🍒 IELTS Writing: Both views essays - can you agree with both opinions? 🍒

When it comes to essays with this instruction "Discuss both this views and give your own opinion," my strong recommendation is to simply side with one of the given views. But a student asked me recently, "What to do if both positions are sensible and provide a good point of view? Why can't I agree with both of them if I consider them mutually effective?"

There is a lot to unpack here.

First, in all IELTS essay topics, both positions are always sensible - if one position was clearly better than the other, there would be no point in asking.

Second, both positions can be mutually effective, but they can also be mutually exclusive. Let's take a look at some examples.

1️⃣ "Some people believe that professionals, such as doctors and engineers, should be required to work in the country where they did their training. Others believe they should be free to work in another country if they wish. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion."

People cannot be required to work and free to work at the same time. How can you agree with both these views? This doesn't make sense. The position is not clear.

2️⃣ "Some people say that the best way to teach children to behave well is to punish them. Others argue that rewarding and praising children is a better way to teach them the difference between right and wrong. Discuss both views and give your own opinion."

Two behavior modification techniques cannot be the best and better at the same time. They can co-exist and be effective, but they cannot both be the best.

3️⃣ "Some people believe that it is the responsibility of individuals to take care of their own health and diet. Others, however, believe that governments should make sure that their citizens have a healthy diet. Discuss both views and give your opinion."

Can an individual and the government take care of the individual's health at the same time? Yes, this makes sense.

The overall answer to all the "can I do this, can I do that" questions is: You can do anything you want in IELTS essays as long as you address the prompt appropriately, express the position clearly, explore the topic in depth and develop ideas fully.