Short answer: there are two versions. If the prompt asks whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, you must take a position. If it just asks you to discuss both, you don't. Reading which one you've been given is the first and most important step.
✍️ Open Typehush and practise both essay variants →Version one: "Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?" This is really an opinion question in disguise — you must decide and argue whether the benefits are greater. Version two: "Discuss the advantages and disadvantages." Here you simply present both, no verdict required. Confusing them is costly: give a strong opinion where none was asked and you've answered a different question; give no opinion where one was required and your Task Response collapses. Underline the exact wording before you plan a single sentence.
| Paragraph | Content |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Paraphrase, then state which side outweighs the other |
| Body 1 | The side you find weaker (e.g. the disadvantages) |
| Body 2 | The side you find stronger — the one that outweighs |
| Conclusion | Restate your verdict |
Your position — which side wins — is stated in the introduction and defended throughout, exactly like an opinion essay. A useful way to phrase the verdict is comparative: "while X brings real benefits, these are outweighed by Y." That single sentence tells the examiner your stance and frames the whole essay, and every paragraph after it simply supports that comparison. Avoid a verdict that hedges ("it is hard to say which is greater") — the question asked you to weigh the two, so weighing them is the answer.
When no verdict is asked, keep it neutral: one body paragraph for advantages, one for disadvantages, each developed with a clear example. Your introduction paraphrases the topic and previews that you'll look at both sides; your conclusion briefly summarises without declaring a winner. The temptation here is to sneak in an opinion anyway — resist it. Answering more than the question asked doesn't earn extra marks and can muddy your Task Response if the examiner expected a balanced, verdict-free treatment.
For any topic, think across categories to find developed points rather than a shallow list: economic (cost, jobs), social (relationships, community), practical (time, convenience), and long-term (health, environment, the future). One well-chosen advantage explained across four sentences beats three thin ones. Depth is what lifts the score — a single benefit, with a reason and a concrete example, does more for you than a paragraph that merely names several. If you're struggling to develop a point, ask "so what?" of each statement: cheaper travel — so what? — it lets lower-income families visit relatives they otherwise couldn't, which strengthens family ties. Each "so what?" pushes the idea one step deeper until you have a fully-supported paragraph instead of a bare claim. That habit is the difference between an essay that lists and one that argues.
The frequent errors: missing the "outweigh" instruction and giving no verdict; listing four advantages and four disadvantages with no development; and unbalanced weighting, where you claim one side outweighs the other but spend more words on the losing side. Keep the paragraph you're arguing for at least as developed as the one you're arguing against, and make sure your introduction, body emphasis, and conclusion all point to the same verdict.
Because the two variants look almost identical, the skill worth drilling is reading the instruction correctly under pressure and choosing the matching structure fast. Typing high-band model answers for both types trains you to recognise the wording instantly and default to the right shape. On the computer test that recognition saves precious planning time, and a well-matched structure keeps your 40 minutes on track. Practise both until the moment you read the prompt, you already know whether a verdict is required.
Type all 156 Cambridge Band 6–8 model essays with live word count →Only if the prompt asks whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. If it just says "discuss," present both sides without a verdict.
Look for the word "outweigh" or a question asking you to decide. "Discuss the advantages and disadvantages" needs no opinion; "do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?" does.
Usually one or two well-developed points per side, each with a reason and example. Depth beats a long undeveloped list.
In the "discuss" version, roughly balanced. In the "outweigh" version, the side you argue wins should be at least as developed as the other.
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