IELTS Online: Course

4 Viewpoint questions

Viewpoint questions are used to test your ability to recognise the writer’s opinion on a topic in the passage. The IELTS Reading test uses this question type to test your ability to distinguish fact from opinion.

A fact is a piece of information that has been discovered or proved true. The following statements are facts:

1. Children in Germany start learning English at the age of seven.
2. Over 20% of Australia’s population is foreign-born.
3. We all need water to survive.

An opinion is a statement that reflects a person’s individual viewpoint on a topic. Opinions or viewpoints are often based on facts, which is why some readers find it difficult to distinguish between fact and opinion. Also, most writers and speakers don’t put 'I think' in front of every opinion they give. This means that as a reader, you need to look for other words that help to indicate a personal opinion.

The following statements are opinions based on the above facts. The words that show the writer’s opinion are in bold:

1. Germans are very good speakers of English.
2. Australia has a good balance of different cultures in its society.
3. Free bottled water should be given to students in schools.

The question types that are used to test your understanding of the writer’s viewpoints are:

• Yes/No/Not Given questions
• Matching Viewpoint questions
• Multiple Choice Viewpoint questions

Let’s now look at these question types and see how they test your understanding of the writer’s opinion in the passage.