W r I t I n g this post will clarify what I mean when I advise band 5 candidates to ‘discuss both sides’, and help you to understand when and where to write a counter- argument. I often find my advice about ‘discussing both sides’ being misunderstood or

The Key to IELTS Success
, you will know
why so many people follow bad advice and ignore parts of the question altogether.
Your argument must represent a balanced discussion of the issue like this:
Not an unbalanced one like this:
This means that, if you are given two differing opinions and asked to ‘Discuss both views and give your own opinion,’ you must 
discuss
both opinions equally
. In this case, Side A = one argument and Side B = the counter-argument you are given.
Similarly, if you are asked to say whether an issue ‘has more benefits than problems’, then Side A = the benefits and Side B = the
problems. If you are asked whether the topic ‘is a positive or a negative development’ then Side A = the positives and Side B = the
negatives and so on.
The main problems seem to arise with questions where you are given one viewpoint and asked, ‘To what extent do you agree or disagree?’
The two ‘sides’ of a question like this will always depend on 1) the issue raised and 2) your own views on it. However, your language
ability also plays a part in how you respond. Band 9 candidates (and the invisible band 10 writers I sometimes refer to) are capable of
responding to these questions in a very subtle and skilful way, which creates problems for the candidates at band 6 and below who try to
emulate it. For example, the higher level candidates are able to explain their complete agreement on an issue in a way that is not at all
repetitive. At the end of their essay, they may also refer to a possible counter-argument, without discussing it in detail but also
without making their position confusing or unclear. Examples like this can be found in Practice test book 10 on pages 162 and 166. Such
examples are very difficult for candidates at band 6 and below to learn from.
So, how should I respond if I am band 6 and aiming for band
7?
This is my advice for candidates aiming for band 7:
For questions where you are given 
one viewpoint
and asked ‘To what extent do you
agree or disagree?’ (or in GT, ‘Do you agree or disagree?’) I always give the advice to ‘discuss both sides.’