Agree or Disagree Essay • Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programs. • To what extent do you agree? • Topic/ Other opinion • Your opinion STRUCTURES FOR THIS ESSAY TYPE • I totally/completely agree… • Introduction: Paraphrase the essay prompt and state that you totally agree with the view in the question in the thesis statement. • Body paragraph 1: State one reason why you agree and support it. • Body paragraph 2: State the second reason why you agree and support it. • Conclusion: Restate your view – summary of key reasons. • I totally/completely disagree… • Introduction: Paraphrase the essay prompt and state that you totally disagree with the view in the question. • Body paragraph 1: State one reason why you disagree and support it. • Body paragraph 2: State the second reason why you agree and support it. • Conclusion: Restate your view. • I mostly/partly agree/disagree… • Introduction: Paraphrase the essay prompt and state the aspects of the given issue that you agree with and the ones that you disagree with. • Body paragraph 1: State the reasons why you agree with some aspects. • Body paragraph 2: State the reasons why you disagree with some aspects. • Conclusion: Restate your view. INTRODUCTION • Sentence 1: Introduce the topic • Sentence 2: Thesis statement 3 possibilities depending on your opinion: • Completely agree: • I completely/ absolutely agree that … I fully support the opinion that … In my opinion/ From my point of view, …… definitely should • Completely disagree: • I am totally against the idea that … In my opinion/ From my perspective, it is unjustifiable that … However, personally, the opposite is true. • Neutral standpoint: Although (opinion 1), I do believe that (favorable opinion) While (opinion 1), I find it sensible that (favorable opinion) Example introduction: Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programs. To what extent do you agree? • Sentence 1 – Introduce the topic: • It is sometimes argued that high school students should be made to do some work in their local communities. • Sentence 2 – Thesis statement: three options: • I completely agree that this practice would be a good idea. • In my opinion, it is unjustifiable that teenagers are forced to do any kind of unsalaried work. • While I disagree with the idea of making such programmes compulsory, I do believe that community service could benefit young people. SOME EXPRESSIONS TO SHOW AGREEMENT • First main idea To begin with / Firstly, a convincing opinion to support (topic – noun phrase) is that … • To begin with, a convincing opinion to support the compulsory community work is that it is good for building students’ sense responsibility. Second main idea Another angle can be found in the fact that …… The second reason why this issue is supported/ agreed upon is that … SOME EXPRESSIONS TO SHOW DISAGREEMENT • First main idea • To begin with / Firstly, a convincing opinion to oppose (topic – noun phrase) is that … • Second main idea • Another angle can be found in the fact that … • The second reason why this issue is disapproved/ disagreed upon is that … IN CASE YOU TAKE A NEUTRAL STANDPOINT • The first body paragraph: • Depending on whether the opinion you discuss first is the one you agree or disagree on, pick the right expressions from the previous page. • The second body paragraph: • This is where you discuss the other opinion – the one you are more in favor of. You need a transition sentence to contrast this paragraph with the first one. You can choose: • On the other hand, people with a contrasting viewpoint maintain that … • Regarding such a controversial issue like this, opponents believe that those who approve fail to take into account certain aspects. First and foremost, …. • The next ideas (one or two): • Looking at this issue from another angle reveals that … • Probably, there is also some truth in the idea that .... CONCLUSION • Paraphrase the thesis statement with summary of the content in the body paragraphs. • Countries with long average working days are more economically successful, but there are also some negative social consequences. To what extent do you agree or disagree? • Information technology can be used as a powerful tool to improve employees’ quality and efficiency. However, some people think that it can bring some negative consequences for employees’ personal life. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
