Essays that ask you whether you agree or disagree with a statement, or ask for your view are opinion essays. The main purpose of an opinion essay is to support and defend your own view. If you 100% agree (or 100% disagree) with the statement, then you could only write points which support that side. This could still be a good essay.
However, it can also be a good idea to include concessions. These are sentences or clauses which accept/admit that there is a weakness to your argument. They accept points from the other side of the argument. In addition, it is rare to 100% agree/disagree - you might only partially agree/disagree with the statement in the essay question, so it creates an interesting essay to reference the other side of the argument.
In summary, for opinion essays, you don't have to discuss both sides, but you it is a good idea make reference to the other side. This advice does not apply to discussion essays, where you are asked to discuss both sides of an argument. Read the question carefully to decide if you need to give your opinion or discuss both sides and then make a plan before you write.
To learn more about different essay types in IELTS Writing Task 2, and how to approach them, use our Study course for Writing on IELTS FLEX or IELTS Ready Premium. Go to the Study area, choose Course and Writing Task 2, and then work through the sections dealing with each essay type. You can watch classes, do training, and do practice in this section of the site.
See also: How do I study on the site?
Was this article helpful?
That’s Great!
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry! We couldn't be helpful
Thank you for your feedback
Feedback sent
We appreciate your effort and will try to fix the article