IELTS Discuss Both Views Essay: Lesson 13

Goal: they can see the four paragraphs of the essay, and they can say what body 1 and body 2 each have to do.

1. Write this question on the board and leave it there for the first hour:
   Some people think working from home is good for workers, while others think it is better to work in an office. Discuss both views.
   Ask the room for one good thing about working from home and one good thing about the office, out loud. Take three or four of each. 4 min
2. Two views, not one. Underline the two halves of the sentence in different colours: working from home and working in an office. Say it plainly: an essay that argues hard for one and barely mentions the other has not discussed both views, however good the English is. 3 min
   A confusion to head off now: "To what extent do you agree?" is the opinion essay from an earlier lesson, not this one, it only gives you one claim to react to. This essay always gives you two named views to discuss.
3. Draw the pattern board. Leave it up all lesson. 3 min
4. Send them to Worksheet 1. Read the model essay aloud once while they follow it on the screen, then they tap the two answers on their own. 10 min

INTRODUCTION   1  the topic in your own words
               2  both views exist, no position

BODY 1   view 1, developed, even if it is not mine
BODY 2   view 2, developed the same way

CONCLUSION     both views again, a balanced summary, no position

Goal: they can tell a fairly developed view from a straw man, and they can write one sentence naming a view plus two sentences explaining it, for a view that is not necessarily their own.

1. The fairness test. Put it on the board: would a person who actually holds this view accept your paragraph as a fair summary of their reasoning? Read out a one-line dismissal of the home-working side and ask the room whether it passes:
   People who work from home just want to stay in bed longer.
   It does not. 4 min
2. Name it, then explain it. Go to paragraph B of the model and cut it up on the board: one sentence naming the view, two that say why it holds. 5 min

   Move	Sentence from paragraph B
   Name the view	Those in favour of working from home point first to the time and money it saves.
   Explain it	An employee who does not commute gains one or two hours every day and spends nothing on transport, and that time is often returned to the company as extra work.
   Explain it further	Many people also concentrate better away from the interruptions of a busy open-plan office.

   Point out: nothing in that paragraph says "I agree." It could have been written by someone who intends to argue the opposite case next. That is what makes it fair.
3. Give the phrases for stating a view and explaining it without dismissing it. 3 min

   To do this	Say
   State a view fairly	Those in favour argue that ... · Many people believe that ... · One common view is that ... · People who think [X] often argue that ...
   Explain it, not dismiss it	This is largely because ... · The reasoning behind this is that ... · ..., which means that ...
   Signal that view 2 is coming	However, not everyone sees it this way. · However, others see it rather differently.

   That third row closes body 1, it does not open body 2. It admits a second view exists without developing it. Save the developed view 2 for its own paragraph, in Stage 3.
4. Worksheet 2, part A. They write view 1: name it, then explain it in two sentences, for the question on the board. Eight minutes, called at four. 8 min

NAME THE VIEW     Those in favour argue that ...
                  Many people believe that ...

EXPLAIN IT        two sentences, a real example if you can

THE FAIRNESS TEST would a person who holds this view accept
                  your paragraph as a fair summary of it?

Goal: view 2 gets the same developed treatment as view 1. This stage is purely about balance.

1. Show the shortfall. Read paragraph B of the model again, then read this out as if it were paragraph C:
   Some people prefer the office instead.
   Ask one question and wait: has view 2 had the same treatment view 1 had? Let them find that it has not, it is one thin clause with nothing behind it. 4 min
   Do not skip the wait. The sentence sounds efficient, and that is exactly the trap. Students reach for it because it feels finished. They have to hear view 2 arrive underweight before the rule means anything.
2. Now read the real paragraph C. Show the two moves inside it on the board: name the view, then explain it to the same standard as view 1. 5 min

   Move	Sentence from paragraph C
   View 2, named	Advocates of office work argue instead that some things only happen when people share a room.
   View 2, explained	A quick question answered across a desk can save an afternoon of messages, and new employees learn an organisation's habits by watching colleagues rather than by reading instructions.

   The test to give them: cover paragraph B with your hand. Does paragraph C still read as a full, developed paragraph on its own, the same length and the same standard? If not, it is short shrift, not a second view.
3. The phrases from Stage 2 work for view 2 as well. Give one more, for the move from view 1 into view 2. 3 min

   To do this	Say
   Turn from view 1 to view 2	Advocates of [X] argue instead that ... · Others, however, believe that ... · By contrast, some argue that ...

4. Worksheet 2, part B. Back to their own question, view 2 developed to the same standard. Eight minutes, called at four. 8 min

NAME VIEW 2       Advocates of [X] argue instead that ...
                  Others, however, believe that ...

EXPLAIN IT        two sentences, same standard as view 1

THE STANDARD      cover paragraph B with your hand. Does
                  paragraph C still stand on its own?

Goal: they can see that the position is declared in sentence 2 and never moves, that body 1 is the view the writer rejects, and that body 2 is the view and the opinion at the same time.

1. Rub out the work-from-home question and put up the new one:
   In many countries, a small number of people earn extremely high salaries. Some people believe that this is good for the country, but others think that governments should not allow salaries above a certain level. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
   Ask for the two views in their own words, out loud: high salaries are good for the country, or governments should cap them. Write both above the question. 4 min
2. Send them to Worksheet 3. Read the model aloud once, slowly, while they follow it on the screen. Nothing to tap, this one is for reading. 6 min
3. Four questions to the room, out loud. Take them in this order and make them point at the sentence that proves each answer: where do we first learn the writer's side (sentence 2), is paragraph B the writer's own view (no, it is the one they reject), which sentence makes paragraph C both a view and an opinion ("However, I agree with those who argue ..."), and does paragraph B get less space for being the rejected side (no). 10 min
   Spend the time on the second one. This writer wants a maximum wage, and paragraph B is the best possible case for the opposite. Ask the room why anyone would argue their opponent's side that well. Because the question told them to discuss both views, and because an argument you have answered properly is worth more than one you dodged.

   Paragraph	What it does
   A, sentence 2	Concedes the other side, then states the position: 'While in some ways it may seem reasonable ..., I personally believe that ...'
   B	The view the writer REJECTS, argued in full: talent, motivation, tax revenue. No opinion in it anywhere.
   C	The view the writer HOLDS. It opens by joining that side: 'However, I agree with those who argue that ...'
   D	One sentence. The position, restated.

   The sentence to read twice: "However, I agree with those who argue that there should be a maximum wage." That is view 2 and the writer's opinion in a single clause. They do not need a separate paragraph for their opinion, because their opinion is one of the two views they were given.

INTRODUCTION   1  the topic in your own words
               2  While ... may seem reasonable,
                  I personally believe that ...     ← your side

BODY 1   the view you DISAGREE with, in full. No opinion in it.
BODY 2   the view you AGREE with. Opinion and view together.
         "However, I agree with those who argue that ..."

CONCLUSION     your position, briefly

Goal: they can write an introduction that concedes and then commits, and they understand that choosing a side decides which view goes in body 1.

1. Choose first, plan second. Put the order on the board and make them do it in this order: pick your side, then the other view goes in body 1. Take a show of hands on the salary question so everyone has committed before they write anything. 4 min
2. The introduction frame. Cut sentence 2 of the model in half on the board and label the halves. 5 min

   Half	The model's words
   Concede the other view	While in some ways it may seem reasonable to allow people to earn as much as companies are willing to pay,
   Commit to your own	I personally believe that employee remuneration should be capped at a certain level.

   Both halves are compulsory. The concession is what proves you understood the other view. The commitment is what answers "give your own opinion." A sentence with only the first half is fence-sitting, and one with only the second half has skipped half the question.
3. Give the phrases. 3 min

   To do this	Say
   Open the essay	People have different views about whether ... · Opinion is divided over whether ...
   Concede, then commit	While in some ways it may seem reasonable to ..., I personally believe that ... · Although there are good arguments for ..., I would argue that ... · While I accept that ..., my own view is that ...
   Open body 1, the side you reject	There are various reasons why it might be considered beneficial to ... · Those who support [X] point to several advantages.

4. Six sentences, hands up. Read these out one at a time. After each, they vote: does it concede and then commit, sit on the fence, or commit to the wrong question? 5 min

   #	Introduction, sentence 2	Verdict
   1	While it is true that generous pay packages help companies attract exceptional people, I believe that governments should place an upper limit on what any individual can earn.	concedes, then commits
   2	In my opinion, both sides of this argument have a point, so it really depends.	sits on the fence
   3	Although a legal ceiling on pay would reduce inequality, I would argue that companies must remain free to reward talent as they see fit.	concedes, then commits
   4	I think everyone should be free to earn whatever they want in life.	sits on the fence
   5	While I accept that very high salaries can motivate employees to perform, my own view is that the resulting pay gap does more damage than the motivation is worth.	concedes, then commits
   6	While some people earn far more than others, I personally believe that governments should raise the minimum wage.	commits to the wrong question

   Spend the time on number 6. It has the right shape and a real position, so the room will accept it. The question asked about a maximum wage and this student has answered about a minimum one. Numbers 2 and 4 fail more obviously: one refuses to choose, the other is a slogan that would fit any question at all.
5. In their notebooks. Their own introduction for the salary question, both halves of sentence 2, then the first two sentences of body 1, which is the side they just rejected. Eight minutes, called at four. 8 min
   Walk the room for one thing only. Does their body 1 argue against the position they just committed to? That is the only error worth stopping for at this point.

ORDER OF WORK
   1  pick your side
   2  the OTHER view goes in body 1
   3  your side goes in body 2

INTRO 2   While ... may seem reasonable,      ← concede
          I personally believe that ...       ← commit

BODY 1    There are various reasons why it might be
          considered beneficial to ...

FENCE-SITTING     "Both sides have a point, so it depends."
                  "Everyone should be free to choose."

Goal: body 2 joins the view they hold rather than announcing a fresh opinion, and the conclusion restates the same side they took in sentence 2.

1. Body 2 joins a side, it does not invent one. Put the opener on the board and show what follows it in the model: reasons, not repetition. 5 min

   Move	The model's words
   Join the view	However, I agree with those who argue that there should be a maximum wage.
   The reason	By introducing a limit on earnings, the pay gap between bosses and employees can be reduced.
   What follows from it	With lower executive salaries, it might become feasible to introduce higher minimum wages, and everybody would be better off.

   Point out the conclusion too. It is one sentence, and it takes the same side as sentence 2 of the introduction. Nothing new arrives in it. If a student's conclusion surprises the reader, they changed their mind halfway and did not go back.
2. In their notebooks. Body 2's opener and its reason, then the one-sentence conclusion. Seven minutes. 7 min
3. You read, not them. Take two notebooks. For each, read the introduction aloud and then body 1, and ask the room one question: is body 1 arguing against the writer? Close on the rule in one line: pick a side in sentence 2, then give the other side your best paragraph anyway. 3 min

BODY 2    However, I agree with those who argue that ...
          then the reason, then what follows from it

CONCLUSION   In conclusion, it seems to me that it would be
             better, on balance, for ...
             Same side as sentence 2. Nothing new.

THE CHECK    read intro, then body 1. Is body 1 arguing
             against you? It should be.