Types of essay

 Agree/disagree
 Discuss two opinions
 Advantages and disadvantages
 Causes and solutions
 Causes and effects
 Opinion essay

1. Agree/disagree
- Introduction where you state whether you agree or disagree
- Main body: paragraph 1 – give the opposite opinion; paragraphs 2, 3 – in support of
your opinion OR all 3 paragraphs in favour of your view
- Conclusion, where you say your opinion again, in other words
2. Discuss 2 opinions (may be also asked to give your opinion)
- Introduction (say what the problem is, say that in the essay you’ll discuss both sides)
- Main body: for example, paragraph 1 – “against”; paragraph 2 – “for”, whichever
paragraph agrees with your opinion, make it last.
- Conclusion: mention both views + your opinion
3. Advantages and disadvantages (you aren’t asked about your opinion, so just look at the
both sides of the issue)
- Introduction (say what the problem is, say that benefits and drawback will be
discussed)
- Main body: for example, paragraph 1 – advantages; paragraph 2 – disadvantages
- Conclusion: say again that there are both sides
4. Causes and solutions
- Introduction (general statement + say that this essay is about reasons and solutions)
- Main body: for example, paragraph 1 – causes/reasons; paragraph 2 – solutions
(always write about the results of proposed solutions)
- Conclusion: say again that there are factors which lead to the situation in question,
but there are ways to change it)
5. Causes and effects
- Introduction (state the topic and issues that will be addressed, mention the type of
the essay)
- Main body: for example, paragraph 1 – causes; paragraph 2 – effects
- Conclusion: say the introduction in different words
6. Opinion essay (usually two questions are asked, write your answer to each question. DO
NOT agree / disagree)
- Introduction (state the topic, state your opinion)
- Main body: for example, paragraph 1 – answer question 1; paragraph 2 – answer
question 2
- Conclusion: restate your ideas
 Useful phrases

For beginning
 This essay will discuss the reasons for this (situation) and provide possible solutions
 This essay will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of this measure
 This essay will discuss some reasons why this has occurred and examine the consequences of this
worrying trend
 This essay will discuss both sides of view
 Issues related to … are frequently discussed these days, particularly in the media
 In my opinion, the potential dangers of this are greater than the benefits we receive
 …discuss ways to mitigate the potential negative effects
 Although there are arguments on both sides, I strongly agree that…
 Some people think/feel that …, yet/while others believe/claim/argue that

For main body

 To begin, …
 Nevertheless, …
 However, it can be argued that
 It is certainly true to say that
 There are several reasons why …
 On one hand/on the other hand, there is a strong argument for…
 First and foremost, …
 The main cause of the problem is …
 In terms of solutions, I believe …
 The effects of this have been and will continue to be very serious
 For good reasons, many people view this as a worrying development
 As a consequence, …
 From this evidence, it is clear that …
 There is no doubt in my mind that this has had (negative) impact on ..
 Nevertheless, there are potential ways to solve these problems or, at least, reduce the
effects
 Argument in favour of..
 With regards to the positive effects
 Another (dis)advantage related to this is..
 A good idea is to…
 I think the most obvious solution /answer is to…
 As a result, …
 This would lead to…
 Initially, this may be a problem, but the changes will result in …
For conclusion
 To sum up, ../overall / to conclude
 It is evident that there are several causes of …and a variety of (negative effects/ways to
tackle the problem)
 Although there are clear benefits, I believe …
 I am of the opinion that…
 On balance, ..
 There is no reason why +negative clause (e.g There is no reason why local businesses
cannot be successful)