How to write an opinion essay in English
One of the tasks we may be asked to carry out in an official exam such as the First Certificate, is to write an opinion essay, so it is important to know how it is structured and the type of vocabulary you will need to use.
An opinion essay is based on a statement about which we must express our personal vision, for example: Is it wrong to keep animals in zoos?. We will be given two ideas that should be used and developed in our writing, for example: How the animals are treated and learning about the animals. These notes will help us write our essay, but we will have to add another idea of our own.
We will have to use formal language, being careful with the punctuation and of course the spelling. Full sentences using a wide range of vocabulary and grammatical structures and not using contractions.
Opinion essay structure:
1. Introduction.
In this section we make a general comment on the subject in question and we usually express our clear opinion on it.
2. Body.
It is structured in three or four paragraphs. In each of them an idea is presented, developed and arguments are given to support our opinion on it. Whether we are for or against the main statement, it is good to express the opposing point of view in order to strengthen our position.
3. Conclusion.
Short paragraph where we concisely explain the main points that we have developed in the body and restate our opinion on the given statement.
Phrases that can be useful for writing an opinion essay:
| 1. Expressing opinions. | 2. Giving reasons. | |
| In my opinion/To my mind | The main reason for | |
| Personally, I think | Because of/Due to | |
| I strongly believe | As/Since | |
| In my view | Another reason is | |
| As far as I'm concerned | ||
| I completely agree/disagree with | ||
| 3. Expressing facts | 4. Introducing ideas | |
| It is widely known that | Firstly/First of all | |
| Research has shown that | To begin with | |
| It is clear that | Secondly | |
| 5. Conclusion | Lastly | |
| To sum up | Last but not least | |
| On balance | Finally | |
| To conclude |
Before starting our essay, it is important to think carefully what we want to say and structure it in an orderly and clear way. We have to argue our opinions trying not to repeat ourselves in our reasoning. We recommend looking at examples of opinion essays on the Internet or in textbooks to familiarize yourself with this type of writing.
If you are interested in knowing how to write a formal letter, look at our article here.
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