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Discussion essays are a common form of academic writing. This page gives information on what a discussion essay is and how to structure this type of essay. Some vocabulary for discussion essays is also given, and there is an example discussion essay on the topic of studying overseas.
Many essay titles require you to examine both sides of a situation and to conclude by saying which side you favour. These are known as discussion or for and against essays. In this sense, the academic meaning of the word discuss is similar to its everyday meaning, of two people talking about a topic from different sides. For a discussion essay, a balanced view is normally essential. This makes discussion essays distinct from persuasion essays , for which only one side of the argument is given. When writing a discussion essay, it is important to ensure that facts and opinions are clearly separated. Often you will examine what other people have already said on the same subject and include this information using paraphrasing and summarising skills, as well as correct citations .
The following are examples of discussion essay topics.
Although the structure of a discussion essay may vary according to length and subject, there are several components which most discussion essays have in common. In addition to general statements and thesis statement which all good essay introductions contain, the position of the writer will often be stated, along with relevant definitions . The main body will examine arguments for (in one or more paragraphs) and arguments against (also in one or more paragraphs). The conclusion will contain a summary of the main points, and will often conclude with recommendations , based on what you think are the most important ideas in the essay. The conclusion may also contain your opinion on the topic, also based on the preceding evidence.
An overview of this structure is given in the diagram below.
Structural component | Purpose | Stage of essay |
To introduce the reader to the subject of the essay. | ||
Position | To give the opinion of the writer (not always possible). | |
Definition(s) (optional) | To explain any important technical words to the reader. | |
To tell the reader what parts of the topic will be included in the essay. | ||
Arguments for | To explain to the reader the evidence for the positive side of the issue, with support. The most important ideas usually come first. This may be covered in one or more paragraphs. | |
Arguments against | To explain to the reader the evidence for the negative side of the issue, with support. The most important ideas usually come first. This may be covered in one or more paragraphs. | |
Summary | To give the reader a brief reminder of the main ideas, while restating the issue. Sometimes also says which ideas the writer believes have the strongest evidence. | |
Opinion & Recommendation | To give your opinion, and tell the reader what the writer believes is the best action to take, considering the evidence in the essay. |
When summarising the stages in a discussion or in presenting your arguments, it can be useful to mark the order of the items or degrees of importance. The following words and phrases can be used.
The following can be used when introducing your opinion.
It is important in English writing, including academic writing, to use synonyms rather than repeating the same word. The following are useful synonyms for 'advantage' and 'disadvantage'.
Below is an example discussion essay. Click on the different areas (in the shaded boxes to the right) to highlight the different structural aspects in this essay.
Title: An increasing number of students are going overseas for tertiary education. To what extent does this overseas study benefit the students?
Most people spend around fifteen years of their life in education, from primary school to university study. In the past, students only had the opportunity to study in their own country. Nowadays, however, it is increasingly easy to study overseas, especially at tertiary level. Tertiary education, also called post-secondary education, is the period of study spent at university. As the final aspect of schooling before a person begins their working life, it is arguably the most important stage of their education. While there are some undoubted benefits of this trend, such as the language environment and improved employment prospects , there is also a significant disadvantage, namely the high cost . The first and most important advantage of overseas study is the language learning environment. Students studying overseas will not only have to cope with the local language for their study, but will also have to use it outside the classroom for their everyday life. These factors should make it relatively easy for such students to advance their language abilities. Another important benefit is employability. Increasing globalisation means that there are more multinational companies setting up offices in all major countries. These companies will need employees who have a variety of skills, including the fluency in more than one language. Students who have studied abroad should find it much easier to obtain a job in this kind of company. There are, however, some disadvantages to overseas study which must be considered, the most notable of which is the expense. In addition to the cost of travel, which in itself is not inconsiderable, overseas students are required to pay tuition fees which are usually much higher than those of local students. Added to this is the cost of living, which is often much higher than in the students' own country. Although scholarships may be available for overseas students, there are usually very few of these, most of which will only cover a fraction of the cost. Overseas study therefore constitutes a considerable expense. In summary, studying abroad has some clear advantages, including the language environment and increased chances of employment , in addition to the main drawback, the heavy financial burden . I believe that this experience is worthwhile for those students whose families can readily afford the expense. Students without such strong financial support should consider carefully whether the high cost outweighs the benefits to be gained.
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Below is a checklist for discussion essays. Use it to check your own writing, or get a peer (another student) to help you.
The essay begins with | ||
There is a clear | ||
are given if needed | ||
The essay has clear | ||
One or more are included (including clear ) | ||
One or more are included (including clear ) | ||
The conclusion includes a of the main points | ||
The writer's is given | ||
There is a , which relates to the points in the essay |
Bailey, S. (2000). Academic Writing. Abingdon: RoutledgeFalmer
Cox, K. and D. Hill (2004). EAP now! Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia
Jordan, R.R. (1999). Academic Writing Course. Cambridge: CUP
Roberts R., J. Gokanda, & A. Preshous (2004). IELTS Foundation. Oxford: Macmillian
Find out how to write persuasion essays in the next section.
Go back to the previous section about different essay types .
Author: Sheldon Smith ‖ Last modified: 16 January 2022.
Sheldon Smith is the founder and editor of EAPFoundation.com. He has been teaching English for Academic Purposes since 2004. Find out more about him in the about section and connect with him on Twitter , Facebook and LinkedIn .
Compare & contrast essays examine the similarities of two or more objects, and the differences.
Cause & effect essays consider the reasons (or causes) for something, then discuss the results (or effects).
Discussion essays require you to examine both sides of a situation and to conclude by saying which side you favour.
Problem-solution essays are a sub-type of SPSE essays (Situation, Problem, Solution, Evaluation).
Transition signals are useful in achieving good cohesion and coherence in your writing.
Reporting verbs are used to link your in-text citations to the information cited.
Students can find it difficult to identify IELTS discussion essays and often confuse them with either opinion essays or advantage and disadvantage essays.
This is one of the issues I’ll be covering in this lesson. I’m also going to show you how to plan and write discussion essays step-by-step.
Here’s what we’ll be covering:
Want to watch and listen to this lesson?
Click on this video.
Click the links to see lessons on each of these Task 2 essay writing topics.
Once you understand the process, practice on past questions. Take your time at first and gradually speed up until you can plan and write an essay of at least 250 words in the 40 minutes allowed in the exam.
The first part of the question for an IELTS discussion essay will be a statement containing two opposing views.
You will then be asked to discuss both sides of the argument and give your own opinion. Here is some typical wording that might be used:
Here's a question from a past test paper.
Some people think that zoos are cruel and should be closed down. Others, however, believe that zoos can be useful in protecting wild animals.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
I’ll be using this question to guide you through the process of planning and writing an IELTS discussion essay.
The key to identifying this type of question is the fact that you are required to discuss BOTH views. This is different to opinion questions where you must decide between two opposing views and make an argument to support your own opinion.
Opinion essays , also known as ‘agree or disagree’ essays, a generally worded in one of these ways:
What is your opinion? / Do you agree or disagree? / To what extent do you agree or disagree?
The other essay type that students mistake for discussion essays is advantages and disadvantages essays . With these, the statement will contain just one view and the question will typically be written as shown in this sample question.
School children are using computers in school more than ever.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this and give your own opinion.
The consequence of incorrectly identifying the question type is that you will use the wrong structure for your essay. This is a major reason why people make the mistakes we’ll now look at.
These three errors are common in IELTS discussion essays.
The most common mistake that students make is not giving their opinion. The question will clearly state that you must choose one side of the argument to agree with. If you fail to do this, you will get a low score for task achievement.
It doesn’t matter which side of the argument you take or even, that you actually agree with it.
However, you must give equal attention to both sides. A common error is to provide a stronger argument for the view you favour. This leads to an unbalanced essay and a low score for task achievement.
Now let’s look at a simple structure you can use to write IELTS discussion essays. It’s not the only possible structure but it’s the one I recommend because it’s easy to learn and will enable you to quickly plan and write a high-level essay.
1) Introduction
2) Main body paragraph 1
3 ) Main body paragraph 2
4) Conclusion
This structure will give us a well-balanced essay with 4 paragraphs.
We now need some ideas to add into the structure and we’ll have everything we need for our essay.
# 1 analyse the question.
This is an essential step in the planning process and will ensure that you answer the question fully. It’s quick and easy to do. You just need to identify 3 different types of words:
1. Topic words
2. Other keywords
3. Instruction words
We’ve already considered the instruction words (the actual question) so we’ll focus on the first two.
Topics words are the ones that identify the general subject of the question.
Some people think that zoos are cruel and should be closed down. Others, however, believe that zoos can be useful in protecting wild animals.
So, this question is about ‘ zoos ’.
Many people do this first step of the process and then write about the topic in general. This is a serious mistake and leads to low marks for task achievement.
What we need to do now that we know the general topic, is to understand exactly what aspect of zoos we're being asked to write about.
The other keywords in the question tell you the specific topic you must write about. They define the opinions stated in the statement.
Some people think tha t zoos are cruel and should be closed down . Others, however, believe that zoos c an be useful in protecting wild animals .
By highlighting these words, it’s easy to see that you are being asked to write about the opposing views that zoos are cruel and should be closed down and that zoos can be useful in protecting wild animals. Your essay must only include ideas relevant to these ideas.
As already mentioned, it doesn’t matter if you genuinely agree with the view you take in your essay or not. IELTS discussion essays are about your ability to write a well-structured essay in the English language and you will not be assessed on any opinion you might hold.
So, choose one view and make sure that your opinion is clear throughout the essay.
For this model essay, I’m going to agree with the statement that zoos are cruel and should be closed down.
The next task is to generate some ideas to write about.
There are several different ways to think up ideas. I cover them fully on the IELTS Essay Planning page.
We’re going to use the ‘friends technique’. This is my preferred method as it allows you to take a step back from the stress of the exam situation and think more calmly.
Here’s how it works. Imagine you are chatting with a friend and they ask you the question in a casual conversation. What answers would you give them off the top of your head? Plan your essay around these ideas.
Doing this will help you to come up with simple answers in everyday language rather than straining your brain to think of amazing ideas using high level-language, which isn’t necessary.
You might want to try this yourself before reading on for my ideas.
Here are my ideas:
Cruel – closed down:
Useful – protect wild animals:
I’ve got more ideas here than I need so I’m going to pick two to develop in the essay – one for each of the main body paragraphs.
Idea 1 – Cramped cages & unnatural environments, animals distressed.
Idea 2 – Breeding programmes for endangered species, some species saved from extinction.
We’re almost ready to start writing our IELTS discussion essay but first, we have one other small task to do.
In an IELTS essay, it’s important to be able to say the same things in different ways, either by paraphrasing and/or using synonyms. During the planning stage, quickly jot down a few synonyms of key words you could use to save you having to stop and think of the right language while you’re writing.
For example:
zoos – animals in captivity, collections of wild animals, menagerie, wildlife park
cruel – to cause suffering, inhumane
protect – safeguard, preserve
animals – creatures, species
With that done, we can focus on the first paragraph of the essay – the introduction.
Good introductions to IELTS discussion essays have a simple 3 part structure:
2) State two supporting reasons (outline statement)
3) Give your opinion (thesis statement)
Start your introduction by paraphrasing the question.
Question: Some people think that zoos are cruel and should be closed down. Others, however, believe that zoos can be useful in protecting wild animals.
There are various phrases you can use to do this. Here are three examples. They all say the same thing using different language.
Choose one and add the details in the question statement in a paraphrased form. I recommend putting the view you don’t agree with first.
Paraphrased question:
Some people argue that zoos help to preserve wild creatures, while others say that they are inhumane and should be abolished.
Note my use of synonyms. You don’t have to replace every key word but do so where possible whilst ensuring that your language sounds natural. There aren’t any suitable synonyms of ‘zoo’ that I can think of, so I've repeated this word from the statement.
Now we need to add an outline statement where you outline the two main points that you’ll cover in the rest of the essay (ideas 1 and 2 above) and a thesis statement where you state your opinion.
Outline & thesis statements:
While the development of breeding programmes contributes to the preservation of endangered species, I believe that the poor conditions that many animals held in captivity are kept in make the existence of zoos unacceptable.
So, let’s bring the three elements of our introduction together.
Introduction
This introduction achieves three important functions:
The two ideas in your introduction will become your two main body paragraphs.
Main body paragraph 1 – Breeding programmes for endangered species, some species saved from extinction.
Main body paragraph 2 – Cramped cages & unnatural environments, animals distressed.
Main body paragraphs in IELTS discussion essays should contain 3 things:
It is easier to begin by discussing the opinion you don’t agree with and then present the reasons for the opposing view that you support. So, we’ll start with idea 1.
The topic sentence summarises the main idea of the paragraph. That’s all it needs to do so it doesn’t have to be complicated.
It plays an important role in ensuring that your ideas flow logically from one to another. It does this by acting as a signpost for what is to come next, that is, what the paragraph will be about.
If you maintain a clear development of ideas throughout your essay, you will get high marks for task achievement and cohesion and coherence.
We’ll now take the idea for our first main body paragraph and create our topic sentence.
Topic sentence:
On the one hand, there are many projects in existence in zoological parks around the world where species facing extinction have been successfully bred in captivity and their numbers increased substantially.
Next, we must write an explanation sentence that expands on the idea. This explains to the examiner what we mean or why this is the case.
Explanation sentence:
This is important for ensuring the survival of animals under threat from poaching and the destruction of their natural environments.
Finally, we add an example to support our main point. If you can’t think of a real example, it’s fine to make one up, as long as it’s believable. The examiner isn’t going to check your facts.
Example sentence:
A good example of this is the golden lion tamarin from Brazil which nearly died out because of logging and mining activities which are destroying its habitat. Today, a third of wild golden lion tamarins were raised in captivity.
That’s the 3 parts of our first main body paragraph complete. Here’s the finished paragraph.
We now follow the same process for our second main body paragraph.
Main idea 2 – Cramped cages & unnatural environments, animals distressed.
First, we write the topic sentence to summarise the main idea. I started main body paragraph 1 with the phrase ‘On the one hand...’, so main body paragraph 2 will naturally begin, ‘On the other hand... .
These are great cohesive devices to use when making a direct contrast between two opposing views and they link the ideas together well. They can be used in most IELTS discussion essays and will help to earn you a good score for cohesion and coherence.
Topic sentence:
On the other hand, a significant percentage of zoos house their animals in cramped cages with very little space to move around or behave naturally.
Now for the explanation sentence where we expand on this idea.
Explanation sentence:
This can lead to them becoming distressed and depressed as well as suffering physically through lack of exercise.
Finally, an example to support this point.
A friend of mine recently visited a wildlife park while on holiday abroad and was very upset to see the lions pacing up and down in a narrow, bare pen and eagles in enclosures so small that they were unable to fly.
That’s the 3 parts of our second main body paragraph complete. Here’s the finished paragraph.
Now we need a conclusion and our IELTS discussion essay is done.
Conclusions to IELTS discussion essays should do two things:
This can generally be done in a single sentence.
If you're below the minimum 250 words after you’ve written your conclusion, you can add a prediction or recommendation statement.
Our essay currently has 231 words so we’re on target and don’t need this extra sentence but you can learn more about how to write a prediction or recommendation statement for IELTS discussion essays on the Task 2 Conclusions page.
The conclusion is the easiest sentence in the essay to write but one of the most important.
A good conclusion will:
If you achieve this, you’ll improve your score for both task achievement and cohesion and coherence which together make up 50% of the overall marks. Without a conclusion, you’ll score below band 6 for task achievement.
You can start almost any final paragraph of an IELTS discussion essay with the words:
or
Now all you need to do is briefly summarise the main ideas into one sentence.
Here’s a top tip . Go back and read the introduction to the essay because this is also a summary of the essay. It outlines what you are going to write about.
To create a great conclusion, you simply have to paraphrase the introduction. Let’s give it a go.
Introduction:
Here is the same information formed into a conclusion:
That’s it. We’ve completed our essay. Here it is with the 4 paragraphs put together.
Finished IELTS discussion essay.
Go through this lesson as many times as you need to in order to fully understand it and put in lots of practice writing IELTS discussion essays from past exam questions. Practice is the only way to improve your skills.
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More help with ielts discussion essays & other task 2 essays.
IELTS Writing Task 2 – T he format, the 5 question types, the 5 step essay writing strategy & sample questions. All the key information you need to know.
The 5 Types of Task 2 Essay – How to recognise the 5 different types of Task 2 essays. 15 sample questions to study and a simple planning structure for each essay type.
Understanding Task 2 Questions – How to quickly and easily analyse and understand IELTS Writing Task 2 questions.
How To Plan a Task 2 Essay – Discover why essay planning is essential & learn a simple 4 step strategy, the 4 part essay structure & 4 methods of generating ideas.
How To Write a Task 2 Introduction – Find out why a good introduction is essential. Learn how to write one using a simple 3 part strategy & discover 4 common mistakes to avoid.
How To Write Task 2 Main Body Paragraphs – Learn the simple 3 part structure for writing great main body paragraphs and also, 3 common mistakes to avoid.
How To Write Task 2 Conclusions – Learn the easy way to write the perfect conclusion for a Task 2 essay. Also discover 4 common mistakes to avoid.
Task 2 Marking Criteria – Find out how to meet the marking criteria in Task 2. See examples of good and poor answers & learn some common mistakes to avoid.
The 5 Task 2 Essay Types:
Step-by-step instructions on how to plan & write high-level essays. Model answers & common mistakes to avoid.
Opinion Essays
Discussion Essays
Problem Solution Essays
Advantages & Disadvantages Essays
Double Question Essays
IELTS Writing Test – Understand the format & marking criteria, know what skills are assessed & learn the difference between the Academic & General writing tests.
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To write a discussion essay, start by taking a side on the issue you're writing about, like "Immigration is good for the country." Then, outline the main points that made you decide to take that position and do research to find evidence that backs them up. Look for credible sources that can help you make your argument, and don't forget to cite them. Then, when you're writing your essay, devote 1 paragraph to each main point and include your evidence. For help writing the introduction and conclusion to your essay, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No
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2. outline your essay, outline your points, 3. draft your introduction, 4. good discussion in the body of your essay, 5. conclude your essay, how to write a discussion essay.
A discussion essay presents and discusses issues surrounding a particular topic--usually one that is debatable and open to argument. A good argumentative essay must include a thorough discussion of both sides of the issue, including main points to support your argument and its counterargument. It should also provide a well-rounded understanding of the issues before the writer presents their personal own opinions and conclusions.
What is an IELTS Discussion Essay?
The International English Language Testing System is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers.
Example of an IELTS Discussion essay
Some believe language provides cohesion to a country, while others believe diverse languages bring diversity and vibrancy. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
As with most persuasive essay formats, the essay's quality relies primarily on the writer's ability to provide solid research and evidence to present different views of the topic.
Practicing your writing skills as you write a discussion essay is a great way to grow as a writer. Let’s dive into the essay structure and components of a successful discussion essay.
Choose your discussion essay topic. When choosing this topic, make sure it is one that you're interested in personally since this will be easier for you to write. You'll need to discuss both sides of the argument surrounding the discussion essay topic, so ensure that you have access to good research that provides pertinent information. Writing only one side of the argument will result in an undeveloped discussion essay, which probably won’t receive a good score.
Outline your discussion essay. This outline should include a rough draft of your thesis statement, main argument, opposing argument, other main points and a rough draft of your conclusion. Your goal at this point is to get your thoughts on the discussion essay topic organized and in writing.
You can write a detailed outline for your discussion essay, using traditional outline format--letters and numbers to separate key points--or you can simply jot down a list of the main discussion points you plan to cover in order to answer the essay question or address the essay topic.
Next, write your introduction. According to the Open University, your goal in the introduction of your discussion essay is to introduce the issues relating to the topic and to provide your reader with important background information. Your introduction is essentially setting the scene for your reader so they are prepared to digest the argument you’ll be presenting. Providing your reader with a simple overview of how your discussion essay is organized will ensure that she understands your flow of thought throughout the body of the essay.
Most importantly, at the end of your introductory paragraph you must include a well developed thesis statement. One of the most common mistakes made when writing introduction paragraphs is leaving out the thesis statement, which is one sentence that firmly asserts what side of the argument you will be arguing throughout the work. Be specific in your points and make sure it is a strong closing to this first paragraph, as it will set the tone for the rest of your essay.
Write the body paragraphs of your discussion essay using any research sources that you have collected. Typically, you should present each issue individually and impartially, discussing first one side of the argument and then the other side of each argument that relates to your topic. Ensuring that each paragraph is roughly the same size as the other will make the presentation of facts seem balanced to the reader as well. Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that smoothly transitions from the previous paragraph while simultaneously introducing the new topic covered in the upcoming one.
Progress through your body arguments in order, starting with your weakest argument or issue and progressing to the strongest. This structure allows your reader to follow your flow of thought easily without getting distracted. When deciding how to use sources, try to use the same number of quotes and sources for each argument. If you use three quotes to support your main argument, strive to use three quotes to present the opposing view as well.
Write your discussion essay conclusion. Your goal with your conclusion is to summarize the overall information from the body of the discussion essay, leading the reader to mentally review the pros and cons of the topic argument. Although you don't technically have to be in favor of one side of the discussion yourself, if you are, be sure to present your own conclusions in this paragraph rather than earlier in the essay.
Once you have finished your conclusion, part of wrapping up your essay is going back through it and checking for grammatical errors. Check to make sure you have not copied any quotes directly from other sources, as this would result in a plagiarism charge, especially if your professor screens your essay through a writing service that checks for plagiarized work. Always write using your own words. Using your own words not only saves you from plagiarism issues, but also helps with essay coherence since the rest of the work has been written in your tone of voice.
On the final page of your discussion essay you will also include all of the citations for sources you quoted or summarized information from. Whether citing in MLA or APA format, double check the style and order of your citations for accuracy before turning it in.
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In this guide, you'll learn how to answer IELTS writing task 2 questions that ask you to discuss both points of view before giving your opinion . This type of question is often confused with an agree/disagree question or a give your opinion question. In the latter types of questions, you can choose an opinion and generate your arguments. However, for a discuss both views + give opinion question, you have to discuss both points of view impartially before giving your own view.
In this lesson you will see IELTS writing task 2 sample question + model answer and learn:
Let's look at an example of IELTS writing task 2 question that asks you to discuss both views and give your opinion:
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
It is commonly believed that nowadays main factors that affect a child's development are media, pop culture and friends. A different point of view is that family plays the most significant role.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Write at least 250 words.
Generate arguments for each point of view:
First of all, you have to identify the two opinions . These are:
Next, let's brainstorm for arguments that support each side:
Choose your point of view:
For our essay, we will agree that although external factors influence the development of a child, parents and family still have the upper hand.
Our reason: A child's choice of friends, books or music depends on the values instilled in them by their parents.
Though there are many ways to structure your IELTS essay, we’ll use this time-tested band 9 essay structure:
It is often held that teachers, peers and the media have a significant influence on the life of children. While some people argue that these factors are predominant in shaping a child's future, others believe that parents impact their offspring in more critical ways. This essay will discuss both these points of view and argue in favour of the latter.
On the one hand, the books children read and the music they listen to form their belief system. In other words, children tend to copy the behaviour of their favourite personality or fictional character. Moreover, when little ones work and play in groups, they are influenced by their peers. Finally, other factors, like the media, prompt children to want things regarded as fashionable. For instance, children demand toys that they see on television.
On the other hand, a child's personality is malleable at a very young age, and parents are always present in their life at this stage. Also, very young children love to imitate. For example, children who come from a dysfunctional family often exhibit behavioural problems at school. An emotionally secure environment at home is critical for the child's confidence. Moreover, parents also teach children about setting boundaries.
In my opinion, children's choice of friends, books or music depends on the values instilled in them by their parents. Therefore, parents hold more substantial sway over their offspring than media, pop culture and friends circle.
In conclusion, the outside world influences the intellectual and social development of children. However, I believe that it is parents who set the stage for these developments by laying a strong foundation from a very young age.
(273 words)
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How to write a Task 2 discussion essay:
This lesson will help you answer IELTS Writing Task 2 discussion (or discuss both views and give your opinion) questions.
These particular questions require a different approach to opinion essays because you have to discuss both sides rather than argue in favour of one side.
This post will look at:
Task Achievement
Coherence and Cohesion
Lexical Resource
Many students fail to do well in these questions because they do not do what the question asks them to do and do not use an appropriate structure . This post will help you overcome these problems and give you a sample answer.
We will also look at ‘lexical resource’ and ‘coherence and cohesion’; two of the IELTS examiners’ marking criteria when marking your essays. Understanding the marking scheme will help you get inside an IELTS examiner’s head and give them exactly what they want.
Identifying the Question
Look at the three questions below and choose the one you think is a discussion question.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own opinion.
Discuss both sides of this argument and then give your own opinion.
The first question is an opinion question, and we can tell this from the instructions ‘To what extent do you agree or disagree?’.
The second question is obviously an advantages and disadvantages question.
The third question is the discussion question. We can tell this from the typical instructions in the question, ‘Discuss both sides of the argument and then give your opinion’.
You may also be asked to ‘Discuss both views and give your opinion’ or ‘Discuss both sides of the argument and give your opinion’.
Each of these questions is asking us to do different things, and we, therefore, need a different structure for each question .
Here are a few other typical discussion questions:
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Discuss the main arguments for this statement and give your own opinion.
As you can see, they typically state two opinions and then ask you to discuss both and give your opinion. Make sure you do these things in the essay. If you only discuss both views and fail to give your opinion you will lose marks.
For discussion questions, I suggest you use the following four-paragraph structure.
Introduction
1- Paraphrase Question
2- State Both Points of View
2- Thesis Statement
3- Outline Sentence
Main Body Paragraph 1
1- State first viewpoint
2- Discuss first viewpoint
3- Reason why you agree or disagree with viewpoint
4- Example to support your view
Main Body Paragraph 2
1- State second viewpoint
2- Discuss second viewpoint
Conclusion
Sentence 1- Summary
Sentence 2- State which one is better or more important
Here is a sample answer, but I have mixed up the sentences. Can you match the sentences below to the structure above?
This exercise will help you understand the structure.
Computers are being used more and more in education. Some people say this is a positive trend, while others argue that it leads to negative consequences.
There is an ever-increasing use of technology, such as tablets and laptops, in the classroom. It is often argued that this is a positive development, whilst others disagree and think it will lead to adverse ramifications. This essay agrees that an increase in technology is beneficial to students and teachers.
The internet has provided students with access to more information than ever before. Moreover, learners can research and learn about any subject at the touch of a button. It is therefore agreed that technology is a very worthwhile tool for education. Wikipedia is a prime example, where students can type in any keyword and gain access to in-depth knowledge quickly and easily.
However, many disagree and feel that technology deprives people of real human interaction. Human interaction teaches people valuable skills such as discourse, debate and empathy. Despite this, human interaction is still possible through the internet, and this essay disagrees that technology should be dismissed for this reason. For instance, Skype and Facebook allow people to interact in ways that were never before possible.
In conclusion, while the benefits of technology, particularly the internet, allow students to tap into limitless sources of information, some still feel that people should be wary of this new phenomenon and not allow it to curb face-to-face interaction. However, as long as we carefully consider the importance of human interaction in education, the educational benefits are clearly positive.
This is one of the four areas you will be assessed on in the IELTS writing test.
Task achievement refers to your ability to address all parts of the question and present a fully developed answer. By following the structure above, we have fully discussed both sides of the argument and given our opinion. This is exactly what the question asked us to do, no more, no less.
Discourse markers (words like ‘however’, ‘despite this’ and ‘In conclusion’) are also referred to as ‘linking words’ and ‘linking phrases’, or ‘sentence connectors’. They are quite formal and are used more in academic writing than informal speech.
You gain marks for using these under the ‘coherence and cohesion’ section of the marking scheme. These words ‘stick’ the other words together and lend continuity to sentences and paragraphs.
If you do not include discourse markers in your IELTS writing, your answer will appear illogical and more difficult to understand.
However, this does not mean that you should try to insert as many of these words into your writing as possible. This is a common mistake in IELTS writing. Using too many of them, or using them inappropriately, can make your writing sound too heavy and unnatural. They are important but must only be used at the appropriate time.
Try to identify any discourse markers in the essay above . Don’t look at the essay below yet. How many can you find?
Here is the sample answer again with the discourse markers in bold .
There is an ever-increasing use of technology, such as tablets and laptops, in the classroom. It is often argued that this is a positive development, whilst others disagree and think it will lead to adverse ramifications. This essay agrees that an increase in technology is beneficial to students and teachers.
The internet has provided students with access to more information than ever before. Moreover , learners can research and learn about any subject at the touch of a button. It is therefore agreed that technology is a very worthwhile tool for education. Wikipedia is a prime example , where students can type in any keyword and gain access to in-depth knowledge quickly and easily.
However , many disagree and feel that technology deprives people of real human interaction. Human interaction teaches people valuable skills such as discourse, debate and empathy. Despite this , human interaction is still possible through the internet, and this essay disagrees that technology should be dismissed for this reason. For instance , Skype and Facebook allow people to interact in ways that were never before possible.
In conclusion , while the benefits of technology, particularly the internet, allow students to tap into limitless sources of information, some still feel that people should be wary of this new phenomenon and not allow it to curb face-to-face interaction. However , as long as we carefully consider the importance of human interaction in education, the educational benefits are clearly positive.
This is also one of the four criteria you will be marked on, and it refers to your ability to use a wide range of accurate vocabulary.
A common mistake is to repeat the same words over and over again. You will lose marks if you do this. A solution to this problem is to use synonyms. You can either think of synonyms as you are writing or leave time, in the end, to add them in.
Can you identify any synonyms in the essay above?
Here are some examples:
Computers- technology
Computers- the internet
Education- in the classroom
Education- students and teachers
Positive trend- positive development
Negative Consequences- adverse ramifications
By varying your vocabulary this way, you are demonstrating that you have a wide vocabulary, which will boost your band score. However, like discourse markers, be careful not to use inappropriate/inaccurate words. Only use words you are confident about. Mistakes will lead to fewer marks.
Do you need me to correct your essays and give you feedback on them? Check out our essay correction service .
I hope this post helps you with discussion questions, and if you have any questions, please comment below.
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This post will help you navigate how to write your discussion essay.
Steps to answering the question.
As covered in the article ‘IELTS Essay Writing’ , there are specific kinds of essays in task 2. Students can often conflate this essay with the opinion essay, and the advantages and disadvantages essay. To echo my previous advice, practice as much as you can with these question types. Don’t worry at first about the timing aspect, but focus on understanding the task and getting really good at answering the question.
The question will be a statement containing two opposing views, like this: Some people think that exercise is the key to health while others feel that having a balanced diet is more important
You will then be asked to discuss both sides of the argument and give your own opinion, like this:
Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Typical wording can look like this:
Some people think that exercise is the key to health while others feel that having a balanced diet is more important. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Lots of students struggle to separate this essay from the opinion essay.
The only thing you need to remember is that with the discussion essay, you are discussing both views.
Unlike the opinion question where you have to decide between two opposing views and choose one argument to carry your essay through.
The key to this essay is balance. You are not weighing in more on one side, but discussing both views. Importantly too, is to give your opinion. Lots of students discuss both sides but forget to conclude with an opinion.
Understand the question. Like all essay questions, we need to really understand what’s being asked of us.
The keywords here are: key to health, balanced diet. By isolating the keywords we can see where the opposing views lie and thus, how your essay needs to be relevant to these ideas.
1.Decide on your opinion
Whether you genuinely agree or not, decide what your opinion is on the statement. For my model essay, I am going to agree that exercise is the key to health.
2. Produce your ideas
Think of the broad ideas that underpin your ideas. Remember, you are discussing both sides!
Exercise is the key:
Balanced diet:
These are too many ideas however, so I am going to pick two to lead with in my main body paragraphs.
Idea 1- exercise reduces risk of major illnesses, helps to fight off poor mental health (depression, anxiety) Idea 2- body to working effectively, improved immune system
Key- essential, central, fundamental, decisive, principle, vital
health - fitness, wellbeing, robustness, strength, vigour, form
Balanced- fair, proportional, evened, equitable symmetrical
Important- relevant, influential, significant, salient, paramount
Introduction:
It is considered by some that exercise is fundamental to being healthy, while there are others who think that having a proportional diet is more significant. Whilst a balanced diet contributes to our bodies working effectively, I believe that exercise is more influential to our health in combating major illness and detrimental mental health.
Main ideas:
Paragraph 1- Balanced diet contributes to our bodies working effectively, improves immune system
Paragraph 2- Exercise combats major illness and fights off depression
Main paragraphs
Main paragraph 1:
On the one hand, a balanced and proportioned diet contributes to our bodies working effectively, and optimising for good, lasting health. An even diet suggests that we regularly welcome various food groups, in order to maintain this sense of balance and create a strong, healthy system.. Many health specialists and nutritionists advocate for balanced diets, so that our bodies can feed our immune system, so to speak. In recent years, there has been a greater shift toward more health-conscious eating where, for example, vegetarian and vegan food are much more commonly seen, and many people are opting into such dietary choices. Not only this, but the food industry itself has taken a heavier lean into ensuring healthy food is part of their identity. Even the brand McDonald’s, the antithesis of a balanced diet, has clipped onto the health conscious consumer and created snacks and meals that are intended to be healthier.
Main paragraph 2:
Having said this, exercise is vital in combating major illness and disease, as well as providing an antidote to the pressures and stresses we feel in life, which can lead to forms of depression and anxiety. Not only is it paramount to maintain our physical health, but especially when we have the faculties to do so, it is important to build a robustness about our physical health. Routinely exercising boosts our bodily functions, which can help to prevent serious illnesses. Moreover, physical exercise not only benefits our body, but our mind too. Like electricity, physical exercise sends endorphins to our brain and makes us feel good. Exercise invigorates us because we have challenged our bodies and thereafter reap the rewards with feeling stronger, both mentally and physically. Experts like doctors recommend daily exercise because they are acutely aware of its benefits and know it is a key component in preventing illnesses, as well as recovering from an illness or an accident. This is particularly important when the person is of a more senior age and their physical health can determine how they may recover. There are many types of exercise that have evolved over the last fifty years and exercise is accessible to all age groups, making it possible to live an active and healthy life.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, although a balanced diet plays an important role in our health, I believe that exercise plays a more significant role for not only our health, but our capacity to fight off illness, both physically and mentally.
Updated On Apr 23, 2024
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Just as the names suggest, discuss both views or discussion essays in IELTS Writing task 2 expects you to discuss both sides of an argument, and then to give your own opinion on the matter.
You get 40 minutes to complete this discussion essay IELTS Writing task and you have to write at least 250 words on the topic given. So gear up, let us learn how to write a perfect band 8+ task 2 discuss both views and essays in no time in this blog!
There are a few key things to keep in mind when writing a discussion essay:
First, read the statement carefully and find the two opposing views. Then, think about how to support each one.
Once you know what the two opposing views are, you need to gather evidence to support each one.
This evidence can come from your own knowledge, experience, or research.
Your essay should have a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
Begin your essay with a clear introduction that tells the reader what the topic is and what your main points will be. Keep it simple and to the point.
Break your essay into two paragraphs, with each one focusing on a different point. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that tells the reader what the paragraph is about.
Use examples to support your points. This could be something you’ve read about, something you’ve seen, or something from your own experience.
Get your hands on 2024’s latest IELTS Writing Task 2 test papers!
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Let us look at the three errors that are usually common in IELTS discussion essays.
Focusing too much on one viewpoint and neglecting the other, or failing to discuss both views equally.
Using irrelevant examples, statistics, or facts to support your points in the body paragraphs.
Making broad statements without providing specific examples or evidence to back them up.
Never repeat these errors in your next IELTS discussion essay!
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Since we’ve had a look at the three most common errors that might occur while you write an IELTS discussion essay, now let’s learn a few expert tips you can use to practice while writing them!
When discussing two opposing views, use neutral language that expresses your opinion presenting both sides of the argument fairly and without bias.
Take a few minutes to think about what points you want to make and how you’ll organize them. Try to jot down some notes before you start writing.
Transition words and phrases can help to make your essay flow smoothly and signal to the reader when you are moving from one point to another.
We’ve collected a list of connectors to present in your IELTS discussion essays. Have a look at them in the following table:
Firstly | Additionally | In conclusion |
To begin with | Moreover | To sum up |
Initially | Furthermore | To conclude |
Nowadays | In addition | In summary |
On the one hand | On the other hand | Finally |
When writing supporting points in your body paragraphs, be sure to provide evidence as an example to support it. This can come from your knowledge, experience, or research.
Before you finish, take a few minutes to read over your essay and make sure there are no mistakes in spelling, grammar, or punctuation.
Here are a few sample questions and their answers for IELTS Writing Task 2 discussion essays with a proper breakdown of them.
Some people believe that it is essential to learn a foreign language in school, while others believe that it is not necessary. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Introduction: The introduction sets the stage for the essay by presenting the topic and highlighting the opposing viewpoints.
Body Paragraph 1: This paragraph discusses the advantages of learning a foreign language, including cognitive, cultural, and practical benefits.
Body Paragraph 2: The second paragraph presents the counterargument that learning a foreign language is unnecessary due to technology and the prominence of English.
Conclusion: The conclusion provides a clear personal opinion that acknowledges the counterarguments but asserts that the benefits of foreign language learning are more significant.
Final Compilation
Learning a foreign language has been a topic of debate in educational circles, with proponents arguing its importance and opponents asserting its insignificance. Those who advocate for learning a foreign language in school argue that it has numerous cognitive, cultural, and practical benefits. Firstly, mastering another language enhances cognitive abilities, as it requires learners to think critically and adapt to different linguistic structures. Moreover, it promotes cultural understanding by allowing individuals to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds, fostering tolerance and open-mindedness. From a practical standpoint, in today’s globalized world, proficiency in a foreign language can boost job prospects and facilitate international interactions.
On the other hand, there are those who contend that learning a foreign language is unnecessary in the modern age due to the prevalence of translation tools and the predominance of English as a global lingua franca. They argue that the time spent on language acquisition could be better utilized for other subjects that are more directly applicable to students’ future careers. Additionally, some assert that the difficulty of becoming truly proficient in a foreign language often discourages students and leads to frustration.
To conclude, while the concerns raised against learning a foreign language hold some validity, the advantages far outweigh the drawbacks. The cognitive and cultural benefits of language learning are substantial and contribute not only to personal growth but also to building a more interconnected and harmonious society. Moreover, even though technology can aid in translation, it cannot replace the nuanced understanding and genuine human connections that result from speaking someone’s native language. Therefore, incorporating foreign language learning into the curriculum remains a valuable investment in students’ holistic development.
Some people believe that it is better to live in a city, while others believe that it is better to live in the countryside. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Introduction: Introduces the topic and mentions the opposing views regarding city and countryside living.
Body Paragraph 1: Discusses the advantages of living in a city, including access to amenities, job opportunities, and cultural activities.
Body Paragraph 2: Presents the benefits of living in the countryside, such as tranquillity, connection to nature, and strong communities.
Conclusion: Offers a personal perspective that acknowledges the strengths of both options and suggests that the choice should be based on individual preferences.
Living preferences between urban and rural areas have long been a subject of debate. Supporters of city living argue that it offers greater access to amenities, career opportunities, and cultural activities. Cities are often hubs of economic activity, providing a wide range of job options and higher earning potential. Additionally, urban dwellers can enjoy a plethora of entertainment choices, from theatres and museums to restaurants and shopping centres.
On the other hand, proponents of rural living emphasize the tranquillity and connection to nature that the countryside provides. They contend that life in the countryside is less stressful, offering cleaner air, less noise pollution, and a slower pace of life. Moreover, the close-knit communities in rural areas foster a sense of belonging and interpersonal relationships that can be harder to find in bustling cities.
To conclude, in my opinion, both living environments have their merits, and the choice depends on individual preferences and priorities. While cities offer convenience and a vibrant social scene, they can also be overwhelming and stressful. On the contrary, the countryside provides a peaceful and close-to-nature existence, but it might lack the opportunities and amenities that cities offer. Therefore, the ideal choice should be based on a person’s lifestyle, values, and career aspirations.
Some people believe that social media has a negative impact on society, while others believe that it has a positive effect. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Introduction: Introduces the topic and states that social media’s impact on society is debated.
Body Paragraph 1: Discusses the negative effects of social media, including impacts on mental health, privacy, and interpersonal relationships.
Body Paragraph 2: Presents the positive aspects of social media, focusing on connectivity, activism, information sharing, and education.
Conclusion: Offers a personal perspective that acknowledges both sides of the argument but emphasizes the potential positive impact of responsible social media use.
The influence of social media on society is a topic of ongoing debate. Detractors argue that social media has detrimental effects on mental health, privacy, and interpersonal relationships. They claim that the constant comparison to curated online personas can lead to feelings of inadequacy and anxiety. Furthermore, the erosion of privacy due to the widespread sharing of personal information and the rise of cyberbullying are serious concerns. Critics also point out that excessive screen time detracts from face-to-face interactions, potentially weakening real-life connections.
On the other hand, proponents of social media contend that it fosters global connectivity, information sharing, and activism. Platforms like Twitter and Instagram enable individuals to voice their opinions, raise awareness about important issues, and create positive change. Social media has played a pivotal role in various social movements and humanitarian efforts, mobilizing people on a scale previously unattainable. Additionally, it allows easy access to a wide range of educational content and facilitates networking opportunities.
In conclusion, while social media has its drawbacks, its potential positive impact is significant. The power of social media to amplify voices, disseminate information, and drive social change cannot be overlooked. However, its usage should be balanced and responsible, with individuals and society collectively addressing its negative aspects, such as online toxicity and privacy concerns.
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Take your time to understand this lesson well and keep practising IELTS discussion essays using past and latest exam questions as much as you need. Constant practice is the best way to get better at it. Way to go!
If you are preparing for the IELTS Writing exam, we would recommend you practice tasks like the above-given questions regularly. The more you practice, the better you will become at cracking the writing tasks for IELTS within the dedicated timeframe.
You can also enroll in our IELTS preparation online classes to get your hands on the latest IELTS writing questions or participate in our FREE online webinars to learn how to write them directly from our band 9 IELTS experts!
Also, check:
When should I give my opinion in an IELTS discussion essay?
Are Opinion essays and Discussion essays the same?
How do you discuss both views and give your opinion?
What are the major mistakes test takers do in the IELTS Discussion essays?
How to write the IELTS Discussion Essay?
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Posted on May 20, 2022
Prison is the common way in most countries to solve the problem of crime. However, a more effective solution is to provide people with a better education. Do you agree of disagree.
Correctional centre is the most popular facility used by majority of the countries to tackle criminal activities. While I believe that the most probable action of ultmost benefit is to make accessible standard education for the masses, as this will make them to be well informed and be more responsible citizens, in this regard I agree with the latter statement.
To begin with, paving way for education of top notch quality will create an avenue to gain knowledge and understanding of information about rules and regulations governing a certain sect as well as how to uphold good moral values and living righteously. For instance, research shows that in Finland, there are negligible number of penitentiary institutions due to the high quality education system being operated in the country. Thus having a consequential high valued institution of learning plays a significant role in cubbing criminal activities.
Furthermore, an impeccable academic world will inculcate the act of being accountable citizens, this will make them to take responsibility of any action they perform and thereafter face whatever consequence that may arise from such weather it is pleasant or unpleasant. For example, in Nigeria, civic studies was incorporated into the school curriculum in a bid to boost the educational standard for the masses at large. Therefore, having a feasible academic environment will help create individuals of high moral standard who will stare clear of any form of unholy act.
To conclude, I want to reaffirm the fact that having quality educational facility that will teach high moral life values to gain the act of responsibility, out weighs the adoption of correctional centres to mitigate criminal activities. I recommend that the governing body should devote their strength to enhancing good learning facilities rather than prison services.
Posted on May 21, 2022
Band Score – 5.5
Concentrate on the correct usage of articles, verb forms, prepositions, subject-verb agreement and punctuation.
Since it is an opinion essay, you are required to write about one line of contrast in a separate body after presenting two body paragraphs supporting your views.
Pay attention to spellings and word order in a sentence.
Use C2 level of words.
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by Dave | Understanding Task 2 Writing | 0 Comment
Here I have collected actual IELTS discussion essays (discuss both sides/views) from the last several years – enjoy learning about this common task type!
Enjoy and consider signing up for my Patreon Ebooks here .
Some people think that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing. Others believe that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Read my essay here.
Reported on IELTS Cambridge 19
Innovation is often driven by the pursuit of profit and economic growth. However, some argue that it should prioritize addressing social and environmental issues.
Discuss both sides and give your own opinion.
Read my essay here on Patreon.
Some people believe that in a city, the best way to travel is by car, while other people argue that bicycles are a better way of travelling in a city.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Read my sample here.
Some people think the manufacturers and shopping malls should sell fewer packaged products while others argue that people have the responsibility to buy products with less packaging.
Some people believe that professional athletes serve as positive role models for young people, while others argue that their behavior both on and off the field can have a negative influence.
Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Some people believe that reading is always a good habit. Others feel it depends on which books a person is reading.
Get the full EBook here on Patreon.
The increasing availability of low-cost airlines now lets people travel around the world. Some feel this is a positive development while others think it is negative overall.
In some countries, companies allow people to work from home. In others, people are still expected to work in an office.
Read my EBook on Patreon.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of oil drilling operations in remote locations around the world. This has brought economic benefits to some countries, though it has also raised concerns about the environmental impact of these operations.
Many university students want to learn about different subjects in addition to their main subjects. Others feel it is more important to give all their time and attention to studying for their qualification.
Many think that religion should be taught in schools while others think it should be avoided.
My full EBook is available on Patreon.
Some believe that students should begin learning a language very early in school while others think these subjects should be taught later.
Some feel that individuals should have the right to strike in all jobs while others feel there are exceptions.
Get the full EBook on Patreon.com/howtodoielts
Some people prefer to spend their lives doing the same things and avoiding change. Others, however, think that change is always a good thing.
Many believe that the goal of one’s career should be to pursue a passion while others feel it is merely a way to earn a livelihood.
Read my EBook here on Patreon.
Some people feel that cities should allow for spaces for graffiti while others feel it should be banned.
Some think newspapers are the best method for reading the news while others think other media is better .
Discuss both sides and give your own opinion .
As the number of cars increases, more money has to be spent on road systems. Some people think the government should pay for this. Others, however, think that drivers should cover the costs.
Some people believe that children of all ages should have extra responsibilities (for example, helping at home or at work). Others believe that, outside of school, children should be free to enjoy their lives.
Some people believe more actions can be taken to prevent crime, while others think that little can be done.
Some argue that patriotism is the primary cause of wars globally. Others feel that it serves to prevent less ethical politicians from running a country and starting wars.
Some feel that punishment should focus more on rehabilitation instead of long prison terms. Others feel prison terms are important for social stability.
Read my essay on Patreon.
Some feel that individuals should try to assimilate completely to the country where they live while others feel it is more important to preserve their native culture.
Read my essay on Patreon as an EBook.
Some believe that traffic problems in cities can best be resolved by investing in urban infrastructure while others feel there are superior solutions.
Some people believe that car-free days are effective ways to reduce air pollution. However, others argue that there are other ways that are more effective.
Many governments think that economic progress is their most important goal. Some people, however, think that other types of progress are equally important for a country.
Some people believe that increasing tax on various industries will reduce pollution whereas others believe that there are better alternative ways.
Discuss both the view and give your opinion.
Some believe that money for education should mainly be spent on better computers while others believe it would be better spent on teachers.
In an era of globalization, some people think that studying abroad is the best way to attain a well-paid job while others believe other options are better.
Some people believe that professionals, such as doctors and engineers, should be required to work in the country where they did their training. Others believe they should be free to work in another country if they wish.
Discuss views and give your own opinion.
Some people feel that equality between the genders has already been achieved while others feel there is considerable progress to be made.
Some people believe that the experiences children have before they go to school will have the greatest effect on their future life. Others argue that experiences gained when they are teenagers have a bigger influence.
Discuss both views and give your own opinions.
Some feel that cities shold be designed to be beautiful while others feel their functionality is more important.
Read my essay here as an Ebook on Patreon.
In some places, old age is valued, while in other cultures youth is considered more important.
Some people think that the government should strictly control the supply of fresh water, as it is a limited resource, while others it should not be regulated.
Read my essay.
Some people think it is better to have many short holidays during the year. Others believe it would be beneficial to have fewer, longer vacations.
Get my Ebook on Patreon here.
In some countries, there has been an increase in the number of advertisements which try to persuade children to buy snacks, toys, and other goods. Parents often claim that these ads are unfair.
Some people say that individuals should change jobs during their working life often while others believe that doing the same job has advantages to individuals, companies, and society.
Some think that politicians should always be honest while others feel that there are times when they must lie. Discuss both sides and give your own opinion.
Many people argue that in order to improve educational quality, high school students should encouraged to question and offer criticisms on their teachers. Others think this will lead to a loss of respect and discipline in the classroom.
Some people prefer to spend their lives doing the same things and avoiding change. Others, however, think that change is always good .
Computers are becoming increasingly pervasive in modern life. Some view this is as a positive while others feel it is negative overall.
Read my sample answer here.
Some people think that children should begin their formal education at a very early age. Others think they should begin after 7 years of age.
Some people are happy to stay in the same area for their whole life, while others prefer living in many different places.
Many believe that it is important to protect all wild animals, while others think that it is important to protect some, not all of them.
Some people think that schools should not test and grade students. Others think that grades are important.
Some people think that newspapers are the best way to learn about current events. However, others believe that they can learn news better through other media.
Some people think that governments should give financial support to creative artists such as painters and musicians. Others believe that artists should be funded by alternative sources.
There is little difference in the shops now operating in various nations. Some people think this is positive development,while other believe it is negative.
Some people focus on news in their own country, while others think it is more important to be aware of international news.
Some say that children should be taught at school to recycling and avoid waste. Others say they should learn this at home.
Discuss both views and give your opinion .
Some people say that individuals who make a lot of money are the most successful. Others think that those who contribute to society like scientists and teachers are more successful.
Employers sometimes ask people applying for jobs for personal information, such as their hobbies and interests, and whether they are married or single. Some people say that this information may be relevant and useful. Others disagree.
Movies and computer games containing violence are popular. Some people say they have a negative effect on society and should be censored. Others say they are just harmless relaxation.
Some people think personal happiness is directly related to economic success, while others believe this depends on other factors.
Many people believe that it is easier to have a healthy lifestyle in the countryside. Other believe that there are health benefits to living in cities.
Some people think that students in high or secondary school can choose courses freely, others think that courses such as mathematics must be compulsory.
Some people think children should have the freedom to make mistakes, while other people believe that adults should prevent children from making mistakes.
Some people believe that children should do sports so that they will grow up as healthy adults, but others feel sports are just about enjoying yourself.
Discuss these both views and give your own opinion.
Some people think that individuals today are more dependent on each other. Others believe people have become more independent.
Some people think that children can learn about history by visiting museums, while others feel that there are better ways to learn about history.
Some feel that schools should be mixed with both girls and boys attending while others feel the genders ought to be separated.
Some believe that people should make efforts to fight climate change while others think it is better to learn to live with it.
In many countries, crimes rates amongst younger people has been rising.
Discuss the causes and solutions for this problem.
Some people think that sports play an important role in society. Others think they are nothing more than a leisure activity.
Read my answer here.
Some people think the newly built houses should be the same as the old housing styles in local areas. Others argue that local authorities should allow people to build houses in their own style.
Some feel governments should invest in preserving minority languages, while others feel this is not a good use of resources.
Museums and art galleries should show local history and culture instead of work from different countries.
Discuss both views and give opinion.
Some people think young people should follow the traditions of their society. Others think that they should be free to behave as individuals.
Some people think that famous people can help international aid organizations to draw attention to important problems. Others believe that the celebrities can make the problems seem less important.
Some believe that the Olympic games help bring people from different nations together, while others claim that holding the Olympics wastes money which could be used for important issues.
Some people believe the purpose of education should be helping the individual to become useful for society, while others believe it should help individuals to achieve their ambitions.
Some people think students should study the science of food and how to prepare it. Others think students should spend time on important subjects.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion .
Some people think parents are responsible for transporting their children to school. Others think it is the government’s responsibility.
Some feel that the effects of advertising are positive for individuals and businesses, while others think they are negative.
Some think that climate change reforms will negatively affect business. Others feel they are an opportunity for businesses.
Some people say young people should be completely free to choose their future job but others think young people must be more realistic in their choice.
Some people say that the bicycles are a good, modern means of transportation. Other say riding a bicycle has clear disadvantages.
Discuss both view points and give your own opinion.
Some think scientists should be allowed to send messages into space to communicate with other life forms while others believe this is too dangerous.
Some feel executives in large companies should receive high salaries while others think they are paid too much compared to ordinary workers.
Some believe that advances in technology are increasing the gap between rich and poor while others think the opposite is hapenning.
Some people think that cities are the best places to live. Others prefer to live in rural areas.
Some people say that supermarkets and manufacturers have a responsibility to reduce the amount of packaging on products they sell. Others believe that it is the consumer’s responsibility to avoid buying products which have a lot of packaging.
Discuss both views and give your opinions.
Many companies sponsor sports as a way of advertising themselves. Some people think this is good for the world of sport, while others think it is a negative.
Some people believe that there should be a fixed punishment for each type of crime. Others, however, argue that the circumstances of an individual crime, and the motivation for committing it, should always be taken into account when deciding on the punishment.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Some people believe that children that commit crimes should be punished. Others think the parents should be punished instead.
Some believe that it is beneficial to show foreign films while others feel this can have a negative impact on local culture.
Some scientists believe that in the future computers will be more intelligent than human beings. While some see this as a positive development others worry about the negative consequences.
Some people say that advertising is extremely successful at persuading us to buy things. Other people think that advertising is so common that we no longer pay attention to it.
Some people think that resources should be spent on protecting wild animals, while others think those would be better used for the human population.
Giving children and adolescents pocket money is common throughout the world.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this practice and give your own opinion.
Some think schools should rewards students who have the best academic results, while others think it’s more important to reward students who achieve other types of success (such as sports, music, and good behaviour).
Some educational systems make students study specialised subjects from the age of fifteen while others require students to study a wide range.
Some people argue children should stay in school until the age of 18 while others think that 14 years is long enough.
Many people think that zoos are cruel. Others think they are helpful in protecting rare animals.
Some people like to spend their leisure time after work with co-workers while others prefer to keep their private life separate from their work life.
Some people believe that one-on-one lessons are better for learning while others think that group lessons are superior.
Some think that quality art can be made by anyone while others think that it requires special talent and ability.
In many countries, teenagers are encouraged to find part-time jobs. Some think this is a good development while others disagree.
Some believe that history has little to teach us about today while others think that the study of the past helps us to understand the present.
Many people believe that music is just a form of entertainment, whilst others believe that music has a much larger impact on society today.
Some believe that the best way to stay fit is to join a gym or health club while others think doing everyday activities such as walking and climbing stairs is enough.
Some people argue that job satisfaction is more important than job security, while others believe that they cannot always expect job satisfaction and a permanent job is more important.
Some think that governments should support retired people financially while others believe they should take care of themselves.
Some believe that people are naturally born as leaders while others feel that leadership skills can develop.
Many people feel that students should learn from online materials while others feel that it is better to use printed materials.
Some people think that children should begin their formal education at a very early age. Some think they should begin at least 7 years old.
Discuss both views give opinions.
Many think that in today’s world it is very difficult for people to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Others, however, feel that it is easy for people to be healthy and fit if they want to be.
Some people think that paying taxes is their only responsibility towards society while others feel that everyone should do more.
Most agree that we should be training children to recycle waste to preserve the Earth’s natural resources. However, some believe that it is parents who should teach their children to recycle waste while others feels schools are more responsible.
Some people believe that education is the key to tackling hunger worldwide while others feel that the answer is in food aid.
Some people say that it is acceptable to test medicine intended for people on animals. Others, however, believe that it is not right to use animals in this research.
Many feel that going to the gym is the best way to stay fit. Others think there are more effective methods.
Some people believe that allowing children to make their own choices on everyday matters (such as food, clothes and entertainment) is likely to result in a society of individuals who only think about their own wishes. Other people believe that it is important for children to make decisions about matters that affect them.
Many parents encourage young people to leave home when they become older, while others think they should stay at home with the family.
Many people believe that every individual is responsible for his/her own healthy lifestyle. Others believe that governments should take care of it.
In a number of countries, some people think it is necessary to spend large sums of money on constructing new railway lines for very fast trains between cities. Others believe the money should be spent on improving existing public transport.
Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations., some people believe that it is good to share as much information as possible in scientific research, business, and the academic world. others believe that some information is too important or too valuable to be shared freely..
Some people think that governments should invest mainly in making public transportation faster while other think there are more important priorities (cost, the environment).
Some people think that newspapers are the best way to learn news. However, others believe that they can learn news better through other media.
Some people say history is one the most important school subjects. Other people think that, in today’s world, subjects like science and technology are more important than history.
Discuss both these views and give your opinion., some are of the opinion that people are naturally born as good leaders while others feel that leadership skills can be learned., recommended for you.
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The next big thing after learning about IELTS discuss both views essays is – How do you structure them?
Please be aware though, the perfect structure alone will not make you a band 7+ achiever. Your vocabulary and English proficiency still plays a key role in IELTS writing task – 2.
But the good news is… Here we’ve outlined an easily comprehensible step-by-step format to logically present a discussion essay and give your opinion effectively.
This post will clear your doubts over:
Discuss both views – essay structure.
There are hundreds of ways to structure a Discuss both views essay in the writing part . However, we’ll use this 4-paragraph foolproof band 7+ structure:
INTRODUCTION
BODY PARAGRAPH 1
BODY PARAGRAPH 2
RELATED: IELTS Writing Task-1 Formal Letters With Sample Answers
Now that you’ve understood the discussion essay structure, let’s look at some recently asked topics to give you an idea of how the ‘discuss both views and give your opinion’ essay looks like.
Discuss both viewpoints and give your opinion. Support your answer with the help of relevant examples. |
Some companies offer their employees subsidized membership in sports clubs and fitness centres, believing that this will and thus enhance productivity at work. Other employers see no benefit in doing so. Consider both sides of the argument and reach a conclusion. |
It is sometimes said that the villages offer a high quality of life, especially for families. What are the arguments for and against families opting to live and work in the countryside? What is your opinion about this trend? |
Some observers say that police officers should be recruited from local communities, so that they have knowledge about the place. Other people say that this is unnecessary, or even undesirable. Discuss both views. What is your opinion on this debate? |
Completing University is considered by some to be the best way to get a good job, while others think that gaining experience and developing soft skills is more important. Discuss both sides of the argument and give your opinion. |
Some people believe that children should spend all of their leisure time with their families. Others believe that this is not required and a negative development. Discuss both viewpoints and give your opinion. Support your answer with the help of relevant examples.
Explanation of the Task
This is Opinion>Discussion type essay. Hence, You should introduce the topic, provide relevant ideas explaining arguments on both sides of the discussion, and then write your opinion in the conclusion. Always remember that these Opinion>Discussion tasks might be expressed differently; look for keyword ‘discuss’ and its synonyms like ‘debate’, ‘consider’ and ‘review’.
No one can deny that parental influence is of paramount importance for children, especially in cases where children live with their parents, foster parents or guardians. However, it is by no means clear that children should spend time exclusively with their family. This essay will examine both viewpoints and provide rationale behind my opinion on this. On the one hand, proponents of this theory claim that it is advisable for parents to act as role models and to establish ground rules for behaviour by spending as much time as possible with their children. This allows the youngsters to absorb conventions and codes of conduct which they can then follow themselves, hopefully leading to an absence of problems such as bullying, truancy and delinquency later on. In addition to this, being with the family should reduce the risk of children falling victim to crimes such as abduction, stealing etc. On the other hand, opponents of this theory claim that it is not a practical proposition. In modern society where many families rely on dual-income, children cannot spend all of their time with the family. As such, child-minding and after-school childcare are often used in these cases. Equally, it seems that children can gain considerable knowledge from their peers. Therefore, allowing children to play without direct supervision may be an added advantage. In conclusion, it appears that, while family time is quintessential for bonding and absorbing behavioural patterns, there are definite advantages when children are outside the family eco-system too. Given this situation, it can be said that they are in safe, well behaved environment with peers who are themselves reasonably well brought up. (287 words) |
Topic Vocabulary
We hope that understanding this ‘Discuss both views essay structure’ will help you organize your writing task – 2 better and ultimately fetch you a high band score. And, don’t forget to download the IDP IELTS Writing answer sheets !
Very good guidance. Could include one more sample answer.
Thanks! Yeah…sure. More stuff lined up 🙂
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One of the first things you should do is read the marking criteria to see what the examiners expect. This is really important, as you need to know what they are looking for in the band 7+ boxes.
If you would like to purchase a 34 page PDF download that is easy to read and print out please take a look at the bookshop >
TIP >> It is very important that spend a full 40 minutes on this task as the score you get for writing task 2 is two-thirds of your total writing score. You also need to write a minimum of 250 words and use your own ideas.
This is the introduction to the essay and where you should start off by paraphrasing the question.
This means that you rewrite the question in your own words using synonyms. You can’t just copy the question again or use the same words in the question. Paraphrase and show off your vocabulary knowledge by using synonyms. When practising your essay writing, use an online thesaurus to help you. This is a great tool and can help you to learn many new words.
The last sentence in the introduction should outline for the examiner exactly what you will discuss in the main body paragraphs. For example, ‘ this essay will discuss both views and state my own position’.
There are three sentences you need in the introduction >>
The example you give could be something from your own experience or made up – it is ok to make up something as the examiners will not fact check your information. They want to see your ability to use English at a certain level. You could make up an example from a report, journal, newspaper or University study to support your view.
Sequencing ideas >>, sample discuss both points of view and give your own opinion essay >>.
Thirdly, in my opinion, I believe that the internet can bring people closer together, as it can make both socialising and work much easier for those who travel. Communities can speak freely at any time, in groups, asking for help or advice, though it is up to the individuals to acknowledge how much time they are spending online and whether this is a cause for concern. Isolation cannot be blamed on the internet, as it is just a tool to use, the individual must be in charge of their own time. For example, a person who works from home online for many hours in the day should make sure they have adequate breaks and make time for socialising, as to not feel isolated or removed from their own community.
Related posts, ielts discussion essay sample 1 – education, ielts discussion essay sample 2 – economics, leave a comment cancel reply.
In this article, the brief introduction, structure and strategy to successfully write an IELTS Discussion Essay will be mentioned in order for you to have in-depth knowledge of this type of essay.
The format of the question for an IELTS discussion essay will be normally 2 parts:
Depending on different questions, the requirement varies in the way of wording:
IELTS discussion questions seem to be similar to IELTS opinion questions in the first place, but there is a key difference between the two types. While IELTS discussion essay (Discuss both views and give your opinion) asks candidates to discuss both views given and/or give your point of view, IELTS opinion essay (Do you agree or disagree?) requires you to choose between two contrasting views and support your choice with arguments.
In terms of IELTS advantages and disadvantages essay, the first part of the question will be a one-view statement only, compared to the two-opposing-view statement in the IELTS discussion essay.
It is suggestable to write the IELTS Discussion Essay with three parts in four or five separate paragraphs:
– Paraphrase the statement / State both views
(e.g. It is often held that teachers, peers and the media have a significant influence on the life of children. While some people argue that these factors are predominant in shaping a child’s future, others believe that parents impact their offspring in more critical ways. )
– Thesis statement with your opinion
(e.g. This essay will discuss both these points of view and argue in favour of the latter.)
– Body paragraph 1:
– Body paragraph 2:
– Body paragraph 3:
>>> Practice now: IELTS Writing Practice Test
– Summarize the main points
(e.g. In conclusion, the outside world influences the intellectual and social development of children.)
– State your point of view
(e.g. However, I believe that it is parents who set the stage for these developments by laying a strong foundation from a very young age.)
3.1. analyse the ielts discussion questions.
This step should be prioritized since it decides your understanding of the question. You should analyse the IELTS Discussion question quickly by following these two points:
(e.g. It is commonly believed that nowadays main factors that affect a child’s development are media, pop culture and friends. A different point of view is that family plays the most significant role.)
(e.g. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write at least 250 words.)
The first thing you should take action on is to decide which view you incline to. Then, you should note down what are the main points for your essay by outlining in the form of bullet points, a table, or a mindmap.
You should strictly follow the three-part structure and base on the outline prepared to write a complete IELTS discussion essay.
Your IELTS discussion essay should be not only cohesive and coherent, but also correct with regards to grammar and spelling, so it is important to check your essay before handing in.
In short, IELTS discussion essay will be not much of a difficulty if you gain a well-rounded knowledge and practice regularly. Install our mobile app or visit IELTS Online Test website now to practice with diverse tests.
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Published on August 21, 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 18, 2023.
The discussion section is where you delve into the meaning, importance, and relevance of your results .
It should focus on explaining and evaluating what you found, showing how it relates to your literature review and paper or dissertation topic , and making an argument in support of your overall conclusion. It should not be a second results section.
There are different ways to write this section, but you can focus your writing around these key elements:
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What not to include in your discussion section, step 1: summarize your key findings, step 2: give your interpretations, step 3: discuss the implications, step 4: acknowledge the limitations, step 5: share your recommendations, discussion section example, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about discussion sections.
There are a few common mistakes to avoid when writing the discussion section of your paper.
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Start this section by reiterating your research problem and concisely summarizing your major findings. To speed up the process you can use a summarizer to quickly get an overview of all important findings. Don’t just repeat all the data you have already reported—aim for a clear statement of the overall result that directly answers your main research question . This should be no more than one paragraph.
Many students struggle with the differences between a discussion section and a results section . The crux of the matter is that your results sections should present your results, and your discussion section should subjectively evaluate them. Try not to blend elements of these two sections, in order to keep your paper sharp.
The meaning of your results may seem obvious to you, but it’s important to spell out their significance for your reader, showing exactly how they answer your research question.
The form of your interpretations will depend on the type of research, but some typical approaches to interpreting the data include:
You can organize your discussion around key themes, hypotheses, or research questions, following the same structure as your results section. Alternatively, you can also begin by highlighting the most significant or unexpected results.
As well as giving your own interpretations, make sure to relate your results back to the scholarly work that you surveyed in the literature review . The discussion should show how your findings fit with existing knowledge, what new insights they contribute, and what consequences they have for theory or practice.
Ask yourself these questions:
Your overall aim is to show the reader exactly what your research has contributed, and why they should care.
Even the best research has its limitations. Acknowledging these is important to demonstrate your credibility. Limitations aren’t about listing your errors, but about providing an accurate picture of what can and cannot be concluded from your study.
Limitations might be due to your overall research design, specific methodological choices , or unanticipated obstacles that emerged during your research process.
Here are a few common possibilities:
After noting the limitations, you can reiterate why the results are nonetheless valid for the purpose of answering your research question.
Based on the discussion of your results, you can make recommendations for practical implementation or further research. Sometimes, the recommendations are saved for the conclusion .
Suggestions for further research can lead directly from the limitations. Don’t just state that more studies should be done—give concrete ideas for how future work can build on areas that your own research was unable to address.
If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!
Research bias
(AI) Tools
In the discussion , you explore the meaning and relevance of your research results , explaining how they fit with existing research and theory. Discuss:
The results chapter or section simply and objectively reports what you found, without speculating on why you found these results. The discussion interprets the meaning of the results, puts them in context, and explains why they matter.
In qualitative research , results and discussion are sometimes combined. But in quantitative research , it’s considered important to separate the objective results from your interpretation of them.
In a thesis or dissertation, the discussion is an in-depth exploration of the results, going into detail about the meaning of your findings and citing relevant sources to put them in context.
The conclusion is more shorter and more general: it concisely answers your main research question and makes recommendations based on your overall findings.
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
McCombes, S. (2023, July 18). How to Write a Discussion Section | Tips & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved July 8, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/discussion/
Other students also liked, how to write a literature review | guide, examples, & templates, what is a research methodology | steps & tips, how to write a results section | tips & examples, what is your plagiarism score.
Learn how to answer Discussion essay questions in IELTS writing Task 2 with an overview, recommended approach and practice question. by Tim Martyn
Recommended approach, practice question.
Discussion essay questions are a common question type in IELTS writing Task 2. You’ll be presented with two opposing views on a topic and be asked to discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Here are some key points about Discussion essay questions:
Here’s an example Discussion essay question.
Write about the following topic: Some people believe that mobile phones are distracting and should be banned in school classrooms. Others, however, think that they are valuable learning tools that should be allowed. 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.
Here’s my recommended approach for answering Discussion essay questions. We’ll use the example question to go through the steps you need to take.
IMPORTANT: The overall approach is the same for all Task 2 question types (i.e. discussion, opinion, advantages–disadvantages and two-part essay questions). This is important because, on test day, you could get a question that doesn’t fall neatly into any of these categories. However, if you learn and practise applying the overall approach, you should be able to respond flexibly to any question you’re presented with. Also, while I generally recommend writing 4-paragraph essays, there are other structures you can use to write an effective essay.
The first step is to analyse the question. This is crucial – if you don’t take the time to analyse the question properly, you may misunderstand what it’s asking you or fail to respond to key parts of the question. Here’s our question prompt again.
You can see that we’ve been given two opposing views:
Notice that each view is quite specific. The first view isn’t simply that mobile phones are bad and should be banned – it’s saying that they’re distracting and should be banned. Likewise, the second view isn’t simply that mobile phones are good and should be allowed in classrooms – it’s that they’re valuable learning tools and should be allowed. You need to make sure you pay attention to these details in the question. Otherwise, it’s likely that you won’t fully answer the question. The second part of the question prompt tells us exactly what we have to do. Here, it’s asking us to:
If you don’t cover all of these elements – e.g. you forget to give your own opinion, or you only discuss one side of the issue – you’ll have failed to fully respond to the question and you won’t be able to score higher than Band 5 for Task Response.
Once you fully understand the question and what you’re required to do, the next step is to spend a few minutes thinking of ideas for your essay. Don’t try to brainstorm as many ideas as you can – all you need is a few good ideas. If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, try asking yourself these questions:
For Discussion essay questions, you’re given two opposing views in the question, so all you really need to think of is some reasons why people may hold those views and decide which view you agree with.
Once you’ve thought of some ideas, it’s time to make a plan. I’d recommend that you spend about 5 minutes on your plan. It doesn’t need to be very detailed, but it’s important to think about what examples you’ll use and how you’ll explain your points. If you think of these things in advance, you’ll be able to connect your ideas more effectively when you’re writing your essay. Don’t try to write in full sentences – you can use symbols and abbreviations. The important thing is just to get your ideas down on paper. The plan for this essay might look something like this.
diff. opinions, but I think they’re useful learning tools | |
some ppl. think phones distracting + need to be banned – many apps on phones (e.g. games + social media), hard for students to resist – e.g. during group project, some members tempted to take out phone = negative impact on learning outcomes | |
agree that risk of distraction, but educational benefits, so should be allowed – many apps can make lessons more engaging (e.g. Kahoot) = more effective learning – encourage students to become indep. learners, they don’t have to rely on teacher, can do their own research | |
yes, there need to be guidelines, but phones should be allowed because good for learning |
Now that you’ve thought of ideas for your essay and made a plan, it’s time to write the introduction. IELTS doesn’t specify what you need to include in your introduction, but for Discussion essay questions, I recommend that you include:
Let’s look at each of these parts one by one.
An easy and effective way to start your introduction is to write a broad statement about the topic. What’s the topic? In our example, the topic is mobile phones in schools and the idea that their use is contentious, but not that they’re distracting or valuable learning tools – we’ll introduce that idea in the second part of the introduction. For Discussion essay questions, the easiest way to write a broad statement is to introduce the idea that there’s debate / a difference of opinion. In our example, we could write something like this: There are differing opinions as to whether schools should allow mobile phones to be used in class.
In the second part of the introduction, you should paraphrase the two views expressed in the question and make sure your own opinion is clear. Keep in mind that you mustn’t copy the exact wording used in the question. Instead, you need to use synonyms and other forms of paraphrasing. You won’t be able find synonyms for everything. In fact, some words shouldn’t be replaced because doing so would change the meaning.
Here are the key words from the question prompt with some possible synonyms.
Question prompt | Possible synonyms |
---|---|
some people | some |
believe | argue |
distracting | distraction |
banned | prohibited |
valuable | useful |
allowed | permitted/embraced |
Notice that I haven’t attempted to find a synonym for mobile phones . You might be tempted to use the US term (i.e. cell phone s), but that’s not necessary. You’ll also notice that, instead of trying to find synonyms for distracting and learning tools , I’ve made other changes to show the examiner that I can express the opposing views in my own words. The easiest way to include your own opinion is to use a phrase such as I tend to agree with those who . This makes your position clear to the reader. Our paraphrase could be something like this: While some argue that mobile phones should be prohibited because they are a distraction, I tend to agree with those who see them as useful learning tools that should be embraced.
If we put the two parts of the introduction together, this is what we have.
There are differing opinions as to whether schools should allow mobile phones to be used in class. While some argue that mobile phones should be prohibited because they are a distraction, I tend to agree with those who see them as useful learning tools that should be embraced.
The next step is to write the body paragraphs. Your first body paragraph should be about the view you don’t agree with. To make it clear that it’s the view of others, you can use phrases such as Some people , They say that and According to those who . Your second paragraph should be about the view you do agree with. A word such as While or However can help you introduce the contrasting view. Make sure it’s clear that you share this view. Don’t be afraid to use phrases such as I believe that and I am of the view that . Here are some possible body paragraphs for our example.
Some people hold the view that mobile phones have no place in school classrooms because they distract students from the lesson. They point to the many apps available on students’ phones, including games and social media apps. They argue that the temptation to use such apps during class time is difficult for the majority of students to resist. For example, if students are working on a group project, the less engaged members of the group may take out their phones to quickly check social media, watch a video on YouTube or do something else on their phones that is not related to what they are supposed to be doing. According to those who are opposed to the use of mobile phones in class, such distraction has a negative impact on learning outcomes. While I accept that there is a risk of distraction, like others, I believe that mobile phones should be permitted in class because of the many educational benefits they offer. Firstly, there is a wide variety of apps that teachers can use to make their lessons more engaging. One example of such an app is Kahoot, which allows teachers to create highly engaging, interactive quizzes that students can complete in teams. Such apps are beneficial because learning is more effective when students are engaged. Secondly, access to mobile phones in class can encourage students to become independent learners. Without their phones, students have to rely on information provided by the teacher, but if they are given access to their phones, they can do their own research and find answers for themselves.
The next step is to write the conclusion. All you need to do here is summarise the two opposing views and, again, make it clear what your own opinion is. Don’t just copy the words you used in other parts of the essay – use synonyms and paraphrasing as much as you can. Start your conclusion with In conclusion or To conclude . Here’s a possible conclusion for our example.
In conclusion, while students do need guidelines on how to use their mobile phones responsibly in class, I am of the view that they should be permitted because of the positive impact they can have on students’ learning.
The final step is to check your work. At this stage, you won’t have time to make any major changes, but it’s still an important step. Things to check for:
Now it’s your turn to practise. Try the Discussion essay question below using the approach outlined above.
Write about the following topic: Some people believe that homework is an important part of children’s education. Others say that children should not be given homework. 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.
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Click below for a sample answer.
Despite homework being a common component of children’s education, not everyone agrees on its value. While some people believe that children should not be required to do homework, I generally side with those who see it as a crucial aspect of learning.
Some people argue that homework is unnecessary and should not be given to children. Children already spend a significant portion of their day in school, they say, and adding more academic work after school hours can prevent them from engaging in extracurricular activities, pursuing hobbies and enjoying essential downtime. They also argue that the effectiveness of many common homework tasks is questionable as they can often involve rote memorisation and completion for the sake of completion. Finally, a common argument against homework is the fact that it can put an unnecessary burden on parents because they have to ensure that their children are actually completing it.
However, I agree with those who see homework as an important part of children’s education. First of all, homework plays a vital role in reinforcing classroom learning. It provides students with an opportunity to practise and apply what they have learnt in the classroom, solidifying their understanding of concepts. For example, if students have learnt about a scientific concept in class, their homework could be to conduct a simple scientific experiment based on that concept at home. Homework also allows parents to be more engaged in their child’s education as they can review assignments and support their child’s learning journey. Finally, homework teaches children discipline, which can prepare them for the demands of higher education and the workforce.
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IELTS Preparation with Liz: Free IELTS Tips and Lessons, 2024
Learn expressions to use in your discussion essay for IELTS writing task 2 with this video lesson. It is important to use a variety of language to express both sides in your essay. Being able to have flexible language for giving other people’s opinions is a good way to increase your vocabulary band score.
Hello in this lesson I’m going to look at some expressions that you can use for a discussion essay for IELTS writing task 2. Now when you have a discussion essay you have to support two different sides and this is not about your opinion this is about what other people think, other people’s opinion and you have to support what they think. so here are some very useful expressions to help you show other people’s thoughts and opinions.
Now there’s quite a lot of expressions you can use. I will run through each one but I will tell you now there are two expressions here that you shouldn’t use. can you see which ones? well I’ll tell you at the end of the lesson let’s have a look the first one. “Many people believe that ” this is a very common expression to use for IELTS It is not high band score but its clear and its academic so don’t worry, please use it. The next one “it is commonly believed that” this is a very nice expression because you can see here “is believed” that is the passive and it’s very good to give the examiner some passive tense in your essay. It will improve your band score and you can see this word here “commonly” that means many people so it has the same meaning as this sentence and this word we can change, we could say “it is frequently believed that” or we could say “it is often believed that”. So we could put a different adverb of frequency here. The next one “some people think that” again it’s very simple but it is academic and its clear. “It is often thought that” here we’ve got another passive, so very nice to use. But “on the side of” or “the other side of the coin is” this is the other opinion, the other side. “It is considered by many that” this is a very nice expression is very academic. It’s very good to use for IELTS and again you have a passive here and you can change this word if you want and you could say “it is considered by some that”. The next one here “many argue that” is very nice very clear. You don’t need to say “many people”, you could say “many argue that “. Another one, “it is argued by some that”, again here we’ve got the passive and you can change this word, “it is argued by many that”. “On the one hand” and”On the other hand”, so that’s the one side of the argument, on the other hand that’s the other side of the argument. The last one “some people support the opinion that” again this is very nice, very academic.
Discussion Essay Model Answer
I am exceedingly grateful for your copious and advantageous free resources.
I will be back with my testimonial about how your resources assisted me with acing my IELTS test once.
Well done and God bless you.
Ebizi Eradiri Njoku
Wishing you the best of luck in your test!
Thank you , my best online teacher
hi Liz I have subscribed your channel for many years now .I do receive some emails .However I need support in writing the introduction for a discussion please could you guide me
Think about getting my advanced lessons. I’ll be offering a discount at the start of July: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/ . The reason I made advanced lessons is so that I could explain fully how to write essays step by step. Each lesson is around 1 hour in length.
I am a new student learning the IELTS and today I started following you with the lesson writing task – 2. It is observed that there are -04- types of essays. I started the discussion type but little confused and not able to analyse the discussion type. Please advise, how may I understand whether the topic is discussion or opinion-based or discussion with opinion.
Go to this page for all your answers: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/
Dear liz, I have read your E-Book and that helped me a lot because I didn’t know about how to develop Ideas, but after reading that book I have learned what we can write in our essay according to the topic. Thank you for making that E-book. But here I have different doubt about structuring an Introduction for discussion type essay. (Specially, one sided opinion essay) While writing discussion type essay, you taught to give balanced approach or one sided approach. My confusion here is after paraphrasing both view points in the introduction we can directly state our opinion even if it is one sided, do we have to mention that why we do not agree with the other view point? What I mean to say is, if I think cooperation is more important to learn then do i have to mention why i do not think competition is important? My another doubt is do we have to give the hint what body paragraphs will discuss about within the introduction? Like, after paraphrasing the two different view points do we have to write again that many people think competition because it develops a sense of self-esteem in a child, while others believe cooperation is important as it helps in developing social skills + giving my opinion stating, I believe cooperation is important + reason why I believe so + why don’t I believe competition is important?
I am confused what should I exclude to make a short yet clear Introduction with one sided clear opinion? because giving reason why we do not think other view point is more important is making introduction too lengthy. Similarly giving hint within the introduction why people have different view points making it too lengthy.
Your background statement will include the two views held by others. The details for those views will be explained in the body paragraphs. The thesis statement will contain your view and the body paragraph will explain it. It is your choice how you develop the body paragraph. You might want to explain why you agree with one side and why you disagree with the other – if they are two completely different choices to make. It really depends on how much you have to say. IELTS essay are as much about strategy as they are about ideas. Think about word count and length. IELTS essays are short – they were never designed to be long. You should be aiming between 270 and 290 words. So, plan each sentence before you start writing and you’ll soon see how much you can and can’t fit into each paragraph. Also remember that if you agree with one side fully, your opinion will be given along side (in the same paragraph) as the same view that others have. If you are unsure or confused, get my Advanced lessons because I’ve explained it really carefully in those lessons: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/ . Glad you liked the Ideas E-book 🙂
Hello Ma’am, Sorry for over bugging You Hope You’re kicking fine. Meanwhile, Where can I get full length videos of Your Academic Test teachings on Tips for Task 1 writing- Graphs, Charts, pictures etc- My elder Brother is attempting it for the first time and needs help with it as His Academic test is slated for 12 September. I introduced Him to Your blog but all He could set His eyes on were snippets of Your teachings on YouTube.
Best Regards.
Sorry, I don’t have full length videos for writing task 1. I only have Advanced Writing Task 2 Lessons which can be purchased on this page: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/
Hello Liz, i visited your website and discovered numerous information and tips that will be useful for my ielts academic test. please i would like to be notified for any new video and information. thanks
You can access over 300 pages of free lessons and tips through the RED MENU Bar at the top of the website. All new lessons can be found listed in the side bar column if you are using desktop or at the bottom of all posts if you are using a smart phone.
Hi Liz, I am a little confused when it’s about the introduction of the “discuss both views and give your opinion” essay. As I understood, introduction is made of 2 parts: 1. Paraphrasing the question (very clear) 2. Thesis to introduce the topics of the body paragraphs In this type of questions, if we start the thesis just right after paraphrasing with “in my opinion”, doesn’t show the examiner that my essay will be only about my opinion?
You’re website and advanced videos are very helpful Thank you
The examiner has the instructions. The examiner has the full essay question. It’s fine.
Hello liz i find your videos very helpful, i wanted to ask can you give the complete structure of an ielts essay
You can find model essays on the main writing task 2 page – click on the RED BAR at the top of the website.
Thank you very much for all your insights on various topics on IELTS. I genuinely appreciate it.
I have a doubt regarding the essay writing; are we allowed to use colon, semi-colon and double-dash in our GT essays and letters just as how I’ve used in this comment?
Your input here will be a good help. Thanks again.
There is no need to use them. Using just full stops and commas is enough. However, there are a no fixed rules.
Hi Liz, Thanks your youtube videos are outstanding and very helpful. Please i will need some clarifications on the following: 1. Can I treat an opinion essay as a discussion essay where i write about both views or do i just stick with my opinion throughout my essay. 2. Is this thesis statement correct- This essay will discuss both views before reaching a logical conclusion. Will appreciate your response
You can’t alter the instructions and write a discussion essay if you are given an opinion essay. However, it is possible to have a partial agreement but you need training for that. See my Advanced Writing Task 2 lessons: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/ 2. That is not a thesis statement for IELTS. If you are asked for your view, you must give it directly – I, my. The words “this essay” does not represent your own personal opinion. Also NEVER use learned phrases in an English language test. Each sentence must be created uniquely by you. The examiner will put a line through any learned sentences.
Ma’am thanks so much for all the content that you have provided! I had a question regarding a discussion cum opinion essay. Do I make 1 body paragraphs for each side and a third body para for the details of my opinion (totally 3 paras) or do i combine both sides in body paragraph 1 and explain my perspective in the 2nd body paragraph?
I’d very much appreciate your input.
Do not combine opposite sides in one paragraph. If your opinion agrees with one side, add it to that paragraph. Otherwise, create a third body paragraph.
Hello, Your website is a lifesaver, thank you so much for your work! I have a question regarding the use of singular ‘they’ in an essay: is it allowed or is it better to be avoided? I find myself using it quite often but I am not sure how the examiner would react. Thank you in advance
Yes, it’s allowed.
Hi Liz, Your videos are very informative.
In an opinion essay, could the term ‘I feel’ be used? Or is it better to use I think or I believe?
Thanks Anne
“I feel” is informal.
It’s very helpful thank you. You’re doing a great job.
This was very helpful. Thanks.
Can we say “On the flip side …”?
That is informal and an IELTS essay is formal.
Hi Liz, Thank you for your support 🙂 I wanted to ask you about Writting Task 2; in an opinion essay should I writte the two paragraphs to support my opinion or should I writte the first paragraph for supporting and admitting the suggested opinion in the topic and the second to introduce mine. So do I get more points for a balanced answer or should I present my 2 topics in both paragraphs?
You do not get more points for a balanced view or a one sided view. You choose your opinion, state it in the introduction and then explain it in the body.
What if we agree with both of the views. Can we still use those sentences you provided in the video? Thank you 🙂
A balanced approach does not mean agreeeing with both sides. It means presenting an opinion which is neither one side nor the other but your own specific opinion.
I was wondering if we are not suppose this language in Agree/disagee(Opinion) essay.
Basically whenever I start any opinion essay using one of the expressions mentioned above. And also some times for each paragraph I use “on the other hand” for the second paragraph opening sentences for opinion essay.
Kindly confirm the same. If I not supposed to use, can you provide us with some Agree/Disagree(opinion) essay language too.
Thanks, Shree
You use expressions such as “it is thought …” or “some people believe that …” when you express other people’s opinions. For your background statement in almost all essays, you might use these expressions. When you have an opinion essay, you use these expressions in the background and then present your own opinion directly in the thesis “In my opinion”.
When you use “On the other hand” it is to present an opposing view. It shows an opposite. This is unlikely to be used in an opinion essay but not impossible. It depends on the ideas and the paragraph content.
I hope that helps. See my model writing task 2 essays on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/
Hi Liz, Cam you please clarify between discussion type and agree disagree type questions. How does the structure vary.
All IELTS essays have either two or three body paragraphs. The structures are decided depending on your opinion and ideas.
Hello Liz, Is there a link for all the essay sample questions you shared?
Regards Sweety
You can find sample essay questions here: https://ieltsliz.com/100-ielts-essay-questions/ . All links can be found on the main writing task 2 page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/ . All main pages can be found on the red bar at the top of the website.
Hello Liz, Is there are a link for all essay answers?
See the main writing task 2 page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/
Is it necessary to write your opinion in introduction in a discussion essay (discuss both views and give your opinion)? And also please tell that is it the write structure for this type of question Introduction body para 1 (discussing one view) body para 2 (discussing other side of the argument and giving your opinion) conclusion
You should also introduce your opinion in the introduction.
Helpful commentary, I love the info – Does anyone know where I could acquire a sample form I could use?
can we say the other side of the MEDALLION is
Obviously not. You shouldn’t be using idioms.
Hi Liz, can i write 3 paragraphs if i agree with both sides of the arguments and third one is going to be about my opinion that it is better both
You shouldn’t agree with both sides. Giving an opinion, doesn’t mean sitting on the fence. Please see my advanced lessons.
Hi Liz, Thank you very much for this helpful Blog. Just trying to be helpful here, you said in the first line: wring task1. So, I know it’s not serious error, but just want to get your attention on it, so maybe better to correct it.
Best regards, Salah
Thanks. It really helps me when people tell me about typos because I don’t have much time for proof reading. Well spotted!! Liz 🙂
Hello mam..im ALi From PAKISTAN and i am prepairing my IELTS exam test for 23 Jan ….could you give me few tips and techniques for task 2 and speaking for General Question
https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/
Hi Im Aysa Im 12 years old and Im studing Ielts I have 2 older sister.My schools name is Hafez and the place that I study Ielts in it is Melal English school and there are some knowledgeable teachers there. Actually Im a cheerful person and I love Art. and then I love so much eating and watching animations especially Sponge bob.
Please inform your parents that you have posted a comment on my blog. It is essential that all underage comments are done with parental permission. Thanks Liz
Hi liz, Thank you for your videos and everything. In writing task 2 if the topic says “discuss both these views and give your own opinion” when should we state our opinion? Can we mention it in inroduction part or in conclusion? While discussing both views are we allowed to be personal or we should discuss them objectively?
The given site is not found?
Mam, I was going through the subscription video of your Discussion essay.After viewing it i was trying to write a Background statement for the question ” Some say all offenders should be sent to prison,others argue that there are better alternatives such as community work for those who commit minor crimes.Discuss both views and give your opinion “.
I tried writing this line same as you were explaining on that video ” Although it is sometimes argued that all criminal ought to sent to jail,other people believe that the focus should be on other alternative methods “. Is this back ground statement correct.Please help me in this
This is the correct technique to use. All the best Liz
Hi mam My question is regarding writing task 2, Mam what counts more in IELTS,more number of ideas but not explained much or one-two ideas bit well explained. For example,to reduce environmental pollution ,we can write about a number of ideas like Using green energy resources to curb air pollution,lesser use of pesticides to control land pollution and so on..so should we write about all the ideas that i have in my mind or should i pick one or two of them and elaborate upon then well.? Thnx
See this page to learn how your writing is marked: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2-band-scores-5-to-8/ . To learn more about writing an opinion essay and how to develop ideas, see my advanced lessons: http://subscriptions.viddler.com/IELTSLizStore All the best Liz
Hi Liz ..conclusion is compulsory in each essay?
All writing task 2 essays have a conclusion. Please see the lesson about paragraphs. Liz
After 7 days I have an IELTS exam. And I have still problem with speaking and reading, so can you please help me how can I get improvisation in both?
Please see the reading section and the lesson: how to improve your reading. The look at the speaking section and how to develop your speaking at home. All the best Liz
CAN YOU LIE WHEN WRITING YOUR ESSAY?
You can write anything you want. No one will check whether the information is true or not. However, as you have not presented me with an example of “a lie”, I can’t fully say yes. All the best Liz
plzz telk me which is best BC or IDP test
IELTS is owned by Cambridge ESOL, IDP and the British Council – they are all the same company. The test at IDP and BC is the same, the examiners are trained in the same way – there’s no difference. All the best Liz
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The term "discursive" comes from the Latin word "discursus," meaning to move around or traverse. A discursive essay reflects this by exploring multiple viewpoints and offering a thorough discussion on a specific topic.
In this article, our term paper writing service will define what a discursive essay is, distinguish it from an argumentative essay, provide practical tips on how to write one effectively, and examine essay examples to illustrate its structure and approach.
A discursive essay is a type of essay where you discuss a topic from various viewpoints. The goal is to provide a balanced analysis by exploring different perspectives. Your essay should present arguments on the topic, showing both sides to give a comprehensive view.
Features of discursive essays typically include:
From discursive writing to academic triumphs, let your words soar with our essay writing service!
Writing a discursive essay involves examining a topic from different angles and presenting balanced viewpoints. Whether you're tackling a controversial issue or analyzing a complex subject, following these steps will help you craft a well-structured discursive essay.
1. Understand the Topic
Before you start writing, make sure you grasp the topic thoroughly. Identify key terms and concepts to clarify what you need to discuss. Consider the different aspects and perspectives related to the topic that you will explore in your essay.
2. Research and Gather Evidence
Research is crucial for a discursive essay. Gather information from reliable sources such as books, academic journals, and reputable websites. Collect evidence that supports various viewpoints on the topic. Note down quotes, statistics, and examples that you can use to strengthen your arguments.
3. Plan Your Structure
Organize your essay effectively to ensure clarity and coherence. Start with an introduction that states your thesis or main argument. Outline the main points or perspectives you will discuss in the body paragraphs. Each paragraph should focus on a different aspect or viewpoint, supported by evidence. Consider including a paragraph that addresses counterarguments to strengthen your position.
4. Write the Introduction
Begin your essay with a compelling introduction that grabs the reader's attention. Start with a hook or an intriguing fact related to the topic. Clearly state your thesis statement, which outlines your position on the issue and previews the main points you will discuss. The introduction sets the tone for your essay and provides a roadmap for what follows.
5. Develop the Body Paragraphs
The body of your essay should present a balanced discussion of the topic. Each paragraph should focus on a different perspective or argument. Start each paragraph with a clear topic sentence that introduces the main idea. Support your points with evidence, examples, and quotes from your research. Ensure smooth transitions between paragraphs to maintain the flow of your argument.
6. Conclude Effectively
Wrap up your essay with a strong conclusion that summarizes the main points and reinforces your thesis statement. Avoid introducing new information in the conclusion. Instead, reflect on the significance of your arguments and how they contribute to the broader understanding of the topic. End with a thought-provoking statement or a call to action, encouraging readers to consider the complexities of the issue.
If you find this kind of writing challenging, simply say ' write my paper ', and professional writers will handle it for you.
Aspect 📝 | Checklist ✅ |
---|---|
Understanding the Topic | Have I thoroughly understood the topic and its key terms? Have I identified the different perspectives or viewpoints related to the topic? |
Research and Evidence | Have I conducted comprehensive research using reliable sources? Have I gathered sufficient evidence, including quotes, statistics, and to support each perspective? |
Structuring the Essay | Have I planned a clear and logical structure for my essay? Does my introduction include a strong thesis statement that outlines my position? |
Introduction | Does my introduction effectively grab the reader's attention? Have I clearly stated my thesis statement that previews the main arguments? |
Body Paragraphs | Do my body paragraphs each focus on a different perspective or argument? Have I provided evidence and examples to support each argument? |
Counterarguments | Have I addressed potential counterarguments to strengthen my position? Have I acknowledged and responded to opposing viewpoints where necessary? |
Conclusion | Does my conclusion effectively summarize the main points discussed? Have I reinforced my thesis statement and the significance of my arguments? |
Clarity and Coherence | Are my ideas presented in a clear and coherent manner? Do my paragraphs flow logically from one to the next? |
Language and Style | Have I used clear and concise language throughout the essay? Is my writing style appropriate for the academic context, avoiding overly casual language? |
Editing and Proofreading | Have I proofread my essay for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors? Have I checked the overall structure and flow of my essay for coherence? |
Here, let’s take a look at our samples and see how different topics are discussed from different viewpoints in real discursive essays.
If you found these examples helpful, you can order custom essay now and receive one on any topic you choose.
Here are a range of topics that encourage exploration of different perspectives and critical analysis. Choose a topic that interests you and allows for a balanced analysis of arguments and evidence.
By the way, we also have a great collection of narrative essay topics to inspire your creativity.
Discursive essays and argumentative essays share similarities but have distinct differences in their approach and purpose. While both essay types involve critical thinking and analysis, the main difference lies in the writer's approach to the topic and the overall goal of the essay—whether it aims to explore and discuss multiple perspectives (discursive) or to argue for a specific viewpoint (argumentative). Here’s a more detailed look at how they differ:
Key Differences 📌 | Discursive Essay 📝 | Argumentative Essay 🗣️ |
---|---|---|
Purpose 🎯 | Provides a balanced discussion on a topic | Persuades the reader to agree with a specific viewpoint. |
Approach 🔍 | Examines multiple perspectives without taking a definitive stance | Takes a clear position and argues for or against it throughout the essay. |
Thesis Statement 📜 | Often states a general overview or acknowledges different viewpoints. | States a strong and specific thesis that outlines the writer's position clearly. |
Argumentation 💬 | Presents arguments from various angles to provide a comprehensive view. | Presents arguments that support the writer's position and refute opposing views. |
Before writing a discursive essay, keep in mind that they can be categorized into different types based on their specific purposes and structures. Here are some common types of discursive essays:
Opinion Essays:
Problem-Solution Essays:
Compare and Contrast Essays:
Cause and Effect Essays:
Argumentative Essays:
Pro-Con Essays:
Exploratory Essays:
These types of discursive essays offer different approaches to presenting information, and the choice of type depends on the specific goals of the essay and the preferences of the writer.
Writing a discursive essay needs careful planning to make sure it’s clear and flows well while presenting different viewpoints on a topic. Here’s how to structure your discursive essay:
Introduction
"Should genetically modified foods be more strictly regulated for consumer safety? This question sparks debates among scientists, policymakers, and consumers alike. This essay explores the different perspectives on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to give a complete view of the issues."
Body Paragraphs
"Supporters of GMOs argue that genetically engineered crops can help solve global food shortages by increasing crop yields and resistance to pests. For example, studies have shown that GMOs like insect-resistant corn have reduced the need for chemical pesticides, which benefits both farmers and the environment."
Counterarguments
"However, critics of GMOs worry about potential long-term health effects and environmental impacts. They argue that there isn’t enough research to ensure the safety of eating genetically modified foods over long periods."
"In conclusion, the debate over genetically modified foods highlights the need to balance scientific innovation with public health and environmental concerns. While GMOs offer potential benefits for global food security, ongoing research and transparent regulation are essential to address uncertainties and ensure consumer safety."
Formatting Tips
Remember, besides writing compositions, you’ll also need to do math homework , something we can assist you with right away.
In learning how to write a discursive essay, certain do's and don'ts serve as guiding principles throughout the writing process. By adhering to these guidelines, writers can navigate the complexities of presenting arguments, counterarguments, and nuanced analyses, ensuring the essay resonates with clarity and persuasiveness.
Yays 👍 | Nays 👎 |
---|---|
Conduct thorough research to ensure a well-informed discussion. | Don’t express personal opinions in the body of the essay. Save personal commentary for the conclusion. |
Explore various arguments and viewpoints on the issue. | Don't introduce new information or arguments in the conclusion. This section should summarize and reflect on existing content. |
Maintain a balanced and neutral tone. Present arguments objectively without personal bias. | Don’t use overly emotional or subjective language. Maintain a professional and objective tone. |
Structure your essay with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Use paragraphs to organize your ideas. | Ensure your arguments are supported by credible evidence. Don’t rely on personal opinions without sufficient research. |
Include clear topic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph to guide the reader through your arguments. | Don’t have an ambiguous or unclear thesis statement. Clearly state the purpose of your essay in the introduction. |
Use credible evidence from reputable sources to support your arguments. | Don’t ignore counterarguments. Address opposing viewpoints to strengthen your overall argument. |
Ensure a smooth flow between paragraphs and ideas with transitional words and phrases. | Don’t use overly complex language if it doesn’t add to the clarity of your arguments. Aim for clarity and simplicity. |
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different arguments and viewpoints. | Don’t present ideas in a disorganized manner. Ensure a logical flow between paragraphs and ideas. |
Recap key points in the conclusion, summarizing the main arguments and perspectives discussed. | Don’t excessively repeat the same points. Present a variety of arguments and perspectives to keep the essay engaging. |
Correct any grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors by proofreading your essay. | Don’t ignore the guidelines provided for your assignment. Follow any specific instructions or requirements given by your instructor or institution. |
Throughout this guide, you have acquired valuable insights into the art of crafting compelling arguments and presenting diverse perspectives. By delving into the nuances of topic selection, structuring, and incorporating evidence, you could hone your critical thinking skills and sharpen your ability to engage in informed discourse.
This guide serves as a roadmap, offering not just a set of rules but a toolkit to empower students in their academic journey. As you embark on future writing endeavors, armed with the knowledge gained here, you can confidently navigate the challenges of constructing well-reasoned, balanced discursive essays that contribute meaningfully to academic discourse and foster a deeper understanding of complex issues. If you want to continue your academic learning journey right now, we suggest that you read about the IEEE format next.
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What is the difference between a discursive and argumentative essay, what are the 2 types of discursive writing.
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The discussion section contains the results and outcomes of a study. An effective discussion informs readers what can be learned from your experiment and provides context for the results.
When you’re ready to write your discussion, you’ve already introduced the purpose of your study and provided an in-depth description of the methodology. The discussion informs readers about the larger implications of your study based on the results. Highlighting these implications while not overstating the findings can be challenging, especially when you’re submitting to a journal that selects articles based on novelty or potential impact. Regardless of what journal you are submitting to, the discussion section always serves the same purpose: concluding what your study results actually mean.
A successful discussion section puts your findings in context. It should include:
Tip: Not all journals share the same naming conventions.
You can apply the advice in this article to the conclusion, results or discussion sections of your manuscript.
Our Early Career Researcher community tells us that the conclusion is often considered the most difficult aspect of a manuscript to write. To help, this guide provides questions to ask yourself, a basic structure to model your discussion off of and examples from published manuscripts.
Questions to ask yourself:
Trying to fit a complete discussion into a single paragraph can add unnecessary stress to the writing process. If possible, you’ll want to give yourself two or three paragraphs to give the reader a comprehensive understanding of your study as a whole. Here’s one way to structure an effective discussion:
While the above sections can help you brainstorm and structure your discussion, there are many common mistakes that writers revert to when having difficulties with their paper. Writing a discussion can be a delicate balance between summarizing your results, providing proper context for your research and avoiding introducing new information. Remember that your paper should be both confident and honest about the results!
Snippets of Effective Discussions:
Consumer-based actions to reduce plastic pollution in rivers: A multi-criteria decision analysis approach
Identifying reliable indicators of fitness in polar bears
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The contents of the Writing Center are also available as a live, interactive training session, complete with slides, talking points, and activities. …
There’s a lot to consider when deciding where to submit your work. Learn how to choose a journal that will help your study reach its audience, while reflecting your values as a researcher…
Pamela Paul
Opinion Columnist
I was an early and enthusiastic fan of Kamala Harris when she first ran for president. She had an inspiring personal story and an impressive résumé. Here was someone who had been a senator, an attorney general and a prosecutor. She had been an advocate for recidivism reduction and other measures of criminal justice reform, and had proved she could be tough in the Senate, where her questioning was described as “prosecutorial.” She seemed gutsy and capable and a fine candidate for national office.
Wow, was I wrong. Look, it’s hard to shine as vice president — as John Adams put it, “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.” But Harris has also proved how easy it is to sink.
Between her high staff turnover, her ineffectiveness on migration and the border, her chronically low approval ratings and her often embarrassing public experiences — remember, Harris chose to subject herself to the cringe on “The Drew Barrymore Show” — she has not exuded competence or inspired confidence.
Yet despite Joe Biden insisting he can still drive, dagnabbit, talk of anointing Harris as his replacement has started to take hold. Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina said he would support Harris if Biden drops out, also proposing a mini-primary. “The Democratic Nominee in 2024 should be Kamala Harris,” the former congressman Tim Ryan wrote in Newsweek last week. “She is brilliant, compassionate, engaging, funny and totally down to earth,” he wrote, and “more importantly, she deserves a chance to go to the American people and show us her mettle.”
Choosing a presidential candidate should not be about someone proving herself or “deserving a chance.” It should be about who has the best chance. This should not be about advancing women, Black people or people of South Asian descent. It should be about beating back Donald Trump with the most electable and capable candidate possible.
That Harris leads Biden slightly in polls as a possible replacement candidate only shows how low that bar is. Those same polls suggest she would still lose against Trump.
If some racist or sexist Americans wouldn’t vote for Harris based on her ethnicity, race or sex, shame on them. But to argue against Harris is not inherently racist or sexist.
If Democrats are serious about not wanting to lose this election — and most important, preventing Trump from resuming power — they need to stop trying to make Harris happen and allow an open primary. Americans need a candidate who will win.
Michelle Cottle
Opinion Writer
Buckle up for another bumpy political week. As Washington lawmakers slouch back from their holiday break, they have been greeted by a defiant letter from President Biden, effectively daring them to try derailing his re-election bid.
Thank you for sharing your concerns, he wrote. “I am not blind to them.” That said, he continued, “I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.”
No matter how many times he repeats it, this assurance remains worthless. What high-ranking politician doesn’t believe in his own exceptionalism? I mean, Ron DeSantis was 100 percent convinced he was the best person to beat Trump this year, and we see where that got him.
But where Biden seems intent on making toxic mischief is with grand pronouncements about preserving democracy.
“We had a Democratic nomination process and the voters have spoken clearly and decisively,” he asserted, ticking through the number of votes, the percentage of the primary vote and the number of delegates he amassed — as if a re-election primary coronation is anything like an open race.
“Do we now just say this process didn’t matter?” he wrote. “That the voters don’t have a say? I decline to do that.” Only the voters decide the nominee, he said, not the press, pundits, donors or other “selected” groups of individuals. “How can we stand for democracy in our nation if we ignore it in our own party?”
So much to unpack. Let’s just go with this piece: While there is an abundance of Democratic pundits, donors and members of “selected” groups, I’m confident it’s not enough to account for the 59 percent of Democrats who, post-debate, fear Biden is too old for the job, according to the latest Times/Siena poll.
What about these voters? Or the 79 percent of independents who expressed similar anxiety? Do they not matter? Are we not concerned about their faith and trust as they grapple with apparently having been misled about the president’s fitness? How do they feel about Biden’s people stage-managing and shielding him to the point that it was almost impossible for voters to assess his fitness until absurdly late in the race? Are the voters who feel betrayed going to punish the entire Democratic Party come November?
Biden aggressively pitching the situation as him and the grass roots versus a bunch of snooty elites may make him feel tough. But it accomplishes little more than fueling discord and division within his own party. He needs to show people he is up to the job, and not just assert as much while pretending this is a crisis manufactured by bed-wetting establishment types.
The president and his team have proved they know how to write a strong and salty letter. If only that were all there was to the job.
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Katherine Miller
Opinion Writer and Editor
Every Monday morning on The Point, we kick off the week with a tipsheet on the latest in the presidential campaign. Here’s what we’re looking at this week:
This will be a very full, unpredictable week of politics. In terms of where everyone is: Donald Trump will hold rallies in Miami on Tuesday and near Pittsburgh on Saturday. President Biden will host a NATO summit in Washington beginning Tuesday, and is expected to hold a news conference on Thursday. He will also campaign in Detroit on Friday. Kamala Harris will hold a campaign event in Las Vegas on Tuesday, and Jill Biden will hold a slate of campaign events in the Southeast on Monday.
How strong is Biden’s support with congressional Democrats? This week might answer that. One thing I’ve seen in the last decade that will most likely shape the politics of it, though, is really about what elected officials say publicly; the public pays attention to what politicians say on the record, so if they back him or tell him to leave, voters will take that more seriously than the private commentary.
On Sunday, a number of Pennsylvania Democrats, including both senators, welcomed Biden at the airport, and there have been shows of support from people like Bernie Sanders and Joyce Beatty . A small number of House members, like Minnesota’s Angie Craig, have said publicly that he should step aside; there’s also been reporting on private meetings where additional Democrats have said he should withdraw.
There are elected officials like Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who said Sunday there were still voter concerns about Biden’s 2024 viability that the president needs to address this week. Congress is coming back to Washington on Monday, which might make things more chaotic in the short term, when a few hundred lawmakers, aides and reporters begin interacting. How congressional leaders like Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries approach his candidacy seems likely to shape a lot.
Trump is widely expected to announce his vice-presidential pick this week — maybe J.D. Vance, Doug Burgum or Marco Rubio, though it could be someone else. That pick might not change people’s perceptions of Trump personally, but it might give a real lens to the rest of the campaign.
In 2012, for instance, whether Mitt Romney intended this or not, his selection of Paul Ryan affirmed the idea of their campaign as an ideological, austerity-minded one; in retrospect, that was probably the apex of entitlement-reform politics in America. Vance is now very much a post-Trump figure , and there’s a universe in which his selection makes the rest of Trump’s campaign and potential presidency look different and more ideologically aggressive and populist, compared with, say, Burgum, who is perceived as being more from the corporate, business world.
Republicans are also meeting, privately, about the party’s platform this week. Longtime anti-abortion activists are deeply unhappy with the reported plan to drop the party’s commitment to a national abortion ban in favor of Trump’s “states should decide” position that doesn’t really satisfy anyone, especially people who want abortion to be legal.
Maureen Dowd
In his Friday back-against-the-wall interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, President Biden said of Donald Trump, “The man is a congenital liar.”
That rang some bells with longtime Times readers.
In 1996, when Bill Clinton was running for re-election, William Safire wrote a blistering Times column about Hillary Clinton called “ Blizzard of Lies. ” Citing Whitewater, Travelgate, exponential commodity trading profits and behavior in the wake of her friend Vince Foster’s death, he wrote: “Americans of all political persuasions are coming to the sad realization that our First Lady — a woman of undoubted talents who was a role model for many in her generation — is a congenital liar. Drip by drip, like Whitewater torture, the case is being made that she is compelled to mislead, and to ensnare her subordinates and friends in a web of deceit.”
Then the kerfuffle began. Bill Clinton said he wanted to punch Safire in the face . His spokesman, Mike McCurry, told reporters: “The president, if he were not the president, would have delivered a more forceful response to that on the bridge of Mr. Safire’s nose.”
Safire was presented with a pair of red boxing gloves on “Meet the Press.”
The famous Times wordsmith, who had a column called “On Language” in addition to his conservative political column, was accused by some of choosing the wrong word. Congenital is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “Existing or dating from one’s birth,” as in a “congenital disease or defect.” It was harsh.
As the author and journalist Garry Wills wrote in The Washington Post , “It seems a gratuitous, if not cruel, description of a woman who is not accused, or suspected, of such innate deceptiveness during the first 45 years of her life.”
My pal Safire took all the criticism with his usual equanimity. But one day during this donnybrook, I wandered into his office down the hall from mine in the Washington bureau. I wanted to see what he thought. He wasn’t there but in plain view, he had left a list of synonyms for “congenital,” starting with “chronic.” So he may have had his doubts about the word he chose, as well.
But in the latest instance, President Biden probably chose the right word. Donald Trump not only gives the impression that he has been lying since the cradle, but seems proud of it. So “congenital” works pretty well.
Frank Bruni
Contributing Opinion Writer
On Friday President Biden named the one scenario by which he’d decide to abandon his re-election campaign:
If “the Lord Almighty came down” and told him to.
Not if Democratic leaders in Congress insisted it was best for the party and country. Not if other prominent Democrats begged. Not if polls showed him losing to Donald Trump in November. (They already do.) Biden essentially said that those leaders would never lose faith and those polls can’t be trusted. Everything will be fine. Everything is fine.
Either Biden genuinely believes that or has decided that a pantomime of unsullied confidence is the best damage control. Neither possibility reassures me, and I suspect that neither will end Democratic worries about his fitness and about voters’ impressions of it.
Biden made his remarks in an interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News that was all of 22 minutes long and was broadcast, unedited, in prime time. The interview continued his effort to explain, improve on and erase his shockingly unsteady performance in a debate against Trump over a week ago.
And Biden indeed improved on it. He ably extolled his first-term record, even if some sentences were rickety, with some details incorrect. He wisely emphasized crucial differences between him and Trump and rightly recognized the stakes of defeating Trump.
But Stephanopoulos wasn’t asking Biden about Trump. He was asking Biden about his own health, and Biden deflected many of those questions or answered them tersely. He conceded no physical decline since 2020. He cast this current passage as 2020 all over again — needless panic and predictable underestimations of his strength. He pretty much rolled his eyes at a reference to his supposedly low approval rating. And he scoffed at the suggestion that he have a thorough neurological work-up.
Stephanopoulos kept asking about the future. Biden kept talking about the past.
But this isn’t 2020. The polls, the country, Biden — they’re all different. Does he fully get that?
“I’m the guy,” he said, over and over, and while that phrase typically teed up mention of one of his many legitimate accomplishments, it was also an assertion of his status, in his view, as the best and only Democrat to take on Trump, no matter the evidence to the contrary.
I hope with every fiber of my being that he’s right, because I doubt the Lord is descending anytime soon. And if he’s wrong? Heaven help us.
Kathleen Kingsbury
Opinion Editor, reporting from Madison, Wis.
In a packed middle-school gym in Madison, Wis., on Friday afternoon, President Biden stood before an adoring crowd of about 500 supporters and read from a teleprompter.
The rally had all the normal markings of such events: chants of “four more years,” surrogates in the form of local elected and party officials lined up to spin the Biden-Harris campaign talking points, a crowded press gaggle of national and local reporters, even a man sporting a “Biden ’88” pin. Outside, demonstrators decried the White House’s policy on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
And yet until the president began wrapping up his speech, it felt in many ways like the room was holding its breath. This was one of several tests on Friday for Biden, who used the moment to assure the American public that his age will not prevent him from staying in the presidential race and defeating Donald Trump in November. Even as the crowd erupted in cheers when Biden walked on the stage, an audience member held up a sign that read “Pass the torch, Joe.”
Biden spoke forcefully, laying out a clear case for his re-election and the dangers of a second Trump presidency. He spoke openly, with humor, about the fact he is no longer 40. He did what he came to Wisconsin to do: avoid any further damage. Was it enough?
When I talked to voters after the speech, they universally expressed more confidence in him, though it could come across more as relief than enthusiasm. Even in cheering on the president, the most common refrains fell back on familiar Democratic talking points from recent days: There’s nobody else who can beat Trump. It’s too late for any other nominee to win. Why haven’t you called for Trump to step aside?
Few people answered my questions about how Biden inspired them. Instead, they wanted to tell me that he showed up, he walked across the stage without stumbling and he remembered the governor’s name. As he exited the school, one Biden supporter noticed my press pass and grabbed my arm. “He came in and ad-libbed and there were no mistakes!” he said. “Report that!”
American voters deserve more than just an alternative to Trumpism, however. They deserve more than someone who can ad-lib just great. They deserve a real response to the significant concerns about the president’s age, which didn’t start with the debate last week but, as polls and interviews showed, have been building for several years. They deserve a better answer than “it was just one bad night.”
They deserve a leader who can show them a better future and a way to build it.
Friday’s event was one test, but it is hardly the only one Biden will need to pass to retake the White House in November.
David Wallace-Wells
Inside Parliament, it looks like a generational landslide, the largest since Tony Blair’s triumph in 1997 and the second largest since Stanley Baldwin’s in 1935.
Outside, though, anyone looking at vote totals as a measure of the British political mood sees a more muddied and ambiguous picture, with commentators already calling it a “sandcastle” victory, a “landslide that isn’t a landslide,” and “a thumping majority without a thumping share of the vote.” Only 34 percent of British voters chose Labour — lower than most pre-election forecasts of 40 percent and lower than polling suggested when the election was first announced, when 50 percent seemed in play.
Thanks to low turnout, Labour won this time with the support of only about 20 percent of the British public, with lower vote totals than the party achieved under Jeremy Corbyn in 2017 and 2019, and Labour’s leader, Keir Starmer, collected only half as many votes in his district as he did in either of those two elections. Even so, a first-past-the-post system and a strategic campaign by Labour turned what was a relatively weak plurality at the level of public opinion into a hammering legislative supermajority in government.
But those emphasizing the hollowness of Labour’s victory are also missing something about the winds of change.
Reform voters did split off from the Tories, in numbers sufficient to doom the legacy conservatives, but it’s hard to see Nigel Farage as the face of the British future, given his party’s low support among young voters. And while it may be tempting to look at the combined performance of the two parties on the British right and see a natural and relatively strong conservative coalition, one should do the same on the other side of the ledger. By that math, an all-in left-liberal coalition is simply much stronger, with Labour, Liberal-Democrats and the Green Party accounting for almost 53 percent of the vote, compared with just 38 percent for the all-in conservative bloc. In fact, Reform barely improved on UKIP’s vote share; the Greens tripled theirs from 2021.
The road ahead may well prove difficult for Labour. A commanding supermajority derived from only 20 percent support looks like a recipe for a backlash, especially given how many seats were narrowly won. But I suspect the results are less a sign that a resurgent right wing is just around the corner than a mark of simple political disenchantment across the ideological spectrum. This is what victory looks like in a country where so many have already given up on establishment politics.
An earlier version of this article misstated the leader of Britain’s Conservative Party in 1935. He was Stanley Baldwin, not Winston Churchill.
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Serge Schmemann
Editorial Board Member
An unusual crush of summer shocks — President Biden’s debate debacle, electoral upheavals in Britain and France — seemed for a spell to push other crises into the background. The Israeli-Gaza war, in any case, seemed at last report to be approaching a cease-fire.
That may still be so. A new cease-fire proposal from Hamas, the militant organization that Israel is fighting to destroy in Gaza, set off a round of urgent contacts among all the parties in the fray — Israel, the United States, Egypt, Qatar — and a meeting of the heads of Hamas and Hezbollah.
That meeting may be of particular interest in what could be the endgame in the brutal nine-month-old war. While America’s and the world’s attention have been largely fixed on the devastation of Gaza, Israel has been turning an increasingly wary eye on its north, specifically the threat posed from Lebanon by Hezbollah, the powerful Shiite Islamist paramilitary-political organization backed, like Hamas, by Iran. Since the Gaza war erupted on Oct. 7 with the murderous Hamas raid in southern Israel, Hezbollah has been sporadically lobbing shells across the northern border and has vowed to continue doing so for the duration of the Gaza war.
Despite efforts by both Israel and Hezbollah to avoid an open war, that possibility is becoming a matter of growing concern. This week, for example, an Israeli attack killed a senior Hezbollah commander, and Hezbollah retaliated with a barrage of rockets and drones. That’s the kind of development that could easily escalate into an all-out conflict.
The threat of getting drawn into a war with Hezbollah, in fact, is one reason Israel’s top generals are pushing for a cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza even if Hamas has not been eliminated. Hezbollah is a considerably more powerful foe than Hamas, with a huge arsenal of missiles, rockets and drones, including precision-guided missiles that could hit critical Israeli targets. A cease-fire in Gaza would lower the tensions in the north and give Israel time to replenish its munitions for the possibility of a bigger fray. Israel has also had to move 50,000 residents along the northern border who are eager to return home.
Hezbollah is also most likely keen to avoid a full fight. It has had to move 100,000 Lebanese residents back from frontline areas, and Lebanon is an economic mess.
After the latest flare-up on the northern border, the Biden administration contacted France, once the administrative power in Lebanon, to help try to cool tensions. Netanyahu, for his part, has resisted his generals’ call for a Gaza cease-fire until Hamas is eradicated.
And so, as Aluf Benn, the veteran journalist and editor in chief of Haaretz, wrote this week under the headline “The Other, Scarier Front,” people on both sides of the border wonder when and how the war will end or whether it will “explode into the most destructive war in either country’s history.”
Matthew Rose
Opinion Editorial Director
The superlatives came thick and fast Friday as Britain reported its election results . The Conservatives won the fewest seats in the party’s nearly 200-year history . Tory cabinet officials and one former prime minister — the one with the life span of a lettuce — lost their seats. At last count , Labour tallied 412 seats, an increase of 214, while the Tories eked out a miserable 121, having shed 252. The Tories’ previous worst result came in 1906, when even poor Arthur Balfour managed to win 35 more seats than Rishi Sunak.
At first glance, this looks like a landslide for Labour and its incoming prime minister, Keir Starmer, who emerges with a dominant parliamentary majority that looks a lot like Tony Blair’s in 1997. Blair’s win kicked off a long period of dominance for the center-left and a grim trudge through the wilderness for the right.
But there is something disquieting in these results that doesn’t bode well for Labour and, by extension, Democrats in the United States. Both electorates seem gripped by a malaise that no political leader has adequately addressed.
Despite the Labour landslide, its percentage of the overall vote was unimpressive. Compared with the most recent election, in 2019, it was up a paltry 1.6 points to 33.8 percent. That’s not exactly a thumping endorsement. What appears to have happened instead was the cratering of the Tory vote and its dispersal to everyone other than Labor — specifically the Greens, the centrist Liberal Democrats and the anti-immigration Trump-adjacent Reform Party.
It’s Reform’s performance that should be sparking the warning flares. This is the party of Nigel Farage, the arch-Brexiteer and wannabe Trump acolyte who won a seat in Parliament on his eighth attempt. Reform won only four other seats but accounted for a large chunk of the Conservative collapse with its roster of often unsavory candidates and its hugely expanded vote total (14 percent compared with, uh, 2). Similar parties are romping across Europe, and Reform’s success suggests that even Britain, a place that still sniffs at populism for being a little gauche, hasn’t learned its lesson from the chaos of the Boris Johnson era .
What does this mean for the United States? It’s easy to overdraw the parallels, but some things stand out, and most of them don’t look great for the White House incumbent. Even after years of mismanagement and haphazard governance from the right, voters didn’t favor the center-left in any large numbers. If this was an anti-incumbency moment, it seems it hit both major parties, if unequally. And the hard right made some of the biggest gains of all.
David French
One of the most consistent realities of the early Trump era in the Republican Party was the massive gap between elite knowledge of Donald Trump and voter perception of Trump. Party leaders saw him up close, knew of his scandals and deranged behavior and complained about him bitterly behind closed doors.
But then what happened? The same people not only deferred to voters who possessed a small fraction of their information; they actually contributed to public ignorance by defending Trump even from the most legitimate criticism. They made the problem worse and then complained bitterly about the predicament they helped create.
In other words, the leaders weren’t leaders at all.
I understand an elected Democrat’s desire to defend the party’s nominee until he’s not the nominee. I understand that every word uttered against President Biden can be used by Trump if Biden stays in the race. But if you have real knowledge of Biden’s limitations and if you then sally forth into public to defend his competence in the face of known contrary facts, then you’ve become a version of what you hate. You’ve become a blue-hatted version of the red-hatted party loyalist.
Leadership can be a surprisingly tricky concept in a representative democracy. When you win your election, is your mission to do what your voters want? Or do you view the vote for you as essentially a vote of confidence in you, as a person who can actually lead constituents rather than merely express their will?
The first model has essentially taken over the Republican Party. MAGA members of Congress enthusiastically share their voters’ love for Trump, but the remaining normie Republicans often rationalize a similar level of practical devotion to Trump (even while they still grumble behind closed doors) as simply yielding to their constituents’ demands.
The second model, however, demands more from its elected leaders. It demands a level of independent judgment commensurate with your superior access to information. If voters don’t like your judgment, they can certainly remove you in the next election. But still, what are you supposed to do with all those classified briefings, all those closed-door meetings and all that personal access?
The answers are simple to state but difficult for ambitious politicians to accept: You should speak with integrity about what you know to be true. Attempt to persuade constituents to conform their votes to that truth. And if you fail, so be it. Former members of Congress have no problem supporting their families or even exercising influence in the United States.
It’s time for Democratic leaders to lead. To tell the truth in private and in public. Republicans are determined to support a corrupt, aged and unfit man for president. It would be a political and moral failing if Democrats answered that grave challenge with an aged and unfit candidate of their own — all because Democratic leaders failed to heed the harsh lesson taught by the party to their right.
I get all the arguments against President Biden abandoning his re-election run. I really do. I have talked with Bidenworld insiders. I can recite the practical challenges of pushing an incumbent president out the door, and I know that people are determined to ignore the troubling new polls . I am familiar with the grim history of similar efforts. And I have long given these factors heavy consideration when evaluating the electoral mess confronting Democrats.
While I still see the logic and anxiety behind the stay-the-course argument, the fundamental equation has changed. I’m betting most Biden die-hards realize this, even if they cannot admit it — even to themselves. So I figured it was worth ticking through some of the more common rationales I’m hearing, and why they ring increasingly hollow.
Let’s get the big one out of the way. Yes, Donald Trump’s debate performance was appalling. He lied. He dodged. He rambled and raved. He was at times incoherent. But it doesn’t matter, because Biden was not in a position to push back on even the most egregious malarkey. And that, my friends, is political malpractice. So let’s move past this weak-tea defense.
Yes, Trump is a terrible person and was a terrible president. I, like many of you, believe he is unfit to hold any office. But around half the country does not feel this way, and even many people who do not much like him are wondering if he is really a worse bet than a president who at any given moment might come across like your shellshocked papaw after a few snorts of schnapps. If people weren’t feeling it before this meltdown, they’re not going to be convinced now. So, again, let’s move along.
Yes, the debate may have been an especially bad night for Biden. No matter: His failure fit the prevailing story line that he is too old. And it started a steady dribble of accounts of similar senior moments. Biden loyalists can lecture voters not to overreact. But that won’t change what people saw. So … move along.
Yes, the debate prep may have been too vigorous or too lax. Or conducted at the wrong hours or after too much travel. And Biden’s makeup may have been subpar — which, let me just say, I warned everyone about beforehand. But people are going to have reservations about a president who seems so fragile, who can function only between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Move along.
Yes, Biden has done a good job as president and has surrounded himself with good people. But even voters who cheer his record may not be comfortable with giving him another four years. And it’s not particularly reassuring to say: “Oh, don’t worry about him! His aides will be running things.”
Yes, it would be complicated to replace Biden. His obvious heir, Kamala Harris, has a popularity problem, and pushing her aside and throwing open the doors to other contenders would invite factional feuding and disruption. But that does not mean replacing him is the worst or riskiest option. There are times when the path of least resistance is the one that leads to total disaster. This increasingly looks like one of those times.
Yes, Democrats are famous for being overreacting bed-wetters. And yet: Have you been listening to voters? Because they have been saying for quite a while now that they think Biden is too old. And continuing to lecture them that they are wrong is not a winning strategy, especially for a Democratic Party that frequently comes across as scoldy and condescending.
Which brings us to what may be the most damning attempted defense.
Yes, of course Democrats overwhelmingly picked Biden to be their nominee. He is the incumbent president, and that is generally how re-election campaigns work. But that makes this situation all the worse because many Americans feel misled about his physical and cognitive fitness. They suspect his team has been hiding important things from them. That is a truly destructive message to be sending a nation where trust in government and other institutions is already in the toilet.
So, yeah. I get all the concerns about easing Biden off the stage. I just can’t buy them anymore.
Taylor Maggiacomo
Opinion Graphics Editor
Americans will predictably celebrate this Independence Day by watching fireworks crackle against the night sky. Like anyone, I appreciate a colorful spectacle. But our country needs to acknowledge that by setting off our own fireworks, we’re harming the very land and people that we are celebrating.
Year after year, there has been an unsettling peak of wildfires during the days surrounding the Fourth of July. The often illegal firework displays people set off at home cause of over one-fourth of those fires — and that’s probably an underestimate based on inconsistent data.
Wildfires reported from 1992 to 2020
From 1992 to 2020, there have been well over one million human-caused wildfires , a majority begun by people burning their yard waste. However, the days surrounding the Fourth of July are consistently the most common days for human-started fires, twice as many as on other summer days, all thanks to firework celebrations.
This data doesn’t even include building or household fires. One such fire last week, caused by kids setting off illegal Roman candles, destroyed a 76-person apartment building in Washington, D.C. Luckily, no one was killed or seriously injured.
And fireworks cause not just wildfires. In 2023 eight people died , and an estimated 9,700 people were treated in emergency rooms with firework-related injuries. Kids under the age of 19 — predominantly teenage boys — made up almost half of those injuries.
In many fire-prone states and cities, selling fireworks is already illegal. Municipal or state fireworks displays are still the best solution for a safe and exciting way to celebrate the holiday with your community. Since these professional displays still produce quite a bit of noise, pollution and trash on top of the fire risk, some places such as Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe in California have even opted to replace their fireworks celebrations with spectacular drone displays . Other communities should follow their lead.
Fireworks are fun. But leave them to the professionals — for all our sakes.
David Firestone
Deputy Editor, the Editorial Board
The latest New York Times/Siena College poll is a coldly numerical embodiment of Democrats’ worst fears since President Biden walked haltingly off the debate stage last Thursday night. Campaign staff members have intimated to reporters for days that they have seen their internal polls drop, and there have been signs in public post-debate polls that Biden was hemorrhaging supporters.
But the Times/Siena poll is a significant jolt, showing that Donald Trump now leads Biden by nine points among registered voters, and six points among likely voters. That’s a three-point shift in Trump’s favor since the last survey, just before the debate. In the words of Nate Cohn , the chief political analyst of The Times, “Biden is not a broadly popular candidate anymore.”
His favorability rating fell four points after the debate, and is now nearly 10 points lower than it was in 2022. The share of voters who say Biden is now too old to be an effective president is now 74 percent, up five points since the debate. One prominent forecasting group that rated Michigan as “leans Democratic” in the presidential race now says the state is a tossup.
By every measure, the evidence is now unmistakable. If Biden’s candidacy was shaky before, it is virtually untenable now. Remaining in the race leaves the White House door unlocked for Trump and his destructive crew.
A number of other Democrats have already reached this conclusion, and some are saying it out loud. Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a centrist Democrat who represents a mostly red, rural district in Washington State — t he kind of district her party will need to retain to win back the House — said flatly that Biden will lose to Trump. Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, whose influence helped make Biden a viable candidate four years ago, said he still backed Biden but would support Vice President Kamala Harris if Biden stepped aside. Coming from a man who is officially a co-chair of the Biden/Harris campaign, that sounded almost like a shove.
Biden and his team still sound as if they’re blindly forging ahead with their campaign. But fortunately, there was a sign Wednesday morning that reality has begun to penetrate their bubble. Katie Rogers of The Times reported that Biden told a close ally he knows he now has to persuade the public that he is up to the job if he is to salvage his candidacy. (The White House, predictably, denied the report). Rogers also reported that Biden told at least one person that he’s open to the possibility his post-debate strategy won’t work.
If true, that’s the kind of cleareyed thinking that could still give another candidate the chance to hold off Trump.
Political observers crave a narrative — the more global, the better. And as the U.S. election descends into a state of chaos, American liberals looking across the Atlantic for some sense of context will see alarms flashing red. In France, a snap National Assembly election has delivered a distressing first-round victory for Marine Le Pen, long the bête noire of European liberalism, and a humiliating defeat for President Emmanuel Macron, almost a caricature of the continental elite.
But in Britain, another surprise snap election, to be held Thursday, is likely to produce a very different outcome, complicating efforts to divine a single meaning for this “year of democracy,” in which more than half the world’s population will, by December, have gone to the polls.
At present, the British elections appear set to deliver for Labour the most thumping victory any party has achieved in any mature democracy for at least a generation. The latest forecasts say a 3-to-1 parliamentary majority is not just possible, but likely. Some suggest a 4-to-1 margin is plausible, and Conservative efforts to warn voters of a coming left-wing supermajority appear to have backfired , making them instead much more likely to support Labour.
Keir Starmer, the presumptive prime minister, has run a conspicuously anti-populist campaign — those assessing each party’s manifestoes have noted Labour is promising less spending than the Tories — which means that a Labour victory may still be more an indictment of British conservatives than an endorsement of its progressives. (And the party is expected to only win about 40 percent of the national vote in a low-turnout election.) But after 14 years of Tory government, a 3-to-1 or 4-to-1 Labour Parliament would still be a truly historic shift.
These look like contradictory outcomes, and a reminder that any country’s elections are complex, idiosyncratic and contingent. But together, the two elections seem also to affirm that the great meme of global politics at the moment is not exactly right or left but something more like crude anti-incumbency.
For now, all worried eyes are on France. But that election, whose second round will be held this weekend, may not be a simple referendum on Le Pen’s 21st-century blood nationalism. It also says a lot about the strategic dysfunction embedded in French party politics and the weakness of old-fashioned establishment power, visible in many places beyond France.
Le Pen’s National Rally is in a stronger position than it has ever enjoyed before, but in previous elections, its candidates have been outflanked in the second round after opponents consolidated into an alliance to defeat them. This time, the frictions between Macron’s third-place party and the progressive New Popular Front (which finished second in the first round) have made forming an alliance more difficult — a troubling sign that the French establishment may now functionally prefer a hard-right victory to an alliance with the left, and another mark of the fringe-ward drift of the continent’s bourgeois center-right.
Neel V. Patel
Opinion Staff Editor
NASA has sent hundreds of people into space since 1961. Doing that is hard, but for an agency like NASA, it is supposed to be as routine as one can expect.
That makes the Starliner saga of the last several weeks all the more troubling. On June 5, Boeing sent two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, to the International Space Station aboard its new Starliner spacecraft. It was the first time the vehicle had ever ferried humans into space — after years of developmental delays caused by design and testing problems. This mission was supposed to be a moment of redemption for the company’s space program as well as its larger reputation .
But Boeing can’t catch a break. Helium leaks were detected soon after Starliner made it to orbit. Upon approach to the space station, five of its thrusters started to behave aberrantly. While the crew made it to the space station safely, a planned eight-day stay has stretched to 26 days and counting. NASA and Boeing say they are still trying to discern what caused the thruster issues — and, more important, ensure Starliner can safely bring back the astronauts.
That is, of course, the prudent move. The Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters could have been prevented by more thorough checks. But it’s one that leaves Williams and Wilmore stuck in space.
Now, NASA and Boeing object to that kind of characterization ; they have emphasized that in an emergency, the astronauts can take the spacecraft home. But if the pair can’t come home yet, because of circumstances outside their control, and there’s no timetable for when they could return, that seems to fit the very definition of being stuck.
This isn’t how NASA’s new era of human spaceflight was billed when Starliner was first announced. NASA wanted to elevate the private sector: For its new partners, it picked a newcomer, SpaceX, and a seemingly dependable veteran, Boeing. But the veteran is the reason Williams and Wilmore are having to adapt to new routines hundreds of miles above their homes on Earth.
Gail Collins
The decline and fall of Rudy Giuliani hit a lower-than-ever level this week when he was disbarred in New York for lying about the 2020 election results. It probably wasn’t much of a life change. He’s selling his New York City apartment and has been puttering around in Florida, where his occupations have included selling autographed 9/11 T-shirts and sending birthday greetings to the dwindling number of people who are happy to receive them.
His identity, such as it is, has been as defender of Donald Trump’s fabrications about 2020. Giuliani was found liable in a defamation case, in which the jury ordered him to pay $148 million to two former Georgia election workers whose lives were upended by the lies he told about their performance.
The only bad thing about the verdict was that those two beleaguered women — who said they lived in fear for their lives from the Trumpian wrath Giuliani worked up — are about as likely to get $148 million out of him as Giuliani is to ever be welcomed back to Manhattan.
OK, his career is over, and his main occupation on many public occasions seems to be alcohol consumption . Is there anything we can learn from the saga of the guy who went from being celebrated as a Sept. 11 hero to the guy who keeps showing up looking half in the bag in the middle of the day?
It’s amazing how fast a guy can go from hero to horrible in the public eye. Looking back on Giuliani’s New York years, we’re reminded of his sudden announcement, as mayor, that he was asking for a separation from his wife Donna Hanover. Much to the surprise of the local press corps and, um, Hanover. Giuliani had decided he was in love with somebody else, the prelude of a personal life that kept getting messier and messier as the years rolled on.
Obviously, Florida can have him. Those of us in his old hometown were hardly expecting him to show up again trying to practice law here; the guy, you know, had so much trouble trying to obey the law here.
But it’s always nice to have a chance to remind the world that while New York is great at churning out celebrities, this is a city that knows what it doesn’t like.
The most obvious takeaway from last week’s presidential debate was that Donald Trump is still a lying, rambling, unhinged old man whose authoritarian mobster instincts would once again put our democracy at risk. The second most obvious is that voters must do everything to prevent him from regaining power. And the third is that President Biden is no longer the man to do that.
Monday brought a development that only enhanced those regrettable takeaways: The Supreme Court’s decision to significantly expand presidential latitude for illegal but official acts during his time in office. Trump not only claimed this as a victory but then gave us a sneak preview of how he might use those powers during a second term, amplifying calls to prosecute Biden, Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Mitch McConnell, Liz Cheney, Chuck Schumer and others in a military tribunal.
Give Trump power, and he will take it. Take power away from Trump, and he will refuse to let go.
In the thrall of MAGA, the Republican Party has embraced denialism, blind loyalty and the cult of Trump. Democrats and Never Trumpers have rightly condemned it for that.
But now Democrats are guilty of the same. Here we have Biden and his circle denying the president’s demonstrable unfitness for office, shutting itself off from anyone who points out the obvious and insisting that no one but Biden can manage the job of beating Trump in November.
None of this is true. It’s time to distinguish between resoluteness and obstinacy, between confidence and hubris, between being the right man to beat Trump in 2020 and the wrong man to beat him in 2024.
Almost everyone agrees that, above all, Biden is a good man. But in refusing to do the right thing and drop out of this race in favor of an open contest, he is not being a good man right now.
President Biden, when you ran for election in 2020, you said you would be the bridge . You have been that bridge, and for that, America should be grateful. But we’re on the other side of that bridge now. If you continue on this path, you could well replace gratitude with resentment and consternation. Give us the opportunity to thank you for your service and bid you goodbye while you still stand on high ground.
Jesse Wegman
Update: Trump’s sentencing has been delayed until at least Sept. 18.
It took less than 24 hours for the Supreme Court’s radical, law-free decision on Monday inventing broad presidential immunity to start having real-world effects.
On Tuesday morning, Manhattan prosecutors agreed to delay Donald Trump’s sentencing in the porn-star-affair-hush-money-business-records-falsification-election-interference case that resulted in Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts in May. Justice Juan Merchan, who presided over the case, said the sentencing would be delayed until at least Sept. 18 .
The sentence, which could include anything from probation to monetary fines or prison time, was scheduled to be imposed July 11, days before the Republican National Convention, at which Trump will become the first ever convicted felon nominated by a major party for president.
But within hours of the Supreme Court’s 6-to-3 ruling , which held — contrary to the Constitution, two centuries of history and the court’s own precedent — that a president cannot be criminally prosecuted for almost any “official” action he takes, Trump’s lawyers asked for a delay. They also sought to have his conviction overturned in light of his newfound immunity.
Even by the vague, inscrutable terms of the court’s opinion , Trump should have no case. Most of the facts the jury found in convicting him occurred when he was not president. And yet some, like his signing of the checks to reimburse his lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, happened in the Oval Office itself. That gives Trump a lifeline, because the right-wing justices in the majority held that prosecutors may not rely on evidence of a president’s official actions, not even to help prove accusations that involve indisputably unofficial behavior. (Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who voted with the majority, did not join that part of the opinion.)
It is hard to imagine that Trump signing hush-money checks to his personal lawyer would count as an official action, but the court’s immunity decision was so sweeping that it’s anyone’s guess now.
Sentences are, of course, the essence of any criminal conviction; they are where the rubber of the jury’s verdict meets the road of accountability. The public often sees them as validating the conviction. And seeing Trump punished by the legal system will have special symbolic importance: He is asking the American people to return him to the White House, where he would be tasked above all with upholding the law.
But as he has demonstrated time and again, he has no regard for the law, and the imposition of a concrete consequence would have provided a powerful frame for his lawbreaking, mocking the Republican Party’s celebration of it. Now it won’t take place until days or weeks after the nation focuses its attention on his coronation at the convention, if it takes place at all.
This is only a small taste of the chaos and nonsense that the Supreme Court’s right-wing majority has unleashed with its immunity decision. “We’re writing a rule for the ages,” Justice Neil Gorsuch said during oral arguments in the case in April. The ages began Tuesday morning.
It’s wise to be skeptical of the polls that have followed Thursday’s presidential debate. The people who watched the debate tend to be partisans whose minds were already made up. It takes longer for clips and impressions to filter out to voters who pay less attention to politics.
Still, a few things stand out from the early numbers . First is that no matter which snap poll you look at, the race looks stable. That’s not because voters think President Biden performed well or even because they think he’s fit for the job. Poll after poll shows they think he lost the debate, and badly, and he’s too old to serve a second term. But so far it’s not leading to a significant swing toward Donald Trump. For Biden voters, a candidate whose fitness seems uncertain is better than a candidate whose malignancy is known.
A new Data for Progress poll is particularly interesting. It, too, found that voters thought Trump had won the debate. It, too, found that most voters believe Biden is too old to serve another term as president. It found that voters were more concerned by Biden’s age and health than by Trump’s criminal cases and potential threat to democracy. And it found a mostly unchanged race; Trump led Biden by three points.
The poll went further, though. It tested other Democrats against Trump: Vice President Kamala Harris performed identically to Biden. Pete Buttigieg, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Gavin Newsom, J.B. Pritzker, Josh Shapiro and Gretchen Whitmer all performed about the same, trailing Trump by two to three points. But the similar margins obscure how lesser-known Democrats would change the race: 7 percent of voters were undecided about a Biden-Trump or Harris-Trump race, but between 9 percent and 12 percent of voters were undecided in the other matchups. More voters are up for grabs.
Democrats could read these results in two ways. The line from the Biden camp has been that Biden’s bad night won’t lead anyone to vote for Trump. The other way to read these results is that the base support for the Democratic alternative to Trump is pretty sturdy. Perhaps Democrats should be less worried about the possible fractures of an open convention and more interested in its possibilities.
For Democrats, fear of Trump is a powerful motivator. It generates a unity and energy completely separate from the Democratic nominee. But it’s not enough. Biden trails in most polls, as do other Democrats. There’s a crucial group of 7 percent to 12 percent of voters who do not fear Trump enough to vote for the Democratic nominee simply by default. They need to be won over.
The question Democrats need to be asking themselves is: Which candidate stands the best chance of winning those voters over?
Thursday’s debate was the Biden campaign’s high-risk gamble to show he was up to the job. It proved he isn’t. Even so, Democrats have feared that their base is fragile enough that an unpredictable process to replace Biden might fracture their support. But what the polls seem to show is that anti-Trump voters will stick by a Democrat, and a larger share of voters are open to Democrats if the party picks a more compelling candidate.
The polls may change sharply in the coming days, and I’ve heard rumors of internal Democratic polls that show significantly worse post-debate numbers for Biden. It’ll take some time yet to know where the race will settle. And it’s not as if Trump is standing still: He’s near to finalizing his V.P. pick.
I’m still sorting through the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling , and while it’s way too early for a definitive interpretation (scholars will be arguing about it for years), it’s not too early for three broad conclusions.
First, and most important, the Supreme Court granted a dangerous amount of discretion to presidents. The court might say that presidents aren’t above the law, but in reality, it established an extraordinarily broad zone of absolute immunity for presidents (one broad enough, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor notes in a dissent, to potentially protect presidents from prosecution for bribes and assassinations) and a tough test for prosecuting those acts that aren’t immune.
In the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the president must be immune from prosecution for an official act unless the government can show that applying a criminal prohibition to that act would pose no “dangers of intrusion on the authority and functions of the executive branch.” This is a high bar to clear.
To understand the most dangerous potential implications of this action, consider that a president has the extraordinary authority to order troops into American streets under the Insurrection Act. Then, once deployed, those troops would be under the command of a person who would almost certainly enjoy absolute immunity for the orders he gives them.
Second, forget any thought that the special counsel Jack Smith can try Donald Trump before the election. The Supreme Court remanded the case to the lower courts for additional proceedings to determine whether Trump can be prosecuted for any of his official acts during the scheme to overturn the election. It’s hard to imagine any scenario where the remaining legal questions can be resolved before November.
Third, Trump is still in grave legal jeopardy — but only if he loses the election. Even if Trump is ultimately held to be immune for all his official acts, he still can be prosecuted for private acts. During oral arguments , Trump’s counsel admitted that several of the acts Trump is criminally charged with committing should be considered private and not in furtherance of his official duties.
Trump’s lawyer agreed it would have been a private act when Trump, as one justice characterized the special counsel’s allegations, “turned to a private attorney who was willing to spread knowingly false claims of election fraud to spearhead his challenges to the election results.” It would also have been a private act when Trump “conspired with another private attorney who caused the filing in court of a verification signed by Petitioner that contained false allegations to support a challenge.”
This means Smith still has a case against Trump — unless Trump wins the election. Then he could use his power over the Department of Justice to end the case against him, and potentially even pardon himself from both the Jan. 6 prosecution and the classified documents prosecution in Florida.
The bottom line is clear: Trump’s fate (and potentially even the rule of law) is entirely in the hands of the American people. They alone will decide if he can be held accountable.
Jill Biden should have prevented this. Jill Biden should prevent this.
I’ve been hearing or reading versions of that since President Biden’s alarming performance during Thursday night’s debate, as if it had been the first lady’s job to decide and tell him that he wasn’t up to running for a second term, as if it fell on her to persuade him to step aside. I briefly had the same thought myself.
But it’s a presumptuous, unfair and even meanspirited one. Jill Biden doesn’t hold an actual job whose description includes advising the president on the most sensitive matters and painful choices. She wasn’t elected to do that. She wasn’t elected, period. So how is it her obligation — and not the task of one of his many paid aides or one of the political operatives who have been counseling him for decades — to make everything right? She’s a spouse, not a sorcerer.
I understand the impulse to look to her and to Valerie Biden, his sister, who has also been mentioned frequently in recent days as a rescue worker and possible savior. The president is known to trust them in a special way. They’re family. And people who believe that Biden is unintentionally setting the country up for the disaster of another Trump administration are desperate for some — for any — intervention.
But it’s noteworthy and arguably sexist that the women in his life are supposed to clean house here. And the belief that Jill Biden does and can speak harsh truths to her husband violates the sturdy truism that nobody on the outside of a marriage has any real sense of the dynamics inside it. Maybe that’s not how she understands or plays her role. Maybe she offers him comfort and lends him support once he has chosen his course. That’s indeed something that she, as opposed to one of his political counselors, is in a unique position to do.
Focusing on Jill Biden lets Joe Biden off the hook. It falls on him to summon the self-awareness and the character to make the right decision. I’d love it if she assisted that with tough questions and brutally candid observations. But she’s not accountable for those.
President Biden and Donald Trump have very light schedules so far for the week, probably in part because of the July 4 holiday, and perhaps in part because of the real suspense in the debate’s aftermath.
There continues to be widespread friction and noise about what Democrats will do, though Biden is in until something changes, which it may not. On Sunday, our colleagues in the newsroom reported that the Biden family wants the president to remain in the race, and a variety of Democratic politicians came out in support of Biden over the weekend. There is also a lot of reporting about what went wrong with the debate and what other Democrats are thinking about the prospect of a Kamala Harris candidacy or an open convention. Initial polling in the aftermath of the debate didn’t show much movement in the close head-to-head result; there will most likely be a lot more polling as the week continues. A lot of information keeps coming out — that could mean things change in some way, or it could just mean there’s deep conflict.
This week, the Supreme Court is extremely likely to rule on the presidential immunity issue in the federal Jan. 6 case against Donald Trump, probably on Monday morning. The case is very unlikely to go to trial this year, regardless of how the court rules. But because of the novel questions raised by Trump’s lawyers and the importance of Jan. 6 itself, how the court rules could have enormous consequences for the presidency and the campaign.
Steve Bannon is going to prison Monday for a few months, after he refused to comply with a subpoena from the Jan. 6 select committee. David Brooks interviewed him ahead of his incarceration.
This isn’t, you know, American politics, but it is relevant to our presidential politics, particularly looking ahead toward the future of European alliances: The U.K. has an election on Thursday (Labour is expected to return to power). The French are now headed toward their July 7 runoff election, which Emmanuel Macron called and which may majorly diminish his power.
Bret Stephens
Wishful thinking, to adapt a phrase, is a helluva drug.
In the aftermath of Joe Biden’s debate with Donald Trump, his well-wishers are claiming that it was just an off night. “Bad debate nights happen,” wrote Barack Obama in a social media post that’s garnered more than 100 million views. Reid Hoffman, the LinkedIn co-founder and a major Democratic donor, wrote that when Biden “does poorly, he tends to bounce back — and then win.” Biden himself told a gathering of East Hampton donors that “I didn’t have a great night, but neither did Trump.”
Pure nonsense.
It’s true that Obama had a bad first debate against Mitt Romney in 2012, just as Ronald Reagan had a bad first debate against Walter Mondale in 1984 — and both men went on to win resounding re-elections. It’s also true that Donald Trump’s performance — by turns bombastic, evasive, mendacious and meandering — would have been seen as embarrassing against nearly any other opponent.
But Biden was his opponent, and the transparent problem with the president’s performance wasn’t that he debated poorly. It’s that he is suffering from serious cognitive decline, something from which there is no coming back. I don’t say this as a medical expert, only as one of many millions of people who have witnessed, in elderly people we love, the same symptoms we saw in Biden on Thursday: the garbled thoughts and slurred words and unfinished sentences; the vacant stare; the confusion.
As a human matter, this is heartbreaking. As a political one, it’s disqualifying. Biden is asking voters for four more years to “finish the job.” Given recent reports in The Wall Street Journal about the speed of his deterioration, that’s a promise he’d be unlikely to keep even if he somehow wins the election.
All this has been increasingly obvious for years — and some of us have repeatedly said so . But this is also a time to ask questions of those who saw the president and insisted there was nothing seriously amiss, or that his verbal stumbles were just a function of his stutter, or that his voice may be soft but his thoughts are clear. Were they clueless? Dishonest? Choosing to not see?
Whichever way, they bear some of the blame for trying to prop up a mentally unwell incumbent in order to stop a morally unfit challenger. To those who love the president, starting with his wife, it’s time to tell him: for God’s sake, and the country’s, and his own — don’t run.
COMMENTS
I've also written a sample essay, which you can find at the bottom of this page. What is a Discussion Essay? As the name suggests, a discussion essay is an essay that discusses things! More specifically, it is a type of IELTS writing task 2 essay that requires you to look at two different points of view. You can easily recognise these essays ...
A discussion essay, also called a controversial essay, is where you express your opinion about a topic. When writing one, Cover both sides of the topic , present the key points that back your viewpoint and the opposing one. Ensure a multi-faceted understanding of the issues before presenting your own personal views and conclusions.
For a discussion essay, a balanced view is normally essential. This makes discussion essays distinct from persuasion essays, for which only one side of the argument is given. When writing a discussion essay, it is important to ensure that facts and opinions are clearly separated. ... which relates to the points in the essay: References. Bailey ...
The first part of the question for an IELTS discussion essay will be a statement containing two opposing views. You will then be asked to discuss both sides of the argument and give your own opinion. Here is some typical wording that might be used: Discuss both views and give your opinion. Discuss both these views and then give your own opinion ...
This IELTS discussion essay sample answer is estimated at band 9. See comments below the essay for advice and tips. ... Everybody told me that examples are not cardinal for essay but in some great ielts experts point of view like you mam and jay sir shows examples are vital. Through this students get more brand. Mam help me to solve my query.
Write your position at the top of a sheet of paper or at the top of a word processing document to start your outline. If you were given a text to base your essay on, make sure that text has enough evidence to support your chosen position. 4. Add the main points you'd like to cover to your outline.
Here, we suggest a possible structure for your essay: 1) Introduction. Introduce the topic and the two opposing views. State your opinion. 2) Body paragraph 1. Topic sentence: describe the view/s that you disagree with. Explanation: explain why some people support this view or provide evidence that supports it.
2. Outline Your Essay, Outline Your Points. Outline your discussion essay. This outline should include a rough draft of your thesis statement, main argument, opposing argument, other main points and a rough draft of your conclusion. Your goal at this point is to get your thoughts on the discussion essay topic organized and in writing.
This essay will discuss both these points of view and argue in favour of the latter. Body paragraph 1 For this essay, it is good to write three body paragraphs. In the first paragraph, you can dissect the first argument. On the one hand, the books children read and the music they listen to form their belief system. In other words, children tend ...
Introduction: paraphrase the question, state both points of view, make a thesis statement and outline your sentence. Main body paragraph 1: state the first viewpoint, discuss it, state whether you agree or disagree and give an example to support your view. Main body paragraph 2: state the second viewpoint, discuss it, state whether you agree or ...
Essay tips. Consider both sides. Use arguments for both sides. Only give your opinion if the tasks requires it. Follow an essay model. Use discussion essay language. As covered in the article 'IELTS Essay Writing', there are specific kinds of essays in task 2. Students can often conflate this essay with the opinion essay, and the advantages ...
Body Paragraph 1. Present your ideas in support of one side. Provide examples to explain this point of view. Body Paragraph 2. Present your ideas in support of the other side. Provide examples to support this viewpoint. Conclusion. Summarize the main points made in the essay. State your opinion.
Below is a list of IELTS discussion essay sample questions for IELTS writing task 2. These are also known as two sided essays. Discussion Essay Tips. identify both sides. find supporting points for both side. only give your opinion if the task asks for it. use discussion essay language. follow a safe discussion essay model.
IELTS Task 2 Question Types: Discussion Essay (Discuss both Sides) Some people think that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing. Others believe that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
There are hundreds of ways to structure a Discuss both views essay in the writing part. However, we'll use this 4-paragraph foolproof band 7+ structure: INTRODUCTION. Paraphrase the question statement or use a general statement relevant to the topic. Write your opinion statement (only if specified in the statement).
For example, ' this essay will discuss both views and state my own position'. There are three sentences you need in the introduction >>. Paraphrase the question / State both views. Give your view/opinion. Outline what is going to be discussed in the essay. Paragraph 2 - Main Body Paragraph 1.
Then, you should note down what are the main points for your essay by outlining in the form of bullet points, a table, or a mindmap. 3.3. Write a complete IELTS discussion essay . You should strictly follow the three-part structure and base on the outline prepared to write a complete IELTS discussion essay. 3.4. Check your IELTS discussion essay
A discussion essay is where you take a position on an issue. To compose it, start by agreeing with a particular position, investigating your point, and illustrate your exposition prior to launching into the introduction and your thesis statement. Create a strong argument in the body of your article, and utilize your decision to make it all ...
Table of contents. What not to include in your discussion section. Step 1: Summarize your key findings. Step 2: Give your interpretations. Step 3: Discuss the implications. Step 4: Acknowledge the limitations. Step 5: Share your recommendations. Discussion section example. Other interesting articles.
Task 2 questions often ask you to Discuss both views and give your own opinion. Here's how I structure a 4-paragraph essay for this kind of question: 1. Introduction (2 sentences): First introduce the topic. I often begin with the phrase "People have different views about...". In the second sentence, mention both views and your own opinion. I often use the word "although" in this sentence e.g.
Overview. Discussion essay questions are a common question type in IELTS writing Task 2. You'll be presented with two opposing views on a topic and be asked to discuss both views and give your own opinion. Here are some key points about Discussion essay questions: You should spend no more than 40 minutes on the task.
Learn expressions to use in your discussion essay for IELTS writing task 2 with this video lesson. It is important to use a variety of language to express both sides in your essay. ... Like, after paraphrasing the two different view points do we have to write again that many people think competition because it develops a sense of self-esteem in ...
The body of your essay should present a balanced discussion of the topic. Each paragraph should focus on a different perspective or argument. ... Structure: The essay outlines the key points of each perspective, highlighting similarities and differences. A balanced analysis is provided to give the reader a comprehensive understanding.
Begin with a clear statement of the principal findings. This will reinforce the main take-away for the reader and set up the rest of the discussion. Explain why the outcomes of your study are important to the reader. Discuss the implications of your findings realistically based on previous literature, highlighting both the strengths and ...
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump participated in their first debate of the 2024 election season on CNN in Atlanta Thursday.
On Friday President Biden named the one scenario by which he'd decide to abandon his re-election campaign: If "the Lord Almighty came down" and told him to.