In Discussion essays for Writing Task 2, do I have to discuss the weak side first?
In discussion essays, it's best to discuss the side you think is weak before you discuss the side you think is strong.
Why?
One of the criteria IELTS examiners use to grade your writing is Coherence & Cohesion. To get a good score for this criteria, you need to link ideas, sentences and paragraphs together in a way that is clear and easy to understand. This means that your ideas should progress logically from one point to another throughout your essay.
In discussion essays, starting with the weak side creates a more natural sequence of ideas between your paragraphs and, therefore, contributes to a better Coherence & Cohesion score.
If you would like to see some examples of this, have a look at the discussion essays in the Band 9 Essay Bank.
