She felt ambivalent about the case study: interesting, but too narrow.
exaggerate
verb/ɪɡˈzædʒəreɪt/
to make something seem larger, better or more important than it really is
অতিরঞ্জিত করা
The documentary exaggerated the benefits of green roofs.
convinced
adjective/kənˈvɪnst/
completely certain that something is true
নিশ্চিত, দৃঢ়বিশ্বাসী
I'm not convinced the evidence is that strong.
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