Improve your IELTS Academic Reading score
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WELCOMEWelcome to IELTS Online Academic Reading
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Meet Your Course Trainers
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Course Overview
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Using the platform
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IELTS ACADEMIC READING TESTIELTS Academic Reading Test2 Topics
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READING SKILLS & STRATEGIESIntroduction to Skills and Strategies
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Reading Techniques5 Topics
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Guessing Unknown Vocabulary
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Identifying Opinions
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Lesson summary
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QUESTION TYPESIntroduction to Question Types
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Multiple Choice6 Topics
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Identifying Information6 Topics
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Identifying a Writer's Views6 Topics
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Matching Information6 Topics
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Matching Headings6 Topics
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Matching Features6 Topics
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Matching Sentence Endings6 Topics
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Sentence Completion6 Topics
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Summary Completion8 Topics
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Note Completion6 Topics
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Table Completion6 Topics
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Flow-chart Completion6 Topics
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Diagram Label Completion6 Topics
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Short-answer6 Topics
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IELTS PRACTICE TESTSIELTS Academic Reading Mock Tests2 Topics
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COURSE CONCLUSIONOverall Tips for a Greater Score
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Congratulations on Course Completion!
Identifying Opinions
Identifying Opinions
Another important skill required in the IELTS reading test is the ability to identify how writers present opinions. This is because many IELTS reading tasks test your ability to recognise various points of view.
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Opinions vs Facts
It is important for IELTS candidates to be able to distinguish facts from opinions.
| Facts | Facts often contain names or data such as numbers or time periods. They are collected from scientific research that can be measured and tested. For example, 'Humans drink water' is a fact and can be checked scientifically. |
| Opinions | Opinions, on the other hand, are points of view that someone has about a particular issue. Other people can agree or disagree with this point of view. Unlike facts, opinions contain information that cannot be measured or tested. For instance, 'Playing computer games is not an appropriate use of free time' is an opinion. |
Writers can express their opinion either directly or indirectly:
Direct opinions
When a writer presents his or her opinion in a direct way, it is obvious and clear to the reader. For example:
In my opinion, skydiving is one of the most dangerous sports.
Direct opinions are easy to identify because they have a signpost. Here are some common opinion signposts used by writers:
- I think that…
- In my opinion…
- It is my belief that…
- I (do not) hold the view that…
However, direct opinions are not very common in IELTS reading passages. Instead, you are more likely to find opinions presented in an indirect way.
Indirect opinions
Indirect opinions are implied or suggested and are often presented as though they are facts. For instance, ‘Playing computer games is not an appropriate use of free time’ is an indirect opinion. People can agree or disagree with it, but it seems like a fact when you read it.
Indirect opinions do not have a signpost, but you can recognise them because they contain words that express opinion or attitude. Let’s look at an example of an indirect opinion:
Sky diving, now classified as an ‘extreme sport’, is one of the most dangerous recreational activities available today.
In this sentence, there is no signpost, but you can still see that the writer thinks that sky diving is a ‘dangerous activity’. Although it seems like a fact, someone else could disagree and point out the various safety equipment checks that skydivers do.
Identifying Opinions Using Contrast Words
Another way to identify different opinions in a reading passage is to look for contrast words such as however, although, while, whereas or but. These are often used to present an opposite or contrasting opinion.
Consider the following paragraph and see how the opinions are expressed.
Some chief executives find it better to employ a more senior professional on a part-time basis than a less experienced person full-time. However, a junior employee is more likely to be up to date with current work practices and theories, which may be lacking in employees with less recent qualifications.
The first sentence expresses an opinion of a group of people (i.e. some chief executives). After that, the writer introduces his or her own opinion (i.e. second sentence) with the contrast word 'However'.
Now consider the paragraph below. Identify the two contrast words used to show differing opinions and who holds the opinion that follows each contrast word.
The Impact of Wind Stations
Wind stations have been introduced as an environmentally friendly source of energy. However, environmentalists are concerned about the visual impact wind stations have on the landscape. In order to generate commercially viable quantities of electricity it is necessary to install an extremely large number of wind towers. In the Los Remos scheme alone there are more than 150 steel wind towers, each around 30 metres high, covering a total area of 80 hectares. Although they are silent and safe, they make the majestic Los Remos Range look like a dense concrete jungle emerging from the peaceful countryside.
Check your answer
The contrast words are shown in bold.
The opinion of environmentalists is introduced after However (i.e. they are concerned about the visual impact wind stations have on the landscape) and the opinion of the writer is introduced after Although (i.e. they are silent and safe, they make the majestic Los Remos Range look like a dense concrete jungle emerging from the peaceful countryside).
You can see that the writer has both a positive and negative opinion towards wind stations.
The Impact of Wind Stations
Wind stations have been introduced as an environmentally friendly source of energy. However, environmentalists are concerned about the visual impact wind stations have on the landscape. In order to generate commercially viable quantities of electricity it is necessary to install an extremely large number of wind towers. In the Los Remos scheme alone there are more than 150 steel wind towers, each around 30 metres high, covering a total area of 80 hectares. Although they are silent and safe, they make the majestic Los Remos Range look like a dense concrete jungle emerging from the peaceful countryside.
Presenting Opinions of Other People
Sometimes writers not only express their own opinions, but also include the opinions of others in their text. For example, the text you just read above contained the opinion of environmentalists.
Let’s take a look at three common ways writers present opinions of other people including signposts, reporting verbs and quotation marks.
Signposts
One way that writers often introduce other people’s opinions in their text is by using signposts.
The example below shows how a writer used the signpost ‘According to’ to present an opinion of another person (i.e. Frank Holloway).
According to Frank Holloway, the first child is often less open to innovation, more conforming and traditional, and often has a closer relationship with his or her parents than other children within the family.
Reporting verbs
Another way to present the opinions of others is by using reporting verbs. These verbs report what someone else thinks or believes. They are usually used in the present simple tense. It is useful to be able to recognise these verbs when you are doing an IELTS reading test because an opinion is likely to follow. Here is a list of some common reporting verbs.
| Frank Holloway | says that finds that claims that believes that argues that concludes that | the first child is often less open to… |
The paragraph below shows how the writer used two reporting verbs to present the opinion of other people (i.e. opponents of the wood-chipping operations).
Opponents of the wood-chipping operations argue that the flora and fauna of the forests would suffer irreparable damage as a result of the wood-chipping itself and the construction of roads. They claim that the clear-cutting would lead to soil erosion and conditions of increased salinity.
Quotation marks
Using quotation marks (“…“) is another way to show the opinion of others, or more specifically, the exact words of others. Read the following example:
In a major article on crime in suburban areas, Dickson states that “the increasing incidences of burglary, robbery and assault can be directly attributed to a lack of unemployment opportunities in those areas.“
You can see that the writer has presented Dickson’s opinion using the reporting verb ‘states that’ and quotation marks to do this. Looking for quotation marks in the reading test can help you locate the opinion of another person.
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Read the sentences below and identify which person or group of people the opinion belongs to.
1 Those students who had worked with a private tutor after class remarkably improved their academic performance, according to their teachers.
Check your answer
The opinion belongs to the teachers.
2 “Those people who refuse to take part in compulsory voting are simply exercising their right to make that choice”, said Peter Nile during an interview by BSSTV.
Check your answer
The opinion belongs to Peter Nile.
3 It has been claimed by a large percentage of Americans that they have the most successful movie industry in the world.
Check your answer
The opinion belongs to a large number of Americans.
Positive vs Negative Opinions
Sometimes IELTS reading exams have global questions. These usually come at the end of a series of questions and they test your ability to identify the main idea of a text or section of text. To do this, you need to identify the word choices that the writer has made to present a positive or negative attitude. These words can appear many times in a text and are usually adjectives, but they can be verbs, nouns or adverbs, too.
Consider the following sentences and the words marked in bold. Notice how the word choices made by the writer clearly show a generally negative opinion towards the campaign against cats.
The campaign against cats has become so exaggerated it has lost its focus. Much energy that could be put to good use is being wasted on futile campaigns that do little more than aggravate cat owners.
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Read the sentences below and decide if the word(s) in bold show a positive or negative opinion.
1 The article shows irrelevant information.
Check your answer
The word irrelevant shows a negative opinion.
2 The merits of printed newspapers are obvious.
Check your answer
The word merits shows a positive opinion.
3 Vegetables benefit health.
Check your answer
The word benefit shows a positive opinion.
4 There are many adverse effects of climate change.
Check your answer
The word adverse shows a negative opinion.
5 The high temperatures are a detriment to human and animal life.
Check your answer
The word detrmient shows a negative opinion.
Identifying Opinions Practice
Now that you have learnt several strategies to identify opinions, complete the reading activity below to see if you can locate opinions and identify who they belong to.
Click on Start to access the reading.
