IELTS Opinion and Argument Skills

Strong IELTS opinion and argument skills are essential for achieving a high score. Whether you are writing an essay in Writing Task 2 or responding to more analytical questions in Speaking Part 3, the examiners expect you to explain your ideas clearly, justify your position, and show that you can think critically about common issues.

Why These Skills Matter

In both writing and speaking, it is not enough to simply state an opinion. IELTS examiners look for your ability to:

• Develop clear, logical arguments
• Support ideas with explanations, examples and consequences
• Present balanced views when appropriate
• Use precise opinion language and higher-level vocabulary
• Connect ideas smoothly using natural linking devices

These skills directly affect your scores for Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and even Grammatical Range and Accuracy. In Speaking Part 3, your ability to expand your ideas is crucial for pushing your score higher than Band 6.

What the Lessons Will Cover

The lessons connected to this page focus on a wide range of typical IELTS topics, giving you repeated practice with the language and thinking skills needed for strong arguments. Each section includes:

• Listening tasks through a Podcast to expose you to natural argumentative language
• Idea-development through presenting you with key for/against arguments for each topic
• Vocabulary lists centred on specific topic-related language and general vocabulary
• Opinion and argument language structure lists such as cause–effect, weighing both sides, evaluating solutions, and giving strong personal positions

These pages are designed to help you build confidence with the type of thinking IELTS requires: logical, clear and well-supported arguments delivered in natural English.

Debate Topics

More to follow!

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