IELTS Contact Form (Change Ticket Requester)

16 Feb, 11:09 GMT
Type of message:	More Information
Select the IELTS organisation that you would like to send your enquiry to:	Cambridge Assessment English

Are you a:	Teacher
Name:	Ebrahim Tahassoni

Your enquiry:	I would like to know whether a candidate will lose marks if, in a "how far do you agree or disagree" question in writing task 2, they state that they, say, agree with the opinion given in the rubric and then present 2-3 reasons why they agree, without "refuting" the "disagree" argument afterwards.

There is a debate over this issue, with some teachers and writers arguing that one should address both sides even if the question only asks if one agrees/disagrees and is not a "discuss both views" task.

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Sarah Dadd (IELTS)

19 Feb, 16:06 GMT
Hello Ebrahim,

Thanks for getting in touch about this. 

I am now reviewing your query, and I will be sure to get back to you as soon as I have further information to pass on. 

With kind regards,
Sarah Dadd | Helpdesk Analyst

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Sarah Dadd (IELTS)
20 Feb, 09:39 GMT
Hi Ebrahim,

Further to my last email, I now have an update for you on this.

In Academic Writing Task 2 it is important to answer the question fully. If the question is ‘how far do you agree or disagree’, the question is asking how much you agree/ disagree, and to justify your position. To simply say ‘I agree’, does not address the ‘how far’ part of the question, and to ignore why you might disagree does not justify your position.

If you look at the task response column in the Writing band descriptors, https://www.ielts.org/-/media/pdfs/writing-band-descriptors-task-2.ashx, you will see that one of the descriptors in each band is about how fully the question is answered.

I hope this helps, but please let me know if you have any further questions.

Kind regards,
Sarah Dadd | Helpdesk Analyst