How to Express Disagreement or Partial Agreement in Agree/Disagree Questions

One common type of question in IELTS Writing Task 2 is the agree/disagree question, where you are asked to state whether you agree or disagree with a given statement or opinion. While expressing agreement is relatively straightforward, many students struggle to clearly convey disagreement or partial agreement.

This lack of clarity in expressing disagreement or partial agreement can have a negative impact on their band score. In this article, we will guide you on how to effectively express disagreement or partial agreement without compromising your potential for a higher band score.

Common Errors in Disagreeing or Partially Agreeing

In IELTS Writing Task 2, you will encounter questions such as the following:

b. Many children these days have an unhealthy lifestyle. Both schools and parents are equally responsible for solving this problem.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

For such questions, it is crucial to clearly indicate whether you agree or disagree with the given statement. Your opinion should be expressed using the right words.

For example, for question ‘b’ mentioned above, here are two different sample answers:

1. In my opinion, parents are more responsible for influencing a child’s lifestyle as they spend most time with them.

2. I disagree with this statement but also feel that parents and schools are both responsible for changing the unhealthy lifestyles of their children.

Which statement do you think clearly expresses disagreement?

The first statement clearly expresses disagreement, while the second statement is confusing and ambiguous in conveying disagreement. If your answer contains many such sentences, your band score will be significantly affected.

To make your response to an agree/disagree question clear and complete, it is important to choose your words wisely. Let’s learn some vocabulary that can help you achieve that.

Vocabulary for Disagreeing and Partial Agreement

A. For Disagreeing

1. I disagree.

Example question:

Currently, there is a trend towards the use of alternative forms of medicine. The best side effect of this could be ineffectiveness, but the worst could be life-threatening.

To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Answer:

Alternative medicine is not new. It is accepted that it predates conventional medicine and is still used by many people all over the world. I disagree that it is dangerous and feel that both alternative and conventional medicine can be useful.

2. I don’t agree.

Example question:

With the development of its own technology by a country, its traditional skills and ways of life die out. Some say that it is anyway pointless to try and keep them alive. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Answer:

I don’t agree that the country itself is solely responsible for the dying out of traditional skills and ways of life. There are other factors involved too. At the top of the list would be the need of the hour and the fact that one needs to adapt to changing times.

3. This is in complete contradiction to…

Example question:

Some people believe that exams are an inappropriate way of measuring students’ performance and should be replaced by continuous assessment. Do you agree or disagree with this view?

Answer:

Though this is in complete contradiction to the way our minds have been conditioned to look at examinations, it is high time that we change the way we measure students’ performance.

4. That’s not necessary/It’s not necessary.

Example question:

Music is one of the most important art forms. What is its significance in the world today? Do you believe that more modern forms of music have superseded the more traditional forms of music?

Answer:

It’s not necessary that the only reason for the decline of traditional forms of music is the rise of modern music. Other factors such as lack of exposure or inadequate awareness among people are also responsible.

B. For Partial Agreement

1. I agree up to a point, but…

Example question:

Some people argue that the amount of violence shown in films and on television has led to an increase in violent crimes in society. Do you agree with this argument? Should the government control what is shown on television and in the cinema?

Answer:

I agree up to a point that films and television have an impact on the mindset of people, especially children and young adults. However, we must not forget that the adults surrounding these individuals are equally responsible for monitoring the kind of media their children are exposed to.

2. That’s partly true, but…

Example question:

Nowadays, many jobs are more stressful and the working day is longer. What are the reasons for this? What can employers do to help employees?

Answer:

It is partly true that the working day has become longer due to increased workload and the stress of meeting deadlines. However, this is also a result of growing competition. Employees have become more replaceable due to the availability of skilled labour in the market. Therefore, in the absence of job security, individuals have to strive for excellence in terms of both quality and quantity.

3. That’s not always true.

Example question:

The education a child receives at home from having parents who are positive role models is more important than the academic education a child receives at school. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Answer:

While there is ample evidence to support this claim, it doesn’t always hold true. Numerous children who receive homeschooling become highly successful adults later in life.

Vocabulary Exercise:

Objective: Practice using appropriate phrases to agree/disagree

Directions: Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with the appropriate vocabulary for agreeing or disagreeing given in the box.

I don’t agree that’s only partly true I completely disagree I agree that’s not always true

1. It is often argued that it is more advantageous to choose a high-paying job, even if it doesn’t appeal to you at all. ________ with this opinion and think that job satisfaction is much more important than salary.

2. Although ________ that it is important to spend money on public services, ________ that spending on the arts is a waste of money.

3. Many college-going students prefer spending time with their friends outside rather than attending lectures. Though _________, research does show that more and more students are opting out of attending college lectures altogether.

4. With the increase in vehicle sales, the number of accidents happening every day has also increased. Some may say that __________, there is enough evidence to prove otherwise.

B. Objective: Practice disagreeing with statements or arguments

Directions: Use the phrases learned for disagreeing to respond to the following statements.

1. Credit cards are more harmful than debit cards.

2. Online piracy of music and movies is bad for the creative industry.

3. Video games containing violence are appropriate for children.

4. Advertising is a waste of resources.

C. Objective: Practice agreeing partially with statements or arguments

Directions: Use the phrases learned for partial agreement to partly agree with the following statements.

1. Jobs should be subcontracted to developing countries.

2. It is appropriate for adolescents to be sentenced to life without parole.

3. MNCs are superior to domestic firms.

Answer Key:

A.

1. I completely disagree.

2. I agree, I don’t agree.

3. That’s not always true.

4. That’s only partly true.

B.

1. Answer will vary.

2. Answer will vary.

3. Answer will vary.

4. Answer will vary.

C.

1. Answer will vary.

2. Answer will vary.

3. Answer will vary.