Showing posts with label To What Extent Essays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label To What Extent Essays. Show all posts

Thursday, September 11, 2025

Latest IELTS questions from Canada– Jun 2025 (Academic Module)

University students should pay the full cost of their studies because university education benefits individuals rather than society as a whole. To what extent do you agree or disagree? 


Sample  answer for band 8 - showing full agreement 

Introduction

In recent times, debates around university funding have intensified. Some argue that higher education should be free, while others believe that students must bear the entire cost of their studies. I fully agree that university students should pay the full amount because the main benefits of higher education are personal, not societal.

Body 1 – Benefits are Individual

University degrees primarily enhance an individual’s employment opportunities and income. For example, an engineering graduate in Gujarat can easily earn double the salary of a person with only a high school education. Since students directly enjoy higher salaries and better lifestyles, it is reasonable that they should fund their education rather than expect taxpayers to carry the burden.

Body 2 – Reduces Pressure on Government

Another strong reason is that governments in developing countries such as India already face financial constraints in healthcare, infrastructure, and rural development. If public funds are directed towards financing higher education for all, essential sectors may suffer. Thus, requiring students to pay ensures financial sustainability.

Body Passage 3 Concession (Strawman)

It is true that some argue universities contribute skilled professionals to society. However, society already provides opportunities through schools and basic education. At the tertiary level, the benefits largely shift to individuals, making personal payment more logical. (read the note below) 

Conclusion

In conclusion, university students should be responsible for their own costs because the rewards of higher education are primarily personal, while governments must prioritize broader social needs.


Vishalsir's note: 

Strawman in this essay:

In Body 3, the essay acknowledges the opposing view (universities benefit society by producing skilled professionals) but immediately refutes it (society already funds basic education; university benefits are mostly individual).

Why it’s necessary:
This technique shows balance, strengthens your stance, and demonstrates critical thinking—exactly what examiners look for in Band 8+ answers.

IELTS Writing Task 2 (2025): Mastering “To What Extent” Agree or Disagree Essays- MY ENGVISH ACADEMY, VADODARA

If you are preparing for the IELTS Writing Task 2 in 2025, one of the most common questions you’ll face is the “To what extent do you agree or disagree?” essay. Many students, especially Gujarati and Hindi-speaking learners, find this essay type confusing because they don’t know whether to fully agree, fully disagree, or partly agree with the given statement.

At My Engvish Academy, one of the best IELTS academies in Gujarat, we train students from across India and abroad to confidently tackle such essay questions. Whether you are aiming for Band 7, Band 8, or Band 9, mastering this essay format is essential for your IELTS Writing success.


What is a “To What Extent” IELTS Essay?

This essay type asks you to evaluate a statement and express how much you agree or disagree. Unlike simple agree/disagree questions, IELTS Writing Task 2 (2025 format) gives you three options:

  1. Completely agree with the statement.

  2. Completely disagree with the statement.

  3. Partly agree and partly disagree (a balanced opinion).

This is very popular in the IELTS exam across the globe, and we’ve seen it appear repeatedly in 2024–2025 IELTS test papers. For Hindi and Gujarati students preparing for IELTS abroad (Canada, UK, USA, Australia), this is a must-practice question type.


Step 1: Decide Your Opinion Clearly

Many IELTS students in India lose marks because their opinion is unclear. From the start, you must decide if you are going to fully agree, fully disagree, or partly agree.

At My Engvish Academy, we emphasize this to our students: your opinion should remain consistent from introduction to conclusion. IELTS examiners in 2025 focus heavily on clarity, coherence, and logical development.


Step 2: Generate Supporting Points

For your IELTS essay, brainstorm simple but logical reasons. For example:

  • Why should governments spend money on public services like healthcare and education?

  • Why are arts and culture also important for society?

  • What happens if one side is ignored?

This brainstorming step is crucial for Band 8 and Band 9 writing, whether you’re an IELTS candidate from Gujarat, Delhi, Mumbai, or abroad.


Step 3: Use a Band 9 Structure

In IELTS Writing Task 2 (2025), structure is everything. Examiners reward essays that are logical and easy to follow. Here’s a structure we teach at My Engvish Academy, which has helped many Gujarati and Hindi-speaking students achieve Band 7.5 and higher:

  1. Introduction – Paraphrase the question + give your opinion.

  2. Body Paragraph 1 – First reason (with explanation and example).

  3. Body Paragraph 2 – Second reason (with explanation and example).

  4. Conclusion – Restate your opinion and summarize key points.

πŸ’‘ Remember: Your body paragraphs can follow Agree + Agree, Disagree + Disagree, or Agree + Disagree (balanced view).


Step 4: IELTS Vocabulary for 2025 Writing

To rank high in IELTS exams worldwide, your essay must use formal, academic vocabulary. Some useful phrases include:

  • It is often argued that…

  • On the one hand… / On the other hand…

  • While it is true that…

  • This highlights the fact that…

  • Therefore, it can be concluded that…

In our IELTS writing correction sessions in Gujarat and online worldwide, students practice these phrases until they can use them naturally.


Skeleton Answer (Practice Framework)

Here’s a practice skeleton you can use for your IELTS Writing Task 2 essay:

Introduction

  • Paraphrase the question: It is often argued that…

  • State your opinion: Although I agree that…, I believe that…

Body Paragraph 1 (Agree side):

  • Main idea: On the one hand, …

  • Explanation: This is because…

  • Example: For instance, …

  • Short summary: Therefore, …

Body Paragraph 2 (Disagree side):

  • Main idea: On the other hand, …

  • Explanation: This is important because…

  • Example: For example, …

  • Short summary: Thus, …

Body Passage 3 (Strawman's Technique) 

  •  Present the counterargument clearly (so examiner sees you can engage with other perspectives).

  • Acknowledge why it looks valid (shows balance).

  • Refute it with logic/evidence (strengthens your stance).

  • Close by reaffirming your position.    

Conclusion

  • Restate opinion: To conclude, while I agree that…, I also believe that…

  • Summarize two reasons briefly.

πŸ‘‰ Students at My Engvish Academy (Vadodara, India) regularly practice with this structure, which helps them develop confidence and accuracy for IELTS Writing Task 2.


Common Mistakes to Avoid in 2025 IELTS Essays

  • ❌ Being unclear about your opinion.

  • ❌ Writing new ideas in the conclusion.

  • ❌ Using overly complicated sentences.

  • ❌ Forgetting to add examples.

Examiners in 2025 are especially strict about coherence and task response, so avoid these mistakes.


Final Thought

The “To what extent” essay is one of the most common IELTS Writing Task 2 questions in 2025 exam papers across India and abroad. By planning your opinion, generating strong points, and following a clear structure, you can confidently achieve your dream score.

At My Engvish Academy, we provide personalized IELTS coaching in Gujarat and online for Hindi and Gujarati students worldwide. Whether you need IELTS Writing correction, Speaking practice, or full exam preparation, we ensure you are ready for success in your IELTS journey.

🌍 Join thousands of IELTS candidates across India and abroad who are preparing with My Engvish Academy in 2025.


Want some sample answers by Vishalsir? πŸ‘‡Click on the titles given below...

1. Latest IELTS questions from Canada– Jun 2025 (Academic Module)

University students should pay the full cost of their studies because university education benefits individuals rather than society as a whole. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

 

2. Latest IELTS questions from Australia – May 2025 (Academic Module)





Sunday, September 7, 2025

HOW TO WRITE 'TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU AGREE/DISAGREE ESSAY' IN IELTS TO SCORE 7 PLUS BAND?

Good morning readers! 🌞

Let’s start today’s blog with an interesting IELTS essay question that was recently asked in the real exam in the UK (August 2025)—shared by our beloved candidate, Aayush.

The question is:

“Some people believe that advancements in technology in the 21st century have allowed people to have more free time. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?”


Now, “to what extent do you agree or disagree” is one of the most commonly asked IELTS Writing Task 2 essay types.

πŸ’‘ Why do examiners love this type of essay?
Because it allows them to assess almost all key elements of your English proficiency and academic writing skills. In other words, to score high, you need to demonstrate mastery across multiple areas.

Here’s what matters most:

  1. Task Response – How effectively you address the question and cover all parts.
  2. Coherence & Cohesion – How logically you present and develop your arguments.
  3. Lexical Resource – The range, appropriateness, and formality of your vocabulary and collocations.
  4. Grammatical Range & Accuracy – How well you use complex but natural structures without errors.
  5. Balance in Argument – Especially in “to what extent” essays, you must acknowledge both sides while placing stronger emphasis on the side you support.
    • Useful techniques: concession, balance, strawman technique, academic tone.

πŸ‘‰ We’ll cover these techniques (and how to master them) in detail in our upcoming blogs. For now, let’s look at a sample essay for today’s question and see how these skills are applied in practice.


Today’s Question

“Some people believe that advancements in technology in the 21st century have allowed people to have more free time. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?”


Sample Essay

In the modern era, technology has become deeply integrated into daily life, transforming the way people work, study, and communicate. While some argue that technological advancements have actually increased stress and workload, I strongly believe that technology has indeed created more free time for individuals, despite a few drawbacks.

To begin with, technology has automated several tasks that once required hours of manual effort. For instance, online banking, digital communication tools, and smart household devices reduce the time spent on routine chores. This allows people to allocate more hours to leisure, family, or personal development. (Concession: Although it is true that technology sometimes blurs the line between work and rest, the overall efficiency it brings cannot be denied.)

Furthermore, the rapid rise of remote work and digital platforms has minimized the need for long commutes and repetitive office routines. Employees today can finish their tasks more quickly and enjoy flexible schedules, which ultimately results in more personal time. (Strawman Technique: Critics argue that technology has enslaved people to their devices, making them busier than before. However, this view overlooks the fact that it is poor time management, not technology itself, that often causes such issues.)

In addition, online learning platforms and digital resources have revolutionized education, enabling students and professionals to acquire knowledge at their own pace and convenience. Instead of spending hours in traditional classrooms or traveling to libraries, individuals now save substantial time through e-learning.

In conclusion, although technology can sometimes encourage overwork or constant connectivity, its overall impact has been to free up time by simplifying and accelerating countless daily tasks. Therefore, I firmly agree that advancements in 21st-century technology have allowed people to enjoy more free time than ever before.

let's understand how this essay style is useful for getting highrer score, i.e more than band 7, in your ielts exam

 What Did We Use Here?

Concession → This means acknowledging the opposing view briefly before dismissing it with stronger reasoning.
  • Example: “Although it is true that technology sometimes blurs the line between work and rest…”
  • Why useful? → It shows examiners you can think critically, consider both sides, and still argue persuasively.
Strawman Technique → This means presenting a weaker or exaggerated version of the opposing argument and then refuting it.
  • Example: “Critics argue that technology has enslaved people… However, this view overlooks…”
  • Why useful? → It strengthens your argument, highlights logical thinking, and makes your essay more persuasive.
 


πŸŽ“ Why This Essay Deserves Band 7+

✅ Clear stance maintained throughout.
✅ Well-developed ideas with supporting examples.
✅ Use of advanced techniques (concession + strawman) → adds depth and academic tone.
✅ Wide lexical range: automated, allocate, blurs the line, flexibility, revolutionized.
✅ Good cohesion with linking words.

To reach Band 8 or 9:

  • More varied sentence structures (e.g., inversion, conditional forms).
  • Even stronger data/examples (e.g., citing surveys, statistics).
  • More precise academic vocabulary (e.g., paradoxically, intrinsically, exponentially).


πŸ’‘ Tips for Students

  • Practice balancing both sides even if you agree with one → use concession.
  • Strengthen your stance by weakening the opposite view → strawman technique.
  • Use formal connectors: nevertheless, whereas, conversely, indeed.
  • Always plan your essay → 2 main body paragraphs are usually enough.

πŸ“Œ In our upcoming blogs, we will share detailed lessons on these techniques and many more advanced writing strategies to help you aim for Band 8 and 9.



Are you preparing for IELTS in Vadodara or as an international student?
πŸ‘‰ Follow MY ENGVISH ACADEMY for real exam questions, model answers, and Band 7+ writing strategies.
πŸ“© DM us if you want personal feedback on your essays on 8264829179.


  • IELTS essay sample 2025

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#IELTS #IELTSWriting #IELTSTask2 #IELTSEssay #IELTSPreparation #StudyAbroad #IELTSVadodara #Band7plus #IELTS2025



Friday, November 3, 2023

"With the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in various fields, some people believe that AI technology will eventually replace human jobs, leading to unemployment. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Support your argument with examples and reasons."

Recent IELTS Essay Question. Oct-2023 India

"With the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in various fields, some people believe that AI technology will eventually replace human jobs, leading to unemployment. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Support your argument with examples and reasons."

Let's understand IELTS Writing Task-2 score criteria and writing a band 7+ essay to achieve that standard criteria with this sample response.

Recent IELTS Essay Questions. "With the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in various fields, some people believe that AI technology will eventually replace human jobs, leading to unemployment. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Support your argument with examples and reasons."


"Let's understand Task Response"

To achieve band 7+ Task Response in this essay you need to address all the parts of the task. Now, in this particular question you are expected to Give your opinion and show some extent of argument on the other side of your own opinion as well. There are three possible ways to do this.

1. You agree

2. You disagree

3. You partially agree and partially disagree

I will suggest you to go only with either option no1 (Agree) or no.2 (Disagree). We will discuss why it is risky to go on option no.3 in my upcoming posts.

Let's say if you choose to agree, you need to present some strong arguments on positive side and some weak argument on disagreement part. 

and

        If you choose the disagree, you need to present some strong arguments to                    support disagreement and few weak arguments in favour of agreement.

Now, this "strong" and "weak" words are important to achieve your Task Response for band 7 or higher. Which you can achieve by playing with grammar forms and following certain order in your response, an that's a part of GRA (Grammatical Range and Accuracy) and CC (Cohesion & Coherence)

Let's study and observe this sample answer and try to identify "How have my arguments been made strong to favour my side ? (Herein, I disagree with the given statement so my arguments are strongly against the statement, but still I have to present few weak arguments against my view)

Read the given response for a recent IELTS Exam Writing Task-2 question, more than once or the number of times you need to find out the answers of these questions.

To judge and learn Task Response for band 7/8/9...

1) How have I started my introduction?

2) Have I given my opinion in introduction?

3) How many body paragraphs have I written?

4) How have I presented the first body paragraph?

5) What kind of arguments are there in body passage-1?

6) Are you convinced that AI will not snatch jobs of certain human in certain sectors by reading that paragraph?

7) How is my second body paragraph? - Overall theme?

8) Is it in favour of my side or against my own position?

9) Where do you find the arguments against my position?

10) Why do you think I call them (arguments against my position) are weak ?

11) Where do you find the arguments to favour and support my position?

12) Why do I say them strong?

13) What details I have added in conclusion?

14) Is here any new argument in my conclusion?

15) What is the last sentence of my conclusion?

    - By observing my sample response with micro details, you can answer these all questions.        (If you struggle in finding precise answers, feel free to ask me in the comments below or            ask me here for free...Ping me on WhatsApp here.)πŸ‘‰

To understand CC, GRA and LR, I am coming up with more detailed analysis and explanation with same and other latest responses in a week. For today, enjoy this !

The advent of artificial intelligence has undeniably sparked a significant transformation in various industries. Although some individuals are concerned that with its remarkable ability to process data and perform tasks, AI technology will eventually supplant human workers, and will ultimately increase unemployment rates, I, however, believe this change will just lead to shifts rather completely erasing human need in the evolving job market.

(If you are not aware about these lexicals or not using these collocations: Strat using them from today itself

1) advent of something - arrival of something/ coming of something = useful for most of the introduction in many essays

2) undeniably sparked = generated something without any doubt

3) supplant = supersede or replace

4) will ultimately = finally

5) lead to shifts = lead to change)

Firstly, I feel, it would be simplistic to assert that AI will entirely eliminate the need for human labor. While I admit that AI has begun to take over tasks that were traditionally carried out by human labour, the fact is that it is still a machine or mere a programme made by human, which can not take decisions as perfectly as humans. For example, in the healthcare sector, AI assists in diagnosing medical conditions, but the final treatment decisions and patient care remain firmly within the domain of human expertise. Hence, the technology, rather than being a threat, often serves as a complement to human skills.

(How many new words or pair of words would you like note from this paragraph? and imagine in what kind of essays will you be able to reuse them?)

Furthermore, AI will in fact generate more job opportunities in a different form. Many of those who are against such technological developments, might argue that Automation in sectors like manufacturing and customer service has led to increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness. which will lead to a shift in job markets, raising apprehensions about job security for humans. However, I would argue that this is quite a reserved thinking as almost every field where AI is going to be introduced, will need more human power in the form of subject experts and technology experts to bridge the gap between human labour and the upcoming technology, which will in turn give rise to new employment opportunities.

(How have I started this paragraph? and How is my second sentence connected with the first and the third one? πŸ€”)

In conclusion, while the utilization of AI in various domains has undeniably led to shifts in the employment landscape, the same complements human capabilities and generates new employment avenues. Therefore, on a balance, I feel, the assertion that it will ultimately replace human jobs is overly pessimistic.

Keep following to get more detailed session on this in my next blog...till then take care! Have a happy reading !

Friday, November 23, 2018

Field-trips from school - Good or bad?

Some people believe that children should have important lessons other than classes in schools, that is, visiting local businesses or public buildings. To what extend do you agree or disagree?   

   

With the endless advances in every field in the modern era, education too is getting reformed in its own way. Many schools today often try to provide more innovative learning experiences to children by numbers of different methodologies. Among them, taking students to visit local commercial establishments or public buildings is one of the latest trends. This practice, I think, would be a significant opportunity for them to acquire skills and information which are not usually available in a school environment.

To begin with, classroom learning can sometimes be monotonous and limited, whereas access to ideas and knowledge in nonverbal and practical ways, by visiting outer places can make learning creative, fun-filled and more effective.  For instance, while visiting a public bank children can see and observe the real life practices at the finance institute and understand the working of a bank and other terminologies related to it in much easier way than studying theories about them. Moreover, due to the direct interaction with the objects and hands on personal experience, knowledge gained in this manner can be retained for a longer duration. For example, a visit to a local vegetable market can introduce children to various types of fruits and vegetables and children can retain their names and usages easily. 

Nonetheless, on the other hand sometimes children can take field-trips more as a recreational activity rather than an innovative learning experience.  This can defeat the very purpose of such trips, and therefore some parents are sceptical about such activities in school. However, strictly monitored, well-guided and well-planned trips at such places can definitely offer a lot more advantages to the learning outcome.

To recapitulate, I avow, although field trips from schools can be sometimes be taken solely as fun activity, such activities can offer a lot more to learn in a practical and easier way with proper planning and guidance. Therefore, school authorities should encourage children to visit local businesses or public buildings in order to make education a more creative and interesting activity. (335 words)

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