Panayiota Michael
Thematic Unit: 6 – Wellbeing (Life Intermediate)
Discursive Essay 2: Opinion Essay
Opinion essays are discursive essays in which you present your personal opinion on a
particular topic. Your opinion must be stated clearly and supported by justifications. You
should also present the opposing viewpoint(s) in a separate paragraph.
An opinion essay should consist of:
An Introduction: In this paragraph you introduce the subject and state your
opinion clearly. paragraph 1
Main Body: The main body consists of two or more paragraphs each presenting a
separate viewpoint supported by reasons or examples and another paragraph
giving the opposing viewpoint supported by reasons / examples. Therefore the
main body usually looks as follows:
First viewpoint and reasons / examples paragraph 2
Second viewpoint and reasons / examples paragraph 3
Opposing viewpoint and reasons / examples paragraph 4
Note: The number of paragraphs in the main body depends on the number
of viewpoints included.
Conclusion: Restate your opinion using different words.
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Notes:
You normally use present tenses in this type of writing, and phrases such as
I believe, In my opinion, I think, It seems to me that, I strongly disagree with, etc to
express your opinion. You should list your viewpoints with Firstly, Furthermore,
Moreover, etc. and introduce the opposing viewpoint using However, On the other
hand, etc.
Opinion essays are normally written in a formal style, therefore you should avoid
using colloquial expressions, short forms or personal examples. You can find this
type of writing in the form of an article in newspapers, magazines, etc.
From theory to practice:
Panayiota Michael
Study the following topic and follow the steps indicated to construct your essay.
Topic: “should more people give up meat and become vegetarians?”
Step 1: Use one of the following techniques to start your essay.
Techniques to start
To make our essay more interesting to the reader, we can use these techniques:
Address the reader directly:
Have you ever thought how your life would be without television for a while?
Ask a rhetorical question:
Are smartphones really as useful as we think?
Use a quotation: As Godfrey Reggio said, “It’s not that we use technology – we live technology.
Make a general statement about the topic.
Around the world, a huge number of students have access to the Internet which is considered to be a
useful tool nowadays. However….
Write your own version below based on the topic given above:
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Example: Have you ever wondered how important your diet is for
your health? For this, reason nowadays we are often told what we
should or should not eat.
Step 2: Decide whether you agree or disagree with the statement and use
appropriate words and phrases to introduce your opinion.
Panayiota Michael
Useful expressions for giving opinions
I believe / think / feel (that)……. / As far as I am concerned, ….
I strongly believe…. I (completely) agree that / with
In my opinion / view ……. ….
The way I see it… I (strongly) disagree that /
It seems / appears to me that …….. with….
To my mind … I am totally against…..
I (do not) agree that / with…… I couldn’t agree more that /
My opinion is that…. with….
I couldn’t disagree more that /
with….
Write your opinion below:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
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Example: However, I personally believe that we should not give up meat and
become vegetarians for various reasons. / we should give up meat and become
vegetarians for various reasons.
Have you ever wondered how important your diet is for your health?
For this reason, nowadays we are often told what we should or should
not eat. However, I personally believe that we should (not) give up meat and
become vegetarians for various reasons. (full version of the introduction)
Further practice: Read the extracts below and say which are beginnings and
which are endings. Which writing techniques have been used in each?
A. addressing the reader directly
B. asking a rhetorical question
C. Using direct speech / a quotation
1. ……. Every day we hear of more and more violence at sports events because fans
become enraged when their team loses. Don’t you think that the most effective
way to control such incidents would be to teach people how to handle defeat?
2. ……… To sum up, competition has a negative effect on children, as the only thing
that really matters is winning. Imagine how you would feel if you were always
expected to be the best.
Panayiota Michael
3. …….. In conclusion, I strongly believe that taking part in sports is more important
than victory itself. After all, as our coach always says, winning is just “the icing on
the cake.”
4. …….. Has the importance placed on winning increased in recent years? For many
people, this seems to be the main aim of the sport. However, I believe that simply
taking part is far more important than winning.
Step 3: Decide what your arguments are and write them down. Then think of a
possible explanation or example to support each one of your arguments.
Practice exercise: Read the viewpoints (1-5) and match them to the reasons (A-E),
as in the example.
1. Eating meat is bad for you. /…. 4. meat is an essential part of
our diet; we cannot do without
it./ ……
2. There are many healthy and 5. Vegetarian food is often
boring and tasteless./…..
tasty alternatives
available./….
3. Eating meat is cruel to
animals./ …..
A. Soya beans and lentils
are delicious and are
good sources of protein.
D. Animals are kept in
terrible conditions just
so they can be killed
and eaten.
B. It has been linked to heart
disease and even cancer.
C. Meat provides us with the
protein and vitamins that
we need.
E. There aren’t many vegetarian dishes
that actually taste nice.
Panayiota Michael
Step 4: Decide which viewpoints support your opinion and which ones support
the opposing point of view and use them accordingly to write the main body of
your essay following the plan below. The introduction is already there for you. Use
appropriate linking words and phrases from the table below to introduce your
viewpoints and examples.
1. To list points: In the first place, firstly, to begin with, for one thing
2. To add more points: Moreover, apart from this, in addition, furthermore,
also, firstly, secondly, lastly
3. To introduce opposing viewpoints: Although, on the other hand, however, nonetheless
4. To introduce examples / reasons: For example, such as, therefore, in other words,
since, in particular, for instance, because, while
5. To conclude: To sum up, all things considered, to conclude,
taking everything into account
Have you ever wondered how important your diet is for your
health? For this reason, we are often told what we should or
should not eat. However, I personally believe that we should
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To begin with, ……………………………………………………………………………
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In addition,………………………………………………………………………………….
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Panayiota Michael
On the other hand, there are those who oppose. …………………..….
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All things considered, …………………………………………………………………
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Panayiota Michael
Further practice and consolidation:
You have had a class discussion about the following statement:
Fast food is a good alternative to cooking for yourself.
Now your teacher has asked you to write an essay expressing your opinion and
giving reasons for your point of view.
Step 1: Understanding the topic
1. What does the statement in the rubric mean?
A. Fast food is cheap, delicious and good for you.
B. Fast food is a good solution for those who have no time to cook.
C. Cooking is easier than ordering takeaway.
2. Which points must you include in the essay?
A. your opinion B. your friends opinion C. reasons to justify your point of view.
3. Which style is not appropriate for this essay? Circle. Formal or informal ?
Step 2: Decide whether you agree or not and write an appropriate introduction.
Step 3: Write your viewpoints and reasons to support your opinion in note form.
Viewpoints Reasons / Examples
1.
2.
3.
Step 4: Write viewpoints and examples to present the opposing viewpoint.
Viewpoints Reasons / Examples
1.
2.
3.
Panayiota Michael
Step 5: Now, use your notes from above, the outline discussed and appropriate
linking words to write your essay.
“Fast food is a good alternative to cooking for yourself”
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Panayiota Michael
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Panayiota Michael
