IELTS Agree or Disagree Essay : Format and Sample Essays

If you are already in the middle of your IELTS preparation, you must have observed that the writing section involves attempting an essay. The most common type is an agree or disagree essay in IELTS Writing Task 2. This type contains a question with the following phrases or their variations- 

• Do you agree or disagree?
• To what extent do you agree or disagree? 

The question will come after a specific statement outlining something. The aspirant’s job is to write in response to the same. Directly answering the question is always advisable, i.e., stating whether you agree or disagree with the question. You can also clearly express your opinion if you neither agree nor disagree. Paying attention to the words in the statement is necessary. If the question has to what extent, you should clearly say to what degree you agree or disagree, i.e., completely, neither, or partially. If it only asks to agree or disagree, then you need not give the extent. 

The usual practice is to follow this format for the IELTS agree or disagree essay questions: 

• Introduction 
• Supporting Paragraph 1
• Supporting Paragraph 2 
• Conclusion 

Agree or Disagree Essay Samples

Here are some examples of the agree-disagree essay IELTS questions that you will answer. These are only illustrative, and it is advised to check other practice questions and model answers as well.  

The agree or disagree essay introduction will paraphrase the question, followed by a statement expressing your opinion. You will then have to go with the two supporting paragraphs and end with a brief conclusion.

Here are two samples for your consideration

Sample 1

Earning a high salary is better than satisfied with your job.

Do you agree or disagree? 

Answer:

Many people believe that having a big salary package is more important and gratifying than satisfaction from a job. However, in my opinion, I strongly disagree with the statement. 

What do we understand by job satisfaction? It is a sense of contentment or fulfillment with the job. It involves not just financial but several other considerations. People experience job satisfaction when they are happy with their working environments. They feel motivated when they have supportive colleagues and managers. They feel satisfied when they love the projects assigned to them. They feel satisfied when they are contributing actively towards the progress of the organization while being entrusted with responsibility simultaneously. They feel satisfied when they have more opportunities for growth, advancement, and learning along with supportive employers who listen to their needs and help them achieve work-life balance as well. 

Multiple considerations go into creating what we call job satisfaction. It is not just the financial rewards alone that motivate people to step up, take responsibility, and assume ownership for organizational tasks, projects, and assignments. A relative of mine got a rather low-paying entry-level position at a financial services firm. Everyone ticked him off for not applying to bigger firms that were showing interest in hiring him at higher salaries. However, he stuck to his guns, stating that the smaller firm gave him more responsibility and ownership for projects, along with sizably more freedom to experiment, take risks, and grow. Today, after slogging it out at a considerably lower salary, he is the managing director of the organization and has taken it to unimaginable heights in a shorter period. People are motivated to automatically perform better and strive for excellence when they experience all-around satisfaction and fulfillment. Simply paying someone a hefty salary and then expecting the individual to blaze a trail does not work all the time. 

To conclude, I will state that job satisfaction is always more important than earning a big package. People need intrinsic motivation to succeed and stay committed to any cause. Financial rewards are a vital but small piece of the entire pie. We are human beings after all.

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Sample 2

There should be exemplary punishment for fast food companies selling unhealthy items to citizens.

To what extent do you agree or disagree? 

There is a growing wave of support for punishing fast-food companies that sell unhealthy food to citizens. I partially agree with this statement. 

The definition of unhealthy food is highly subjective, i.e., the exact percentage of unhealthy oils, absence of nutrients, harmful elements, and more. There is no uniform definition of these parameters that street food vendors should conform to. When the government and authorities do not have uniform classification standards or uniformity in exceptions, then arbitrarily punishing food vendors and fast-food companies who sell to citizens will not set the right example in my opinion. Fast food companies are driven by market sentiments and consumers desire particular types of food which these companies manufacture. Coming to this point, there are licensing and regulatory procedures that all these companies follow before packaging and selling their products. The gap in inspection and quality assessment is to blame for unhealthy food items still being a concern. While I do agree that there should be some form of action taken against fast food companies who do not adhere to regulations or knowingly sell unhealthy food items which have drastic public consequences, I believe it is the authorities who must set the precedent first.

Uniform measures for inspection and quality assessment aside, there should be laid down standards for people to see and judge. The action on this part should first start with the authorities as I mentioned earlier. I believe that simply punishing fast food companies will be a draconian move, putting several beloved brands out of business and creating uncertainties for thousands of individuals employed with these organizations. Such moves will also lead to economic fluctuations, causing graver crises than what the world can handle at this juncture. Instead, I advocate a solution where the authorities come forward to define every type of fast-food item being sold, analyze, and assess the minimum standards, and set fixed penalties for not adhering to the same. 

To conclude, I will state that simply punishing the fast-food companies will put a lid on the gaping holes created due to administrative apathy or negligence. Fixing this part of the process will automatically clean up the entire sector.

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