Discussion essays (both views)
Answer ‘Discuss both views and give your own opinion’ in full. Develop each view fairly, place your opinion where the examiner cannot miss it and organise the essay without leaning on ‘On the one hand… On the other hand…’.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Identify the three tasks in a discussion question: view A, view B and your own opinion
- Develop both views fairly, giving each a genuine, well-supported paragraph
- Choose where to place your opinion and signal it in the introduction, body and conclusion
- Use attribution and contrast language instead of overusing ‘On the one hand… On the other hand…’
- Write a complete discussion essay of 250+ words in 40 minutes
Anatomy of a discussion question
Some people think that young people should be free to choose any career they like. (View A) Others believe they should follow their parents’ advice. (View B) Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. (Jobs 1, 2 and 3)
| Job | What the examiner checks |
|---|---|
| Discuss view A | Is it explained with a reason and an example, not just mentioned? |
| Discuss view B | Is it developed to a similar depth? |
| Give your opinion | Is it clear, and is it the same throughout? |
Your opinion can take three shapes
- You agree with one view. This is the most common choice and the easiest to organise.
- You take a specific middle position that combines both: young people should make the final decision, but only after seriously considering their parents’ advice. This is perfectly acceptable as long as it is specific.
- You prefer one view, under a condition: view B is right for school leavers, but not for adults changing career.
The one shape that does not work is “Both views have advantages and disadvantages”, because it describes the debate without taking part in it.
The two views are not always opposites
Sometimes the views are two different priorities or solutions (Some think governments should pay for public transport; others think passengers should cover the cost themselves). Treat them in exactly the same way: one developed paragraph for each, plus your opinion.
Opinion essay vs discussion essay
| Feature | Opinion essay | Discussion essay |
|---|---|---|
Typical wording | To what extent do you agree or disagree? | Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. |
What the prompt gives you | One statement | Two views |
Your job | Take a position on the statement | Explain both views fairly, then give your opinion |
Body paragraphs | Support your position, or concede and rebut | One paragraph per view, each fully developed |
Where your opinion appears | Throughout, from thesis to conclusion | In the thesis, signalled in the body, restated in the conclusion |
Biggest risk | A drifting position | No opinion, or one view left under-developed |
Band 6 vs band 8: the introduction
Band 6 introduction
Question: Some people think that young people should be free to choose any career they like. Others believe they should follow their parents’ advice. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Nowadays, choosing a career is a very important topic. On the one hand, some people think young people should choose their career freely. On the other hand, other people think they should follow their parents’ advice. This essay will discuss both views and give my opinion.
Band 8 introduction
Same question.
Choosing a career is one of the most consequential decisions a young person makes, and families often disagree about who should make it. While some argue that young people should be free to follow their own interests, others believe they should rely on the guidance of their parents. In my view, the final decision should belong to the young person, but parents’ experience is a valuable resource that should inform it.
The band 6 introduction copies the structure of the question, uses ‘On the one hand… On the other hand…’ mechanically and replaces the opinion with an announcement (‘This essay will discuss both views and give my opinion’), so the examiner still does not know what the writer thinks. The band 8 introduction paraphrases both views in one ‘While some…, others…’ sentence and then states a clear, specific middle position. The opinion is present from the first paragraph and gives the whole essay its direction.
Give each view its best case
To discuss a view means explaining why sensible people hold it, not just mentioning it. The examiner checks whether both views are developed to a similar depth.
Steelman, don’t straw-man. A straw man is a weak, exaggerated version of a view that is easy to knock down: “Some parents are old-fashioned and only want their children to be doctors so they can boast to relatives.” A steelman is the strongest, fairest version: “Parents have decades of experience of the job market that teenagers lack.” Presenting the opposing view at its strongest does two things. It shows the examiner you understand the issue, and it makes your own opinion more convincing when you explain why you still prefer the other side.
Practical rules:
- Give each view one main reason, explained in a chain and supported by an example. That is PEEL again.
- Keep the two paragraphs similar in length. The view you support can be slightly longer (for example 115 words against 95), but never 40 against 150.
- Attribute each view to its supporters (Those who favour… argue that…) so the reader knows you are reporting it, not agreeing with it.
- In the paragraph for the view you disagree with, present it fairly and save most of your evaluation for the other paragraph. One short evaluative sentence at the end is fine (“This argument, however, overlooks…”), but a long rebuttal turns the paragraph into an opinion essay and leaves the view under-developed.
Straw man vs fair development of the view you disagree with
Straw man (band 5–6)
Some people think parents should choose careers for their children. These people are old-fashioned and do not understand the modern world. Parents only want their children to become doctors or engineers so that they can show off to relatives. This is a very bad idea because it is the child’s life.
Fair development (band 8)
Those who favour parental guidance argue that parents have experience that teenagers simply lack. A seventeen-year-old choosing a university subject knows little about salaries, job security or how competitive different fields are, whereas parents have watched friends and relatives build careers over decades. They may know, for instance, that graduates in some popular subjects struggle to find work in Bangladesh, while demand for skilled nurses and engineers remains high. From this perspective, following parental advice is not obedience for its own sake but a way of avoiding costly mistakes at an age when a wrong choice can waste years of study and a family’s savings.
The left paragraph does not discuss the view; it attacks a caricature of it with an insult (‘old-fashioned’) and an unsupported motive (‘show off to relatives’). An examiner would judge the view under-developed and the treatment one-sided. The right paragraph attributes the view (‘Those who favour… argue’), gives its strongest reason (experience of the job market), develops it through a contrast between teenager and parent, adds a specific, plausible example and ends by summarising the view’s logic (‘From this perspective…’). The writer can still disagree in the next paragraph, and the disagreement will look thoughtful rather than dismissive.
Where to put your opinion: three patterns
| Pattern | Structure | Where your opinion appears | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
A: opinion with the view you support (recommended) | Introduction with thesis. Body 1: the view you disagree with. Body 2: the view you agree with, plus ‘I find this more convincing because…’. Conclusion. | Introduction, Body 2 and conclusion | Most essays. It is the clearest and safest pattern, and the model essay below uses it. |
B: separate opinion paragraph | Introduction with thesis. Body 1: view A. Body 2: view B. Body 3: your opinion with its own reason. Conclusion. | Introduction, Body 3 and conclusion | Middle positions that combine both views. It needs careful timing, so keep each body paragraph tighter (about 80–90 words). |
C: opinion at the start and end only | Introduction with thesis. Body 1: view A. Body 2: view B. Conclusion with opinion and reason. | Introduction and conclusion | Acceptable, but the body can read as neutral. Add a brief evaluative phrase in one body paragraph to keep your position visible. |
Alternatives to ‘On the one hand… On the other hand…’
| Purpose | Instead of… | Try… |
|---|---|---|
Both views in one sentence (introduction) | On the one hand…, on the other hand… | While some argue that…, others believe that… / Some people believe…, whereas others… |
Introducing view A | On the one hand, some people think… | Those who favour X argue that… / Supporters of X point out that… / Proponents of X maintain that… / One common argument is that… |
Introducing view B | On the other hand, other people think… | Others, however, contend that… / Opponents of this view argue that… / Critics, by contrast, believe that… / A different perspective is that… |
Reporting their reasoning | They think that… because… | In their view,… / From this perspective,… / This argument rests on the idea that… |
Signalling your opinion in the body | In my opinion I agree with second view. | I find this second argument more persuasive because… / I side with those who… / The stronger case, in my view, lies with… |
Evaluating briefly | But this is wrong. | This argument, however, overlooks… / Understandable as this view is, it fails to account for… |
Check your understanding: three jobs and fair development
6 questions- 1
Some people think universities should focus on preparing students for jobs. Others believe they should provide knowledge for its own sake. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. Choose THREE things the essay must do.
Select 3.
- 2
Which thesis gives a clear opinion for the question above?
- 3
In a discussion essay you must agree with one of the two views; a middle position is not allowed.
- 4
Which sentence introduces view B without using ‘On the other hand’?
- 5
Find and correct the mistake:
Cars are expensive to run. On the other hand, they cause a lot of pollution.
- 6
What is a ‘straw man’ in a discussion essay?
Answer every question to check.
Planning a discussion essay in five minutes
- 1
Find the three jobs
Underline view A, view B and the instruction to give your own opinion.
Model question: View A is growth first. View B is the environment first. An opinion is required.
- 2
Decide your opinion
Choose A, B or a specific middle position.
Growth matters, but not at the cost of the environment, so I lean towards B.
- 3
Find the strongest reason for each view
One main idea per view, at its strongest.
A: growth reduces poverty through jobs and taxes. B: environmental damage eventually wipes out economic gains.
- 4
Find one example for each
A: the garment industry giving rural women an independent income. B: the polluted Buriganga river.
- 5
Choose the pattern and write the thesis
Pattern A puts the view you disagree with first and the view you support second.
Although growth is essential for reducing poverty, it should not be pursued at the expense of the environment, because…
Question: Some people believe that rapid economic development should be the top priority for developing countries, while others argue that protecting the natural environment should come first. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Many developing nations face a difficult choice between growing their economies as fast as possible and protecting their forests, rivers and air. Some people believe rapid economic growth must be the priority, while others argue that the environment should come first. In my view, although growth is essential for reducing poverty, it should not be pursued at the expense of the environment, because serious environmental damage eventually undermines the economy itself.
Those who prioritise development point out that economic growth is the most reliable route out of poverty. New factories and infrastructure create jobs, and the taxes they generate pay for schools, hospitals and roads. Bangladesh’s garment industry illustrates this clearly: it employs millions of workers, many of them women from rural areas, and has given them an independent income for the first time. From this perspective, asking a poor country to slow its growth for environmental reasons seems unfair, especially as wealthy nations polluted freely during their own industrialisation.
Others, however, argue that environmental protection cannot be postponed, and I find this view more convincing. When rivers, soil and air are damaged, the long-term economic costs soon outweigh the short-term gains. The Buriganga river in Dhaka, for instance, has been so heavily polluted by industrial waste that in the dry season it can barely support aquatic life, so communities that once fished and bathed in it have lost both an income and a resource, while illnesses linked to dirty water reduce workers’ productivity. Moreover, damage of this kind can take decades and enormous sums to reverse, whereas a factory that adopts cleaner technology from the start pays only a modest extra cost.
In conclusion, while rapid development undoubtedly lifts people out of poverty, I believe that environmental protection must not be sacrificed for it, since growth built on poisoned rivers and polluted air cannot be sustained.
(About 305 words)
- IntroductionSentence 1 introduces the topic in the writer’s own words. Sentence 2 paraphrases both views in a single ‘Some…, while others…’ sentence. Sentence 3 is the thesis: a clear opinion (the environment should not be sacrificed) with a concession to view A and a reason.
- Body 1: view A, developed fairly‘Those who prioritise development point out’ attributes the view. The chain (jobs, then taxes, then public services) and the garment-industry example make the argument as strong as possible, and the paragraph even adds the view’s best moral point, that rich nations polluted freely. The writer does not attack it here.
- Body 2: view B plus the writer’s opinion‘Others, however, argue… and I find this view more convincing’ introduces view B and signals the opinion in one sentence. The Buriganga example proves the claim that damage eventually costs more than it earns, and ‘Moreover’ adds a closely related second point about the cost of repair.
- ConclusionA ‘while’ clause acknowledges view A, and the main clause restates the opinion with its reason compressed into ‘growth built on poisoned rivers and polluted air cannot be sustained’. Nothing new is added.
- BalanceBody 1 is about 90 words and Body 2 about 115. The supported view is a little longer, but both have a reason, a chain and a specific example, so both views are genuinely discussed.
- Cohesion without templatesThere is no ‘On the one hand… On the other hand…’. Instead the essay uses attribution (Those who…, Others, however,), reference (this view, damage of this kind) and evaluative signposting (I find this view more convincing).
- Position throughoutThe opinion appears in the thesis, is signalled in Body 2 and is restated in the conclusion, so a reader always knows where the writer stands.
Writing Task 2 practice
250+ words · 40 minWrite a full discussion essay. You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Some people believe that children should begin formal lessons in reading, writing and mathematics as early as possible. Others think that young children should spend their early years learning through play and should not start formal lessons until around the age of seven.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Before you write (5 minutes): find the three jobs, decide your opinion (A, B or a specific middle position), choose one reason and one example for each view, and pick Pattern A, B or C.
Self-check before submitting
- ☐ The introduction paraphrases BOTH views and states your opinion
- ☐ One body paragraph develops the early-start view fairly, with its strongest reason, an explanation and an example
- ☐ One body paragraph develops the play-first view with equal care
- ☐ Your opinion is clear in the introduction, signalled in the body and restated in the conclusion
- ☐ You attribute the views (Supporters of…, Those who favour…, Others contend…) instead of repeating ‘On the one hand… On the other hand…’
- ☐ Neither view is presented as a straw man
- ☐ The conclusion acknowledges both views briefly and restates your opinion, with no new ideas
- ☐ 250+ words (aim for 270–320), written in about 40 minutes
Final quiz: discussion essays
10 questions- 1
Which of these is a discussion (both views) question?
- 2
Put the parts of a Pattern A discussion essay in order.
Drag the cards (or use the arrows) into the correct order.
- 1Conclusion: both views briefly, with your opinion restated
- 2Introduction: paraphrase both views and state your opinion
- 3Body 2: the view you agree with, plus a signal of your opinion
- 4Body 1: the view you disagree with, developed fairly
- 3
Match each phrase to its function.
Proponents of free museums maintain that…Critics, by contrast, believe that…I find this second argument more persuasive because…This argument, however, overlooks…From this perspective,… - 4
Find and correct the mistake:
On the one hand, some people think museums should be free. On the other side, others believe visitors should pay.
- 5
An essay summarises both views carefully in two body paragraphs but never states an opinion. Choose TWO accurate statements.
Select 2.
- 6
Body 1 (the view you disagree with) is 45 words and Body 2 is 160 words. What is the main risk?
- 7
You may state your opinion in the introduction, signal it in a body paragraph and restate it in the conclusion.
- 8
While some argue that museums should be free, believe that visitors should contribute to their costs.
- 9
Which sentence is the fairest way to present a view you disagree with?
- 10
Which is the best conclusion for a discussion essay about museum fees?
Answer every question to check.
Key takeaways
Vocabulary for discussing views
Saved as flashcards with a free accountcontend
verb/kənˈtend/
to argue or claim that something is true
দাবি করা; যুক্তি দেখানো
Others contend that environmental damage cannot easily be reversed.
proponent
noun/prəˈpəʊnənt/
a person who supports an idea or course of action
সমর্থক; প্রবক্তা
Proponents of early schooling argue that young children learn remarkably quickly.
merit
noun/ˈmerɪt/
a good quality that deserves to be considered or praised
গুণ; যৌক্তিকতা
Both arguments have some merit, but the second is more convincing.
overlook
verb/ˌəʊvəˈlʊk/
to fail to notice or consider something important
উপেক্ষা করা; নজর এড়িয়ে যাওয়া
This argument overlooks the long-term cost of cleaning polluted rivers.
perspective
noun/pəˈspektɪv/
a particular way of thinking about something
দৃষ্টিভঙ্গি
From an economic perspective, cleaner technology is a sound long-term investment.
undermine
verb/ˌʌndəˈmaɪn/
to gradually weaken or damage something
দুর্বল করে দেওয়া; ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত করা
Severe pollution eventually undermines the economic growth it was meant to serve.
sustainable
adjective/səˈsteɪnəbl/
able to continue for a long time without causing damage to the environment or running out
টেকসই
Growth is only sustainable if rivers, soil and air are protected.
trade-off
noun/ˈtreɪd ɒf/
a balance between two things you want but cannot fully have at the same time
একটি পেতে অন্যটিতে ছাড় দেওয়া; ভারসাম্য
Many developing countries face a trade-off between rapid growth and environmental protection.
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