Hustlers IELTS | Cambridge IELTS General Training (Test 3) | Band 7–9 Opinion Essay
This task is more dangerous than it looks.
It starts with “Some people say…”, which many candidates mistakenly treat as a “Discuss both views” essay. It is not.
This is a straight opinion question:
What is your opinion about this?
And there’s another key detail: the task is about keeping places tidy and organised, not “clean”. Mixing these up weakens Task Response.
The Task
Some people say it is important to keep your home and your workplace tidy, with everything organised and in the correct place.
What is your opinion about this?
(Cambridge IELTS General Training, Test 3)
To fully answer the question, you should discuss:
- the home
- the workplace
Separately. Clearly.
High-Band Planning (What Strong Candidates Do)
Position
Agree overall, but add a sensible limitation: total tidiness is unrealistic; balance matters.
Home reasons
- safety (trip hazards, especially with children)
- social impression (visitors, family)
Workplace reasons
- efficiency (finding tools/documents quickly)
- continuity (others can cover your work during sickness)
Band 7–9 Model Essay
Many people argue that keeping your home and workplace tidy is important and I generally agree.
It’s very easy for homes to get untidy, especially if there is a young family in the household, but this can cause genuine safety problems. It’s very easy for someone to trip over a toy left out, causing injury, and in addition it might be difficult to find items needed urgently, such as phones or important papers.
Furthermore, it’s always nice to make a good impression with any potential visitors, but if your home is a mess, it can be quite embarrassing. Whenever my parents or relatives come round, I make sure I quickly tidy up, put things away and throw dirty clothes in the wash, and it would therefore make sense to maintain this level of tidiness all the time in case of unexpected visits.
Similar factors apply to the workplace, particularly safety. But there are other concerns too. If your desk or workspace is disorganised, you will probably waste a lot of time at the start of each day trying to find papers or materials that are essential in carrying out your responsibilities. For example, if you are working on an ongoing project such as chemical testing, it’s best to have everything at hand at all times.
Absences from work also need to be taken into consideration. If someone misses work because of a sudden illness or emergency, someone may have to take over their job for a day or two. Therefore it’s important that whoever covers for them is able to find anything they need to do their job while they are away. This is particularly important in teaching, where classes will still need to be taught despite the absence of the usual class teacher.
This is not to say that your home and workplace should have everything hidden from view. There is a balance to be struck between tidiness and functionality, and it’s probably impractical for busy households and workplaces to be completely tidy. Nevertheless, a degree of tidiness and organisation makes life much safer, less stressful and more productive.
(350 words)
Why This Essay Scores High
1) It answers both parts of the topic
Home and workplace are treated separately, with clear development. That’s strong Task Response.
2) Each paragraph has one clear purpose
This is what Coherence & Cohesion looks like:
- home safety
- home impression
- workplace efficiency
- workplace cover during absence
- balanced conclusion
3) It shows mature judgement (not extreme thinking)
The final paragraph is strong because it avoids an unrealistic claim like “everything must always be perfect.”
Instead it says: balance + practicality.
That’s exactly the tone IELTS rewards.
High-Impact Vocabulary & Collocations to Reuse
- tidy and organised
- in the correct place
- genuine safety problems
- trip over
- items needed urgently
- make a good impression
- quite embarrassing
- unexpected visits
- workspace is disorganised
- waste a lot of time
- essential in carrying out your responsibilities
- ongoing project
- have everything at hand
- absences from work
- take into consideration
- take over their job
- whoever covers for them
- despite the absence
- a balance to be struck
- tidiness and functionality
- less stressful and more productive
Hustlers IELTS Final Word
This is how you win opinion essays:
- state your view clearly
- split the task properly (home + workplace)
- develop a few ideas deeply
- finish with a balanced, practical conclusion