How to write an essay for the IELTS EXAM:
There are four types of essays in the IELTS exam:
-Opinion essay
Discussion essay
Advantages/ disadvantages essay
Problem/solution essay
How to identify opinion essay:
 The question statement of the opinion essay will ask for your opinion
( raey) in the following ways as :
 Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
 To what extent do you agree or disagree
 Do you think it is a positive or negative development
The opinion essay is written in five paragraphs
 Introduction: in the introduction paragraph paraphrase the topic by
using synonyms and write a general statement about the topic.
 Write thesis statement in the introduction paragraph. The thesis
statement includes what you believe and why you believe it.
The sample of the thesis statement about the topic such as “The
high schools need to eradicate the custom of wearing coloured
clothes and must make it compulsory to wear uniforms for the
students. To what extent do you agree or disagree
The thesis statement could be written as:
I believe that the practice of wearing uniforms should not be made
compulsory for the students’; because it imparts a sense of
boredom, affects students’ individuality and bars freedom.
The opinion essay is written in five paragraphs
 Introduction
 Body paragraph A
 Body paragraph B (in the body paragraphs write approximately
13 compound and one complex or compound-complex sentence,
also write one simple sentence)
 Counter argument paragraph
 Conclusion
The grading criteria is
 Task achievement (the relevance of your response to the topic)
 Coherence and cohesion (Make use of connectors such as firstly,
secondly, furthermore, therefore, however, contrastingly etc)
 Grammar/ Vocabulary
 Range of sentences (remember the 4cs of sentences such as
compound sentences, complex sentences, compound-complex
sentences and conditional sentences)