Opinion essays

General characteristics
An opinion essay is an essay in which you have to
present your personal opinion on a particular
topic. In such an essay, you must state your opinion
clearly and support it with appropriate reasons and
examples. Your arguments must be really good ones.
This is the type of essay you are supposed to present at
the graduation exam, for the second type of subject.
Dont forget that the content of the essay must be as
important as the form of the essay ( you must have an
introduction, a main body and a conclusion).
Paragraph plan
Paragraph 1: THE
INTRODUCTION - this is the first
paragraph of your essay, in which you are supposed to
introduce the subject and to state your opinion clearly.
To state your opinion, these are the language
structures you may use:
I believe/feel/think that From my point of viewTo my
mind/way of thinkingAs far as I am concernedIn my
opinion/viewI am totally againstI completely disagree
withI dont agree with..It seems/appears to me thatI
(completely) agree with/that...
Paragraphs 2, 3, 4 - THE MAIN BODY
In the following paragraphs, you have to sustain your opinion
with more than one argument. Each paragraph should present
a different point of view, supported by reasons and examples.
In the last paragraph, paragraph 4, you should present the
opposing opinion, supported with arguments and examples.
For arranging your ideas and arguments, you may use the
following language structures:

First of all/Firstly/To begin with

Second of all/Secondly,
Moreover/ What is more/ Furthermore,
And last but not least/Finally,...
On the other hand/ Nevertheless/However,
Paragraph 5 - THE ENDING OR THE CONCLUSION
This is the last paragraph of your essay and this is where you
should restate your opinion, using different words.
To do this, you may use the following language structures:
In conclusion,
To conclude with,
Briefly,
On the whole,...
OTHER TIPS FOR WRITING AN OPINION ESSAY
dont forget to plan carefully; when planning you may find
useful questions such as: What is your opinion on the
topic? What is your first/second argument? Do you have
an example for this argument? What is the opposing point
of view? How will you restate your opinion?
to introduce examples, you may use language structures
like: for example, for instance, to illustrate this, etc.
try to use formal language, not slang or colloquial;
you can use rhetorical questions to make it more
interesting but be careful not to be informal
try to avoid contractions (use the long forms: is not, have
not, could not etc.)
Level B2
SAMPLE 1: Write an essay stating your opinion on the
importance of sport.
NOTE: Do not write a number at the beginning of your
paragraph in the exam!!!

(P1) The ancient Greeks always thought that a healthy mind in a healthy
body is the key to a well-balanced life. Nowadays, many schools are
decreasing the amount of time given to sports and Physical Education and

some schools are removing it altogether. Although academic subjects are

certainly a very important part of the school curriculum, I am against the
complete removal of sports and Physical Education classes.
(P2) First of all, schools have a responsibility to educate children in all
areas. For that reason, it is just as important to provide Physical
Education training for the professional sportsmen as it is to provide
academic training to those who will go to university.
(P3 ) In addition, students these days spend long hours studying or
working at their computers. Therefore, they need the opportunity to do
some physical activity during the school day.
(P4) On the other hand, some people believe that the purpose of
schools is to develop skills that the students will use in their future jobs.
Consequently, schools have little time to devote to less important
subjects as Physical Education.
(P5) In conclusion, I strongly believe that sports and Physical Education
should remain a key part of the school curriculum. All students have the
right to a balanced education and this means the opportunity to learn
how to play sports.

Sample 2- Task: Some people claim that too much

money is spent on fashion. What do you think? Write an
essay, giving your opinion on the topic.
Every season, the great fashion houses of Europe and America present
their new collections in the hope of persuading people to renew their
wardrobes by purchasing the latest designs. In my opinion, one does not
have to be a slave to fashion to look smart.
To start with, following the latest trends in fashion can be extremely
expensive. This is especially true for those who buy costly designer
clothing. There is also the risk of getting into debt in order to keep up
with the latest fashions.
In addition to this, followers of fashion often give up their individuality
for the sake of fashion. They choose clothes which suit neither their
figures, nor their personalities. This is unfortunate, as the way we dress
should reflect who we really are.
On the other hand, some people argue that it is necessary to dress
fashionably in order to create the correct image for their careers. This is
particularly true of those who work with the public, as they reflect the
image of their company. This does not mean that the latest fashions are
the most appropriate, however. Simple but well-made clothes are almost
always the best choice for business wear.

To conclude, I strongly believe that it is advisable to dress with style by

choosing good quality clothes which suit you as an individual and have
lasting elegance. As the famous designer put it, Fashion is made to
become unfashionable. So instead of changing your wardrobe constantly,
isn`t it better to build up a collection of clothes which you can always
wear?
(Successful
Evans, B2)

writing,

Virginia

Level C1, C2 ( Advanced, Proficient)

Task. The mass media have an adverse effect on moral standards. Do you
agree or disagree?
Model A- obviously the good one
Newspapers, in one form or another, have been in existence for centuries,
their purpose being to spread news. Public radio and television services,
on the other hand, have only been available in the UK, for example, since
1922 and 1932 respectively and were introduced with the intention of
informing, educating and entertaining. While radio seems to have largely
maintained its standards, newspapers and TV have, in my opinion totally
abused their position of power, resulting in a serious decline in moral
standards.
Perhaps the most serious offender is television, as today broadcasters
seem to have completely abandoned the issue of ethics. This is more than
apparent in the films and programmes which are intended to entertain, as
they bombard the viewer with explicit language, abundant in violence.
Similarly, the news informs us using devastating images of grief,
desperation and death. It is often felt that by exposing the public to such
graphic depictions, television producers have contributed to our
becoming immune to shocking behaviour and events, which, in the past,
we would have been upset or offended by.
Furthermore, newspapers, especially the tabloids, have come to depend
on overly-explicit articles and pictures in order to guarantee sales. It is
commonplace nowadays to see, for instance, photographs of celebrities`
most private moments or horrific scenes of death occupying the front
pages of daily publications. The fact that these images are intended to
sell newspapers, and manage to do so, displays the craving for
sensationalism which exists within society today.
In contrast, it must be admitted that the mass media have a lot to offer
in the way of information and entertainment. The news and
documentaries can be very informative, as long as the material is handled

in a responsible manner. The problem is that, because people are willing

victims of the media`s irresponsibility, the media continue to produce
material which is unacceptable by all moral standards.
To conclude, it is clear that the public have a right to know and that
producers should be allowed a certain degree of artistic licence, but
should we not draw the line somewhere before we lose sight of our
principles altogether?
Model B- terrible answer - so try to do better than this!!!- for a number of reasons:

informal style
the introductory paragraph fails to state the topic clearly

unclear/irrelevant topic sentences

personal examples which, here, count as irrelevant information

blind use of statistics

over-generalisation

sentences which are too short

unclear conclusion

I definitely agree with the statement, and there are many reasons why.
The media include newspapers, magazines, radio and television. All of
these play an important role in society because they give us information
and entertainment, and of course everybody is interested in them, so that
makes them popular.
Every single day on the news, however, you can see horrible, bloody
scenes with people screaming and crying. Perhaps there`s been a bomb
or other disaster. We can see the injured people, and blood and of course
it`s all real. I find this extremely appalling and disgusting. Of course,
television is interesting sometimes, especially documentaries and other
real-life programmes. I also like comedies and cartoons, but nobody likes
being shocked or horrified.
In my opinion, there are numerous examples. My little brother was
watching a horror film one evening, and when he went to bed he had
terrible nightmares. And there have been cases of children trying to do

things their superheroes do, such as jumping off buildings. According to

statistics, at least half of the young children have had such problems,
which is pretty shocking.
A lot of stars have problems too. Reporters and photographers hound
them everywhere and they never have any peace. But then, everything in
life has its price. This of course is bad for moral standards because we
shouldn`t know about these people`s private lives. I think it should be
kept under control.
But the worst thing is when they show a private tragedy on TV for
everyone to watch. I think this is terrible, and should be stopped.
(Successful writing, Virginia Evans, C2)