Mastering IELTS Opinion Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide

Navigation:
1️⃣ Introduction – Choosing your opinion & structuring your essay
2️⃣ Writing the Introduction – Topic sentence, paraphrasing, thesis statement
3️⃣ Writing Body Paragraphs – Structuring arguments with examples
4️⃣ Writing the Conclusion – Summarizing without adding new points
5️⃣ Sample Essays – Agree, disagree, and partial agreement examples
6️⃣ Limited-Time Free Assessment – Get expert feedback on your essay!

Choosing Your Opinion

In IELTS, it does not matter whether your opinion is objectively right or not, or even if you personally agree with it. When choosing your opinion, focus on the side you can present effectively.

Most of the time, our opinions tend to be complicated, with many "ifs" and "buts." However, you do not need to be truthful—focus on simplicity. Lie your way through it!

Consider the Given Prompt:

“Many people say that social media negatively affects real-life communication. To what extent do you agree or disagree?”

You can:
✅ Agree and argue that social media has negative effects on real-life communication.
✅ Disagree and argue that social media actually enhances communication.
✅ Partially agree, acknowledging both its benefits and drawbacks.

How to Choose?

Your real opinion? ❌ NO! Just choose the opinion you can defend EASILY and CLEARLY.

For example, if you believe that social media negatively affects real-life communication but cannot support it with strong arguments and examples—DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS OPINION.

Writing an Introduction

A good introduction consists of three parts:
1️⃣ Topic Sentence
2️⃣ Paraphrase of the Question
3️⃣ Thesis Statement

⏳ Your introduction should be 2–4 lines long and take no more than 10 minutes to write.

1️⃣ Topic Sentence

The topic sentence is the first sentence of your essay. It should be a general statement about the topic.

🖊 Example:
📌 “In the modern world, a huge portion of the population is connected to social media.”

💡 This sentence does not give an opinion or fact—it simply introduces the topic of the essay.

2️⃣ Paraphrasing the Question

When paraphrasing, you do not have to follow the exact structure of the original prompt.

🔸 Example:
📌 “This raises the question of whether it facilitates or hinders communication.”

💡 Even though the original prompt only mentions negative consequences, we can introduce the positive side as well—because disagreement is also an option!

Synonym Substitutions for Paraphrasing:

✅ Many → A great number of
✅ People → Individuals
✅ Say → Argue

📌 Example Paraphrased Sentence:
"A great number of individuals argue that social media hampers in-person interaction."

❌ Avoid Awkward Paraphrasing

⚠️ Not all words need to be paraphrased!
For instance, “social media” should not be changed to “communal press.” Instead, we can use phrases like “these sites” or “the platforms” later in the essay.

3️⃣ Thesis Statement

A thesis statement consists of one or two sentences and should:
✔ Clearly state your opinion
✔ Outline one or two main ideas that you will expand upon in the essay

Example Thesis Statement:

📌 “In my opinion, social media hampers real-life interaction due to decreased social skills and increased passive distractions.”

✅ This thesis statement clearly states the opinion.
✅ It outlines two arguments:
1️⃣ Decreased social skills (Expanded in Paragraph 1)
2️⃣ Increased passive distractions (Expanded in Paragraph 2)

A Good Thesis Statement Helps the Reader:

1️⃣ Understand your stance on the topic.
2️⃣ Know how many paragraphs your essay will have.
3️⃣ Identify what each paragraph will discuss.

Final Introduction Example:

📝 “In the modern world, a huge portion of the population is connected to social media. This raises the question of whether it facilitates or hinders communication. In my opinion, social media hampers real-life interaction due to decreased social skills and increased passive distractions.”

✨ And that’s it! You now have a well-structured introduction for your IELTS essay!

Writing Main Body Paragraphs

Now, we will focus on paragraphs. Since we have already outlined two arguments, they will become our main body paragraphs:

📌 Paragraph 1: Decreased social skills
📌 Paragraph 2: Increased passive distractions

Structure of a Main Body Paragraph

A basic structure of a main body paragraph includes:

1️⃣ Topic Sentence
2️⃣ Explanation
3️⃣ Example

However, this is not a strict template that must be followed. The only key requirement is to:
✔ Clearly state your opinion
✔ Provide arguments to support it

If you have an example, include it! If you do not, just ensure your explanation is clear.

Paragraph 1: Decreased Social Skills

Topic Sentence:

📌 “The overuse of virtual communication has hindered the development of essential real-life social skills, particularly among young people.”

💡 This topic sentence makes it clear that the paragraph will discuss the decline in social skills.

Explanation:

📌 “Due to the excessive amount of time dedicated to virtual communication, many people, especially youngsters, fail to develop real-life social skills.”

💡 This sentence argues that time spent on social media results in poor social skills among young people.

Example:

📌 “For instance, reports suggest that many young individuals struggle to maintain eye contact, interpret body language, or express themselves confidently in person.”

⚠ Are there actual reports like this?
Can I tell you exactly which ones? Nope!
👉 If you do not have a solid example, MAKE STUFF UP.

Expanding the Paragraph:

Since word count in IELTS Task 2 must be 250+ words, we can extend the paragraph with more supporting arguments or examples.

📌 “The rise of dating websites further indicates that many people are unable to approach new acquaintances in real-life settings and instead rely on algorithms to find a life partner. Additionally, an increasing number of children are joining these platforms at a very young age, leading to a social life dictated entirely by these sites. As a result, they do not feel the need to develop essential interpersonal skills.”

💡 Remember:
This is not the only way to structure a paragraph. You can follow a given structure, as we will in the next paragraph.

✔ The bottom line is:
✅ Back your claim with clear explanations.
✅ Provide an example—if you have one!

Have a look at the finished paragraphs:

“The overuse of virtual communication has hindered the development of essential real-life social skills, particularly among young people. Due to the excessive amount of time dedicated to virtual communication, many people, especially youngsters, fail to develop real-life social skills. For instance, reports suggest that many young individuals struggle to maintain eye contact, interpret body language, or express themselves confidently in person. The rise of dating websites further indicates that many people are unable to approach new acquaintances in real-life settings and instead rely on algorithms to find a life partner. Additionally, an increasing number of children are joining these platforms at a very young age, leading to a social life dictated entirely by these sites. As a result, they do not feel the need to develop essential interpersonal skills.

Beyond the decline in social skills, social media also creates constant distractions. The business model of these platforms encourages developers to keep users engaged for extended periods to maximize exposure to advertisements. Consequently, these sites have become so addictive that many individuals find it difficult to engage in face-to-face conversations without frequently checking their phones. Studies suggest that notifications from these platforms trigger a rush of excitement in users, similar to the effects of addictive substances. This constant distraction weakens deep and meaningful conversations, as effective communication requires full attention.”

Writing Conclusion

The conclusion is the easiest part to write. It consists of one or two sentences that paraphrase the thesis statement.

✔ Start the conclusion with "In conclusion" or "To conclude."

“In conclusion, social media negatively impacts real-life interactions by diminishing social skills and fostering distractions.”

💡 Key Points to Remember:
✅ Do not add any new information.
✅ Do not explain anything further.
✅ Simply reiterate your opinion and summarize the key points.

Our essay is finally complete! 🎉
It really is this easy to write an IELTS Writing Task 2 essay.

To conclude this guide, here are the completed essay and two additional sample essays:
📌 One where we disagree with the prompt
📌 One where we partially agree with the prompt

Prompt: “Many people say that social media negatively affects real-life communication. To what extent do you agree or disagree?”

Sample essay where we agree to the prompt.

"In the modern world, a huge portion of the population is connected to social media. This raises the question of whether it facilitates or hinders communication. In my opinion, social media hampers real-life interaction due to decreased social skills and increased passive distractions.

The overuse of virtual communication has hindered the development of essential real-life social skills, particularly among young people. Due to the excessive amount of time dedicated to virtual communication, many people, especially youngsters, fail to develop real-life social skills. For instance, reports suggest that many young individuals struggle to maintain eye contact, interpret body language, or express themselves confidently in person. The rise of dating websites further indicates that many people are unable to approach new acquaintances in real-life settings and instead rely on algorithms to find a life partner. Additionally, an increasing number of children are joining these platforms at a very young age, leading to a social life dictated entirely by these sites. As a result, they do not feel the need to develop essential interpersonal skills.

In conclusion, social media negatively impacts real-life interactions by diminishing social skills and fostering distractions."

Sample essay where we disagree to the prompt.

"In the modern world, a huge portion of the population is connected to social media. While some argue that it negatively affects real-life interactions, I disagree with this view. In my opinion, social media facilitates communication by improving social confidence and building communities based on shared interests.

Many people suffer from social anxiety, making interactions with strangers nerve-wracking and stressful. Social media platforms help such people in letting them practice and consequently get better at connecting with other people. Many introverts have reported a direct correlation between increased time spent on these sites and enhanced social skills. On platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook, users can take time to respond, which helps calm the nerves of socially inept individuals. For instance, social exclusion became a significant issue in Japan, where millions of young people remained isolated in their apartments. However, with the introduction of social media, the country’s youth found a way to connect through shared struggles and support each other in improving face-to-face communication.

In traditional settings, people are often limited to interacting with their classmates and colleagues. As a result, forming communities based on shared interests and passions can be difficult, since finding like-minded individuals in a small office or campus is not always possible. Social media eliminates this barrier by enabling users to search for and connect with people based on their interests. For instance, if someone is passionate about cricket in a country where the sport is not widely played, they may struggle to find fellow enthusiasts locally. However, through social media, they can support their favorite team alongside millions of other fans and even plan meetups with people from different regions.

In conclusion, social media is a positive development for fostering real-life interaction, as it builds confidence among those suffering from social anxiety and helps people find like-minded individuals to form lifelong relationships."

Sample essay where we partially agree to the prompt.

"In the modern world, a huge portion of the population is connected to social media. While some argue that it negatively affects real-life interactions, I partially agree with this view. In my opinion, social media has both positive and negative effects on real-life communication. While, it helps individuals build confidence for real-life interactions, it also reduces these interactions and fosters passive distractions.

On the other hand, social media can be harmful for in-person communication as well. Social media creates constant distractions. The business model of these platforms encourages developers to keep users engaged for extended periods to maximize exposure to advertisements. Consequently, these sites have become so addictive that many individuals find it difficult to engage in face-to-face conversations without frequently checking their phones. Studies suggest that notifications from these platforms trigger a rush of excitement in users, similar to the effects of addictive substances. This constant distraction weakens deep and meaningful conversations, as effective communication requires full attention.

To conclude, although social media helps people build confidence in face-to-face interaction, it can also be distracting, and thus, hamper deep and meaningful communication."