Some people think it’s better to choose friends who always have the same opinions as them. Other people believe it’s good to have friends who sometimes disagree with them. Discuss both these views and give own your opinion.
Sample Response
Friends are important people in our life and our friendship often defines what type of person we are. When it comes to choosing companions, some believe our friends should always agree with us, while others prefer to have companions who sometimes differ on important issues. This essay aims to explore both perspectives and argue that it is better to have friends who sometimes oppose our views.
Those who think that we should select friends who always agree with us believe that similar-minded people become better friends and can avoid conflicts. We all have our own opinions, and no matter how progressive we think we are when someone opposes our views - be it as important as political, cultural or religious, or as simple as a holiday destination or a cinema to watch - we tend to start disliking this person. This is why having people who share the same interests, opinions, views and belief systems as our friends not only makes our life more enjoyable but also helps us avoid altercations and serious arguments. For instance, from my experience, I can say that most people like to spend more time with people who agree with their views and opinions and avoid those who have contrasting opinions.
On the contrary, those who advocate for having friends with sometimes contrasting opinions believe it helps us look at matters from a different perspective. For instance, when one of my uncles chose to migrate to Latvia a few years ago, one of his friends opposed his idea and persuaded him to go to Canada instead. After a few years, the latter idea was proven to be a far better choice. Moreover, when friends express different views on important issues, we tend to hear their arguments and look at things from a different perspective. This helps us grow as a person and opens new windows of options that we can consider carefully for ourselves. In my opinion, having friends who sometimes give bold and honest views that may contradict our opinions, are a far better choice than having pals who always agree with us.
In conclusion, friends are important in our life and have a great influence on the way think and behave. Therefore, we should choose them carefully considering what types of friends would be more helpful for us and whose companionship we would enjoy. Personally, I think that we should select friends who sometimes have contrasting views than ours as it benefits us profoundly.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use the plural noun Original: life Suggested revision: lives Why it matters: The plural possessive subject “our” refers to the individual lives of multiple people.
- 2. Remove faulty attachment Original: as our friends Suggested revision: Delete Why it matters: Deleting this phrase allows the gerund clause beginning with “having people” to function as the subject of “makes.”
- 3. Use an accurate transition Original: On the contrary Suggested revision: In contrast Why it matters: The paragraph presents the opposing view rather than directly denying the preceding statement.
- 4. Fix modifier placement Original: friends with sometimes contrasting opinions Suggested revision: friends who sometimes hold contrasting opinions Why it matters: The relative clause places the frequency adverb naturally and states who holds the opinions.
- 5. Use active phrasing Original: was proven to be a far better choice Suggested revision: proved to be a far better choice Why it matters: The intransitive form “proved to be” naturally expresses that the option turned out better.
- 6. Match the plural pronoun Original: grow as a person Suggested revision: grow as people Why it matters: The complement should agree in number with the plural subject “we.”
- 7. Correct the expression Original: opens new windows of options Suggested revision: opens up new options Why it matters: The original blends two expressions, while “opens up new options” is clear and idiomatic.
- 8. Agree with gerund subject Original: are Suggested revision: is Why it matters: The gerund phrase “having friends” functions as a singular subject and requires “is.”
- 9. Add the clause subject Original: the way think and behave Suggested revision: the way we think and behave Why it matters: The verbs “think” and “behave” need the explicit subject “we.”
- 10. Correct the comparison Original: contrasting views than ours Suggested revision: views that contrast with ours Why it matters: The verb “contrast” takes “with,” while “than” does not fit this structure.
- 11. Use concise phrasing Original: our friendship often defines what type of person we are Suggested revision: our friendships often shape who we become Why it matters: The revision expresses the influence of friendship more naturally and concisely.
- 12. Clarify the relationship Original: become better friends Suggested revision: form stronger friendships Why it matters: The revision describes the quality of the relationship more precisely.
Suggested Rewrites
- life lives
- as our friends Delete
- On the contrary In contrast
- friends with sometimes contrasting opinions friends who sometimes hold contrasting opinions
- was proven to be a far better choice proved to be a far better choice
- grow as a person grow as people
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response addresses both perspectives clearly, maintains a consistent preference for constructive disagreement, and develops each side with relevant explanation and examples. Its principal limitation is occasional imprecision in wording and grammar, including awkward comparisons and agreement errors, while some supporting claims could be examined more critically. The priority is to refine collocations and sentence control so the otherwise strong argument is expressed with greater naturalness and accuracy.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both views are fully addressed, the writer's opinion is clear throughout, and the main ideas are relevant and well extended.
Deepen the analysis by qualifying the claim that agreement prevents conflict and distinguishing healthy disagreement from incompatibility.
Coherence and Cohesion
The essay progresses logically through a clear introduction, balanced body paragraphs, and a consistent conclusion, with well-managed cohesion.
Reduce reliance on overt signposting such as repeated example markers where the logical relationship is already clear.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and generally effective, although several collocations and comparisons are awkward or imprecise.
Replace expressions such as opens new windows of options and contrasting views than ours with more natural formulations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences are frequent and usually accurate, but occasional agreement, omission, and comparative-form errors remain noticeable.
Proofread specifically for subject-verb agreement, missing pronouns, and the correct forms used after comparative adjectives.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people think it’s better to choose friends who always have the same opinions as them. Other people believe it’s good to have friends who sometimes disagree with them. Discuss both these views and give own your opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.