Hustlers IELTS | Cambridge IELTS 12 (Test 5) | Discuss Both Views + Opinion (Band 7–9)
This is a deceptively difficult “Discuss both views” question because the two views are not true opposites.
- View 1 does not say all information must be shared. It says as much as possible should be shared.
- View 2 says some information is too important or too valuable to be shared.
A high-band response recognises this immediately and builds a balanced position:
Share widely — but set intelligent limits.
The Task (Cambridge IELTS 12, Test 5)
Some people believe that it is good to share as much information as possible in scientific research, business and the academic world. Others believe that some information is too important or too valuable to be shared freely.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
The Winning Idea (What Band 8/9 Answers Do)
You don’t need to “pick a side” aggressively here. You need to show mature judgement:
- Sharing information drives progress, peer review, and innovation
- Protecting information protects security, privacy, and incentives to create
Your opinion can — and should — be:
maximum sharing where it accelerates progress, but protection where openness creates harm or destroys incentives.
That’s a strong position because it’s logical, not emotional.
Band 7–9 Model Essay
We now live in an age where information is a valuable commodity and can drive progress. However, there is some debate over how much of that information should be shared freely.
There are several arguments in favour of the idea that as much knowledge as possible should be shared, and in fact in some domains it is essential. Academic progress is underpinned by the ability to peer-review new research and theories, and similarly, in scientific research, collaboration between different scientists is often essential in making new breakthroughs. The development of the Internet, for example, was only made possible by openly sharing its architecture so that everyone could use it. There are also arguments in favour of sharing certain types of business information, such as management methods and findings related to employee performance, as these might help to improve a country’s economic competitiveness.
However, there must be limits as to what can be shared. It would be absurd for companies to share their financial accounts openly as this would make it easy for their rivals to compete unfairly, and a lot of personal information should be similarly protected. And while sharing new findings can be useful, it is important to understand that sometimes these are often made at considerable expense in terms of time and money. There would be less incentive to develop intellectual property like new technologies and new drugs if they were instantly shared for everyone to duplicate.
Therefore there needs to be a balance between sharing and protecting information. Some types of information can, and must, be shared freely, but not when it would discourage the creation of that information.
(272 words)
Why This Essay Scores High
1) It interprets the task accurately
The essay doesn’t pretend the views conflict completely. It treats the issue as a question of boundaries — which is exactly what the prompt is really about.
2) It covers all required domains without losing focus
The question mentions:
- scientific research
- business
- the academic world
This model touches all three with relevant examples, without becoming repetitive.
3) It gives an opinion that is clear and defensible
The final paragraph is not weak. It makes a judgement:
Balance is needed: share what helps progress, protect what destroys incentives or creates harm.
That is a strong conclusion.
Vocabulary & Collocations You Should Reuse
- an age where information is a valuable commodity
- drive progress
- there is some debate over
- as much knowledge as possible
- in some domains it is essential
- academic progress is underpinned by
- peer-review new research
- collaboration… is often essential
- make new breakthroughs
- openly sharing its architecture
- economic competitiveness
- there must be limits
- it would be absurd to
- compete unfairly
- personal information should be protected
- at considerable expense
- less incentive to develop intellectual property
- duplicate
- strike a balance
These phrases are powerful because they are natural, precise, and academic — exactly what IELTS rewards.
Hustlers IELTS Final Word
This essay is a template for handling “not-opposite” discuss-both-views tasks:
- don’t force a fake conflict
- show you understand both sides
- choose a balanced position with clear limits
- support with concrete examples