Discussion essay Here’s what we’ll be covering

2) Main body paragraph 1

• 
  Topic sentence – outline the view you don’t agree with
  
• 
  Explanation – explain why this view is held by some people
  
• 
  Example – give an example
  

3) Main body paragraph 2

• 
  Topic sentence – outline the view you do agree with
  
• 
  Explanation – explain why this view is held by some people
  
• 
  Example – give an example
  

4) Conclusion

• 
  Summarise the key points and state your opinion
  

This structure will give us a well-balanced essay with 4 paragraphs.
We now need some ideas to add into the structure and we’ll have everything we need for our essay.

How To Plan IELTS Discussion Essays

# 1 Analyse the question

This is an essential step in the planning process and will ensure that you answer the question fully. It’s quick and easy to do. You just need to identify 3 different types of words:
1. Topic words
2. Other keywords
3. Instruction words

We’ve already considered the instruction words (the actual question) so we’ll focus on the first two.

Topics words are the ones that identify the general subject of the question.
Some people think that zoos are cruel and should be closed down. Others, however, believe that zoos can be useful in protecting wild animals.
So, this question is about ‘zoos’.
Many people do this first step of the process and then write about the topic in general. This is a serious mistake and leads to low marks for task achievement.
What we need to do now that we know the general topic, is to understand exactly what aspect of zoos we're being asked to write about.

The other keywords in the question tell you the specific topic you must write about. They define the opinions stated in the statement.