The use of “I” in writing is widely discouraged and considered a well-known rule. A simple Google search yields almost 200 million results emphasizing this point.

Recently, an IELTS teacher shared an “8.0” essay that contained the following sentence:

“Personally, I believe education and job training are the best methods that can be used to help criminals become better citizens.”

However, in academic and formal writing, such use of “I” is not recommended, and if you include it in your graduate essay, your instructor will likely ask you to rewrite it.

The primary reasons for avoiding the use of “I” are as follows:

1. It is redundant.

By introducing a topic marker like “Personally” or “From my perspective,” you have already made your opinion clear. Repeatedly saying “I think” or “I believe” is unnecessary and makes your writing wordy. In academic writing, being concise and using fewer words is preferred.

2. It weakens your argument.

In academic writing, it’s crucial to distinguish between “fact” (what is universally true) and “opinion” (subjective to the writer’s experience and perspective). When you add “I believe” to a factual statement, it turns it into your personal opinion, making it potentially disputable. This weakens the strength of your argument, and others may disagree with your viewpoint.

So, when can you use “I”?

In Task 1 essays or cause + effect/solution Task 2 essays, where you are not asked to provide your opinion, you should avoid using “I.” However, even in opinion essays, you don’t need to use “I” all the time.

Using phrases like “From my perspective” or “In my opinion” is sufficient. For instance, Simon, a renowned IELTS examiner, wrote the following example:

“It is true that some parents are overly permissive and tend to spoil their children. In my opinion, this is not a good parenting style, and it can have a range of negative long-term consequences.”

Another approach is to present your opinion by countering opposing ideas, as shown in the following example by Mat Clark, another famous examiner:

“Some people are concerned that the upsurge in arrivals will promote local hostility against visitors, instead of promoting their understanding of mutual cultural backgrounds. This notion can be rejected, as many facts support the positive development of cultural exchange between countries.”