How to Write a Task 2 Opinion Essay

Reading the question superficially can waste time and lead to an off-topic answer. An opinion question asks for your own position, and this position becomes the foundation of the whole essay. When reading the question, be sure to distinguish three things: the topic (the area you will write about), the question word (What is your opinion? Do you agree?) and the frame (sometimes the question, with an expression like to what extent, also asks about your degree of agreement).

Let's analyse the question below together:

Some people believe that university education should be free for everyone. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

• Topic: the value of university education and state funding
• Question type: opinion — your degree of agreement is also asked
• Decision: fully agree, partly agree or disagree — all three are accepted; what matters is developing the answer logically

You can also choose the disagreeing position: the examiner measures the quality of your argument, not your conviction. Write your position in the plan at the start and maintain logical consistency throughout. An unexplained change of position can confuse the reader; partial agreement and justified nuance are not errors by themselves. Assessment considers the complete response across four criteria.

Four paragraphs are one practical option for an opinion essay. For this exercise you can aim for 260-280 words in 13-15 sentences; these are not official quotas. Task 2 requires at least 250 words. Allow time for relevant development and checking; word and sentence counts do not guarantee that time will be sufficient.

1. Introduction (2 sentences): a paraphrase of the question + the thesis sentence
2. First body paragraph (4-5 sentences): the strongest argument — topic sentence, explanation, concrete example, concluding sentence
3. Second body paragraph (4-5 sentences): the second argument, the same four-step structure
4. Conclusion (1-2 sentences): the thesis restated in new words — no new idea

This plan gives each paragraph a possible role in advance, which may help you choose what to write next. The sentence counts above are an illustrative distribution for this exercise, not compulsory for every response. If you partly agree, you can devote one paragraph to the side you agree with and another to the other side; in both cases your own position must remain clear from the introduction on. You can try five minutes of planning in practice; it does not guarantee ten minutes saved or the same result every time. Adapt the plan to the actual task.

One possible practice approach to the introduction has two parts; it is not an official, fixed formula.

1. Paraphrase. Restate the main idea of the question in your own words. The part Some people believe that university education should be free in the question can be turned into: “Whether governments should fund university study for all citizens remains a debated question.” Preserve the main meaning and use your own wording when appropriate. Synonyms are not interchangeable in every context; one word replacement does not automatically raise Lexical Resource.
2. Thesis. State your position precisely in one sentence: “I strongly agree that tuition-free university education benefits both individuals and society.” In To what extent questions, stress the degree too: strongly agree, largely agree, agree only up to a point.

The thesis sentence is the contract of the essay: the body paragraphs are the fulfilment of the promise made in this sentence. A weak example — “This essay will discuss both sides.” This sentence alone does not state the author's position; in an opinion task the reader needs to understand that position. One phrase does not determine the whole Task Response score. A clear thesis states your view and gives development a direction; it need not announce the number of main ideas.