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How to Write an IELTS Essay

In this introductory lesson you will find some guidance on how you should write an  IELTS essay .

There are then more lessons on the following pages for different types of essay and different questions, with lots of tips and strategies for achieving a high score. 

You can also watch a video of this lesson:

ielts essay requirements

Essay Types

It is important to learn about IELTS essays because there are different essay types, and these will require different ways to answer them.

However, as you will see from the guidance on this page, they can all follow the same basic structure.

These are some of the types of IELTS essays you can get in the test: 

  • Agree / disagree
  • Discuss two opinions
  • Advantages & disadvantages
  • Causes (reasons) & solutions
  • Causes (reasons) & effects
  • Problems & solutions

Not every essay will fit one of these patterns, but many do.

You may get some of these tasks mixed up. For example, you could be asked to give your opinion on an issue, and then discuss the advantages or disadvantages of it.

The golden rule is to  ALWAYS read the question very carefully  to see exactly what you are being asked to do.

The second lesson explains more about analysing essay questions. 

How do I Write an IELTS Essay?

In order to answer this, lets first look at a sample question:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

In the last 20 years there have been significant developments in the field of information technology (IT), for example the World Wide Web and communication by email. However, these developments in IT are likely to have more negative effects than positive in the future.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.

Write at least 250 words.

An IELTS essay is structured like any other essay; you just need to make it shorter. There are three key elements:

  • Introduction
  • Body Paragraphs

We will look at each of these in turn, using the essay question above as an example.

1) Introduction

You should keep your introduction for the IELTS essay short. Remember you only have 40 minutes to write the essay, and some of this time needs to be spent planning. Therefore, you need to be able to write your introduction fairly quickly so you can start writing your body paragraphs.

You should do just two things:

  • State the topic of the essay, using some basic facts (that you may be able to take from the question)
  • Say what you are going to write about

Here is an example introduction for the above essay question about IT:

The last two decades have seen enormous changes in the way people's lives are affected by IT, with many advances in this field. However, while these technological advances have brought many benefits to the world, I strongly believe that these developments in IT will result in more negative impacts than positive.

As you can see, the first sentence makes sure it refers to the topic (IT) and uses facts about IT taken from the question. Note that these are paraphrased - you must not copy from the rubric!

The second part then clearly sets out the what the essay will be about and confirms the writers opinion (some questions may not ask for your opinion, but this one does). The writer clearly agrees as he/she thinks there will be more negative impacts.

View this lesson for more advice on writing IELTS essay introductions.

2) Body Paragraphs

For an IELTS essay, you should have 2 or 3 body paragraphs - no more, and no less.

For your body paragraph, each paragraph should contain one controlling idea, and have sentences to support this.

Lets look at the first paragraph for the essay about IT. The essay is about the benefits and drawbacks of IT, so these will need to be discussed in separate paragraphs.

Here is the first body paragraph:

On the positive side, email has made communication, especially abroad, much simpler and faster. This has resulted in numerous benefits for commerce and business as there is no need to wait weeks for letters or take time sending faxes, which was the case in the past. Furthermore, the World Wide Web means that information on every conceivable subject is now available to us. For example, people can access news, medical advice, online education courses and much more via the internet.  These developments have made life far easier and more convenient for many.

The controlling idea in this first paragraph is the 'benefits of IT', and there are two supporting ideas, which are underlined. No drawbacks are discussed as the paragraph would then lose coherence.

Most of the essay will focus on the negative aspects of IT, as the writer says there are more negative effects in the introduction. So the next two paragraphs are about these.

The topic sentence in the next paragraph therefore tells us we are changing the focus to the negative points:

Nevertheless, the effects of this new technology have not all been beneficial. For example, many people feel that the widespread use of email is destroying traditional forms of communication such as letter writing, telephone and face-to-face conversation. This could result in a decline in people's basic ability to socialize and interact with each other on a day-to-day basis.

The final body paragraph gives the last negative effect:

In addition, the large size of the Web has meant that it is nearly impossible to regulate and control. This has led to many concerns regarding children accessing unsuitable websites and the spread of computer viruses. Unfortunately, this kind of problem might even get worse in the future at least until more regulated systems are set up.

3) Conclusion

The conclusion only needs to be one or two sentences, and you can do the following:

  • Re-state what the essay is about (re-write the last sentence of your introduction in different words)
  • Give some thoughts about the future

Here is an example:

In conclusion, developments in IT have brought many benefits, yet I believe that these are outweighed by the drawbacks. In the future these will need to be addressed if we are to avoid damaging impacts on individuals and society.

The Full IELTS Essay

The last two decades have seen enormous changes in the way people's lives are affected by IT, with many advances in this field. However, while these technological advances have brought many benefits to the world, I strongly believe that these developments in IT will result in more negative impacts than positive.

Nevertheless, the effects of this new technology have not all been beneficial. For example, many people feel that the widespread use of email is destroying traditional forms of communication such as letter writing, telephone and face-to-face conversation. This could result in a decline in people's basic ability to socialize and interact with each other on a day-to-day basis.

(290 Words)

The IELTS essay introduction talks in general about the increasing use of IT, thus introducing the topic well. The thesis then clearly sets out the writers opinion.

The following paragraph mentions the present benefits of these developments, but the opening sentence in the third paragraph is a qualifying statement (Nevertheless, not all the effects... ), so the writer can now focus on the negative elements.

The fourth paragraph provides two other negative examples (lack of regulation, viruses). Both paragraphs suggest that these problems will continue in the future.

The essay concludes with a clear opinion that agrees with the statement.

Overall, it is a well-balanced text that mentions the present situation ( ...this has made life.. .) but importantly, also refers to the future of IT (. ..likely to increase..., might get worse. ..).

Now you know the basics of writing an IELTS Essay, you can go on and look at further sample essays or if you prefer, check out the next lessons for Writing Task 2.

More Task 2 IELTS Lessons:

ielts essay requirements

Using Pronouns to Improve IELTS Essay Coherency

Find out how to use pronouns to improve your coherency for IELTS task 2 essays.

Transitional Phrases for Essays

Learn transitional phrases for essays to get a band 7 or higher in your IELTS writing for coherence and cohesion.

Writing an IELTS Essay Conclusion

The IELTS essay conclusion is the final part of your IELTS essay. This lesson guides you on how to write a conclusion quickly but effectively.

Writing an IELTS Essay Introduction

Tips on how to write an introduction for an IELTS essay introduction in a quick and easy way.

IELTS Music Essay: Understanding a Complex Question

An IELTS essay about music is used to show you how to answer a more complex IELTS essay question that does not have a clear 'task' given to you.

IELTS Problem Solution Essay Strategies and Tips

In IELTS problem solution essays you have to discuss a particular issue and present ideas to solve that problem.

How to Identify the Task in an IELTS Essay

Learn how to identify the task in an IELTS task 2 essay question. This is one of the most important steps in responding to an essay question.

ielts essay requirements

IELTS Task Response - 25% of your essay grade

The IELTS Task Response criteria in the scoring makes up 25% of your band score for your essay.

Tips on How to Score IELTS Band 8 in Writing and Speaking

To score IELTS Band 8 you need to understand exactly what is in the IELTS Band Descriptors for an 8 for writing and speaking first.

Using Substitution in IELTS to Improve Writing Coherency

You can use substitution in your IELTS essays in order to improve coherency and coherence.

Thesis Statement Tips for IELTS Essays

Your thesis statement in an IELTS essay should be written quickly and concisely. Use these tips to do that.

How to Identify the Topic of an IELTS Essay Question

In IELTS you must identify the topic of your essay as this is a key to making sure your essay is on topic.

Can you use Personal Pronouns in Essays for IELTS?

Learn how to use personal pronouns in essays for IELTS correctly. Can you use "I", "we" and "you"?

ielts essay requirements

Generating ideas for IELTS essays for writing task 2

Generating ideas for IELTS essays for writing task 2 can be difficult but complex ideas are not expected.

How to use brainstorming and planning to generate essay ideas.

Brainstorming and planning is a key step in developing your IELTS essay. This lesson has tips on how to coming up with ideas and organising them.

IELTS Advantage Disadvantage Essay Tips and Strategies

An advantage disadvantage essay is one type of essay that you may get in the test. This lesson shows how to write a pros cons essay.

The 3 Types of IELTS Opinion Essays in IELTS

IELTS opinion essays in IELTS can be placed into three types. This lesson explains the different types and how to analyse these essay questions.

Paragraph Writing for IELTS: Building strong arguments

This paragraph writing lesson provides tips on constructing the best paragraphs for your IELTS essay.

Requirements for IELTS Band 7 in Writing

Getting to an IELTS Band 7 is a struggle for many candidates. This lesson explains exactly what you have to do to reach this band score.

Improving Writing Coherence for IELTS essays

25% of the writing grade is on how you organise your essay so this lesson shows you how to improve your writing coherence.

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Writing high scoring ielts essays

Writing High-Scoring IELTS Essays: A Step-by-Step Guide

Writing great IELTS essays is essential for success. This guide will give you the tools to craft high-scoring essays. It’ll focus on structuring thoughts, using appropriate vocabulary and grammar, and expressing ideas with clarity . We’ll also look at essay types and strategies for managing time during the writing exam .

Practice is key . Spend time each day doing mock tests or getting feedback from experienced teachers or professionals. With practice and dedication , you’ll improve your language proficiency and increase your chances of getting a good score. Good luck!

Understanding the IELTS Essay Task

To excel in the IELTS essay task, equip yourself with a solid understanding of its requirements. Dive into the sub-sections that uncover what is expected in this task and the various question types you may encounter. Mastering these topics will pave the way for success in crafting compelling and high-scoring IELTS essays.

What is expected in the IELTS essay task

The IELTS essay task requires applicants to demonstrate their writing abilities in a certain timeframe . It evaluates their capacity to create a coherent and structured piece of composition .

A clear thesis is a must. It should be succinct, conveying the primary thought of the essay . Also, there should be a logical structure including an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. The content should be relevant, utilizing suitable examples, evidence, and arguments to back the main idea. Arguments must be coherent, with smooth transitions between paragraphs . Plus, formal language, correct grammar, and accurate syntax must be used.

Moreover, applicants must demonstrate critical thinking by analyzing the topic and giving a balanced argument . Furthermore, they must effectively manage their time to generate a thorough answer within the word limit.

To illustrate the significance of these requirements in real-life situations, let me tell you about Jennifer . She was an aspiring nurse from Brazil taking the IELTS test . At first, she found it hard to handle the essay task. She asked for help from expert tutors who highlighted the relevance of her thesis statement and the logic in organizing her ideas. With effort and dedication, Jennifer got the hang of these skills and eventually achieved her target band score .

The types of questions asked in the IELTS essay task

The IELTS essay task covers multiple types of questions. To comprehend the variety of these questions, let’s look at some examples.

To do well, you need to prepare and practice for each type. Develop strong analytical skills to effectively answer the prompts during the exam.

Pro Tip: Get used to various question types by writing essays on different topics. This will help you adjust and boost your performance.

Descriptive questions

It’s essential to comprehend the IELTS Essay Task. This section focuses on descriptive questions . To illustrate this info effectively, use a table with suitable columns. Unique details enhance our understanding. To sharpen essay writing abilities, certain tips are useful. For instance, practice time management and create a clear structure . These hints are helpful in keeping the writing coherent and providing a logical flow .

Also Read: 10 Must-Follow IELTS Reading Tips and Tricks to Boost Your Band Score

Argumentative questions

Queries that need a thorough analysis and a display of multiple perspectives on a given topic are called argumentative questions .

They come in different types, such as:

  • Cause and Effect (e.g. What are the consequences of using social media?)
  • Pros and Cons (e.g. Should zoos be forbidden?)
  • Agree or Disagree (e.g. Is homework essential for students?).

These questions push candidates to think logically, consider evidence, and construct a convincing argument using the correct order and reasoning methods.

As per the British Council, the IELTS essay task assesses the capability of the applicant to articulate an argument in a clear, understandable, and structured manner.

Advantages and disadvantages questions

Advantages and disadvantages questions require a balanced overview of both the positive and negative perspectives. Here is a summary of these questions:

It is important to note that advantages and disadvantages questions offer the opportunity to show understanding by talking about diverse points of view. Nevertheless, you should be careful when replying to these questions, as they can lead to prejudice if not tackled objectively.

Pro Tip: When responding to an advantages and disadvantages question, try to remain balanced by considering both sides of the problem. This will help you create an in-depth reply.

Problem and solution questions

Problem and solution questions demand the test-taker to figure out a problem and suggest successful solutions. Here are 6 tips to help you excel in this IELTS essay type:

  • Name the problem precisely: Start by accurately stating the dilemma you will discuss in your essay.
  • Examine the causes: Examine the underlying causes of the problem and consider various points of view.
  • Propose multiple solutions: Offer multiple possible solutions, taking into account their practicality and efficiency.
  • Evaluate each solution: Analyze the pros and cons of each proposed solution.
  • Offer supporting evidence: Back your ideas with real-life cases, data, or professional opinions.
  • Recommend the best solution: Based on your assessment, pick one solution as the most appropriate and explain why it is superior.

Also, remember to follow these hints when responding to problem and solution questions:

  • Think about short-term and long-term effects of applying each solution.
  • Prioritize realistic and feasible solutions over idealistic ones.
  • Anticipate potential challenges or disagreements to your suggested solutions and provide counterarguments.

By following these steps, you can successfully respond to problem and solution questions in an IELTS essay.

Analyzing the Essay Question

To analyze the essay question effectively in “Writing High-Scoring IELTS Essays: A Step-by-Step Guide,” focus on breaking it down, identifying key terms and instructions, and formulating a thesis statement. These sub-sections will provide the solution you need to approach the essay question strategically and produce a well-structured and coherent response.

Breaking down the essay question

Let’s break down an essay question with a table. The table has elements, description, topic, scope, task, and subtasks .

We can use this table to plan and structure our response. It helps us address all aspects of the question while staying clear and coherent.

Here are some tips for breaking down an essay question:

  • Read and understand it. Look for keywords that give clues.
  • Identify the main topic.
  • Find out the scope.
  • Analyze the task.
  • Break down subtasks.

By following these steps, you can break down the essay question and write your response with clarity. Understanding the elements helps you structure your argument and provide a full analysis.

Identifying key terms and instructions

When analyzing an essay, it’s key to recognize key terms and instructions. This allows us to know what is being asked and how to approach the topic. We can do this by:

  • Reading the question thoroughly.
  • Looking for important words.
  • Finding out the meanings of any unfamiliar terms.
  • Understanding the instructions.
  • Noting limitations or qualifiers.
  • Setting boundaries for what should be included or excluded.

Recognizing these terms and instructions is essential for creating a solid basis for the essay. Also, taking into account language nuances like tone, style, and phrasing can raise the quality of the response.

I recall a time when I missed a keyword while answering a prompt in my high school English class. Despite spending hours on my response, I didn’t explicitly address one aspect mentioned in the instruction. That experience taught me the value of closely examining and understanding each part of an essay question before writing it.

Formulating a thesis statement

Creating a thesis statement requires careful thinking and consideration. The purpose of your essay – whether it is to persuade, inform, or analyze – will determine the type of statement you make. For example, if you aim to persuade, your thesis should plainly state your opinion and provide evidence to back it up.

To create an effective thesis statement, it is important to be specific and precise. Avoid making foggy or wide statements that are unclear. Instead, focus on making an exact statement or argument. This will help guide your essay and give it a clear purpose.

When forming your thesis statement, consider counterarguments. Addressing possible objections strengthens your argument and displays critical thinking abilities. By recognizing differing viewpoints and offering replies, you demonstrate that you have studied and viewed all sides of the situation.

In addition, a great thesis statement should be debatable. It should start a conversation and attract the reader. Avoid mentioning facts that everyone agrees with or making general assertions. Instead, take a stance on an issue that may be questionable or open to interpretation.

In conclusion, creating a firm thesis statement requires careful consideration. Take the time to brainstorm, study different angles, and refine your argument. By doing this, you will create an essay that interests readers and accurately expresses your message.

Planning and Organizing the Essay

To plan and organize your IELTS essay effectively, turn to ‘Planning and Organizing the Essay.’ Create an outline, brain dump ideas, and arrange them logically. These steps will provide a clear structure and help you express your thoughts with coherence and coherence, ensuring high scores on your IELTS essays.

Creating an outline

Thesis Statement: Outlining is a valuable writing technique that has been used since ancient times. It provides a roadmap for essays, helps maintain focus, and allows for coherent and persuasive arguments.

Paragraph 1:

  • Introduction to outlining as a writing technique
  • Definition of outlining and its purpose
  • Explanation of how outlining structures thoughts in an organized way
  • Importance of outlining in communicating arguments coherently and persuasively

Paragraph 2:

  • Historical perspective on the use of outlining
  • Mention of Aristotle and his belief in the effectiveness of outlining
  • Reference to Leonardo da Vinci’s use of outlines when writing
  • Reinforcement of the timeless importance of outlining

Paragraph 3:

  • Consideration of the audience when creating an outline
  • Importance of tailoring the structure to the audience’s knowledge level
  • Inclusion of explanations or background information as necessary
  • Discussion of addressing counterarguments or opposing views in the outline

Conclusion:

  • Summary of the benefits and significance of outlining
  • Reiteration of its role in structuring thoughts, maintaining focus, and presenting persuasive arguments
  • Encouragement for writers to utilize outlining as a valuable tool in their writing process

brain dumping ideas

Brain dumping ideas is jotting down all thoughts about a topic or subject quickly. This way you can express without worrying about structure or organization. To make the most of this technique, consider these four points:

  • Dedicate time and space to brainstorming. Find a quiet environment with no distractions.
  • Grab pen and paper or open a blank document. Write any ideas that come to mind, even small ones.
  • Review what you have written. Look for patterns and connections.
  • Organize your thoughts into categories or themes.

Remember, brain dumping is not a final product. It’s a tool for creativity. Allow yourself to explore ideas and uncover details that improve the essay. Here are more suggestions:

  • Go beyond the obvious ideas. Think outside the box.
  • Use mind mapping and visual aids to represent thoughts.
  • Discuss ideas with peers or mentors.
  • Take breaks if you feel overwhelmed.

Arranging ideas logically

For illustrating the importance of arranging thoughts logically, let’s use a table. It demonstrates multiple organizational patterns:

Now let’s discuss extra details. A good way to enhance logical organization is using clear topic sentences for each paragraph. These sentences act as signposts. They guide readers through the essay’s main idea without giving away too much info upfront.

In addition, supporting evidence in each paragraph strengthens logical progression. This evidence can be examples, statistics, or quotations from reliable sources. These substantiate your statements.

Lastly, transitioning between paragraphs smoothly creates a coherent flow of thoughts. Using transitional words like “however”, “in contrast”, or “similarly” helps establish connections between ideas. This avoids abrupt changes of topics.

Writing the Introduction

To write a high-scoring IELTS essay, start your introduction with a strong hook that grabs the reader’s attention. This section will guide you on the importance of a strong introduction and share techniques on how to engage the reader from the first sentence. Additionally, you’ll learn how to structure the introduction paragraph effectively.

The importance of a strong introduction

Writing a strong introduction is essential. It sets the tone for an article and draws readers in. It acts like a doorway – grabbing the attention of readers and inviting them to explore the content further.

A strong introduction allows readers to quickly grasp the main ideas of an article. It gives an overview of what will be discussed, forming a basis for the article. Without a good introduction, readers may lose interest or have difficulty understanding the purpose of the article.

Furthermore, a well-composed introduction establishes authority and trustworthiness. By showcasing research-backed facts or intriguing insights, an author can show they are knowledgeable on the subject.

In addition, a strong intro evokes emotion in readers by appealing to their curiosity or feelings. It may pose a problem or highlight a fascinating aspect that piques their interest. By making an emotional connection with readers from the start, writers guarantee audience engagement through their piece.

Now let’s look at some unique details about introductions. One effective technique is to grab attention with a shocking fact or stat related to the topic. This not only attracts reader interest but also proves the writer’s knowledge of the subject.

Another technique is to use storytelling elements in introductions. Introducing a relatable anecdote or personal experience that connects with readers’ lives can make the topic more understandable. By adding these personal narratives, writers create empathy and relate to their audience.

Now let’s look at a real example of a powerful introduction – The opening line of Charles Dickens’ novel “A Tale of Two Cities.” His famous line “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times” immediately encapsulates both optimism and despair, captivating readers right away. This shows how a strong introduction can set the stage for an unforgettable journey.

Remember, a powerful introduction can make or break an article. By grabbing attention, providing a clear overview, establishing credibility, and making an emotional connection with readers, writers can make sure their work is both interesting and informative. So, take time to perfect your introductions – they are the key to engaging your audience and leaving a lasting impression.

How to grab the reader’s attention

  • Start with an intriguing fact or a thought-provoking question. This will get the reader’s attention.
  • Introduce the topic and show why it’s important. Keep it concise and focused.
  • State your main point or argument. Give the reader a roadmap.

To make your introduction even better, add a story or an emotional connection. This will create an instant bond and keep them hooked.

Remember: Grab their attention from the start, but don’t give away too much info.

Pro Tip: Get feedback on your intro before finalizing it. Revise it as needed.

Structuring the introduction paragraph

Engage your reader with an interesting story or statistic. Then, outline your main points concisely and without jargon. Use transition phrases such as “building upon this idea” to move smoothly from hook to background. Finish off with a clear thesis statement. This will give readers a good understanding of what to expect in the article.

Developing Body Paragraphs

To develop strong body paragraphs in your IELTS essays, focus on crafting clear topic sentences and providing supporting details. Additionally, learn how to effectively present arguments and examples to strengthen your arguments. Finally, understand how to utilize cohesive devices to seamlessly connect ideas and enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Topic sentences and supporting details

Topic Sentences and Supporting Details

Topic sentences provide the main idea of a paragraph. To explain them, it’s important to include relevant details.

To illustrate this concept, let’s look at a table. It shows how topic sentences and supporting details work together.

This shows that each topic sentence is followed by supporting details which strengthen the message.

Now let’s delve into the details about topic sentences and supporting details. They should be presented in a logical order. The details should also be relevant and specific to the main idea. By following these principles, writers can effectively convey their points while maintaining coherence.

To improve writing further, consider transitional phrases between supporting details. Also, acknowledge counterarguments within the paragraphs. This helps make it more persuasive without compromising its informative nature.

Providing arguments and examples

Let’s explore how to give strong arguments and examples. Imagine a neat table with data that supports our view. There should be columns of factual numbers to back up the argument. This visual aid is a great way to convince readers.

We also need to include details that haven’t been discussed before. These details add more to our writing, so it looks professional. By looking into lesser-known aspects, we can make our arguments better.

So why wait? Using evidence in your writing will make readers emotional. It will also make them feel like they have to join your perspective. Don’t be scared to use persuasive body paragraphs. Use evidence to make your writing stand out – make it specific to your audience’s needs and interests.

Using cohesive devices to link ideas

Cohesive devices like transitional phrases and linking words can make ideas seamlessly flow. This gives the reader a better understanding of the writer’s thoughts.

A unique way of using them is to introduce examples and supporting evidence in a paragraph. This helps arguments by giving more information that reinforces the main point. “For example” or “specifically” are great phrases for linking ideas and bringing clarity.

Pro Tip: Pick the right word or phrase for the intended meaning. Think about the context of the sentence and choose a cohesive device to accurately express your message.

Crafting the Conclusion

To craft a compelling conclusion in your IELTS essays, summarize the main points, restate the thesis statement, and leave a lasting impression. Summarizing the main points helps reinforce your arguments, restating the thesis statement recaps your stance, and leaving a lasting impression ensures your essay lingers in the reader’s mind.

Summarizing the main points

Crafting a powerful conclusion is essential to leave an impression on readers. Here’s how:

  • Highlight each point’s importance & impact.
  • Show their connection to form a cohesive narrative.
  • Explain how they contribute to the overall message.
  • End with a call to action or thought-provoking final remark.

When summarizing main points in an article’s conclusion, aim for clarity and brevity while making sure your words stay with the reader even after they finish reading. Remember that readers’ perception of the article is heavily influenced by the conclusion.

Restating the thesis statement

Have you ever wanted to live a crazier life ? Let’s give it a try! Dance ’till you drop, sing at the top of your lungs, and laugh like there’s no tomorrow . Let loose and have some fun! It’ll be an adventure you won’t soon forget.

Have you ever dreamed of living a wilder life ? Let’s do it! Dance ’til you can’t move, belt out your favorite songs, and laugh with joy . Go for it and have a blast! This will be an adventure you won’t forget anytime soon.

Leaving a lasting impression

It is key to craft a lasting impression. Get to the point, use strong words and visuals. End with a call-to-action.

Customize your message to cater to the needs of your audience. Speak with the right tone and style for engagement.

Winston Churchill is a prime example of leaving a lasting impression. His speeches during World War II inspired nations. Even after his death, his words still have an impact.

To leave a lasting impression, be concise. Employ impactful words. Use visual aids. And make a call-to-action. Understand your audience. Draw inspiration from those who have come before. You can make your mark in communication.

Proofreading and Editing

To ensure high-scoring IELTS essays in the section on proofreading and editing, focus on checking for grammar and spelling errors, improving sentence structure and clarity, and ensuring coherence and cohesion. This process will help refine your writing and make it more polished and effective.

Checking for grammar and spelling errors

Proofreading and editing are essential. Checking for grammar and spelling errors boosts professionalism and increases reader comprehension.

Pay attention to sentence structure, subject-verb agreement, punctuation, and verb tenses to identify potential grammar mistakes. Check for run-on sentences and fragments.

For spelling errors, read the document through and use spell-check tools. But, they may not detect homophones or typos.

A great technique is to read the text aloud. It can help spot awkward phrasing and spelling mistakes. It’s a good idea to get another set of eyes to review the work too.

By following these tips, and being careful, writers can deliver accurate and high-quality work. Proofreading ensures clear communication and boosts professional credibility.

Improving sentence structure and clarity

To better your sentence structure & clarity, follow these 6 steps!

  • Start with a topic sentence – clearly state the main idea.
  • Use active voice instead of passive for concise writing.
  • Keep sentences short & simple.
  • Use transitions to connect ideas.
  • Cut out wordiness.
  • Revise & proofread.

Plus, vary sentence length, check subject-verb agreement, adjust tone according to context, & read aloud . Practicing these tips will help you improve your sentences.

In 1928, Virginia Woolf wrote “Orlando,” a modernist masterpiece. She disregarded traditional sentence structures & embraced a fluid style. Her success proved breaking free from conventional sentences could lead to creative & captivating writing.

Ensuring coherence and cohesion

Key aspects for ensuring coherence and cohesion:

  • Transition words – help make a smooth transition between ideas and paragraphs.
  • Pronouns – like ‘it’, ‘he’, ‘she’ refer back to nouns, creating continuity.
  • Repetition – of words or phrases reinforces main ideas.
  • Synonyms – introduce different words to avoid repetition and stay clear.
  • Logical order – so readers can follow thoughts easily.

To further improve your writing:

  • Read out loud – awkward sentences and gaps in flow become clear.
  • Use sentence variety – simple, compound and complex sentences.
  • Take breaks – get fresh perspectives on improvement areas.
  • Get feedback – let peers or professionals help with coherence and cohesion.

These suggestions help readers follow ideas without confusion. They create clear connections and a seamless experience.

Practice and Tips for Success

To improve your performance in IELTS essays, utilize the ‘Practice and Tips for Success’ section. Discover effective strategies to ace the exam by engaging in exercises such as practicing with sample essay questions, managing time effectively, and seeking feedback for continuous improvement.

Practicing with sample essay questions

Analyze the prompt. Read it carefully and identify the key words or phrases that define the topic. Grasping the prompt helps form a focused thesis statement.

Research and gather info. Do thorough research to gather pertinent facts from reliable sources. Make notes and organize them based on arguments or counterarguments.

Plan your essay. Put together an outline or structure before you start writing. This ensures coherence and logical progression of ideas.

Write a draft. Use the notes and outline as a guide and begin writing your essay. Focus on presenting arguments, proving them, and demonstrating analytical skills.

Review and revise. After completing your draft, review it for clarity, coherence, grammar, and punctuation errors. Make the needed changes to strengthen your essay’s content and flow.

Time management is essential when attempting practice essays to prepare for real exams. Practice with sample essay questions to sharpen your writing, build confidence, and improve future performance.

Notable figures like authors, scholars, and professionals have honed their writing skills by regularly engaging in practice with sample essay questions. This has not only boosted their ability to effectively express thoughts, but also has helped them comprehend different perspectives on multiple topics.

Managing time effectively

Don’t let missed opportunities haunt you! Take control of your time and reap the rewards. To maximize your potential for success, start implementing these techniques now:

  • Prioritize tasks. Identify most important ones first . This ensures time is spent on activities that have the greatest impact.
  • Set goals. Establish clear goals for each day or week . This provides you with a sense of direction and purpose.
  • Create a schedule. Develop a daily or weekly outline that blocks off time for different activities. This helps you allocate time efficiently and prevents procrastination.
  • Avoid multitasking. Studies show this decreases productivity. Focus on one task at a time to ensure quality work.

Productivity tools such as task management apps or timers can help. Also, practice self-discipline, and eliminate distractions such as notifications or find a quiet workspace. This enhances focus and concentration. Commit to these strategies consistently and experience benefits like more tasks accomplished within deadlines, and reduced stress levels.

Seeking feedback and improvement

Actively search for feedback from mentors, colleagues, and supervisors . Accept criticism as a chance for progress, not personally. Ask for feedback on a project or performance, to get helpful feedback. Take the time to think about feedback and pick out what you can do to improve. Even with positive feedback, keep searching for ways to develop.

Remember, requesting feedback needs openness and humility . Showing you want to learn is a sign of growth.

Pro Tip: Listen closely to feedback, rather than defending yourself. This will help you understand the point of view and make improvements.

We have reached the end of our step-by-step guide for writing high-scoring IELTS essays . Reflecting on the key points covered, we explored strategies and techniques to improve your essay writing. Understanding the marking criteria, managing time, building strong arguments, structuring essays – these are all necessary tools for success. To craft a strong essay, use relevant examples from academic journals, news outlets, and official reports. Demonstrate critical thinking by analyzing perspectives on a topic. Also, ensure that your ideas flow logically, using transition words and phrases. Diverse vocabulary and sentence structures will show off your language proficiency and engage the reader.

It is important to note that practice is key to success in the IELTS exam . Practice planning, drafting, and editing essays within timed conditions to improve your writing. Dedication, practice, and understanding of the strategies discussed in this article will help you to achieve higher scores . According to The British Council (2020) , candidates who implement these techniques are more likely to succeed.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ 1: What is the key to writing high-scoring IELTS essays? The key to writing high-scoring IELTS essays is to clearly understand the essay question, plan your response, and structure your essay effectively. Additionally, make sure to use a wide range of vocabulary, demonstrate strong grammar skills, and provide evidence and examples to support your ideas.

FAQ 2: How can I improve my vocabulary for IELTS essays? You can improve your vocabulary for IELTS essays by reading extensively, especially from reputable sources such as newspapers, books, and academic articles. Make a note of unfamiliar words and their meanings, and try to use them in your own writing. Additionally, using vocabulary learning resources such as flashcards or vocabulary apps can be helpful.

FAQ 3: Are there any specific essay structures I should follow? Yes, there are several essay structures you can follow, depending on the type of essay question. The most common structures include the Introduction-Body-Conclusion structure and the Pros and Cons structure. It is important to choose a structure that suits the essay question and helps you present your ideas logically.

FAQ 4: How can I improve my grammar skills for IELTS essays? To improve your grammar skills for IELTS essays, practice writing regularly and seek feedback from native English speakers or qualified English language teachers. You can also use grammar reference books or online resources to learn about specific grammar rules and common errors. Take note of your frequent errors and work on them systematically.

FAQ 5: How long should an IELTS essay be? An IELTS essay should be between 250 and 300 words long. Writing within this word limit ensures that you have enough time to develop your ideas and demonstrate your English language proficiency. It is important to manage your time effectively during the exam to allocate enough time for planning, writing, and reviewing your essay.

FAQ 6: How can I practice for writing high-scoring IELTS essays? You can practice for writing high-scoring IELTS essays by practicing timed writing tasks using past IELTS essay questions. Familiarize yourself with the assessment criteria, and self-evaluate your essays. Additionally, seek feedback from experienced IELTS instructors or professional essay evaluators to identify areas for improvement and learn effective strategies.

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Study IELTS Essay Writing Inside Out

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Table of Contents

What is ielts essay writing, how to write an ielts essay, sample essay writing questions.

Need help with preparing for IELTS Writing tests? Compared to Task 1, Task 2 is truly the winning part of the writing section. You will be awarded for your ideas and arguments in response to the topic. Your marks for IELTS writing will be calculated on how well you formulate and shape ideas while transforming them as a response in your answer sheet. Writing task 2 assesses your writing skills while organising your ideas and explaining your point of view, argument or problem. Do you want to know more about IELTS essay writing? Then, this blog is for you.

IELTS is a widely recognised exam around the globe for testing English proficiency, and essay writing is part of its writing section. IELTS essay is the same for academic and general, where you will be presented with a topic and asked to write an essay of around 250 words on the same.

You are allotted 40 minutes for the IELTS Task 2 out of the 60 minutes of the total writing test. In IELTS essay writing, you must express your thoughts, opinions, and arguments on a given topic. You will be assessed and evaluated based on your coherence, cohesion, use of lexical resources and grammatical accuracy.

Furthermore, the IELTS essay is a component of both exam types, meaning there is task 2 IELTS academic and task 2 general. IELTS academic asks you to write about a general statement or a controversial topic. You must also provide arguments, ideas, thoughts, and evidence to support your statements. Whereas IELTS general writing task 2 asks you to write about everyday situations like social issues, education, lifestyle chaos, or work.

Now that you know what IELTS essay writing is, let's dig deeper into how to write them. You must carefully plan, organise, and adhere to specific guidelines before you start writing. Follow the steps mentioned below to write a good essay response.

Determine your opinions – You will be assigned one of four topics: giving an opinion, agreeing or disagreeing, proposing a solution, and pros and cons.  Decide what you think about the topic and why. Clear your mind, don't waver! You also need examples for this, so it is worth spending 5 minutes just planning.

Trail the structure – Start with an attention-grabbing introduction that includes some background information, emphasise your central idea, make seamless transitions between body paragraphs, and wrap up with the ideas covered in the body paragraphs.

Style your essay – Practise your vocabulary beforehand and use those words to express your ideas precisely. Pay more attention to grammatical errors, sentence formations, and word choice per the sentence’s context. 

Other miscellaneous things to check – Avoid irrelevant data and informal style. Your essay has to be easy to read by the examiner, only assess your thoughts, and shouldn’t be expanded. There are more things to remember, that is, proofreading your essay.

Now that you are well-versed in IELTS essay writing, it's time to practise by studying a few hypothetical essay questions. Look at them below.

Academic Essay Writing

Q1 - Write about the following topic:

Many people go through life doing work that they hate or have no talent for. Why does this happen? What are the consequences of this situation?

Give reasons for your answer and include relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Q2 - Write about the following topic:

Learning English at school is often seen as more important than learning local languages. If these are not taught, many are at risk of dying out. 

In your opinion, is it important for everyone to learn English? Should we ensure the survival of local languages, and if so, how?

General Essay Writing

Q1 - Some people think that having a set retirement age (e.g. 65 years) for everybody, regardless of occupation, is unfair. They believe that certain workers deserve to retire and receive a pension at an earlier age.

Do you agree or disagree?

Which types of workers get benefits from early retirement?

Q2 - Some people believe that teaching children at home is best for a child’s development, while others think it is important for children to attend school.

Discuss the advantages of both methods and give your own opinion. Give reasons for your answer and include relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

To conclude, IELTS essay writing is meant to evaluate various writing skills, including how well you can order your thoughts, use a variety of language, and correctly employ grammar. Aside from this, you also get to understand what it is, its types, how to write them, and a few of the sample questions for your practical knowledge. 

We hope we have provided you with helpful insight into IELTS essay writing. Please contact Prepare IELTS (PI) counsellors if you need further guidance. Our team of education experts is dedicated to providing you with the best guidance in preparing for the IELTS Exam .

You can get a free one-on-one counselling session online via our platform. Contact us at [email protected] or call us at +91 9773398388.

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  • IELTS Writing Task #1 General  Guide
  • IELTS Writing Task #1 Academic Guide
  • IELTS Writing Task #2 Guide
  • Writing Program Options

IELTS Writing Task 2 Guide for 2024: Step-by-Step Instructions, Tips, and Sample Answers for the Writing Task Essay (Academic and General)

Hi, I'm Jan. I'm a former IELTS examiner for IDP in Toronto and I help students crack the code on Band 7+ writing.

This IELTS Writing Task 2 guide was developed by myself and other former IELTS examiners to eliminate the confusion that students face. It will teach you the SIMPLEST possible way to write an essay for the IELTS academic or general exam. We'll go over the marking criteria, best structure, powerful writing tips, and several model answers.

For the Writing Task 1 Academic guide, click here .

For the Writing Task 1 General guide, click here .

Jan Waginski - IELTS instructor

Instructions and Requirements

What are the requirements for IELTS Writing Task 2 essay?

  • You have 40 minutes to write an essay.
  • Your essay must have a minimum of 250 words. Around 300-320 words is a typical word count for a high-scoring response.
  • Your essay must satisfy the marking criteria for content (Task Achievement), arrangement (Coherence and Cohesion), vocabulary (Lexical Resource), and grammar (Grammatical Range and Accuracy). We will go over the most important criteria below.
  • There is NO DIFFERENCE in the requirements for the academic and general essay, or in how they are scored.
  • Your essay must be written using a formal tone.

Marking criteria

Your IELTS essay will be marked according to four marking criteria:

IELTS Writing Task 2 Rubric

You can access this official rubric here: https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/ielts_task_2_writing_band_descriptors.pdf

Marking criteria - Task Response

IELTS Writing Task 2 Rubric - Task Achievement Criteria

Task Response criteria tell us what CONTENT we must include:

1. "Addresses all parts of the prompt":

  • Answer all parts of the prompt.
  • As per the instructions, you must support your answer with reasons and examples. We'll go over the kinds of examples IELTS is looking for below.

2. "Presents a well-developed response to the question with relevant, extended, and supported ideas":

  • IELTS is NOT looking for a list of reasons for your opinion. They are looking for two well-developed reasons.
  • Each reason should be "extended," which means not just stating the reason, but expanding on it. You'll see what this means when we get to the examples below.
  • Each reason should be "supported." In academic writing, every opinion must be supported by evidence. The easiest way to do this is by inventing research study results, poll results, or a newspaper story. It's perfectly ok to do this as long as what you've invented is reasonable.
  • The instructions REQUIRE an example. Invented research works perfectly well for this, but so does an extended personal example. IELTS doesn't care which you use. In fact, a common very effective pattern is to provide evidence followed by an example. You'll see this in the model responses below.
  • Use TREES paragraph structure to ensure you do this correctly: topic sentence, reason, evidence, example, significance. This structure was developed to guarantee that you include all required content in the correct order.

3. “Presents a clear position throughout the response”:

  • Your opinion must be clear throughout your essay. Include our opinion as the thesis in your introduction (the last sentence in the introduction), in the body paragraph topic sentences, in the body paragraph concluding sentences, and as the first sentence in the conclusion. At no point should the examiner be wondering what your opinion on the topic is.
  • There are 7 prompt types, and the way to make your position clear with each type is covered in depth in the course.
  • One of the 7 prompt types DOES NOT REQUIRE an opinion. If you give an opinion, you will lose marks.
  • If you try to write a balanced essay where your opinion is "in some situations, X is a better idea while in other situations, Y is a better idea," your essay is likely to NOT have a clear position and you will lose marks.

Marking criteria - Coherence and Cohesion

IELTS Writing Task 2 Rubric - Coherence and Cohesion Criteria

Coherence and Cohesion criteria tell us that our content must be clearly organized and use abundant cohesive devices (transitions) to clearly show the reader how ideas are related to each other.

1. “Skilfully manages paragraphing”:

  • Each paragraph has a SINGLE controlling idea.

2. “Sequences information and ideas logically”:

  • Paragraphs follow the order of reasons in the thesis statement. If you say "In my opinion, X is a good idea because A and B," your first body paragraph should be about A, not about B.
  • Sentences within paragraphs flow from general to specific. Use TREES paragraph structure to ensure you do this correctly: topic sentence, reason, evidence, example, significance. This structure was developed to guarantee that you include all required content in the correct order.

3. “Uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately”:

  • IELTS wants to see a variety of transitions. In general, MOST of your sentences (about ⅗) should begin with a transition (First, Next, Finally, For example, As a result) that clearly indicates the purpose of the sentence as well as its connection to the previous sentence.

Marking criteria - Lexical Resource

IELTS Writing Task 2 Rubric - Lexical Resource Criteria

Lexical Resource criteria tell us that we need to use a wide range of vocabulary, including low-frequency words and expressions.

1. “Uses a wide range of vocabulary fluently and flexibly to convey precise meanings”:

  • You cannot be repetitive with vocabulary. 
  • Use one word instead of five to express an idea.

2. “Skillfully uses uncommon lexical items”:

  • This DOES NOT MEAN that you need to use BIG words. “Uncommon” is a technical definition that refers to how frequently vocabulary is used. For example, “address a problem” is considered  upper-level vocabulary compared to “deal with a problem.” Why? It’s considered upper level simply because it's less common to say “address a problem” than it is to say “deal with a problem.”

The examiner does not have a list of vocabulary that they are looking for. They are looking for vocabulary that is appropriate and precise. It is a TERRIBLE STRATEGY to use big words where small words can be used. Your main goal as a writer is to clearly convey your ideas to the reader. IT SHOULD NOT BE YOUR GOAL to impress the reader/examiner with your vocabulary.

Your goal is to avoid any chance of misunderstanding, and complex language guarantees misunderstanding. You should pretend you are writing for an intelligent 12-year-old, which will prevent you from using long, wordy explanations. If you wouldn't use that kind of language with a 12-year-old, don't use it with an adult either - it will confuse them too.

Marking criteria - Grammatical Range and Accuracy

IELTS Letter - Grammatical Range and Accuracy Criteria - Band 6 to Band 9

Grammatical Range and Accuracy criteria tell us that we need to use a wide variety of grammatical structures and that a high percentage of our sentences need to be completely error-free if we want Band 7 or above.

1. “Produces frequent error-free sentences”:

  • Roughly half your sentences (40%+) need to be completely error-free for Band 7. This means they need to be free even from minor errors like punctuation and article issues. For this reason, your sentences should not be too long as this increases your chances of making mistakes. There is no need for sentences that are longer than three clauses. 

2. “Uses a wide range of structures”:

  • You need to use a variety of grammar and complex sentence structures. Examiners are on the lookout for the structures below, which are COMMONLY used:
  • Passive voice
  • Subordinate clauses
  • Embedded subordinate clauses
  • Unreal conditional
  • Relative clauses
  • Semicolon sentences
  • Participial phrases
  • Colon sentences
  • Appositives
  • Noun clause in subjunctive mood for orders and suggestions

You do NOT need to use all of these structures in your essay! However, if you want to get to Band 7 level, you MUST know them all well as they are the most appropriate, natural structures in a wide variety of situations on IELTS (and in life!).

These grammar structures are described in more detail below.

IELTS Writing Task 2 scoring - IELTS rounds down!

Most people don't know this but IELTS calculates your overall score and your writing score differently. 

Your overall IELTS score is rounded the same way that we are taught to round in math class. If you get Band 7 on reading, Band 7 on listening, Band 7 on speaking, and Band 6 on writing, you will end up with Band 7 overall. 

Overall Band Score: (7+7+7+6)/4 = 6.75 > Rounded UP to 7

However, your writing and speaking score are calculated differently. For writing and speaking, IELTS ROUNDS DOWN!  On writing, if you get Band 7 on Task Achievement, Band 7 on Coherence and Cohesion, Band 7 on Lexical Resource, and Band 6 on Grammatical Range and Accuracy, you will end up with Band 6.5 overall. 

Writing/Speaking Band Score: (7+7+7+6)/4 = 6.75 > Rounded DOWN to 6.5

How to Write an Essay for IELTS Writing Task 2

T.r.e.e.s paragraph structure: the best structure for the ielts essay.

You can write EVERY one of the seven essay types in 4 paragraphs. You NEVER need to write a 5-paragraph essay.

The key to getting Band 7 or higher is thorough development of your body paragraphs. Using T.R.E.E.S. paragraph structure for the body paragraphs ensures you include every element needed for a high Task Achievement score.

  • Introduction : Describe the context and provide your thesis.
  • T opic sentence : The topic sentence tells the reader exactly what to expect in that paragraph. In this case, state the first reason for your opinion, summarize the first perspective, or answer the 1st question in a 2-part question. The topic sentence in the first body paragraph summarizes your answer to the first half of the prompt; the topic sentence in the 2nd body paragraph summarizes your answer to the 2nd half of the prompt.
  • R eason : Expand on your reason in general terms.
  • E vidence : How do you know this is true? Refer to a research study or statistic that proves what you are saying is true. As long as it's reasonable, invent the data and results.
  • E xample : Bring your point to life with an example. Invent a story of how this happened to you, a family member, or peer; you can refer to a news story.
  • S ignificance : Connect the paragraph to the thesis. Explain how the evidence/example supports your opinion.
  • Conclusion : Restate your thesis and summarize the two main reasons. You don't need anything else in the conclusion.

NOTE: The full course includes templates for each of the 7 writing task #2 prompt types. These templates include sentence skeletons for every sentence.

The best process for writing the IELTS essay

Use the ABCDE writing process for all writing tasks:

  • A NALYZE the prompt: Be 100% clear about what you MUST write about. Be clear about the structure: 2 reasons for one opinion, 2 sides of the argument with OR without your opinion, 2-part questions.
  • B RAINSTORM ideas for each paragraph using TREES paragraph structure - this ensures you include ALL the required information. Write down your ideas in POINT FORM! You'll transform your point-form ideas into full sentences later.
  • C HECK to make sure that you haven't missed anything required by the prompt, and that all ideas are 100% related to the prompt. CHUCK anything that is not 100% related - it will be considered off-topic and you will lose marks.
  • D EVELOP your point form ideas into full sentences and paragraphs. For all body paragraphs, use T.R.E.E.S. paragraph structure , which tells you EXACTLY what to include in your body paragraphs, and in what order.
  • E DIT . Read your work out loud and trust your ears to notice anything that sounds awkward. If it sounds awkward, use a simpler grammatical construction or simpler diction. Pretend you are writing for a smart 12-year-old: this will help you use appropriate vocabulary. Do not try to impress the examiner with complex grammar and big words - this always backfires and results in lower marks. Professional writers don't try to impress the reader with their grammar and diction - a professional writer's main goal is to eliminate the possibility of being misunderstood.

Use your imagination to fill in the details

You will need to invent the details in your IELTS essay. The evidence in the sample essays below was 100% invented, although it was inspired by real life events. The full course includes over 60 essays written by native speaker current and former IELTS examiners. They are written according to the system used in this course, and they are the best source of inspiration and training. 

7 Types of Essay Prompts with Model Responses

The prompt type determines the approach you need to take. It's VERY IMPORTANT to read the prompt carefully as this affects the requirements of the task.

Agree/Disagree Essays

Ielts writing task achievement tip - each body paragraph only needs one main reason.

IELTS is NOT looking for a list of reasons to support your opinion. They are looking for ONE main reason per body paragraph (paragraphs have ONE controlling idea). Each reason needs to include an explanation and an example (this can be a research study, a personal example/one that you heard about in the news, or both).

Agree/disagree sample response

Example prompt:  More and more people today get their news on the Internet. Nevertheless, newspapers will continue to be an important source of news and information for most people. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?   Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.  Write at least 250 words.  

  • Provide TWO reasons for ONE opinion.
  • The first sentence in the prompt is a given: it's the background context of the topic. IELTS isn’t asking if you agree or disagree with “More and more people today get their news on the Internet.” Everyone already knows this is true! A major killer on Task Achievement is spending time on the first part of the prompt without connecting it to “newspapers will continue to be an important source of news and information for most people.” The second statement is the only one they are asking if you agree or disagree with. It’s the only one that it is possible to agree or disagree with.  
  • Note how both body paragraphs below follow TREES structure exactly: topic sentence, reason, evidence, example, significance. The first body paragraph includes evidence followed by a personal example; the second body paragraph includes evidence with an extended explanation.

Many people believe that newspapers will continue to be a significant news and information source despite the popularity of the Internet. However, I disagree that newspapers will remain relevant for the majority of people since they are redundant and most people expect news to be free.    

In the old days, most people would get the local newspaper, which was their one  comprehensive source  of news and information. Today, people no longer bother because they are on their smartphones all the time and get  constant updates  from their favourite news websites. According to research published in The New York Times in 2019, newspaper  circulation  in the U.S. has dropped from over 60 million subscribers in the 1980s to about 30 million subscribers these days. I myself gave up my newspaper subscription years ago. I  failed to see the point  of maintaining my  subscription  when I never learned anything new from reading the paper; I’d already seen all the stories in my news feeds. For that reason, newspapers  are unlikely to remain relevant  for most people.    

Furthermore, because so much news and information is available for free online, most people now  fail to see why  they should pay for the news, and this is killing newspapers. According to Pew research published in 2018, a large percentage of seniors still pay for a newspaper, but only 2% of the 18-29 demographic do so.  This has coincided with  the rise of smartphones and a massive rise in advertising revenue for social media giants like Facebook and Google, which publish news free of charge for their users, who now favour reading on their phones. Advertisers have thus shifted their  ad budgets  online from newspapers.  This is the new reality  and newspapers cannot survive in such an environment.    

Therefore, as  reading habits  have changed and people now get most of their information and news online, newspapers have lost most of their readers and their revenue, and will not remain relevant for most people.  

2 Perspectives and Opinion Essays

2 perspectives and opinion sample response.

Example prompt:   Some people think that children should be encouraged to be competitive. Others believe that children should be taught to be cooperative. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.   Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.  Write at least 250 words.  

  • Easiest way to structure this essay type: the first body paragraph summarizes the side you DISAGREE with; the second body paragraph summarizes the side you AGREE with.
  • Note how both body paragraphs below follow TREES structure exactly: topic sentence, reason, evidence, example, significance. The first body paragraph includes evidence with an extended explanation ; the second body paragraph includes an extended personal example.

There is much debate about the skills that children need to be taught as they grow. Some argue that learning to be competitive will benefit children in many ways, while others argue that encouraging children to be cooperative is far more advantageous, and I agree with the latter position.  

Clearly, being competitive is a key part of success in the world today. Children that are brought up in competitive atmospheres tend to strive more to do their best, whether the pressure comes from their parents, siblings, teachers, or peers. Therefore, when they lose, they learn what they need to do in order to try and win the next time and this is a key skill. The New York Times published an article recently showing that six out of the ten CEOs of the largest companies in the US had gone to high achieving, competitive schools as well as all stating that competition with their siblings was a huge factor in their childhood. This shows that being encouraged to be competitive does lead to professional success for some.  

On the other hand, learning to be cooperative is a life skill that benefits children far more throughout their lives. Cooperative children have far more positive social interactions and are able to make and, more importantly, keep their friends. When I was at primary school, there was a boy called Costa that wanted to win everything at all costs. He wouldn’t work with anyone and thought he was better than everyone else. This lack of cooperation and over-competitiveness meant that he had no friends throughout primary school. When I met him in the street by chance 30 years later, he commented that he had found primary school very difficult due to not having any friends. If he had been taught to be cooperative, then maybe he would have had a happier time at school.  

To conclude, although both skills are important in life, learning to cooperate will benefit children far more and lead to a much happier school life.  

Advantages and Disadvantages Essays (3 Types)

There are 3 versions of advantages/disadvantages prompts:

  • The first type is "Do the advantages of X outweigh the disadvantages?" This type is quite similar to the "agree/disagree" essay type. You ONLY need to argue in favour of ONE side. It's enough to acknowledge the side you disagree with.
  • The second type is "Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of X." In this prompt, notice that you are not being asked for your opinion. If you give an opinion, it's considered off-topic and you will lose marks.
  • The third type is "Discuss the advantages and disadvantages, and give your opinion." In this case, you need to talk about both sides and simple state which one you agree with. You do not need three body paragraphs for this - two are enough.

Advantages/disadvantages sample response

Example prompt:   Many people spend long hours at work but this leaves little time for leisure activities. Does this situation have more advantages or more disadvantages?   Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.  Write at least 250 words.  

  • The is the first type of advantages/disadvantages prompt. You only need to argue in favour of ONE side.
  • Note how both body paragraphs below follow TREES structure exactly: topic sentence, reason, evidence, example, significance. The first body paragraph includes an extended personal example ; the second body paragraph includes evidence with an extended explanation .

Nowadays, working hours are getting longer and longer and this has meant that people have less time to engage in leisure activities, which, in my opinion, has a number of disadvantages.  

Firstly, as people are working longer and spending more time in front of a screen, they are spending less time moving around, going for a walk, or doing sports. This has led to more and more people putting on weight as they live a more sedentary lifestyle. My cousin is a prime example of this. He works in IT and often works 10 hours a day and on weekends too. Before entering the IT market, he was a keen squash player and would often meet friends to play two or three times a week. However, as he now works such long hours sitting at a computer, he doesn’t have time to play anymore. This has led to him putting on an unhealthy amount of weight and losing contact with some of his friends.  

Furthermore, leisure activities are a great way for people to release stress that builds up due to the pressures of work, and without them, we tend to pursue more unhealthy habits. The Guardian newspaper in the UK recently published an article showing how stress at work due to working longer hours was a key government concern in terms of public health. As more and more people were not able to do what they enjoyed, whether it was painting, yoga, or tennis, they found that, for the first time in over 10 years, the number of people taking up smoking and binge drinking was on the rise. As people had no time to do a hobby or something with friends, people were looking for more destructive ways to release the stress of longer hours at work.  

Although it feels like we have more options in terms of activities we can do these days, working long hours has taken away many people’s chances of taking up or continuing an activity, and the drawbacks of this far outweigh the benefits.  

Causes and Solutions Essays

Included with full course access.

Double Question Essays

Where to find more good ielts writing samples.

Where to get access to our full collection of 40 Task #1 and 60 Task #2 model responses written by ex-IELTS examiners:

Models like these are one of the best ways to prepare for IELTS. 40 Writing Task #1 General and over 60 Writing Task #2 models, all written by native speaker ex-examiners, are now included in the IELTS course.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Tips

How to edit your own writing.

Research shows that grammar is largely auditory. Your ears play a very important role! It’s just like listening to an instrument that you don’t know how to play: if the musician hits the wrong note, it just SOUNDS awkward even though you may not know why. In the same way, when you read your work out loud, if ANYTHING sounds awkward, change it to a simpler construction that SOUNDS good. Trust your ears!

If any grammatical construction sounds awkward, use a simpler verb tense.

If any vocabulary sounds awkward, describe your idea using simple words.

When editing, look for different issues separately

The brain is not good at finding problems unless you give it specific instructions. This is why doctors, even though they are super smart, have checklists to make sure they didn't forget any tools inside the patient after surgery. There are just too many things to think about so sometimes we need a small checklist to remind us what to look for. 

For that reason, for example, if you often have punctuation issues, you need to go through your writing specifically looking for punctuation problems. As mentioned previously, read your work out loud and where you find yourself pausing (to take a breath between ideas), you need punctuation.

Once you’ve gone through your writing looking for that first problem, go through your writing again looking for the next problem. Then read it out loud for a third time looking for a 3rd issue your writing typically has. 

This process is slow initially, but once you start looking for these specific problems on a regular basis, you’re training your brain to automatically look for those problems. Your brain will get faster and more accurate at identifying those problems, and pretty soon you're not going to have them. Then you can move on to the next problem. 

Take it step-by-step and look for a couple things at a time rather than looking for 10 different problems at once, which is overwhelming and doesn’t work.

Top 10 Grammar Structures for IELTS Essays

A Band 7 on Grammatical Range and Accuracy requires "a variety of complex sentences." A Band 8 on Grammatical Range and Accuracy requires "a wide range of structures."

There are 10 grammar structures you MUST know to get a Band 7+ on IELTS Writing Task 1 General. Examiners are on the lookout for these. These structures are COMMONLY used in English and are often appropriate for all written and oral parts of the IELTS exam. Band 7 means your English is at an advanced level. At this level, these structures are necessary to express yourself precisely and fluently:

  • Semi-colon sentences
  • Participial phrases - active voice
  • Participial phrases - passive voice
  • Noun clauses in subjunctive mood for orders and suggestions

IELTS Writing Grammar Tip - Best Sentence Length for Band 7 Level Grammar

Many students write very long sentences because they believe this will impress the examiner. This certainly will impress the examiner, but ONLY if your long sentences are grammatically flawless. However, the Band 7 criteria very clearly state “produces frequent error-free sentences.” Even a SINGLE MISTAKE in a long sentence means that the entire sentence is no longer error-free.

For example, one student recently wrote Task #1 Academic in four sentences (his sentences had 45 words on average)! He was very lucky as 2 sentences were flawless; therefore, half his sentences were error-free so he received a Band 7 rating on grammar.

However, even among professional writers, this is not a normal way to write. While two of these monster sentences were technically flawless, they had so many clauses in them that I had to reread his work several times to make sure I understood it correctly. In other words, these long sentences were not at all reader friendly. Don’t take chances like this! I strongly recommend limiting sentences to three clauses. You don’t need anything longer for Band 7 performance.

In short, your #1 goal as a writer is to be clear, and long sentences do not help with clarity. In general, you can limit sentence length to 3 clauses.

As another example, Dr. Bruno had taken IELTS repeatedly and failed to get at least Band 7 on writing, which he needed to work as a doctor in Canada. After training with Toronto IELTS Prep, Dr. Bruno simplified his approach to writing and finally got the Band 7 he needed:

I appreciate all your corrections and tips. It made a huge difference to notice that [not enough] “error-free” sentences were pushing my score down. I tried to control those errors during my last test, and it seems everything went well!”

“I just wrote the texts in a simple way instead of using complex structures to give a good impression. I also paid more attention to subject/verb and tenses, avoiding those basic single/plural errors. I didn’t have time to read and correct my texts at the end (like always), but I believe that I controlled my errors during the writing process.

Dr. Bruno E.

1. Passive voice

Passive voice is useful when the subject is too obvious:  

Baby English: The bakers bake the bread at 5 AM daily.  

  • This is baby English. Only bakers bake bread so it’s unnecessary to write “bakers bake the bread.”  

Better: The bread is baked at 5 AM daily.  

  • In this case, passive voice is better. The focus of the sentence is now on when the bread is baked. We don’t need to be reminded that bakers bake the bread (instead of police officers or firefighters!).  

2. Unreal conditional

Unreal conditional is commonly used to give advice:  

  • If the government were to fund additional training for the unemployed, this would help reduce the unemployment rate.

3. Subordinate clauses

Using a subordinate clause is the most common way to make a complex sentence.  

If the subordinate clause comes BEFORE the independent clause, ALWAYS place a comma AFTER the subordinate clause.  

If the subordinate clause comes AFTER a short independent clause, do not use a comma. If the subordinate clause comes after a long independent clause, it’s your choice whether or not to use a comma between them. Use your ears to make this decision: read the sentence out loud and if you find that you need to pause between the two clauses, then you should probably use a comma.    

Subordinate clause 1 st :  Because it’s nice outside,  we went to the park.  

Subordinate clause 2nd: We went to the park  because it’s nice outside .  

IELTS Writing Grammar Tip - Use a Subordinate Clause in the Middle of a Sentence

It's easy to add a subordinate clause at the beginning or end of a sentence:

  • While he was camping, my friend encountered a bear.
  • My friend encountered a bear while he was camping .

It's less common to use a subordinate clause in the middle of a sentence. This is considered ADVANCED usage:

  • My friend , while he was camping, encountered a bear.

4. Relative clauses

The second most common way to make a complex sentence is to use a relative clause .

Relative clauses are also called adjective clauses because they describe a noun/noun phrase (person, place, thing, or idea). They provide details just like adjectives do, but they come after the noun instead of before it .  Relative clauses generally begin with who , that , or which .

  • My friend Jim , who lives in Montreal,   is visiting next week .  
  • The X501 , which  we ordered last week,   has finally arrived .  

Relative clauses also provide important information about the entire preceding clause :

  • He was late getting to the airport , which means  he missed his flight .  

Relative clauses follow 2 punctuation patterns.  

1. Use commas around the relative clause if it’s an extra detail:  

  • Jim ,   who lives in Montréal ,  is visiting next weekend.  
  • The X501, which we ordered last week, has finally arrived.

These are called " non-defining relative clauses" because the audience knows who you’re talking about ("Jim") or what you're talking about ("the X501") without the relative clause, so the information about where Jim lives or when the part was ordered is an extra detail. If we remove the relative clause from the sentence, we still know who/what you’re talking about:   

  • Jim is visiting next weekend.  
  • The X501 has finally arrived.

IELTS Writing Grammar Tip - Read Aloud to Hear the Commas

You can hear these commas! When you read your work out loud, you will find yourself pausing naturally on both sides of these kinds of relative clauses. Use your ears to help with grammar!  

2. Don’t use commas if we need the relative clause to understand what the noun refers to:  

  • My friend   who lives in Montréal  is visiting next weekend.  
  • The part that we ordered last week has finally arrived.

These are called "defining relative clauses" because you need the information in the relative clause to understand which noun the speaker is referring to. The audience doesn’t know who you're talking about ("my friend") or what you're talking about ("the part") without this information in the relative clause.  It’s NOT just an extra detail like in the previous example about Jim.

  • My friend   is visiting next weekend.  Which friend?
  • The part has finally arrived. Which part?

IELTS Writing Grammar Tip - No Pause, No Comma

In these examples, when you read your work out loud, you will NOT pause on both sides of the relative clause. Use your ears to help with grammar!  

Which vs that  

In a defining relative clause , you can use either “which” or “that”:

  • The part  which / that we ordered last week has finally arrived.  

In a non-defining relative clause , DO NOT use "that":

  • The X501 , which / that   we ordered last week, has finally arrived.  

5. Semi-colon sentences

Another way to join simple sentences is to use a semi-colon + conjunctive adverb combination . Just remember that both sides of the semi-colon MUST be independent clauses (i.e., stand-alone sentences).  

  • I would love to stay at the 5-star hotel ; however, it’s too expensive.  

6. Participial phrases - active voice

Participial phrases are a common construction that you can think of as a compressed version of a subordinate or relative clause.

Subordinate clause > participial phrase:

  • Subordinate clause: While we were walking through the woods, we saw several deer.
  • Participial phrase: W alking through the woods , we saw several deer.

Relative clause > participial phrase:

  • Relative clause: We saw several deer that were walking through the woods.
  • Participial phrase: We saw several deer walking through the woods .

Typical uses:

  • Considering the amount of money this item cost , we expected it to arrive in better condition.

7. Participial phrases - passive voice

Participial phrases also come in passive voice:

  • Given the current situation , it's probably best to stay home.
  • Based on your personality , I'd say going to work makes more sense than going to school.

8. Colon sentences

Use a colon for lists or instructions:

  • You should definitely bring these items on your trip: bug spray, bear spray, and a flare gun.
  • The recipe will turn out better if you do things the other way around: first mix the wet ingredients and then add the dry ingredients.

9. Appositives

In many cases, it's not necessary to use a relative clause for important details, in particular when the detail is another name for that noun. Instead, use an appositive :

  • I'm quite familiar with this machine as I used it at another company , Magna Automotive, to assemble car seats.
  • I'll be taking a course , Fundamentals of Accounting, in the fall.

In these cases, the appositive is another name for the noun:

  •  another company = Magna Automotive
  • a course = Fundamentals of Accounting

10. Noun clauses in subjunctive mood for orders and suggestions

For orders and suggestions, English grammar gets a bit weird. You have to use noun clauses in subjunctive mood in these cases:

NOTE : In noun clauses in subjunctive mood, DO NOT add "S" to 3rd person singular verbs as you normally do. In fact, DO NOT conjugate the verb in the noun clause at all. ONLY the verb following the main subject is conjugated.

Normal situation:

  • The government fund s this initiative in order to prevent further problems from occurring.

Subjunctive mood for suggestions - note the verb in the noun clause   IS NOT CONJUGATED regardless of the time information in the first part of the sentence:

  • PRESENT SIMPLE: It's essential   that the government fund this initiative in order to prevent further problems from occurring .
  • PAST SIMPLE: The committee suggested that the government fund this initiative .
  • FUTURE: The panel will likely recommend that the government fund this initiative .

Subjunctive mood in passive voice :

  • It's critical that the new community centre be built in a central location accessible to the majority of its members .
  • It's important to the community that the park not be developed into highrises .

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Should i use a lot of high level vocabulary on ielts.

Yes, but "high level vocabulary" doesn't mean what you think it means. "High level vocabulary" refers to less frequently used vocabulary - it is not related to how big a word is. 

  • Calling something "inexpensive" is considered basic vocabulary (Level B1 if you are familiar with CEFR)
  • Calling something "cheap" is considered advanced vocabulary (Level C1 on CEFR).

In general, trying to use big words is a terrible strategy on IELTS and in real life. Your #1 goal as a writer is clarity; your goal should NOT be to impress the reader with your vocabulary knowledge. Professional writers will always tell you to use the simplest, most direct words to communicate an idea.

IELTS assesses your vocabulary on whether it is accurate and precise. The examiner does not have a list of words they are looking for.

What should the level of formality be for Writing Task 2?

How do i get my ielts writing checked online.

In my humble opinion, the best IELTS writing program is the Toronto IELTS Prep online writing program. It starts with a diagnostic assessment and 1 hour consultation & training session to make sure you understand why you're not getting Band 7+, and EXACTLY what you need to do to get Band 7+ on writing. 

For many people, this one-hour consultation is enough to help them get the Band score they need. This often happens because they simply misunderstand what IELTS wants to see. The consultation clarifies exactly what IELTS is looking for.

This is not a writing correction service! WRITING CORRECTION SERVICES DO NOT WORK for the same reason that a swimming coach simply showing you how she swims is not going to help you learn how to swim. If a swimming coach shows you how to improve your swimming technique, she is then  supposed to check whether YOU know how to apply the new technique.

In the same way, when you practice writing with Toronto IELTS Prep, your work is checked twice: 

  • When you first submit your writing, you get a Band score and detailed, descriptive feedback. This is colour-coded by problem type so we can see where you are losing the most marks, and thus what you need to focus on. You also receive links to mini follow-up lessons in our grammar and sentence structure lesson bank.
  • You then revise your work based on the feedback and re-submit it.
  • Your writing is re-checked to see if you understand how to correct the areas you are having trouble with. At this stage, your work is corrected and additional explanations for changes are provided.

Jan Waginski, OCT

About jan waginski, certifications & qualifications.

  • Former IELTS examiner with IDP Canada
  • Certified Ontario teacher with Ontario College of Teachers (OCT)
  • Certified Ontario ESL teacher with Teachers of English as a Second Language (TESL Ontario)
  • York University: B.A. Psychology and Politics
  • University of Toronto: B.Ed.
  • Former essay writing instructor at Seneca College
  • Former essay writing instructor at University of Ontario Institute of Technology (CultureWorks@UOIT)

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Q. What helped you the most from our one session together?

A. "From our session, the most useful part was to hear you explain the format, and to compare it to all the different types of essays. It was also extremely useful to have you go over my essays scoring them according to the score guide. This gave some key points to focus on."

After ONE training session, Mohit G. from India raised his writing score from 6.5 to 7.5, which he needs for immigration to Canada. Congratulations, Mohit!

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Band 9 Guide: IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Types and Structures + Sample Essays

In the IELTS Writing Task 2, you are required to craft a compelling essay on a given topic. The approach and structure will largely depend on the question type presented. This guide offers a detailed look into the various question types, their structures, and strategies to tackle them effectively.

Here are the essay types that we will cover:

  • Opinion Questions (Agree or Disagree)
  • Advantages and Disadvantages Questions
  • Discussion (Discuss Both Views) Questions
  • Problem and Solution Questions
  • Two-Part Questions
  • Mixed Type (Advantages and Disadvantages + Opinion)
  • Double Question
  • Causes (Reasons) and Effects

At the end, we will provide you with some supplementary tips that you can use to improve your writing band score in the IELTS exam.

1. Opinion Questions (Agree or Disagree)

This question type asks you to express your viewpoints on a given topic or statement.

Question Example:

Is digital technology in schools beneficial for students learning?

Essay Structure:

  • Introduction : Paraphrase the Question and state your opinion, outlining the main ideas.
  • Main Body Paragraph 1 : Begin with a topic sentence, explain this topic sentence, and provide an example.
  • Main Body Paragraph 2 : Follow the same format as the previous paragraph.
  • Conclusion : Recap the main points and reiterate your opinion.

Sample Essay:

Introduction: Digital technology has become an integral part of modern education, transforming the way students learn and interact with the world. In this essay, I will outline why I believe that incorporating digital technology in schools is highly beneficial for students learning.

Main Body Paragraph 1: First and foremost, digital technology enhances engagement and active participation in the learning process. Interactive learning platforms, virtual simulations, and multimedia resources make lessons more captivating and encourage students to explore concepts in depth. For instance, online platforms like Khan Academy offer interactive math lessons that adapt to individual learning paces, ensuring a personalized and effective learning experience. This level of engagement fosters a deeper understanding of subjects.

Main Body Paragraph 2: Furthermore, digital technology equips students with practical skills relevant to the digital age. In today’s interconnected world, proficiency in using digital tools and navigating online resources is essential for success. Integrating technology into education not only prepares students for the future job market but also empowers them to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. For instance, coding workshops in schools enable students to develop computational thinking, a skill applicable in a wide range of disciplines.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the integration of digital technology into schools brings numerous advantages to students’ learning experiences. It enhances engagement, promotes practical skills, and cultivates a mindset of adaptability and innovation. While some may argue that excessive screen time can be detrimental, judicious use of technology can mitigate these concerns. By embracing digital technology, schools can provide a holistic and dynamic education that prepares students for the challenges of the modern world.

Advanced Tips:

  • Be clear in your stance and acknowledge counterarguments if necessary.
  • Employ persuasive tools like strong adjectives, rhetorical questions, and emphatic structures to bolster your arguments.

2. Advantages and Disadvantages Questions

You need to evaluate both the benefits and drawbacks of a particular topic or situation.

What are the pros and cons of remote work for professionals?

  • Introduction : Paraphrase the Question and outline the main points.
  • Main Body Paragraph 1 : Discuss two advantages, expand on each, and provide an example.
  • Main Body Paragraph 2 : Detail two disadvantages, delve deeper into each, and give an example.
  • Conclusion : Summarize the main pros and cons discussed.

Introduction: The advent of technology has revolutionized the way professionals work, giving rise to the concept of remote work. In this essay, I will discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of remote work for professionals.

Main Body Paragraph 1: Remote work offers several compelling advantages for professionals. Firstly, it provides a flexible work environment that allows individuals to balance their personal and professional lives effectively. This flexibility can lead to increased job satisfaction and improved overall well-being. Moreover, remote work eliminates the need for daily commutes, saving valuable time and reducing stress. According to a study conducted by Global Workplace Analytics, remote workers report higher levels of productivity due to reduced distractions commonly found in traditional office settings.

Main Body Paragraph 2: However, remote work also presents certain challenges. One notable disadvantage is the potential for isolation and reduced collaboration. In a traditional office environment, spontaneous interactions and face-to-face discussions foster creativity and teamwork. Remote work can lead to feelings of loneliness and hinder effective communication, which is crucial for innovative solutions to complex problems. Additionally, remote work requires a high level of self-discipline, as the absence of direct supervision may lead to procrastination and decreased accountability.

Conclusion: In conclusion, remote work offers professionals a range of benefits such as flexibility and time savings. However, it is not without its drawbacks, including potential isolation and reduced collaboration. To maximize the advantages of remote work while mitigating its disadvantages, professionals must cultivate effective communication skills, establish a dedicated workspace, and maintain a disciplined work routine. Ultimately, the success of remote work hinges on the ability to strike a balance between the convenience it offers and the challenges it poses.

  • Use transitional phrases to ensure smooth transitions between points.
  • Avoid mere antonyms when presenting pros and cons.

3. Discussion (Discuss Both Views) Questions

These questions require you to explore multiple perspectives on a topic.

Should governments prioritize economic growth over environmental conservation?

  • Introduction : Paraphrase the Question and provide a thesis statement.
  • Main Body Paragraph 1 : Detail one viewpoint, give reasons for/against it and provide an example.
  • Main Body Paragraph 2 : State the opposing viewpoint, discuss it, and again offer an example.
  • Conclusion : Sum up the discussion and state your preferred perspective.

Introduction: The delicate balance between economic growth and environmental conservation has become a critical concern in contemporary societies. In this essay, I will delve into both perspectives on whether governments should prioritize economic growth or environmental conservation.

Main Body Paragraph 1: From an economic standpoint, prioritizing growth can lead to numerous benefits. Economic expansion creates job opportunities, boosts national income, and improves living standards for citizens. For instance, countries like China and India have experienced significant economic growth that has lifted millions out of poverty. This growth can fund essential services such as healthcare and education, contributing to overall societal development.

Main Body Paragraph 2: On the other hand, environmental conservation holds paramount importance for the future well-being of our planet. Ecological degradation and resource depletion have dire consequences for ecosystems and humanity alike. Focusing on environmental conservation ensures the preservation of biodiversity, clean air, and freshwater sources. For instance, countries like Sweden have successfully implemented green policies, resulting in cleaner air and sustainable use of natural resources.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the debate over whether governments should prioritize economic growth or environmental conservation is complex and multifaceted. While economic growth brings prosperity and improved living standards, neglecting environmental concerns could lead to irreversible damage to our planet. Striking a balance between these two perspectives is crucial. Governments can implement policies that promote sustainable economic growth while also ensuring responsible resource management and environmental protection. Only through careful consideration and informed decision-making can societies navigate the intricate interplay between economic progress and environmental stewardship.

  • Ensure you give equal weight to both viewpoints.
  • Your conclusion should reflect a balanced understanding of the topic.

Read Also : Cohesive Devices for Band 9 in IELTS Writing: The ultimate guide

4. Problem and Solution Questions

This question type asks you to identify problems related to a situation and suggest solutions.

What challenges does urbanization present and how can cities adapt?

  • Introduction : Paraphrase the Question and outline the main ideas.
  • Main Body Paragraph 1 : Identify the problems, discuss them, and offer examples.
  • Main Body Paragraph 2 : Suggest possible solutions, discuss their feasibility, and provide examples.
  • Conclusion : Recap the highlighted problems and proposed solutions.

Introduction: The rapid pace of urbanization has transformed the world’s landscape, bringing with it a host of challenges that demand urgent attention. In this essay, I will explore the problems posed by urbanization and propose viable solutions to address these challenges.

Main Body Paragraph 1: Urbanization has given rise to a range of pressing issues. One significant challenge is the strain on urban infrastructure, including transportation and housing. As rural populations migrate to cities, the demand for housing outpaces supply, leading to slums and inadequate living conditions. Additionally, traffic congestion and limited public transport options undermine efficient mobility. Pollution is another critical concern as increased industrial activity and vehicular emissions degrade air quality, endangering residents’ health.

Main Body Paragraph 2: To counter these challenges, cities can adopt proactive measures. Firstly, urban planning should prioritize affordable housing initiatives and sustainable infrastructure development. By building smart cities that utilize technology to manage resources efficiently, governments can alleviate congestion and enhance the quality of life. Moreover, investing in efficient public transportation systems, such as metro networks and buses, can reduce traffic congestion and pollution. For instance, the Bus Rapid Transit system in Curitiba, Brazil, has improved transportation efficiency and reduced congestion.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the challenges posed by urbanization require multifaceted solutions that span urban planning, infrastructure development, and sustainable policies. By addressing housing shortages, improving transportation, and promoting environmentally conscious practices, cities can harness the potential of urbanization while mitigating its negative consequences. This approach will not only enhance the quality of life for urban residents but also contribute to the overall well-being of society in the face of an increasingly urbanized world.

  • Be specific in identifying problems and avoid vagueness.
  • Solutions should be practical and actionable.

5. Two-Part Questions

You are presented with a statement followed by two distinct queries that must be addressed.

How has digital technology impacted workplaces and what future advancements can be anticipated?

  • Introduction : Paraphrase the statement and outline both questions.
  • Main Body Paragraph 1 : Address the first question with explanations and examples.
  • Main Body Paragraph 2 : Respond to the second question, again with explanations and examples.
  • Conclusion : Summarize the responses to both questions.

Introduction: The integration of digital technology into workplaces has reshaped the dynamics of modern work environments, bringing forth both immediate changes and future possibilities. In this essay, I will delve into the ways digital technology has already transformed workplaces and discuss potential advancements that can be anticipated.

Main Body Paragraph 1: The impact of digital technology on workplaces has been profound. Firstly, it has streamlined communication and collaboration, allowing teams to collaborate across geographical boundaries in real-time. Tools like video conferencing and cloud-based document sharing have revolutionized how projects are managed. Moreover, automation powered by artificial intelligence (AI) has improved efficiency by handling routine tasks, freeing up employees to focus on more complex, creative endeavors. This has been particularly evident in industries like manufacturing, where robots have taken over repetitive and dangerous tasks.

Main Body Paragraph 2: Looking ahead, digital technology is poised to bring even more transformative changes. The rise of remote work is likely to continue, with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies offering immersive virtual workspaces that replicate physical office environments. Furthermore, AI-driven analytics will enable data-driven decision-making, enhancing business strategies and customer interactions. The concept of a “smart office” will likely emerge, with interconnected devices and IoT (Internet of Things) technology optimizing resource utilization and energy efficiency.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the impact of digital technology on workplaces has been substantial, revolutionizing communication, automating tasks, and increasing efficiency. As we move forward, advancements such as AR, VR, AI, and IoT hold the promise of further reshaping work environments. To stay competitive, companies must embrace these innovations while also addressing potential challenges like data security and workforce adaptation. By doing so, they can position themselves to thrive in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

  • Maintain a clear division between your answers to both questions.
  • Use predictive techniques when addressing future-related queries.

6. Mixed Type (Advantages and Disadvantages + Opinion)

Here, you should discuss the pros and cons of a topic, followed by expressing a personal opinion.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of online shopping and give your own opinion.

  • Introduction : Introduce the topic.
  • Advantages : 1-2 paragraphs detailing the benefits.
  • Disadvantages : 1-2 paragraphs detailing the drawbacks.
  • Opinion : State your viewpoint and provide supporting reasons.
  • Conclusion : Summarize the main points.

Introduction: The proliferation of online shopping has transformed the way consumers engage in commerce, offering convenience and accessibility like never before. This essay will explore the benefits and drawbacks of online shopping, followed by my personal opinion on its overall impact.

Advantages: Online shopping presents several advantages. Firstly, it offers unparalleled convenience, allowing customers to browse and purchase products from the comfort of their homes. This eliminates the need to travel to physical stores, saving time and energy. Moreover, the variety of options available online ensures a wider selection of products, often at competitive prices. Online platforms also offer detailed product information, reviews, and comparison tools, empowering consumers to make informed decisions.

Disadvantages: However, online shopping is not without its disadvantages. One major concern is the inability to physically inspect products before purchase. This can lead to dissatisfaction if the received item doesn’t match expectations. Additionally, online transactions may pose risks to personal data security and privacy. Cases of identity theft and online scams are not uncommon, raising concerns about the safety of online purchases. Furthermore, the lack of face-to-face interaction eliminates the personal touch of traditional shopping experiences.

Opinion: In my opinion, the advantages of online shopping outweigh its drawbacks. The convenience, vast selection, and competitive prices make it a viable option for today’s busy consumers. The potential risks associated with online transactions can be mitigated by adopting secure payment methods and practicing caution when sharing personal information. As technology continues to advance, addressing security concerns will likely become more effective.

Conclusion: In conclusion, online shopping offers undeniable benefits in terms of convenience, variety, and accessibility. While challenges such as product inspection and security issues persist, they can be managed with prudent shopping practices. Embracing online shopping while remaining vigilant about its potential pitfalls can lead to a rewarding and efficient shopping experience.

  • Balance your essay by giving equal importance to advantages, disadvantages, and your opinion.
  • Use rhetorical questions to highlight the significance of your viewpoint.

Read Also : Common grammar mistakes to avoid in the IELTS writing section

7. Double Question

Two distinct questions are presented that must be answered within the essay.

Why do people attend colleges or universities? What are the benefits of higher education?

  • Answer to Question 1 : Provide reasons and examples.
  • Answer to Question 2 : Offer explanations and illustrations.
  • Conclusion : Recap the main points made.

Introduction: The decision to pursue higher education is driven by a multitude of factors, each intertwined with the potential benefits that education beyond high school can offer. This essay will delve into the reasons individuals choose to attend colleges or universities and the advantages that higher education brings.

Answer to Question 1: People seek higher education for various reasons. Firstly, acquiring specialized knowledge and skills is a primary motivation. Colleges and universities offer structured curricula that equip students with expertise in their chosen fields. Furthermore, higher education provides opportunities for personal growth and self-discovery. The university environment encourages critical thinking, independent research, and exposure to diverse perspectives, fostering well-rounded individuals who are prepared for the challenges of the modern world.

Answer to Question 2: The benefits of higher education are manifold. Firstly, it significantly enhances career prospects. Graduates with degrees are often more competitive in the job market, commanding higher salaries and better employment opportunities. Additionally, higher education fosters networking and social connections that can open doors to professional opportunities. Moreover, education beyond high school cultivates critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are invaluable assets in various aspects of life. For instance, an educated citizenry contributes to informed decision-making in society and drives innovation.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the decision to attend colleges or universities is driven by a desire for specialized knowledge, personal growth, and expanded opportunities. The benefits of higher education are far-reaching, including improved career prospects, enhanced critical thinking abilities, and societal contributions. As higher education continues to evolve and adapt to changing demands, its role in shaping individuals and society remains indispensable.

  • Use connectors like “Firstly” and “Secondly” to distinguish between the two answers.
  • Provide real-life examples to make your answers more credible.

8. Evaluation

You should assess the significance, relevance, or implications of a topic or statement.

How significant is the role of technology in education today?

  • Significance/Relevance : Describe why the topic is essential.
  • Counterarguments : Discuss opposing viewpoints or potential drawbacks.
  • Conclusion : Summarize your evaluation.

Introduction: Technology’s pervasive presence in modern education has sparked debates about its significance and impact on learning. This essay will evaluate the role of technology in education today, examining its importance and potential drawbacks.

Significance/Relevance: The role of technology in education is undeniably significant. It has transformed traditional classrooms into dynamic learning environments, offering interactive tools and resources that engage students. Technology facilitates personalized learning experiences, catering to diverse learning styles and paces. For instance, adaptive learning platforms tailor content to individual students’ progress, optimizing comprehension and retention. Moreover, technology has transcended geographical barriers, enabling distance learning and online courses that make education accessible to a global audience.

Counterarguments: However, there are counterarguments to the unqualified significance of technology in education. Overreliance on technology may lead to reduced face-to-face interactions and diminished social skills. Additionally, some educators argue that technology can be a distraction, diverting students’ attention from essential learning objectives. Moreover, the digital divide, where not all students have equal access to technology, can exacerbate educational inequalities.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the role of technology in education is undoubtedly significant, enhancing engagement, personalization, and accessibility. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge potential drawbacks such as social skill erosion and disparities in access. Technology’s effectiveness in education depends on its thoughtful integration and its alignment with pedagogical goals. Striking a balance between harnessing technology’s benefits and mitigating its downsides is essential to maximize its positive impact on modern education.

  • Maintain objectivity; avoid extreme positions unless strongly backed by evidence.
  • Use qualifiers like “largely”, “often”, or “generally” to avoid making absolute statements.

9. Causes (Reasons) and Effects

This type demands an understanding of the root causes of a situation and its resultant effects.

What are the reasons for increasing obesity rates in children, and what are its consequences?

  • Causes/Reasons : Elaborate on the underlying factors.
  • Effects/Consequences : Detail the outcomes or repercussions.
  • Conclusion : Recap the main causes and effects.

Introduction: The rising prevalence of childhood obesity has emerged as a critical public health concern in many societies. This essay will delve into the underlying causes of increasing obesity rates in children and explore the far-reaching consequences of this alarming trend.

Causes/Reasons: Several factors contribute to the growing obesity rates among children. Firstly, changes in dietary habits have led to increased consumption of processed foods high in sugars and unhealthy fats. Busy lifestyles and convenience-driven choices have shifted diets towards calorie-dense but nutritionally poor options. Sedentary behaviors, fueled by excessive screen time and a decline in physical activity, also play a pivotal role. Reduced outdoor play and an increasing reliance on electronic devices have led to a decline in daily physical activity levels. Furthermore, socioeconomic disparities can impact access to healthy food options and safe play spaces, exacerbating the issue.

Effects/Consequences: The consequences of childhood obesity are multifaceted and far-reaching. In the short term, overweight children often face social and psychological challenges, including low self-esteem and bullying. Moreover, childhood obesity sets the stage for lifelong health problems. Obese children are at a higher risk of developing chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and musculoskeletal issues. The economic burden on healthcare systems is substantial, as treating obesity-related illnesses places a strain on resources.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the rising prevalence of childhood obesity can be attributed to a complex interplay of factors, including dietary changes, sedentary lifestyles, and socioeconomic disparities. The consequences of childhood obesity extend beyond physical health, impacting mental well-being and straining healthcare systems. Addressing this issue requires a comprehensive approach involving education, policy changes, and community initiatives that promote healthy diets and active lifestyles from an early age.

  • Use cause-effect connectors like “due to”, “because of”, “as a result”, and “hence”.
  • Illustrate causes and effects with recent studies or statistical data where possible.

Read Also : How to use Complex Sentences in IELTS writing?

Supplementary Skills and Tips

Advanced Writing Techniques :

  • Use cohesive devices like ‘however’, ‘moreover’, and ‘therefore’ to ensure fluidity.
  • Vary sentence lengths for rhythm and engagement.
  • Incorporate credible statistics where appropriate.

Pitfalls to Avoid :

  • Stay away from broad generalizations and sweeping statements.
  • Use varied vocabulary to prevent monotony.
  • Always revise your essay before submission.

Enhancing Vocabulary :

  • Improve your vocabulary to make your essay more engaging. For instance, instead of “good”, use words like “beneficial” or “advantageous”.

The Importance of Practice and Feedback :

  • Regular practice, coupled with feedback, is key. Take online IELTS mock tests with detailed feedback from certified examiners to improve your writing skills.

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IELTS Writing Assessment Criteria

Writing assessment criteria, writing word count.

This criterion examines the overview and information that you provide, details of your content, and the accuracy with which you have mentioned key features and illustrations.

You are supposed to write 150 words for Task 1. Else there will be a penalty for under word count.

In this criterion, the type of response that you write for the essay type question is determined. It assesses the main idea of your essay and the way you develop it with relative examples.

You are supposed to write 250 words for Task 2. Otherwise, you will be penalized for writing fewer word counts. To avoid such problems, you must learn how the examiner counts your word and how many words you must write.

This IELTS Writing Criterion determines the proper use of linking words, paragraphing skills and use of cohesive devices (for example, connectors, conjunctions) is determined.

Also, the number of paragraphs is taken into consideration. Dividing your essay into more or fewer paragraphs might lower your score.

Under this criterion, the use of a sufficient range of vocabulary, proper spellings, correct implementation of collocations, and word formation are taken care of while scoring. You must avoid using wrong words and informal language.

To score this criterion, things taken into consideration include sentence structures, proper use of tenses, putting right punctuations, use of simple as well as complex statements with clear ideas, and control over Grammar.

Take a look at IELTS Writing Marking Criteria for Task 1 & Task 2

Ielts writing task 1.

  • Task Achievement: 7
  • Coherence & Cohesion: 7.5
  • Lexical Resource: 6.5
  • Grammatical Range & Accuracy: 7

Total Score for Task 1: 7 + 7.5 + 6.5 + 7 = 28 / 4 = 7

IELTS Writing Task 2

  • Task Response: 6
  • Coherence & Cohesion: 7
  • Lexical Resource: 7
  • Grammatical Range & Accuracy: 6

Total Score for Task 2: 6 + 7 + 7 + 6 = 26 / 4 = 6.5

Total Writing Band Score: 7 + 6.5 = 13.5 / 2 = 6.75 = 7 (rounded up)

Click here to download the Writing Assessment Criteria for Task 1. Click here to download the Writing Assessment Criteria for Task 2.

IELTS writing test will examine your writing skills, help you manage time, and develop strategies to complete the tasks in stipulated time. Practice more and more to fetch a high score.

IELTS Writing Evaluation Criteria in Detail

What will be the penalty for under word count.

You will get a lower score as a consequence of not writing enough words. This, in turn, indicates that you haven't completed the task.

The examiner checks and counts the words. So, to avoid writing fewer words you must practice writing on the official writing answer sheet . This will help you judge the length of your writing. You can then save time by counting just the number of lines you have written instead of counting each word.

Some other factors that diminish your score…

Handwriting: If the examiner finds difficulty in reading your answers, your band score will get affected.

Writing Memorized Answer: If you write an essay or letter/report that is memorized, you will receive low scoring for it.

Incomplete Answer: If you fail to answer the whole question or provide only half a response, you would lose your score.

What if you write more than the required words?

There is no set upper limit for both tasks. But, writing too much doesn’t mean you would achieve a high score. Instead, focus on writing quality content.

In how many paragraphs will you divide your essay?

The essay must be divided into several paragraphs. Make sure you have at least 4 to 5 paragraphs in which you divide your essay for Task 2.

Every essay has an introduction and a conclusion - this constitutes two paragraphs. Then comes the body of the essay which must be divided either into two or three paragraphs. In total, your essay must comprise four or five paragraphs.

General Tips

  • Organize the information properly while writing an essay
  • Make use of excellent English i.e. avoid spelling mistakes, incorrect use of grammar or sentence structures
  • Avoid copying the information provided in the question for writing the introductory paragraph of your essay. Instead, paraphrase the question and use it in the introduction paragraph.
  • Don't waste time counting the number of words you have written. Prefer counting the number of lines

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IELTS Essays: Five Types of IELTS Essays

There are 5 types of IELTS essays which can appear in IELTS writing task 2. These types of essays are for both GT and Academic writing task 2. Below you will find sample essay questions for each type of essay and links to model answers.  Please note that IELTS teachers sometimes divide essays into different categories based on how they teach.

1) IELTS Opinion Essay

This type of essay is where you are presented with someone else’s opinion and you are asked if you agree or disagree with it. The opinion is often flawed or extreme in its views. Some teachers call this the Argumentative Essay. The instructions can be written in a number of ways. Below are a few examples:

  • To what extent do you agree?
  • Do you agree?
  • Do you agree or disagree?
  • What is your opinion?

No matter how the instructions are written, you can take any position you want: agree, disagree or partial agreement (balanced view). Below is an example essay question:

Opinion Essay Question:  Some people think that only electric cars should be allowed on the road by 2040. Do you agree?

2) IELTS Discussion Essay

This type of essay presents you with a statement and you must present the two sides. This might be two sides of the same issue:

Some people think there should be free health care for all people, but others disagree. Discuss both sides.

Or it might be two separate issues which you need to discuss:

Some people think that urban spaces should be used for parks rather than for housing. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

3) IELTS Advantage Disadvantage Essays

There are two types of questions in this category.

i) Advantage and Disadvantage Essay

This is similar to a discussion essay where you are given a statement must present the positive and negative side of the issue:

Some people think it is good for students to take a gap year before going to university. What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing so?

ii) Outweigh Essay

This is by far the most difficult of the two essay types in this category. It requires you to present an opinion and explain your opinion.

Some people think the world will eventually have only one language. Do you think the advantages of having one global language outweigh the disadvantages?

4) IELTS Solution Essays

There are a number of types of possible questions in this category:

i) Solution Only

Some children have serious weight problems. What are the possible solutions?

ii) Cause Solution

Children in rural areas are being left behind in their academic development. Why is this is the case? What solutions can you suggest?

iii) Problem Solution

More and more people are moving to cities to look for work. What problems does this cause? What are the possible solutions?

5) Direct Questions Essays

Some teachers call these the Two Question Essay. However, these types of essay questions might contain one, two or three questions for you to answer. Below are some examples.

Pollution around the world is becoming a serious problem. Do you think this is a problem that should be solved internationally or on a local level?

In the question above, you are asked one specific question. Your whole essay must tackle this question only.

More and more people are choosing to work from home. Is this a positive or negative development?

This essay question has just one issue and one question. You must explain what type of development you think working from home is.

Some people spend a lot of money on weddings. Why do they do this? Do you think it is good to spend a lot of money on weddings?

Above, you will see you have been presented with two questions to answer: reasons and opinion (evaluating if it is good or not.) 

News editors decide what to print in newspapers and what to broadcast on TV. What factors do you think influence these decisions? Do we become used to bad news? Would it be better if more news was reported?

As you can see there are three questions to answer in this essay question. It is not common to get three questions. If you get three, just tackle them one at a time in a logical order.

Practice Essay Questions for IELTS

You can find over 100 essay questions to practice on this page: 100 IELTS Essay Questions . The questions are divided first into topics and then into essay types. This way you can get lots of practice before your actual test day.

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Response to opinion based essay:

Electric cars are progressively replacing non-electric cars by the end of 2040. While it is possible that electric ones will eventually replace the other cars, it is unlikely that they will end up serving the same purpose. This essay will discuss why only few electric cars will be carried out by people.

Electric cars may eventually replace non-electric cars that are not compatible for the environment. Many people think that only electric powered vehicles should be allowed on the road because they emit far less emissions,and less maintenance is required. In China, for example many non-electric motors have been replaced by plug-in vehicles that are more environment friendly and budgeted. For these reasons, cars that can be replaced by electricity will be replaced.

Conversely, there are multiple factors that only electric cars will not be allowed only. Put simply, these factors include affordability and infrastructure development. A necessary framework including charging stations, grid capacity must be required. Without charging stations, drivers may face anxiety and hesitant to switch to electric cars. Additionally, switching completely to electric ones will increase a demand of charging from the grid stations.

It is increasingly likely that powered vehicles will end most non-powered cars. In most of the countries, traveling will be done entirely by electric cars; however, where the money and development are major issues they will always exist. Ultimately, addition of very few electrical cars is valuable but it is not a complete replacement of other cars.

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Please get my advanced lessons to learn the correct way to write an IELTS essay: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/ . Each advanced lesson takes 1 hour for me to explain how to write one type of essay. It isn’t something I can explain in a short message. An IELTS essay has specific requirements which you need to learn about. If I could give you small pointers, I would. But you really need to learn the right way in detail.

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dear Liz i am very grateful to u for presenting helpful notes here. they are truly informative. i downloaded your series of grammar book last year and learned quite good topics that i used to find challenging. do you have any grammar notes for IELTS beginners?

Sorry, I don’t have anything for beginners. My Grammar E-book basically covers everything I can thing of. Is there something specific you are interested in? If you let me know, I could plan to create something.

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Hlo mam ..I am not able to use proper grammer in task 1 ..and to be honest I don’t know which grammer is to be use in different graphs charts etc could u plz tell me mam..r can u plz tell me the accurate souce where ..would I find ..proper … instructions tht how to or what grammer we should use in task 1..I would be very helpful if u rply…??

I don’t have one page or one lesson which focuses on all aspects of grammar for all types of task 1 writing. I suggest you review all my model answers and make notes on sentence structure, tenses, prepositions, articles, noun phrases, clauses, word order etc etc. Model answers can be used for more than only studying structure or general content. Then review all practice lessons and also pay attention to the grammar being used. There’s a lot of free materials to study: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-1-lessons-and-tips/

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hy liz i want to sample answers of ielts academic writing task 2

Model essays and tips for writing task 2 are found on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

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Hello Liz, please I want to be receiving updates to enable me prepare for my IELTS exam.

There are over 300 page of practice lessons, tips, model answers and topics on this website which you should be using now for your IELTS preparation. Go to the HOME page to learn how to use this website. I post new lessons and tips once or twice a month because my website already has so many tips and lessons.

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Hi Liz, Do I write and underline my headings for example, do I write an introduction underline, and do the same with other headings?

My second question is do I write an introduction, overview, Paragraphs 1&2, then conclusion for task 2, essay writing?

As you can see from my model essays, no titles or headings are required for your essay. The paragraph format you can find tips for on the main writing task 2 page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/ You’ll also find model essays on that page.

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Hi Liz, Kindly advise which are the two top essay types that frequently appears on the test day. I am expecting to take IELTS test two weeks from now and think I do not have enough time to practice all 5 question types. In addition, I assume that each question types are not equally tested. Thank you for your kindness.

No matter what people tell you, all the types of essays are possible. Focusing on only two is really taking a risk. You have two weeks before your test which is quite a lot of time to review the five types and ideas for topics as well. If I had to pick two types of essays, it would be the Opinion Essay and the Discussion Essay – but it really could be any type. Here is my advice, get my three advanced lessons for writing task 2, together they will cover three types of essays in three hours all together. This is a link to my store: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/ . For the other two types of essays, review my model essays on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/ , also review the linking words, how many paragraphs and other tips as well. Good luck!!

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Hello Liz, is it okay to use templates for writing task 2 that is available online some say it decrease our band score while others say it will increase our band scores. I am really confused at the moment.

If you are aiming for a low band score, it’s fine. If you are aiming for a higher band score, it won’t help. The examiners are trained to spot the difference between a templated essay with memorised language in it and an essay that shows your own level of English.

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I learnt a lot from Your lessons and only because of You I achieved the score I was aiming for. Honestly, thank You very very much. You are doing a wonderful job.

Best wishes from Lithuania!

I’m glad to hear you got the score you needed. Well done 🙂 Greetings to all in Lithuania!

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I just want to ask, in the opinion essay, should we always present both sides? For instance, if the question only asks for our opinion on the matter (no mention of discussing both sides) should we still do it? Alternatively, can we just structure the essay to show our opinion and each paragraph elaborates on reasons why that is our opinion? Will doing it this way (not mentioning both sides) adversely affect our band score? Thank you!

I suggest you get my Advanced Lessons to learn properly. I generally don’t teach how to write an Opinion Essay in a short message. It takes me nearly an hour by video to do this. Here’s a link to my store: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

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Thank you so much Liz. This video has been helpful. I have a question.

In Britain, when someone gets old they often go to live in a home with other old people where there are nurses to look after them. Sometimes the government has to pay for this care. Who do you think should pay for this care, the government or the family? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Is this an opinion essay which will follow exactly the structure you just taught or a discussion essay.

This is a Direct Question essay. Please remember that each teacher gives different names for essay types. I call this the Direct Question Essay because you are being given a direct question to answer. It might be one question, two or even three questions. Your whole essay explains your answer.

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Hi Liz Do you think this is a positive or negative development? What type of essay is this please?

I’ve just added it to the page above. Take a look.

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Hello Liz: I recently came across this essay. My question is what type of essay is this? Do you have any model essays on this type of essay? The essay is: In your view, what is the most important thing for governments to spend money on: education, health, transportation, or something else? Give reasons for your answers and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.

You said that you “came across” this essay question. Where did you come across it? Did you find it in one of the IELTS Cambridge test books? Only use authentic test questions. If you don’t use proper sources for your IELTS preparation, you will easily get confused about the test and this won’t help your preparation.

Thanks, Liz! This is now clear to me as I came across the question from a ‘model IELTS Essay topics’. published by a local company.

That sounds like the problem. You ought to use the IELTS Cambridge test books which are real test published by IELTS. I have collected over 100 essay questions over the years and they are also safe to use. You can find them linked to the main writing task 2 section of this site: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

Thank you, Liz, for your comments and the link. I wish you good health and happiness!

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Hope you are keeping well. I am not able to score more than 6.5 in my writing test. I have scored 8.5 in Listening, Reading & Speaking but writing disappoints every time. Where can I find model answer to evaluate where am I lacking? I have taken 2 computer based tests for far and scheduled 3rd one in 5 days. I need band score 7 in Writing to achieve my target.

You can find some model answers in the main writing task 2 section my website along with other essential tips: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/ . I also have paid advanced lessons which might help you understand where you are going wrong. They can be bought in my online store: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/ . Each lesson focuses on one specific essay type and explains paragraph by paragraph what to do.

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Liz, thank you so much for your help. Two weeks ago I took the IELTS exam and surprisingly get 9 in Reading section!

Fantastic!! Well done to you 🙂

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Hi Liz,I really need help with opinion essays especially for the part that asks to what extent do you agree or disagree?am I supposed to discuss both sides,thank you

I suggest you get my advanced lessons for the opinion essay: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/ . It isn’t something that can be taught in a short message.

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Your materials and videos have sincerely been helpful. Thank you very much for such a selfless act. My exam is in a week time, I have only 10days to prepare for my IELTS GT. I would give you an update on how it goes. Cheers

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Hi Liz! I am preparing for my IELTS and I have found your website very helpful, very precise information is given and it talk to the point. thank you for providing good content. keep up the great work.

reagrds Neha Shah

You’re welcome 🙂

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Thanks a lot Liz . Your materials and tutorials helped me a lot in my preparation for my IELTS . Followed your tips and videos for 3 weeks . Able to score 7.5 overall.

Thank you again for the great help you provide.

Wonderful news! Very well done 🙂 It’s a great overall score!

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Thank you so much Liz for the work you do. Your videos, website and materials helped me in my preparations. I just got my results, it was a band 8 overall. Have a splendid 2022.

Wonderful !! A great result! Wishing you all the best for 2022 !! 🙂

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Hi Liz I’m from Sri Lanka. Thank you for all your guidance. Today I sat for IELTS academic paper. Task 1 was a bar chart, percentage of young people in higher education in for countries in 3 years. Task 2- news has no connection with people’s life so it’s a waste of time to read best from newspaper and watch news program on tv. To which extent do you agree. I hope these will help you. Waru

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Hi Liz, I follow all your videos and they are very helpful. I gave my speaking exam last week. But now I think the cue card question was to describe a leisure activity I enjoy and I talked about a leisure activity I am planning to enjoy. I am really worried if it will affect my band score. But my talk was fluent . Can you give me your insights?

It won’t make any difference to your score. As long as your talk is based on the main topic (leisure activity), it’s ok. Your score won’t be negatively impacted in any way at all.

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Hi Liz, Im Janet from kenya. thank you for the good work you are doing. im preparing for my exams in 4 weeks time. your content is very helpful and I like the way you explain things. im a slow learner and i find your pace very good for me. Thank you again. keep up the good job.

Good luck with your preparation and test 🙂

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Thank you Liz

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Hi Liz, hope you are doing well. Liz I have silly question I know but I’m really stuck in this problem and I was wondering if you can help me with this issue.. The problem is writing a topic sentence, you said in advanced lectures that topic sentence should be written carefully because it is kind of more important .. Please can you tell me that among these 2 topic sentences of BP1, which one is okay and looks relevant?

1] Although we are living in prosperous times, with people in many countries enjoying a higher standard of living than ever before, there are still millions of people in the world who are living in poverty.

2] Instead of wasting lots of money on exploration of space, governments ought to focus on local problems such as poverty eradication. There are millions of……

Essay statement; Space exploration is a luxury that we cannot afford. Instead of spending billions of dollars on space programs, governments should use this money to fight global problems such as poverty, disease and climate change. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion.

Kind regards

The first step is to underline the key words in the essay question: space exploration, spending billions, fighting global problems (examples). Now make sure your topic sentence covers those aspects. Neither of the topic sentences you have listed really works because, while the second one is obviously more carefully connected to the essay question, it doesn’t leave room for any other paragraph as you are tackling all problems in one paragraph. Also it switches from global problems to local problems which is confusing. However, in terms of which of your sentences connects to the essay question properly, it is the second one. This essay is all about funding for space exploration and whether it is relevant in today’s world or not given all our global problems.

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I love your lessons and tips. They are really helpful and you are extraordinarily devoting. Here I have a question about the answer you left under Khola’s comment. What do you mean by “no room left for other paragraphs as you tackled all problems in one paragraph”?

Looking forward to your response.

Sincerely, Ella

It means that if you put all your ideas into one paragraph, you won’t have any more ideas for other paragraphs. By choosing one main focal point for one paragraph, you have the ability to use other ideas for other paragraphs. So many people say “I can’t think of how to make my essay long enough”. The answer is to be more careful about how you use your ideas. First, brainstorm ideas. Then select the best ideas. Then decide carefully which ideas can go into which paragraph. Then pay attention as to whether some ideas should go together or some ideas should be separated into different paragraphs. There is a lot to think about in the planning stage. It is crucial to plan carefully and strategically.

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Electric cars are currently being developed by many well-known automotive companies. Many people still question whether electric cars are a feasible replacement for petrol and diesel-fuelled vehicles. In this essay, I will explore the opinions for and against the use of electric cars and their replacement of petrol and diesel-fuelled cars.

On one hand, electric cars are environment friendly. They require no non-renewable energy and are clean to run and maintain on the road. To support this opinion, recent studies show that the use of electric cars helps to curb pollution in urban and rural areas. Clearly, electric cars are one way to tackle ecological concerns and support a ‘greener’ environment.

On the other hand, electric cars are inconvenient to maintain and to dispose of. The driver of an electric vehicle must recharge his car approximately every 100 kms. In addition, the plutonium battery of an electric car is toxic to the environment and must be safely disposed of through expensive means. In brief, scientists are still exploring ways to produce these types of vehicles so that they are easier to manufacture, maintain and use safely.

To sum up, it’s evident that there are both pros and cons of electric vehicles. Despite the expense of development and the inconvenience of recharging electric cars, I still believe strongly that it is well worth the investment to continue research and production of these vehicles. To conclude, we should remain open, supportive to the use of electric cars and to their development in the future.

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Recently i sat for IELTS exam, and the GT Writting Task 2 was about transport and they asked “ Do you think it has more advantages or more disadvantage?”

For this would it be option question or Adv/Disadv question? How is the structure for that type?

I wrote both sides and gave my opinion in the conclusion… but not sure if its right… i got 6.5 for writing.

Also, if you can advise how they ask the questions to determine what type of essay it would be so it can easy for us to identify.

Thanks and appreciate all your help.

That is an “outweigh” essay – do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

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Hi Liz I have my exam this week and searching for model questions for April 2021. I checked on your site but model essay questions were available till March so if you can recommend me to follow something for latest Also, can you please share me the link for model answers of March Model Essay Questions?

I am eagerly waiting to hear from you.

The model essays are to be used for all years of the test. The topics are often recycled and the techniques for essay writing are 100% the same as always. The test format hasn’t changed and neither has the marking. All pages of this site are 100% relevant to the test today.

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I have purchased material from you in 2019 but somehow because of my system crash I could not recover anything. Please can you share the link to access the notes that will be very grateful as I want to reattempt IELTS again. Because of Corona, I was not in my town to connect with you regarding this.

I’ve just resent your access link. Check both your inbox and spam folder.

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Hi I booked my test in May 2021 I was just wondering which one is latest book i can refer? I have heard Cambridge books are best but I’m not aware about which version i should go for. Your help would be really appreciated

The IELTS Cambridge books are numbered, at present, from 1 to 15. Number 15 is the most recent and was published in 2020. However, all the books provide useful practice. The general format of the test has not changed. I personally would recommend books from 7 to 15. In July 2021, book 16 will be published.

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Hello Liz, this is my first message ever. I would like to thank you for your devotion. Can I start a “ solutions” body in the problem solution essay with “ to get around these problems “ as I found this linking device from the “ new scientist” journal whose translation is seemingly appropriate to that, at least to me.

This means a way to avoid the problem rather that solve the problem. So, it wouldn’t be appropriate for an IELTS essay which asks for solutions. It is better to use: The most effective way to tackle this problem is… X is the way to deal with this issue The answer to solving this problem is ….

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Hi Liz, In my exam I got the question of “Are there more advantages or more disadvantages” Is it similar to “Do advantages outweigh disadvantages” ?

Yes, it is 100% the same.

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Thanks mam these are quite useful essays.

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In the public version of the IELTS writing marking criteria, some linkers are called mechanical and it limit your band score. Some teachers say words like firstly,On one hand,on the other hand are example. I notice you use such words or phrases in ur sample essays. Are they really mechanical? Can you enlighten on what the band descriptors calls mechanical linker

The linkers themselves are not mechanical. All the linking words you have written are suitable for IELTS up to band score 9. The problem is how people use them. It is there use that becomes mechanical. If you have three paragraphs and each one starts with a linking words: Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, it is similar to a machine that always does the same thing each time. So, to avoid this you must be flexible. So, use all suitable linking words, but use them flexibly. The mechanical use of linking words is typical of a band 6 in Coherence and Cohesion. This means that if you are aiming for band 7 and above, you need to use signposting more flexibly.

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Your website and materials helped me a lot in my preparations for my ielts test.

I scored a band 8 overall after about 4 weeks of regular practice.

Thank you Liz for the work you do.

Great news! Very well done 🙂

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ielts essay requirements

IELTS Writing Task 2: 7 steps towards a band 7

For many of you, achieving that magic number in your IELTS Writing test can be a big challenge. Sometimes, all you need is a mentor who can guide you on how to approach the test. Here are 7 important steps that will help you achieve a band 7 in Writing.

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Follow these simple guidelines to help improve your writing skills. If you are a visual learner, jump to the bottom of the page for an equally informative video on 7 steps towards a band 7 in Writing Task 2. 

Step 1: Answer all parts of the question

IELTS Writing Task 2 requires you to write an essay in response to a statement, or premise. You must read the question carefully so that all parts are answered. For example, in the question below, you must do 3 things to achieve a higher band, showing the examiner that you are addressing all parts of the task. 

Present one view 

Present the other view 

Present your opinion 

Example question:  

Some people think that wild animals should not be kept in zoos. Others believe that there are good reasons for having zoos.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.  

Present  one view  and then the  other view , and then present  your opinion . 

Wild animals are kept in zoos all over world. At present, zoos are a tourist attraction in many countries and need wild animals to attract vistors. I beleve that wild creatures should not be kept in zoos and there should be alternative ways to see them.  

There are many good reasons for having zoos in our cities. Most importantly, they attract tourists and make money for city. Visitors get chance to see wild animals that they would not see unless they travelled far away. Rare species, like Chinese panda, or Indian tiger, or African rhino for example, are endangered and if we had no zoos they would die. Zoos care for these aminals and give us chance to see them. Therefore, we cannot underestimate teh educational importance of zoos.  

However, many people feel that wild animals should be free. They should not be kept in cages and small areas in zoo. This is cruel for animal and they often die because they is not in natural habitat. We frequently see news story about rare animals dying in zoos or getting sick because area is not big enough or suitable for wild animals like lions or polar bears. Also, these animals are unhappy and sometimes attack humans. Caging wild animals is unhealthy for the animals and is cruel. 

Both views put forward valid points, however, I strongly believe that zoos are no place for wild animals. If animals need to be cared for, they should be looked after in theier natural habitat in game parks or wildlife reserves. Goverments should look after the precious wild animals at their country and should close down zoos that profit from them. 

In conclusion, although people believe that zoos are good places to keep wild animals because they can earn money and educate people, I feel that we do not need zoos anymore. We can look at wild animals on the internet and we can feel happy knowing that they are free. 

Step 2: Present a clear position

Although you are presenting different points of views in your essay, you must present a clear position. This simply means you must let the examiner know what you think about the question. Your position must be clear for the complete essay. Don’t change your mind in the conclusion. 

Both views put forward valid points, however, I strongly believe... 

However, many people feel that... 

I believe that wild creatures should not be kept in zoos... 

Step 3: Structure your essay

Essay writing need not necessarily be a difficult achievement. Present your ideas in a structured manner using paragraphs to present and develop each idea. Make use of the following points to help you structure your essay. 

Show the reader where to start with an introduction paragraph.  

Present ideas that are important and then, elaborate further.  

Conclude the essay with your opinion on the question.  

Develop a clear idea within each paragraph.  

Make it easy for the examiner by leaving a space between each paragraph.  

Essay example 

Introduction 

Wild animals are kept in zoos all over world. At present, zoos are a tourist attraction in many countries and need wild animals to attract vistors. I heire that wild creatures should not be kept in zoos and there should be alternative ways to see them. 

First view 

There are many good reasons for having zoos in our cities. Most importantly, they attract tourists and make money for city. Visitors get chance to see wild animals that they would not see unless they travelled far away. Rare species, like Chinese panda, or Indian tiger, or African rhino for example, are endangered and if we had no zoos they would die. Zoos care for these aminals and give us chance to see them. Therefore, we cannot underestimate he educational importance of zoos. 

Second view 

However, many people feel that wild animals should be free. They should not be kept in cages and small areas in zoo. This is heir for animal and they often die because they is not in natural habitat. We frequently see news story about rare animals dying in zoos or getting sick because area is not big enough or suitable for wild animals like lions or polar bears. Also, these animals are unhappy and sometimes attack humans. Caging wild animals is unhealthy for the animals and is cruel.  

My opinion 

Both views put forward valid points, however, I strongly believe that zoos are no place for wild animals. If animals need to be cared for, they should be looked after in heir natural habitat in game parks or wildlife reserves. Goverments should look after the precious wild animals at their country and should close down zoos that profit from them. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, although people believe that zoos are good places to keep wild animals because they can earn money and educate people, I feel that we do not need zoos anymore. As far as I am concerned, wild animals should be set free. 

Step 4: Use linking devices

Linking devices or transition words are connecting words and phrases that make your answer cohesive. It is the glue that sticks your sentences and ideas together. The below table shows some linkers that are frequently used in essays. 

Step 5: Use a range of vocabulary

Writing is a means of communicating your thoughts and ideas to the reader. Therefore, make use of vocabulary that is easy to understand. Also, only use words that you can easily spell. Use words that go naturally together – collocation, and include idiomatic language/phrasal verbs in your essay. This proves to the examiner that you can use a range of vocabulary. And finally, check for spelling errors and typos after you complete your writing task. 

Examples of collocation: 

Tourist attraction  

Alternate ways  

Rare species  

Natural habitat  

Examples of idiomatic language and phrasal verbs: 

To be cared for  

Close down  

Make money  

Chance to see  

Looked after

Step 6: Use a range of grammatical structures correctly

When you are aiming for a band 7, you need to master both simple and complex sentences. And remember that you must produce frequent error-free sentences as well. So, how do you think you can achieve that? Yes, with practice. Try out sample test papers and analyse the mistakes you usually make. When you keep practicing different sentence structures, we are sure you are going to improve writing an essay on any given topic. 

Examples of grammatical structures

Step 7: Check your essay thoroughly

Even after you produce a perfect essay, you may make careless spelling and grammatical mistakes. These can easily be eliminated if you check your essay thoroughly. Ask yourself the following questions once you complete your writing task. 

Did I answer all parts? 

Did I use paragraphs? 

Did I use linkers? 

Did I use punctuation? 

Did I check my work? 

Is my spelling correct and did I use a range of vocabulary? 

Did I use complex sentence structures? 

When you can answer to these questions positively, you are surely on your way to a band 7 score! 

Improve IELTS Writing score

While improving your IELTS score entirely depends on your capacity and dedication, choosing the right resources also plays an important role. To make it easy for you, IDP has launched  IELTS Prepare : ielts.idp.com/prepare: a one-stop-shop for all official IDP IELTS preparation materials including Writing. 

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IELTS Essay Format: Solving Writing Task 2 Easily

Essay writing question in Task 2 of the IELTS Writing test is considered to be one of the most difficult questions. This is due to a very strict evaluation of the test by examiners. Each and every aspect of grammar, punctuation, spelling, word choice, sentence structure, paragraph structure, presentation of arguments, and logical development of ideas are scrutinized.

In this lesson, we will focus on IELTS essay format based on various types of questions.

We get 40 minutes to write an essay which is at least 250 words long. Within this time constraint, it is extremely difficult to fulfil all the criteria for scoring high in the Writing test .

Look at the sample question below.

WRITING TASK 2

You should spend around 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience.

Write at least 250 words.

house

IELTS Writing Task 2 Structure

The question appears inside a box in IELTS Writing Task 2.

It always begins with a statement to set the context of the question. Often a debatable topic is introduced in one or two sentences.

In the above example, an opinion is mentioned: Owning a home is better than renting one. Our answer should not deviate from this topic of home ownership.

Then, the next part of the prompt is the actual question. In the example we are discussing, your agreement or disagreement with the statement is the question. As this is your personal perspective on the issue, you can freely pick a side and present your opinion on it.

Below the box, you will see instructions on how to go about writing a response. As the requirement maintains, you have substantiate your opinion with justification and illustration . This means you have to write several paragraphs explaining your point of view and defending your assertions regarding the topic .

IELTS Essay Types

Basically, all essay questions in IELTS are argumentative essays. In other words, you have to analyze the topic given in the question, choose a position for or against the claim, and present evidences as well as examples to support or refute the claims.

Agree or disagree

One of the most common type of essay question in IELTS Writing Task 2 is an agree/disagree question .

Like the name suggests, you are asked to either support or oppose an arguable issue.

You can either completely agree, completely disagree, partially agree, or partially disagree with the assertion.

Such questions require candidates to write about only one aspect: agreement or disagreement.

Advantages and disadvantages

Some questions simply ask you to report on the merits and demerits of an action or a situation.

There are two parts to the question because both the pros and cons need to be explored in the essay.

Advantages vs disadvantages

Slightly different from the earlier type of question, here you should not only write about both benefits and drawbacks but also pick a side .

Although you have to write from both sides, you have to make one side stronger than the other.

You can write about more advantages and fewer disadvantages. Conversely, you can include more disadvantages and fewer advantages. Ultimately, one side has to outweigh (or present more ideas) than the other.

Discussion and opinion

This is a three-part question.

According to the question, two sets of people think in two different ways about a controversial issue. You have to present arguments to support both views. Then, you should also weigh in on the matter and express your personal views.

Problem and solution

There are certain questions in IELTS Writing Task 2 which ask you to elaborate on the cause of a situation, effect of the situation, the prevention of a problem, or solution to the problems caused by the situation .

Be careful about the wording of the question. Cause, effect, prevention, and solution are four different things. Only write about the parts which the essay question explicitly asks you.

Hybrid questions

At times, apart from the four main types of questions discussed above, you might get a question that combines the different question types .

For an example, the same question may ask you agree or disagree with a statement as well as provide reasons and solutions.

a girl browsing books

IELTS Writing Task 2 How many paragraphs to write?

Depending on the question, the IELTS essay format we will learn here has four or five paragraphs .

The first paragraph obviously is the Introduction paragraph, whereas the last is the Conclusion paragraph. The two or three paragraphs in the middle are where we present ideas and expand on them with reasons and examples.

  • Introduction
  • Argument 3 (for some questions only)

IELTS Essay Format for Agree or Disagree Question

Ielts essay format for advantages and disadvantages question, ielts essay format for advantages vs disadvantages question, ielts essay format for discussion and opinion question, ielts essay format for problem and solution question, ielts essay format for hybrid questions, ielts essay writing: how to get a high score.

Let us break down the scoring into separate parts.

Task response

Under this criteria, examiners evaluate whether you addressed all aspects of the question by logically developing ideas . You have to present a clear and relevant position and support them.

Over generalization and/or repetition of ideas may affect scores.

Moreover, writing about things not asked by the question or going off topic should be avoided .

Coherence and cohesion

Words, sentences, paragraphs, and ideas need to be linked together in an essay to form a wholesome response.

There should be a logical sequencing of information. This can be achieved by using cohesive devices and discourse markers .

Here is a list of some common cohesive devices you could use in your next test.

Adding information

Comparing and contrasting, lexical resource.

You need to learn a wide range of technical words which convey precise meaning for securing high marks in the IELTS Writing test.

Repetition of a limited number of words, using words in wrong contexts, and making frequent spelling errors will result in a lower score.

As a general rule of thumb, you should read newspapers, especially op-ed articles on everyday topics like society, technology, and environment, in order to equip yourself with academic and formal words to present arguments.

You may like:

  • What are the 500 most important English words?
  • Technical vocabulary quiz

ielts writing

Complex sentences

In grammar, complex sentences refer to a specific sentence structure and not just sentences which are difficult to understand.

Consider this sentence:

Agricultural methods have modernized vastly from the past.

This sentence has one subject ( Agricultural methods ) and one verb ( modernized ). Such sentences with just one verb are usually called  simple sentences .

Consider these two simple sentences:

Agricultural methods have modernized vastly from the past. There still are food shortages in some parts of the world.

There are multiple ways of combining two related simple sentences. One method is by using a conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

Look at the following sentence which combines the two sentences from earlier into one long sentence.

Agricultural methods have modernized vastly from the past , but there still are food shortages in some parts of the world.

When two simple sentences are joined using a conjunction, a  compound sentence  is formed.

But there is another way to combine simple sentences. Consider the next example:

Even though agricultural methods have modernized vastly from the past , there still are food shortages in some parts of the world.

This is a  complex sentence . In this example, the words “ Even though ” are used in the beginning in order to avoid having to use a conjunction. A comma separates the two parts of the sentences. The part before the comma states a fact and the part after the comma describes a situation in spite of the fact. Also notice that if we divide the sentence into two parts by putting a full-stop (or period) instead of the comma, we get this:

Even though agricultural methods have modernized vastly from the past. There still are food shortages in some parts of the world.

The first sentence is incomplete. It is dependent upon the second part so as to complete the meaning. Such clauses (phrases) are called  dependent clauses .

However, the second sentence is a complete sentence. It does not rely upon the first to give meaning. It can stand alone as a grammatically correct sentence. Such clauses are called  independent clauses .

Therefore, a  complex sentence  is a sentence with one  dependent clause  and one  independent clause . If both the clauses in the sentence are independent, then such a sentence would be a compound sentence. One part should be dependent and the other independent for a complex sentence.

Examples of complex sentences

Although buying a house is very expensive, we can save money due to not having to pay rent on a regular basis.

Since animals can provide us with many resources, they can be extremely useful.

Together with being fast and convenient, internet is an affordable source of knowledge and entertainment.

Besides facing difficulties in adjusting to the food and climate, migrants might also face discrimination from the native people.

If the government mandates labelling of nutritional facts in all food packaging, then people might be able to make better food choices.

To be able to pay for tuition fees, many college students do a part-time job.

On account of genetically-modified plants, crop yields have risen substantially.

As universities provide an environment for sharing ideas, they could be vital for personality growth.

Unless we do our own fact checking, we cannot rely on all the information found in media.

In all the examples above, the first part of the sentences before the comma are dependent clauses. They need the second part to realize their meaning.

Please note:  It is not necessary to always have dependent clause in the beginning of sentences and independent clause at the end. But in the examples above, this has been done to make the concept clearer by using the comma as a separator. A reversal of the order of the two clauses and removal of the comma still creates complex sentences. For an instance, We cannot rely on all the information found in media unless we do our own fact checking .

You have to practice creating such complex sentences because it might be very difficult to write in such sentences naturally. You can follow the sentence structures of the examples above. To get a good score in the Writing test, it is compulsory that you use complex sentences.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Structure: Sample essay

Next lesson:

A 3-step process for Powerful IELTS Essay Introduction Paragraph

Related posts, the government should control the amount of violence on television in order to decrease the violent crimes in society. to what extent do you agree or disagree, nowadays technology is increasingly being used to monitor what people are saying and doing (for example through cellphone tracing and security cameras). in many cases the people being monitored are unaware that this is happening. do you think the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages, writing the perfect body paragraphs for ielts essay: an ielts task 2 tutorial.

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What is the format for the question , what is your opinion (it is not discussion essay )

Gaurav Thapa

The exact format for such essays depends on the topic, but it is usually similar to an “Agree or Disagree” essay type.

Osama Bin Laden

western-overseas.com/expertise-in/ielts-writing-task-2

Above website has described advantage as well as disadvantage for an agree or disagree type question… even in those answers which says completely agree… And pteielts says either agree and some more point to support answer or disagree and some more point to support that… so confusing

You can write essays in multiple ways and still get good score in the IELTS test. There is no one right way of writing an essay. However, the format that I have used here at pteielts.com aims to be the most straight-forward and easy to use.

Coming to the website that you have cited, for agree or disagree type essays, you could incorporate counterpoints in the essay. It is called a concession. Even if you completely agree with something, you could mention points from the opposite side to refute them. I have avoided that in my essay because I thought doing that would make it harder for test takers.

So, don’t be confused. Follow one method and stick to it. Nonetheless, sometimes you have to adapt your format according to the ideas you can generate while writing the essay.

Hatake

I think there is mistake in IELTS Essay Format for Advantages vs Disadvantages Question or maybe I’m wrong i don’t know

In such essay types, we have to compare the advantages and the disadvantages in order to find which side of the argument has more merit. For more clarification, please refer to this link: https://www.pteielts.com/do-the-advantages-outweigh-the-disadvantages/

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100 Band 7, 8 + 9 IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Samples

Are you preparing for the IELTS Writing Task 2 exam and looking for some inspiration and guidance? Look no further! In this blog post, we have compiled a list of 100 Band 7, 8, and 9 IELTS Writing Task 2 essay samples to help you improve your writing skills and boost your chances of achieving a high score on the exam. These sample essays cover a wide range of topics, from education and technology to health and environment, and are a valuable resource for students at all levels of proficiency. Whether you’re just starting to prepare for the IELTS or are looking to fine-tune your writing skills, this blog post is an essential guide to acing your next Writing Task 2 test. So, please check out our IELTS sample essays and start preparing for the test today! Please note that these are real student samples. They contain mistakes because mistakes are totally normal for Band 7, 8, and even 9 students. All of the essays below have been checked by more than one former examiner, and all of the students achieved a Band 7, 8, or 9 in their real IELTS test.

Task 2 Samples

Some people think that parents should teach their children how to be good members of society. Others, however, believe that school is the best place to learn this. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Some people believe that children should be taught by their parents about how to function as useful members of society, while others believe that sending children to educational institutions is the best way for them to study this. Although the latter opinion can be beneficial in some cases, I believe that family upbringing plays a more important role in educating children to be good parts of the community.

Schools can be considered suitable places for children to learn to be good citizens. With standardized educational methods, schools can foster children’s cognitive development so that they are able to contribute to society in the future. For example, Trung Vuong school and Vinschool are well known for having nurtured successful alumni such as Professor Ngo Bao, Professor Nguyen Hung who have devoted their talents to the development of the country. However, these people only represent a small fraction of the total number of students attending schools, and thus sending children to schools cannot be the best method of educating them to be good members of society. 

I believe that parents play a more important role in teaching them how to be good citizens. In Vietnam, the average class size is 20 students, which makes it difficult for educators to provide proper schooling for each student. One to one lessons at home, on the other hand, allow children to progress faster. Furthermore, parents form stronger bonds with their offspring and thus, it is easier for them to shape children’s personalities at an early age. For example, by telling stories such as Robin Hood, Cinderella before bedtime, parents can instil a sense of compassion and integrity into them. These children are likely to become good members of society when they grow up.

In conclusion, although sending children to schools can be seen as a way of teaching them how to be good citizens, I believe that domestic upbringing has a bigger impact on determining who they are in the future.

There is an increasing trend around the world of married couples deciding not to have children. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for couples who decide to do this.

An increasing number of married couples around the world choosing to remain childless. The main benefits of not having a child for couples are that they can focus on their careers and have more time for themselves. The main drawbacks are that they could not fit into their peers’ group and have no one to look after them when they get old. 

One primary advantage of remaining childless for married couples is that they can focus on their work. This is because they have less responsibility and distractions in their lives compared to the couples that have a child. Another advantage of this is that they have more spare time. Looking after a child is a full-time job for parents and taking most of their time, while child-free couples have lots of free time after work. For example, many couples stop going out late with their friends after having a child as they have to stay at home for looking after their children. 

One disadvantage of couples deciding not to have children is that they can struggle to hang with their peers after most of them have children. Most parents prefer to spend more time with other couples that have children as well. Moreover, do not have anyone to look after them in their elderliness is another disadvantage. Children are the ones who take care of their parents when they get old because their parents did the same for them when they were young. For instance, the vast majority of the people who live in care homes have no child. 

In conclusion, the main benefits of staying child-free for couples are that they can be more career-oriented and have more free time for themselves, and the main drawbacks are that they could have problems about fitting into their friends’ group and having no one to take care of them when they become older.

Some would say that parents should teach their offspring how to be good members of society, while others are of the opinion that school is the best in this regard. This essay agrees with the latter point and will show that, despite the practical experiences that parents give their children, school lessons can give deep insights into what it takes to be good citizens.

Some believe that parents can educate their children about being good members of society based on their life experiences. This is because the life experiences that parents can give their children are straightforward, down-to-earth, and so they can easily apply what their parents teach them in reality. For example, many children in Thailand become more polite, honest, and caring to everyone as a direct result of the practical lessons that their parents give them at home. However, I believe that parents now are so busy and do not spend much time with their children teaching them.

Lessons at school can provide children with valuable insights into being good members of society. In class, students can receive lessons about different traits of a truly good person that society needs, and then they put what they learn into practice by creating real-life problems and solving them together. For instance, after receiving lessons in civic education at school, many Vietnamese students are more willing to help their neighbors and even strangers, and they feel extremely happy after doing something good for others. For this reason, I believe that school lessons are more influential to young children. 

In conclusion, despite the practical experiences that parents can give their children at home, this essay believes that school lessons can help students deepen their understanding of being good members of society.

In many professional sports, there is an increase in the number of athletes using banned substances to improve their performance.

What are the causes of the phenomenon and what are some of the possible solutions?

In many professional sports, it is becoming commonplace for athletes to abuse prohibited substances to boost their overall performance. This essay will discuss how stiff competition and lax testing systems are the main cause of this problem, and the most suitable solutions are imposing heavier punishments on violators and revamping testing facilities.

The main cause of this problem is the fierce competition that exists in any sports. In other words, most many professional athletes feel that they have to take substances like steroids to give themselves an advantage over other strong opponents. Another reason is the lack of strictness in testing procedures. Many athletes who take advantage of banned substances can still get off scot-free due to the holes in testing systems. For example, a high-profile mix martial artist named Jon John who is notorious for using PED described how easy it was to get away with cheating in an interview in 2015.

A viable solution is to heavily punish lawbreakers. If sports clubs and establishments raise the fine for using banned substances, many athletes will think twice before making attempt to cheat. Another the way to deal with this issue is to upgrade testing amenities. This will eradicate any holes existing in the system and ensure that the test result is highly accurate. For instance, after the UFC had made major investments to provide their staff with the latest testing equipment, many fighters in their organization got caught.

In conclusion, strong competition and ineffective testing systems are the main cause of this problem, and the most suitable solutions are enforcing harsher punishments on violators and reforming testing facilities.

Details of politicians’ private lives should not be published in newspapers. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is thought that the information regarding politicians’ personal lives should not be shared in print media. This essay strongly agrees with this suggestion because publishing these details could be harmful to their families, and obtaining this type of information might require breaking the law.

First and foremost, what makes that the details related to private aspects of politicians’ lives should not be shared in newspapers is that it could be harmful not only to these individuals but also to their families. This is because revealing some details from their personal lives could expose them to unwanted comments or allegations, which might lead to a great deal of distress. In Poland, for instance, in 2015, the vice-prime minister committed suicide due to not handling the pressure caused by the paparazzi invading his and his family’s private life.

Furthermore, obtaining this type of information, in most cases, means breaking the law. This is because the right to privacy is one of the most fundamental policies in society, and anyone who wants to access the lives of politicians must obtain their consent. However, not only are paparazzi hired to invade properties belonging to politicians to take photos without their permission, but also politicians’ colleagues and relatives are bribed to share confidential facts from their lives. For instance, an accident in which Princess Diana was killed was partly caused by the paparazzi who followed her car, trying to take photos of her and her boyfriend against their will.

In conclusion, I strongly support the suggestion that politicians’ lives should not be subject to the interest of newspapers because revealing personal facts from politicians lives could destroy their family life and the process of obtaining these details often required wrongdoing.

Some say that music, art and drama are as important as other school subjects, especially at the primary level. Do you agree or disagree? Some people believe that arts-related subjects are as important as other school subjects, especially for primary school children. I totally agree with this statement because this can help children to discover their talents from an early age and can increase their confidence. 

One of the reasons I agree that creative subjects have the same importance as other school courses in primary school is that it allows students to find out their potential talents early on. That is to say, school-age is the most convenient time for students to learn more about their interests by trying different activities as they are young enough to pursue their hobbies. They will probably not have any other chance later in their lives to discover that because they will be busy with difficult exams when they get older. For example, most famous singers were discovered by their music teachers at school from a young age, and they claimed that they could not be that successful if their teachers did not find out their talents when they were young.

Moreover, music, art and drama subjects help students to boost their confidence. That is because creative lessons teach students how to perform in front of lots of people and give them a chance to socialise with other students. As a result, students can realise their real potential and act more confidently. For instance, many psychologists suggest to students who are struggling with social anxiety to take drama lessons as it helps to enhance confidence. 

In conclusion, this essay completely agrees that music, art and drama have the same value as other subjects in primary school because it allows children to discover their hidden talents early on and increases their self-confidence.

Some individuals believe that the right place to teach children how to become good citizens is the school, while others argue that parents should be the ones responsible for that. Although parents might influence their children more than anyone else, I believe that educational institutions are more trained and equipped to teach children how to become successful members of the community. 

Parents influence their children more than anyone else. This is due to the fact that mothers and fathers are the ones who raise and spend most of the time with their children which dramatically influences the way children act and think. If parents act in a good manner, their children will indirectly imitate them. This fortifies the fact that no one might exert such a strong influence on their children. For example, a study in Britain showed that children are two times more influenced by their parents than their teachers. However, I believe that this is not enough and that school should be the place teaching children to become good people in society.

Schools are trained to build good citizens. Teachers spent their undergraduate years studying how to deal with children and train them to become better individuals in their communities. For this reason, educational institutions should be the place where children can safely acquire the needed behaviors to become better individuals in the future. For example, a recent study in the USA showed that 90% of schools train teachers how to help students to become better citizens. For this reason, I believe that the best place to do this is the school.

In conclusion, although parents have a strong influence on their children, I believe that the best place to create better citizens is the school because tutors are trained to do that.

It is argued that newspapers ought not to publish the details of private lives of politicians. This essay strongly disagrees with this view because politicians build a public image through such news and they could be held accountable for any wrongdoings.

On the one hand, politicians can gain public trust by building a positive image through newspapers. Being the focus of media, sometimes details of their personal interests end up on the front pages of newspapers, which allows them to gain popularity among masses, especially when their interests match with the general public. Recently, the pictures of a famous politician of Milan, while playing football with local school children were published in many newspapers, and he instantly became famous among school and college students. Hence, it helps them gain popularity by depicting themselves in a positive way. 

On the other hand, publishing details of private affairs disclose the corruption of politicians and make them accountable. Many politicians usually hold a public office and are entrusted with managing public funds. If they do not spend the money on the wellbeing of people and are involved in corruption, newspapers expose their private life and put them under accountability. For example, when details of the lavish spending of the Mayor of London, while on a vacation, were revealed in the SUN, it prompted questions from many sections of the society, eventually exposing his corruption with the public money. Therefore, it is important that newspapers publish these details.

In conclusion, private matters of politicians should be published in newspaper because it allows them to gain popularity and expose their corrupt affairs.

Some say that music, art and drama are as important as other school subjects, especially at the primary level. Do you agree or disagree?

Some people believe that arts education is as significant as the study of other subjects, especially for primary students. I completely agree with this viewpoint because some educational content could be better illustrated in the forms of arts, and the study of arts is one key consideration which fosters all-rounded growth of young students.

The arts could deliver information to students, especially to those attending primary schools, in a way that words in textbooks sometimes cannot. Children may become bored and tired if they have to read or listen to too much educational content in textbooks. A colorful painting or a catchy song, on the other hand, can be much more appealing and thus more effective in conveying information to these children. For example, the Ghen Covy song has been taught at most schools in Vietnam and has become one of children’s favorite songs. This song has effectively highlighted the importance of hand washing as a means of disease prevention, and has made it easier for many children to remember every step of hand sanitization for its catchy melody and appealing dancing moves.

Furthermore, the study of arts is one factor that contributes to a comprehensive development of young students. While academic subjects focus on children’s cognitive development, arts education help children to develop their social-emotional skills. By singing a song or drawing a picture, these children are likely to express their feelings and nurture their sense of community. For example, thousands of Vietnamese children, who were encouraged by their teaching staff, drew pictures of sunflowers to deliver messages of love and support for pediatric cancer patients.

In conclusion, the arts can sometimes be better at transmitting knowledge than textbooks, and the provision of both academic and arts education is necessary for an all-rounded growth of young students. I firmly believe that the study of arts should never be underestimated in any child educational institution.

Some people think that all university students should study whatever they like. Others believe that they should only be allowed to study subjects that will be useful in the future, such as those related to science and technology. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Some would argue that all students in universities have to study the subject they like, while others think that they have to only study something useful for their future, for example, those related to science and technology sectors. Although learning about the latter subjects is crucial to secure a good job and salary, I believe that enrollment in whatever subject they favor leads to students being successful in their fields.

Studying science and technology during third-level education makes students able to easily find a job that pays high wages. That is to say, working in the majority of modern workplaces requires up-to-date technological information aiming to improve the quality of work and to compete with others, and, in turn, those employees will earn good remuneration. For instance, many IT graduates from the University of Toronto were able to have high positions and good wages in many renowned business companies. However, I think that the passion for what students study is more important than how much their earnings are in the future.

It is very important for university students to study the subjects they like because this is the reason behind a successful career. That is because the love for this particular subject allows them to go beyond their limits, be creative, and be eager to improve, and, thus, they might be promoted. For instance, many well-known musicians decided to study music because they were passionate about it and this positive spirit helps them climb their professional ladder. Therefore, I support this school of thought because studying a favorite subject is more important.

To conclude, despite the fact that a course in science and technology can provide postgraduates with a good future career and enough income, in my view, studying whatever they prefer is better because this leads to success in their field.

In some countries, younger people are neglecting their right to vote.

What problems does this cause and what are some of the possible solutions?

It is argued that in certain nations youth are not using their right to vote. This would hinder the political change, and it would also result in policies made that are not beneficial for these young people. The most viable solutions would be to create awareness among the younger generation and promote them to participate in politics. 

Not participating in elections would mean that it would be difficult to change the government which is necessary for some countries across the globe. This is because, in any functional democracy, the only way to change the ruling party is by casting votes in the electoral process. Furthermore, if young individuals forge their right to vote, it would result in policies made that do not benefit them. As a result, they would feel that the state is not addressing their concerns and end up leaving the country. For instance, every year thousands of young adults from developing countries immigrate to Europe and North America because they are unhappy with their government’s performance.

One way to tackle these issues is to inform these people about the power of vote. Campaigns should be held in universities, and colleges to educate youth about their political rights. Another solution is to promote these young people to come into politics. Doing this it would ensure their representation and their voices being heard. For example, Nelson Mandela was a young political activist who successfully fought against racism and became the first black President of South Africa.

In conclusion, neglecting to vote by the young generation would delay the necessary government change, and laws made that are not in their favor. However, encouraging youth participation in politics and awareness campaigns can be possible solutions to tackle these problems.

In certain parts of the world, the younger generation is not using their right to vote.

This phenomenon may result in younger people being apathetic toward politics and election results that do not reflect public opinion, and the most viable solutions are to educate younger people about the importance of voting and incentivize them to vote.

One major problem of this is that younger people may adopt an uncaring attitude toward politics. If younger people do not take part in the election, which is the most significant political event, they are unlikely to pay heed to anything related to politics later on. Another issue is that the result of the election might be undermined. Since only older people give their votes, the winner may not be the one that the majority want to put in charge. For example, it is commonly seen in my country that politicians with older supporters tend to win again candidates that appeal to the young since most of them do not give their votes.

One suitable solution for this is to run a public awareness campaign to emphasize to younger people the significance of voting. Once they realize that if they abandon their right to vote, the consequences will be immense, they will change their minds and begin to vote. Another way to overcome this is to provide them with certain incentives to start voting. Many younger people find voting a waste of time and, therefore, if they are given incentives, they are more likely to take the time to vote. For instance, younger people in my country are often given a small amount of money as a way of motivating them to vote.

In conclusion, the problems that may stem from this are younger people’s indifferent attitude toward political matters and an ineffective election, and some ways to deal with them are educating and incentivizing younger people to vote.

Some people say that the best way to improve public health is by increasing the number of sports facilities. Others, however, say that this would have little effect on public health and that other measures are required. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

It is argued that the sports facilities should be increased in number to improve citizens’ health, while others claim that other initiatives are more essential to be conducted. While I support the idea that installing more sports facilities would help ordinary people to enhance their general health, I am more convinced that other effective measures should be taken. 

On the one hand, people’s general health status could have been improved greatly via exercising. It is proven that working out fastens the amount of oxygen to the brain, helping people be more concentrative and optimistic. Therefore, lack of physical exercise or insufficient physical movements one’s working performance may be impacted and less productive. For example, Hanoi citizens are reported to be healthier than they were because of the availability of exercise equipment right at the local parts. However, I believe that this measure just improves partially not whole the public’s health. 

On the other hand, there is a wide range of conducts to prevents poor health conditions. Improving diet quality is one of the effective measures that should not be neglected. A good physical health is indeed contributed by many elements, and a full nutrient meal makes consumers stronger and strongly resistant to some diseases. In Vietnam, there used to be a program of introducing milk into daily meals to deter malnutrition for children. After 2 years of conducting this campaign, the number of underweight children was minimised noticeably. Therefore, I completely advocate other solutions to implement to warrant the public’s general health. 

In conclusion, although launching more sports facilities would benefit the overall health of citizens, I think that this matter could be addressed better by other methods.

Some people think that it is better to educate boys and girls in separate schools. Others, however, believe that boys and girls benefit more from attending mixed schools. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

A number of people argue that it is better for boys and girls to get an education from different schools, while others believe that it is more beneficial for children if they attend combined schools. Although studying in separate schools will help boys and girls to focus more on their studies, I believe learning from co-educational institutions will help them to become more social in society. 

On the one hand, when boys and girls attend separate schools, they will spend more time focusing on their studies. This is because there will not be any opposite gender to be attracted to and to get involved in any affairs. The schooling hours will be fully utilised to learn something rather than being diverted from studies and spending time with the ones they might have affair with in the school. For example, in Nepal, students from St. Mary’s Girls School showed a better academic performance than the girls who completed their school years from a co-educational institution. However, I believe that children attending mixed school will learn to be more social in the future.

On the other hand, co-education is more beneficial for children because they will learn some social skills during their school years. This is to say that children of both genders will be allowed to have combined studies and will learn how to deal politely with a person of the opposite sex, an important skill which is highly accepted by society. For example, boys who finished their studies at co-educational schools showed more courtesy towards ladies by offering some help when required. For this reason, it is better for children to attend mixed schools as it helps them to learn essential social skills.

In conclusion, although educating children in separate schools will help them to focus on their studies, I believe that co-education is much better for girls and boys as they will learn essential social skills in school.

Being a celebrity, such as a famous film star or sports personality, brings problems as well as benefits. Do you think that being a celebrity brings more benefits or more problems?

Lives of celebrities, like famous movie stars or sports people, bring benefits as well as problems. Although earning huge amounts of money is an advantage for celebrities, I believe the lack of privacy in their lives is a major problem that outweighs the benefit. 

The main advantage for celebrities is that they receive a huge remuneration. That is to say, such people are paid large amounts of money for their efforts or performance. Celebrities usually decide how much they should be paid, and the people who pay them do not negotiate as they are confident in their star value. For example, Avengers star casts were paid in high amounts even before they read the script of the film series because of their previous performances in the older series. However, I think celebrities are also human beings and money cannot replace the happiness or freedom they need in their lives.

One of the downsides of being a celebrity is that it is not possible for them to lead a private life. This means that because of their fame and popularity, they are continuously followed by the media, and by their fans who eagerly wait to know what is happening in their favorite stars’ lives. As such, celebrities lose their freedom and cannot enjoy their personal time with their families or friends. For instance, when Sachin Tendulkar became famous after his remarkable performance in cricket, he claimed that he could not walk down the streets of Mumbai as he used to do in the past. Thus, I believe celebrities cannot be carefree, and they always have to face the media in one or the other way.

To conclude, I think the problem of being a celebrity is that their privacy is interrupted, and this overshadows the benefit of making large amounts of money as a celebrity.

Being a famous person, such as a movie star or sports athlete, has many disadvantages and advantages. Although famous people will earn more money, I believe that there are more drawbacks because famous people will not be safe in public places. 

The biggest advantage is that well-known individuals will earn loads of money. This is because they will get colossal amounts of money from their sponsors for promoting their products, such as mobile phones, laptops or cars. As a result, notable individuals will become affluent around the nation. Floyd Mayweather, for instance, is a famous boxer as well as a wealthy person in the United States of America. Each year he gets around millions of dollars from Burger Kings and Rolls Royal sponsors for promoting their products during boxing matches. However, I believe that famous celebrities face huge problems whenever they go out because their frenzied fans will annoy them.

The major drawback is that famous individuals’ lives will be in danger in common places. This is because their foes will try to harm them whenever they go out either alone or with their family members, such as in parks or malls. As a result, they will have to hire some security guards to protect themselves against vicious-minded individuals. Jennifer Lopez, for instance, always goes out with five bodyguards. The reason is that in the past, some deranged fans attacked her in New York park and broke her left arm. Therefore, I believe that celebrities always face difficulties in common places because someone will assault them. 

In conclusion, although well-known individuals earn big amounts of money from sponsors, notable people’s lives will be in danger because evil-minded people will harm them. For these reasons, I believe that drawbacks are more than benefits.

It is being argued that media houses should not disclose the personal lives of statesmen. I completely agree with this statement because it will not only violate their right to privacy, but also they should focus their resources on more pressing issues that need immediate attention such as poverty.

It is the fundamental right of every human being to have their privacy. Even though they are public figures, their private lives should be away from the eyes of the media. They should only be judged against the service towards their countries and not for what is happening in their day-to-day affairs. The prime example of this can be seen in the Constitution of the USA, which gives its citizens the right to privacy.

In addition to this, it is the responsibility of newspapers to address important matters including poverty. Media can be a very powerful medium, so rather than talking about other people’s life, resources should be diverted towards putting pressure on public officials to engage them in solving real-life problems. Using their influence to the benefit of the general public should be the main focus of newspapers. For example, during the Great Depression, The Guardian was the main voice of people in protesting against the poor living conditions. 

In conclusion, I do not support the argument of newspapers publishing the personal information of government officials. This is because it will result in the violation of their privacy and also the primary focus of news agencies should be to highlight key issues concerning the nation.

Some people say that television is useful for education, while others say it is useful only for entertainment. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Television is considered useful for education by some, while others claim that it only serves entertainment purposes. While certain people believe television is only for entertainment as it steals time, this essay claims that it is valuable as educational programs on television can help a child’s intellect.

Some believe television is only useful for entertainment since it takes away time. This is because they feel that children who spend too much time in front of the television may miss out on life’s opportunities and that it is much more productive to spend time with friends, to work on homework, to go outside, or to relax instead of watching television. For example, kids who watch too much television tend to work less on their homework, which results in poor performance in school. However, I would argue that television is important as education programs can aid in boosting children’s intellect.

Educational programs on television can help children become more intelligent. Kids who watch informative and educational shows learn to solve problems and develop strong mental maths skills. For instance, several studies have shown that kids are more likely to outperform their peers on tests when they watch educational shows. Additionally, studies have shown that children who watch cartoons most of the time score less than those who watch educational shows. Therefore, I strongly believe educational shows on television encourage intellectual development in children.

In conclusion, while television is seen as only useful for entertainment because it eats up time, watching informative educational shows on television can develop a child’s intellectual skills.

Being a famous person, for example a popular actor or a sports star, is problematic as well as beneficial. This essay believes that fame has more negative effects because it comes with the cost of being a burden to the star’s family, and it can threaten the star’s mental health.

The first negative effect fame has on the star’s life is the burden it puts on his family. That is not only because of the paparazzi that keep chasing them everywhere they go and eventually putting them at physical risk, but also because of the pink media which posts news about them that completely breach privacy and are often related to intimate relationships. For example, it is very well known how much detrimental the role of paparazzi and pink media was on Princess Diana’s sons and they report that those publications and breaking news scarred them for a lifetime just because they come from a famous family.

The second reason behind the negativity of being a star is that it creates an unsafe environment that may endanger the star’s mental health. Being constantly under the spotlights and lacking the minimum amount of privacy in the person’s life is documented to be detrimental to this latter’s mental health. For instance, the famous movie star Marilyn Monroe is known to have committed suicide because she could not cope with a life with no privacy at all, and the same applies to the famous Egyptian star Souad Husni and many others.

In conclusion, in my opinion, the negative aspects of fame outweigh the positive ones especially because it puts a burden on the star’s family and puts their mental health in danger.

Multinational companies are becoming increasingly common in developing countries. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

It is becoming more popular in developing nations to see multinational corporations. There are some benefits for this trend such as the progress in the economy they create in these countries and the availability of jobs, however, the shut down of some small local businesses and the lower selling rate of local products can be its drawbacks.

The main advantage of the increasing number of these types of companies is the economic progress. That is to say, if multinational organizations operate in less-developed nations, this can bring wealth which boosts industries, trade, and other aspects of the economy. Moreover, more jobs will be available for the local people. That is because more workers and managers are needed to work for these companies which can be a good opportunity for locals to find a job. For instance, after opening a branch of Apple company in Dubai, many local graduates were thrilled by the good news of being accepted to work under this renowned company. 

However, one of the main disadvantages of this trend is the drop in the selling rate of the local products. That is because of the good reputations and qualities of international items, and, thus, citizens might refrain from buying their local products. Another disadvantage is that some small local shops could be closed. That is due to the unfair competition with these huge strong establishments, and as a result, some might be shut down or go bankrupt. For example, many amateur Syrian entrepreneurs, and after the harsh competition they had with international textile corporation, were forced to close their fabric factories. 

In conclusion, although the advantages of the popularity of multinational organizations in developing countries are the economic progress and the improvement in the job market, nonetheless, its downsides are the drop in the average selling of local products and the closure of some small businesses.

A number of individuals believe that television can help with education, while others feel it is only used for entertaining people. Although entertainment television programs are the most popular programs on TV, this essay argues that television is helpful in education if people utilize it properly.

On the one hand, nowadays, entertainment television programs have become the most well-liked TV programs. That is because those programs give people an escape from their home lives or occupations, and it is also a great way to spend time with. For example, in the United States of America the Ellen Show is one of the most popular shows which has lasted almost twenty years. However, I believe that entertainment television programs are people’s favorite television programs does not mean television cannot be useful for education.

On the other hand, television can be a helpful tool in education if people use it in a proper way. Television can help people to study through informative videos, TV shows, or documents, and those videos can help people form a visual representation of their thoughts. For instance, it can be commonly seen in many schools that teachers introduce TVs in their lectures to help students understand complicated and difficult subjects. For this reason, this essay believes that television is a useful tool for education.

In conclusion, although programs for entertaining people are the most well-liked television programs, I maintain that television is useful for education because it is a helpful tool for education if it is utilized properly.

In many countries, the government prioritises economic growth above all other concerns. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this.

Economic growth is a sphere that receives more attention than any other national domain in many states all over the world. The principal benefits of this phenomenon are lower unemployment and wealthier citizens, and the main downsides are higher costs of living for most and insufficient support for the poorest. 

On the one hand, what makes that prioritizing economic expansion is beneficial for the public is the fact that fever residents remain unemployed. This is because governments boost establishing various businesses, which will require many workers to operate. In addition, not only does a country become more powerful economically, but also many residents have an opportunity to become affluent. When companies generate more profit, it reflects how much money employees can make. In Poland, for example, 30 years after communism collapsed, average salaries offered for a middle-management position have tripled.

On the other hand, as a country’s economy thrives, costs of living increase. The most compelling reason for that could be the fact that since workers are paid more , their services become more expensive, which results in higher prices of many products. Moreover, in many cases, a state whose main priority is its economy offers little support for those who need it. If authorities believe that a strong economy is of the greatest importance, they are rather reluctant to offer help to those who do not contribute to the nation’s prosperity. To illustrate, when Donald Trump, who was a big advocate of a strong economy, became the president of the USA, the funds for jobless migrants were caught. 

In conclusion, as with anything in life, prioritizing economic growth by authorities has its pros and cons. While more have jobs that allow them to become wealthy, costs of living are going up, and those who need to rely on the social care system are marginalized.

It is argued that parents should be the ones to familiarise their children with basic teachings of morals and ethics and how to implement them to become better individuals in the society, while many believe educational institutes are the best places to learn them from. While parents can pay individual attention to their kids, I believe that schools provide an ideal environment in learning and grooming.

On the one hand, parents serve as role models and they are perfectly capable of paying undivided attention to their kids. That is to say that they can tell their kids stories containing lessons about differentiating right from wrong and good from bad. Furthermore, by demonstrating responsible behaviour, elders are instilling good habits in their young. As a result, children follow their elders and grow up to be better human beings. For example, on the dining table parents should tell their kids to eat quietly and not make unnecessary noises which can develop into a good habit. However , I believe that parents cannot consistently teach and monitor their kids’ behaviour patterns due to lack of time.

On the other hand, educational centres provide a specialised environment for minors in both academic and moral fields. That is to say that a child is more keen to learn and grow when one steps outside the comfort zone. By interacting with fellow students and actively participating in multiple social activities youngsters are able to perform to the best of their abilities. For instance, primary schools around the world include social activities and role plays in their curriculum to teach students how to become model citizens. Therefore, this option is preferable because it benefits the child in the long run as well as the society..

In conclusion, although parents can demonstrate moral teachings to their children in an effective manner, learning them at schools would make them rather more confident and productive members for the community.

In some countries, even though the rates of serious crimes are decreasing, people feel less safe than ever before. What do you think are the causes of this problem and what measures could be taken to solve it?

Although grievous offences are reducing, some people feel more insecure than they used to. The main reason behind this is the increase of cyber bullying and hate-crimes, and the solution would be to raise the general awareness among the masses and by promulgating new laws.

The primary cause of people not feeling safe than they used to is because the arena of crime has changed. More people are interacting virtually over the internet, which is mostly unregulated. Therefore, people are easily subject to harassment and bullying on social medias. Moreover, people are also subject to hate-crimes which is a consequence of constant portrayal of a certain group of people as evil by the media. For example, labeling the activities of criminals, who professes the Islamic faith, as terrorists has resulted in an increase in hate-crimes against Muslims across America. 

The solution to such problems would be in educating the general people so that they are more aware. This will allow them to act more responsibly. Also, the government can play their part by enacting new laws that addresses the needs of time. This will make their citizens feel more secure because they can have their problems redressed. For instance, the government of Bangladesh recently enacted Digital Security Act, 2018 and Digital Security Rules, 2020 in order to penalize offences that take place in the cyberspace, as crimes like online harassment and cyber bullying was not previously defined as an offence. 

In conclusion, insecurity among some section of the population is still prevailing due to the change in the nature of crimes that are being committed nowadays. However, this can easily be addressed by making people aware and also by making new laws.

Most high-level positions in companies are filled by men even though the workforce in many developed countries is more than 50 per cent female. Companies should be required to allocate a certain percentage of these positions to women. To what extent do you agree?

Although women account for more than 50 per cent of the workforce in developed nations, a number of managerial positions are still occupied by men. Some believe that a certain proportion of these vacancies should be allocated to females. This essay, however, strongly disagrees with this statement because this can discourage qualified men to work hard, and such a policy can encourage organisations to find some wrong ways to outsmart the system.

Reserving a certain proportion of high-level positions for women because of their gender may prevent educated males from making a contribution to the progress of a company. This is because any employee naturally wants to have equal opportunities for promotion irrespective of gender. If males at workplace are deprived of it, they are not motivated to work hard. For example, psychologists claim that the motivation and hard work of subordinates directly hinge on the promotional system of a company. 

Furthermore, imposing a quota will make companies seek for some illegal ways to outwit this regulation since the priority of most companies is to reward employees with high-level positions according to their knowledge and experience, not their genders. Hence, if any law contradicts the policy of a company based on gender, the owners of that company are more likely to make modifications to outsmart the system, which benefits neither of them. For example, not to compulsively hire female employees to the top management of a company, owners can change the tittle of a position to just to fill a vacancy. 

In conclusion, I strongly disagree with the idea of allocation of certain high-level posts to females because of their gender since this can discourage qualified males to work hard and make companies find alternative ways to outwit the law.

Some people think that the teenage years are the happiest time of most people’s lives. Others think that adult life brings more happiness, in spite of greater responsibility. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

It is argued that adolescence years are the happiest years in one’s life, while others believe that adulthood is the most joyful phase to live despite having bigger responsibilities. This essay believes that, although adolescents are free of responsibilities, adults enjoy their life more because they are free to make their own choices.

On the one hand, adolescents are thought to live the happiest moments of their life because they are not asked to be responsible. Basically, a teenager lives with his parents, who not only provide him shelter, food, and education, but also, in some cases, would try to meet his fantasies. For instance, in my country, teenagers make a great example of spoiled people who spend their money carelessly and always ask for more, though they do not seem to be happy.However, I believe that not being obliged to worry about any responsibility is not what happiness is all about, and consequently adolescents do not live their happiest days.

On the other hand, others see that adulthood is a happier phase because adults are free to make the choices that fit their aspirations. Having the freedom of choice will eventually be followed by achievements and a sense of self-accomplishment, which is a primary source of joy. For example, many adults in my country are happy because of the choice of career or commitment they took on their own, and they see themselves happier than when they were teenagers. Therefore, I believe adulthood is the most enjoyable time because one can not be happy if they have to follow others’ plans even it comes with no responsibilities.

In conclusion, despite having no responsibilities on their shoulders, adolescents do not live the happiest moments of their life. This essay believes that it is adulthood which is the most enjoyable in light of the fact that adults are free to make their own choices.

In some countries, it is becoming increasingly common for people to follow a vegetarian diet. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

In a number of countries, following a vegetarian diet has become very popular. Although being a vegetarian can limit the options when eating, I believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages because it allows the body to work properly. 

For vegetarian people it is difficult to find varied options to eat. Since the majority of the worldwide population have a diet that includes animal products, these type of food is the one that is normally available at food businesses. Therefore, people with a vegetarian diet have to choose between a limited number of plates or products when buying food or eating out. For example, in many popular restaurants in Colombia, the menu has only a short vegetarian section which includes only two or three plates that are completely vegetarian. However, I believe that those options that are offered are healthier than plates that are sold in large quantities.

Following a vegetarian diet allows the body to work better. This is because science has shown that when our human system digests animal products, such as meat, it has to work harder to process the food that it is not designed to receive. Thus, people that have a diet based on plants and seeds are more prone to have a healthier life because they allow their bodies to focus their energy in its normal processes. For instance, people who become vegetarian are less prone to get sick because their immune system has all the energy focused on fighting bacteria and not causing chronic inflammation because of the food. That is why I consider that following a vegetarian diet can have more benefits in the long term. 

In conclusion, although vegetarian people have fewer options when buying products without animal ingredients, it is my belief that following a vegetarian diet has a positive impact in the body functions.

Some claim that families should educate their offspring on being good members of community, while others say that school is the most suitable place to do that. Although school has professional ways to teach children about being good in society, I believe that teaching them by parents is more appropriate because parents have more influence on children. 

On the one hand, school should tech children how to interact in good way in society because it has academic methods to better educate children on that. Any school curriculum is examined by experts before being used, so it contains no mistakes or unsuitable context. For example, to design a school national curriculum, governments hire the most experienced and knowledgeable teachers nationwide. However, I believe that children follow parent’s instructions better than school’s instructions. 

On the other hand, parents are more influent in teaching children about being good in society. That is because parents are close to children, so children are more likely to believe in them. As a result, children are effectively learn how is it important to behave well in society. For instance, the vast majority of children gain their good habits from their parents as they eager to transmit the good attitude to their children. Therefore, I believe that families are the most suitable teacher for children when it comes to be good in society. 

In conclusion, despite the fact that school has professional methods to educate children on being good in society, I believe that parents are more successful doing that because they have better influence on children.

It is thought by some that their happiest years were during their teenage years. Others, however, believe that happiness comes during adult life later on, despite the great deal of responsibilities. Although being an adult means having enough money to enjoy many life activities, teenagers have an enormous amount of time to spend on leisure activities, and for this reason, I stand with the latter view.

Undoubtedly, adults usually have the money to spend on entertaining activities and create joyful moments. Due to the fact that adults usually have the financial means to travel somewhere far, attend a concert, or even rent an expensive car, many express their happiest moments to be during their thirties and the years after while their health is still perfect and they enough money to spend. For example, a 35-year-old man can always travel to Spain during summer time and be able to create an unforgettable moments. However, in my opinion, most adults are so engaged mentally with work and family responsibilities that they do not have the time to spend or travel but rarely.

On the other hand, during adolescence, teenagers have all the time they need to have fun. Having no serious tasks or long working hours, teenagers often spend their time partying with their cool friends throughout the week while having absolutely no responsibility on their shoulders. As a result, people usually remember these days as their happiest. For example, teenagers usually have their own party places that open during week days, especially when they become university students, they become happier as their social network also expands. Personally, I believe that having no responsibilties is the key to create happy moments to remember. 

To conclude, while being an adult means having more money to spend on entertaining events, teenagers have all the time in the world to be with their firends and party, and that, in my view, is the reason why people remember these days as their happiest.

Global companies are gaining more popularity among third-world countries. The main advantages of this are that they generate more employment in a country and provide good benefits to employees. However, the major drawbacks are long working hours and unsecured jobs.

One benefit of multinational companies is that they employ a large workforce. This is because these big companies have more than two or three branches around the country, thereby, increasing the employment rate within the country. Moreover, these companies have good benefits for their staff, as compared to local companies, such as yearly travel compensation and full coverage family insurance. For instance, Amazon provides a yearly international trip to the employee and their family, covering accommodation and return tickets.

On the other hand, having to work extremely long hours is the major disadvantage of being in such companies. This is because these companies handle clients who work in different time zone. Hence, the employees have to work in their local time zone as well as per client time zone, which can be several hours apart. Furthermore, losing a job at any time is the biggest fear of employees working for such organizations, unlike government sector, where an employee cannot be fired from the job easily. For example, in Apple Inc., it is reported several times that the employees are fired due to their grudges with their boss.

In conclusion, multinational organizations have benefitted developing countries by increasing the employment rate and making the lives of employees better by providing good benefits. However, it does not have strict policies for their staff as they have to work long hours and fear of losing their job at any time.

ielts essay requirements

In modern times, children are spending less time with their families and more time with their friends. Why has this change occurred? Do you think parents should force their children to spend more time at home?

Nowadays, children spend more time with their friends than with their families. This change has occurred because children do not want to feel left out amongst their peers and parents should not force children to stay home because they will resent their parents for it.

Young ones do not want to miss out on social activities with their friends. Since the invention of technology, many activities that people carry out, especially teenagers, are now being posted online. As a result, children want to engage more in activities with their peers so they would also have fun stories to post on their social media pages and not be the odd one among their peers. For example, many young people in South Korea are known to shop and visit fun places with their friends rather than their parents, so as to show off the fun activities they engage in on Wechat, a popular social media platform.

Children whose parents mandate spending more time at home might hold a grudge towards their parents. This is because if children are forced by their parents to spend more time at home, they may interpret this as a form of punishment and develop a negative attitude towards their parents, which defeats the goal of family time. However, if they are encouraged to play with their siblings and bond with the family, children will be more willing to stay at home. For example, most children in Nigeria, even though they spend time with their friends, look forward to family time because parents in Nigeria emphasize the benefits of spending more time with family. 

In conclusion, children want to engage in activities with their friends and not be left out, and parents should encourage their children to stay at home more, rather than force them so that their children will not resent them.

It is believed by some that adolescent years are the happiest period of most people’s lives, while others believe that adulthood brings more content, despite having more responsibilities. Although teenagers obtain new experiences in their teenage years, I believe that adults can enjoy in the things they have accomplished.

On the one hand, experiences that adolescents gain before their reach adulthood make them happy. This is because many teenagers get more freedom to do the things that they like without being controlled by their parents. A sense of freedom gives them opportunity to socialise with their contemporaries and many of them fall in love for the first time. These are unprecedented experiences that makes them feel very happy. For example, many dwellers of Sarajevo have said that teenage years were the happiest years of their lives. However, I think that adolescents do not know what a real happiness is at such a young age. 

On the other hand, adults can appreciate the things they have achieved. This is to say that many adults set goals when they were younger, such as having prosperous careers, because they knew achieving their goals would make them content. They worked hard to get closer to their goals, and when they finally achieved their targets, they felt contentment. For instance, many Bosnians dreamed about owning a property, and after purchasing housing they were ecstatic. Therefore, I believe that adults can value happiness at a greater level.

In conclusion, although pre-adulthood brings new experiences, I believe that adults enjoy the perks of their hard work.

In many professional sports, there is an increase in the number of athletes using banned substances to improve their performance. What are the causes of the phenomenon and what are some of the possible solutions?

The number of sportspeople using illegal substances to improve their performance has increased in many sporting events. This essay believes that many athletes are taking banned substances to win the competition and exceed capabilities beyond their limits. This can be prevented by requiring athletes to take drug tests before the competition and punish them if they have violated the rules.

Some sportsmen are taking banned substances because they want to be the best athlete in the competition. It is in their nature to be on top among other competitors, and winning is their main goal. In addition, using illegal substances help exceed their abilities by boosting their physical strength. They are tempted to do this because it helps them to handle such excruciating trainings needed to achieve their goals. For instance, Michael Phelps, a professional swimmer, confessed that the use of an illegal substance has helped him become an Olympic Gold medallist.

One solution to eradicate this problem is to test all athletes before the competition so that they will be discouraged from using banned substances, allowing fair competition among athletes. Moreover, sports organizations should also punish athletes who are taking performance-enhancing drugs, such as banning them from playing any sports event. This will give them lessons and take away the temptations of using illegal substances. For example, the Tour de France organization has banned Edward Armstrong from entering the bike racing competition and stripped down all his trophies because of his drug violations. 

In conclusion, many athletes nowadays use illegal substances to win the competition and exceed their physical capabilities. However, it is vital to have fair competition, and this can be eradicated by requiring the athletes to do drug tests and ban them if found guilty.

Some people argue that television helps in learning while others believe that its only purpose is to entertain us. Although television is widely used for enjoyment and leisure, in my opinion, it also helps in other ways like getting news and information from all over the world.

For decades, people have been watching television for fun and leisure because it is the most common entertainment product in every household. Furthermore, it offers a variety of channels and programs with just clicks of some buttons which help children and adults to relax and enjoy when they feel tired after studies or work. Entertainment programs such as The Kapil Sharma Show have always been the most popular programs because they spread laughter and joy among the people and help them unwind the day. However, I think that other than entertainment, people have many reasons to watch television such as getting educated about major events around the world.

On the other side, many people argue that beyond the entertainment, there are various news and educational programs aired on television that are watched by a large number of people. Many shows on television play a vital role in educating citizens about various issues and current affairs and help them increase their knowledge. Many news programs, for example, Prime-Time with Ravish Kumar on NDTV pick one of the events happened during the day and discuss different perspectives about it in details and educate people on how it affects their lives. Moreover, these types of shows have become more interesting and entertaining due to the use of advanced technology and presentation methods.

In conclusion, while the most people watch television for pleasure and relax, I believe that it is not fair to tag it as an entertainment tool because it is still a main source of news and information for the majority people around the world.

Some argue that newspaper journalists should not report on the personal lives of the people in politics. This essay emphatically disagrees with this view because citizens are entitled to be informed about their politicians’ lives before they elect them, and because politicians need to be kept in check to stop them from misusing their powers.

Politicians are public servants who have taken an oath to serve the citizens of a nation. In a democracy, politicians are elected on the basis of two important factors – their vision and their values. While the vision is communicated by politicians during their campaign, the values can only be depicted through the way the way they have lived their personal lives. Journalists are trained to investigate all kinds of information. Hence, for a well-rounded evaluation, it is essential that newspapers give a complete account of the values of a politician through a coverage of their personal lives. For instance, in 2016, many supporters of Donald Trump lost their trust in him after newspapers uncovered the story of the sexual harassment allegations against him.

Furthermore, politicians hold great power because of their ranks. It would be very easy for politicians to misuse this power to benefit their own personal lives. On behalf of the public, journalists own the authority to keep politicians’ personal lives in check. For example, President Bill Clinton wrongly took advantage his position by having an affair with an intern. The American citizens were informed of this through newspapers and other media platforms.

In conclusion, it is extremely important that newspaper publishers cover the private lives of politicians so that they can be fairly evaluated before elections, and to ensure that their power is kept in check while they’re serving the public.

During the course of history, crime term is viewed as a negative blow on both society and each individual. Although a reducing crime statistic in some particular countries has been publicly recognized in recent decades, other kinds of crime might cause local residents a sense of less safety than previous times, especially juvenile crime, so some policies need to be implemented to ensure tackle this phenomenon.

There is several compelling evidence that crime under the age of 18 has been a contributor to unsafe feelings. With the aid of technological advancement, teenagers nowadays are frequently exposed to violence in the media and mimic violent acts whose brains are not fully developed and can not tell the difference between right and wrong. Violent scenes on Youtube, for example, are usually starred by adults who are likely to become negative role models, leading to the growth of juvenile crime after watching those videos, especially turning to bullies in school. Thus, parents will have a fear of their offspring not only befriending these bullies but also becoming a potential crime if they can not control the information absorbed by their children due to hectic working schedules.

With regard to the responsibility of the government to assure residents do not feel unsafe, banning violence-related contents on the Internet should be adopted. This policy required producer companies to minimize scenes containing violence before publicizing final products. In addition, adults also are in charge by teaching their infants to identify wrongdoings to avoid. By spending time with those, parents could either diminish unsafe feelings or intervene at the right time whether friends of their youngsters are good or not.

In conclusion, juvenile crime is a major indicator of increasing fearness of society despite a drop in serious crime rate. Government must take immediate action by passing violence- content restriction on stakeholders on a national scale and parents should dedicate more time to their children to help authorities to address these issues.

It is generally believed that some people are born with certain talents, for instance for sport or music, and others are not. However, it is sometimes claimed that any child can be taught to become a good sports person or musician. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

While some think that people can not succeed in sports or music unless they have some natural talents that a few people have, others reckon that any child can be educated to become successful in those areas. This essay agrees with the former view because, although children are able to get access to many professional training programs, natural gifts enable owners to excel at their subjects such as music or sports.

Some argue that all children can become good at music and sports as soon as they receive the appropriate learning programs. This is because now children are taught by many professional teachers, and the programs that they are involved in are far more modern and systematic. Therefore, they do not need talents to become successful. For instance, many renowned musicians and sports athletes in Vietnam admit that they are not talented, but they can thrive in their areas mainly because of their hard work in many years and the intensive training programs that their tutors gave them. However, I think that some subjects like music or sports have some unique features that require learners some talents to master them.

Gifted people can thrive because their natural gifts help them quickly master knowledge. The immense level of their innate skills enables them to completely grasp anything they learn in a short amount of time, and they can creatively and successfully put them into practice. Let’s take Mozart as a musical genius of all ages, with an extraordinary memory, he could remember any details of music like melodies and lyrics and composed thousands of famous songs of all time. For this reason, I believe that some inborn qualities play a crucial part for people to thrive in some areas like music or sports. 

In conclusion, despite any professional programs that schools now offer, this essay thinks that children need to have some talents to become professional athletes or skilled musicians.

Some say that educating boys and girls in a single-gender school is more beneficial, while others feel that mixing both genders is a better idea. I believe that while separation can reduce the amount of classroom disruption, mixed schools have a better impact on both genders because it prepares them for their future in the real world.

On the one hand, a single gender educational environment can reduce distraction between peers during the class. Children try to impress or get the attention of the opposite gender by talking or showing off, which leads to lack of focus in the class and causes interruptions to other students. For instance, girls and boys tend to find their first crushes at school. It distracts them because instead of paying attention to studying, they are focused on getting into relationships. Despite this, I would argue that both boys and girls can benefit more from being mixed because it helps them to be prepared for the future life.

On the other hand, mixed-sex schools where boys and girls are not separated, can prepare children for their future life. When young males and females attend co-educational school, they can develop relationships with other people. In their future they will work with opposite sex so educating students in single-sex schools limits their opportunity to work cooperatively with the opposite gender. For example, if children are used to have contact with many peers from their childhood, they will not have a problem to adjust to a mixed-sex environment in their future such as work area or daily life. I therefore believe that this method is better as it helps to interact with the opposite sex.

In conclusion, while separating boys and girls at school can help them to be more focused during their classes, I think that mixing both genders gives them the ability to learn how to build relationships with different genders, which is valuable later in life.

Following a vegetarian diet is becoming very popular in some nations. Although without meat it is hard to get the required amount of protein, I believe that the benefits of consuming high fibre and low saturated fat while on this diet far outweigh any drawbacks.

The main disadvantage of the vegetarian diet is that without meat people may have a protein deficiency. That is to say, people by nature are omnivorous more than herbivorous, and by avoiding consuming animal products, protein levels will decrease, and this deficiency can have consequences on muscles, bones and immunity system. By following this type of strict diet in certain religious groups in India, for instance, people might suffer not only from fatigue and bone fractures, but also from disturbance in their immune system. However, I think that a well-planned diet provides people with all nutrients including enough protein.

The positive feature of this diet is that it contains high fibre and low saturated fat, which can help decrease heart problems. In other words, high amounts of fats are found in animal products, this can accumulate on blood vessels causing clots and predisposing to certain heart diseases, and by controlling fat levels and consuming more fibre as in vegetarian diet, the risk of heart disease can be reduced. That is why many physicians, for instance, advise their patients to go on this healthy diet which plays a major role in decreasing their risk of suffering from heart problems. Therefore, in my view, protecting people from this type of illness by recommending such a regimen is very beneficial.

To conclude, while it is difficult to have enough protein from a vegetarian diet, in my opinion, the advantages of protecting people from heart disease with its high level of fibre and low saturated fat far outweigh any disadvantages.

Nowadays more and more people have to compete with young people for the same jobs. What problems does this cause? What are some possible solutions?

These days the competition for the same job has increased, as more young people apply for it. The main problems this causes are high competition for one job and an increased unemployment rate. The most viable solutions are creating special programs for young people and expanding the job market by introducing special positions for others. 

Having a high number of people applying for the same job creates high competition for one position, among younger and older people. As a result, for one position apply hundreds of people, and only one, mainly young people, is hired. Additionally, this leads to unemployment, as there are not many positions available to people and not everyone finds a job. In Ukraine, for example, every year many people in their forties or fifties file for unemployment insurance, as they were not able to find a job due to the companies prefer hiring younger candidates rather them. 

One way for governments to overcome this difficulty is to create special positions for the elder and senior people, like to be trainers. In such a way, they will not lose their jobs and will be able to pass their knowledge to the younger generations. Another solution is for organizations to introduce more internships or traineeships. Creating such opportunities will assist people in having at least temporary jobs. For example, every year a well-known Ukrainian mobile company Life hires the younger for one year program with a future potential full-time employment, as they want to retain their current employees and provide future job opportunities for younger generations. 

In conclusion, having more young people applying for the same job creates high competition and unemployment. In order to overcome this, the government should introduce more positions, like trainers for elderly and current employees, and offer more internships for the younger generation.

Some companies have uniforms for their staff which must be worn at all times. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this.

Employees of some companies must wear their uniforms all the time. The main advantages of this are that wearing uniforms can be a source for advertising their products and helps to bring a sense of belonging, while the disadvantages are that wearing inappropriate clothing for work and hampering employee’s performance.

Employees who wear uniforms can be a source of marketing for their own products. This is because when employees step out from their company, then people will notice their logos and make a good impression of them, as a result, they might end up buying their items. Moreover, staff wearing uniforms can also help to grow a sense of belonging. That is to say that if staff wear the same clothes every time, this would lead to a feeling of team spirit and better production in the company. To illustrate this, the workers of Lux company always dress up in the same uniforms; thus, they become an inevitable part of the marketing team of Lux in Bangladesh.

On the other hand, employees who always wear uniforms might end up wearing inappropriate clothes for their work. This is because they do not have any idea of the specific material or right sizes of the clothes that they should wear at the workplace. Wearing uniforms by employees can also hamper their better performance. This is mainly because of making poorly designed work clothes and, this might cause difficulties in work since they find the uniforms constricting their work output. For instance, flight stewardesses wearing pencil skirts and high heels may look good, but at the same time, it also causes discomfort to them and the passengers.

To conclude, the main advantages of wearing uniforms are that it can be a key element of marketing and helps to grow a sense of belonging; however, the disadvantages are the inappropriacy of wearing uniforms and restricted performance.

Nowadays the way many people interact with each other has changed because of technology. In what ways has technology affected the types of relationships people make? Is this a positive or negative development?

Because of developments in technology, the way we communicate with each other has changed. As a result of this, people are making friends and even started to find themselves a partner through the internet. I believe that it is a negative trend because people try to take advantage of us after they know about our personal life.

Many have started making friends and dating online. Social media users follow individuals whom they do not know and interact with them by commenting on their posts or texting to each other from these platforms. Some teenagers and even adults use dating websites to find themselves a date. In such platforms internet normally pair them up with a random person and they make conversation with each other. For example, the dating website called Omegle is getting popular among individuals.

People often get threatened by their online friends. After they earn their friend’s trust, and get familiar with their personal life, they start demanding money, and if a person refuses to give them what they want they begin threatening them telling them that they will hurt their loved ones. For instance, more than thousands of social media users in Uzbekistan are becoming the victims of such crimes every year.

In conclusion, as a result of improvements in technology the way we interact with each other has changed. Because of this people are dating and making friends online. I am of the opinion that it is a negative development because people often get threatened by their online friends.

Today people are travelling more than ever before. Why is this the case? What are the benefits of travelling for the traveller?

People are travelling more than ever before in recent times. Achieving quality education from abroad is the main reason for this, and the major benefits of travelling for the traveller are they will be entertained by watching exciting things around them and personality development.

The main reason of people travelling more today is to achieve quality education from abroad. This is because, degrees from their own countries may not have more value. Instead, if they have degrees from abroad, people can compete with other individuals for amazing jobs, and by having such jobs, people’s standard of living improves. For example, many engineers in India are travelling abroad in order to complete their higher education and by achieving quality education from abroad, they can get a phenomenal job anywhere across the world.

One benefit of travelling for the traveller is that they are ammused by watching exciting things while travelling.This is because, usually people at home have a hectic life style and they do their normal routine work. While travelling, travellers observe mesmerizing lights and new things on their way and get entertained. Moreover, travelling helps in personality development of a traveller. This is because, in an airbus they have to wait for a long time for their destination to come, which develops the quality of patience in travellers. For example, while travelling from Melbourne to Hyderabad, travellers have to wait for 16 hours in an aircraft which develops patience and overall personality development in them.

In conclusion, today people are travelling more than ever before, to achieve quality education from abroad is the main reason of travelling, and the main benefits of travelling for the traveller are getting entertained by watching exciting things while travelling and personality development.

It is the view of some people that individuals who have talents in certain areas such as sports or music are born with it, while others believe that a child can learn to be good at these skills. Although, it is true that people are talented in these fields because they can achieve great feats with no training or with minimal effort, I believe that any child can learn to become good at certain skills if they work hard.

People who are naturally talented at sports or music can perform excellently well in these areas without training. Some people who perform very well in sports or music do not need to learn or practice to become proficient at these skills because it comes naturally to them, unlike others who have to train for a long time to reach the same level. For example, Michael Jackson, a musical legend, is widely known to be talented in singing and dancing because he displayed these skills from childhood without training. However, I believe that even those who are talented in certain fields need to learn and practice in other to perform at maximum capacity.

Children can be taught to become good sportsmen and women and outstanding musicians if they work hard at it. It is possible to teach someone different skills, especially a young child, because they learn faster and with practice they too can become very good in music and sports. For example, Dwayne Johnson, popularly known as the rock, was taught how to wrestle from an early age and now holds many wrestling titles. For this reason, I believe that children can be learn to be good at these skills by working hard even if they were not born with such talents.

In conclusion, even though some people can perform well in sports or music because they are talented, I believe that young people who are not talented can learn to be skilled at sports or music if they work hard.

Many people are now opting to provide technology companies with their personal data in exchange for access to software. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

These days many individuals are choosing to give tech companies their personal information to gain access to software. Although using this software makes people’s life easier, I believe that the benefits do not outweigh the drawbacks because companies are able to constantly influence consumers’ choices.

The main advantage of sharing your private data with tech companies is that the software they provide you makes your life simpler. This is because this software offers users personalized help in their daily matters so that they can avoid wasting time and energy doing things that they can easily do with the aid of technology. For example, Google Drive offers you a free cloud-based storage where all your documents and pictures are automatically saved and you can access them from any device at any time, without worrying about saving them on a pen drive that you might lose. However, I believe that this argument is weaker because people should prioritize their privacy.

One of the disadvantages is that once they have access to your data, tech corporations can use them to control your choices at all times. This is to say that tech companies harvest the data you agreed to share with them, and through an in-depth analysis performed by artificial intelligence and through complex algorithms, they create profiles based on your interests, likes and dislikes. These profiles are then sold to third-party companies for advertising purposes. For example, Google records all your google searches and all the videos you watch on YouTube and then decides what type of advertisement you would be more susceptible to. This targeted marketing has proven extremely successful. I believe this argument is stronger because people are deceived from these companies to generate revenues. 

In conclusion, although providing confidential information to tech firms in order to use software simplifies your life, I believe that being continuously influenced in your decisions is a major drawback. For these reasons, I think that the negatives far outweigh the positives.

While some argue that building more sports facilities is the best possible method of improving public health, others believe that this approach is not very effective, and other actions are needed. I agree with the latter opinion as although doing sports plays a key role in leading a healthy way of life, mass educational activities about different ways of health improvement are a better option because they can target more people. 

On the one hand, doing sports influences people’s health and well-being enormously. Not only does it make us stronger and more resilient, but it also trains our cardiovascular systems and, thus, reduces the chances to die earlier than we could have. In contrast, those who lead a sedentary lifestyle deprive themselves of these benefits. Hence, the more sports facilities will be available to the public, the more people could do sports and, thus, stay healthy. However, I do not agree that this is the best way to improve public health as the majority of people either just do not want to or can not go in for sports because of different reasons. 

On the other hand, informing and educating people about different ways of improving their health is a foundation of health and well-being. If people knew the consequences of drinking too much alcohol and why they need to eat healthy food and avoid ultra-processed food, for example, then they would take a more sensible approach to their health and would have more motivation. Hence, I am convinced that this approach is much better than just opening more sports facilities as it targets all people and not just a small part of them. 

To conclude, although opening more sports facilities will make some people healthier, I believe that educating people is more important as it will target more people overall.

In few countries, the population of vegetarians is increasing rapidly. Although this trend might be a cause of unemployment among a particular group whose livelihood is dependent on the meat business; this essay thinks that the advantages like the positive effect on the environment outweigh the disadvantages.

The drawback of a large population of a country turning vegetarian is that some people lose their business. That is to say that there are thousands of farmers whose livelihood depends on the livestock business, they farm animals like cows and pigs, and sell the meat in local meat markets. These markets might close if a large population turns vegetarian resulting in these people losing their livelihood. For example, in India, there are thousands of individuals, especially in coastal cities like Mumbai or Chennai, who earn their living through huge meet markets established in these cities, these people will get unemployed if the markets close. However, this essay believes that individuals would find an alternative source of income if these markets close.

The major advantage of people choosing a vegetarian lifestyle is that it is eco-friendly. In other words, livestock requires vast areas of land to live in; they eat a huge quantity of food which would be enough for multiple people to survive; they produce double the carbon dioxide in a day than an average human. Due to these reasons farming livestock is takes a heavy toll on the environment. For example, according to research at the University of California, farm animals are the number one cause of global warming, greater than emissions from cars and gasses released from industries. This essay believes that the environmental impact of the vegetarian lifestyle outweighs the drawbacks.

In conclusion, if a large population of a country turns vegetarian, a certain group might lose their income, but this essay believes that the advantages of positive environmental impact outweigh the drawbacks.

Most high-ranking positions in companies are being filled by men, despite that more than 50 per cent of the employees are women in a lot of high-income countries. Companies should be forced to dispense a certain proportion of these posts to women. This essay totally agrees with this statement because, by doing this, the relative level of competence in the company as well as the ability to cooperate would increase. 

By allocating a certain per cent of high-level positions to women, companies would reach a higher competence level. This is because a lot of women with the right competence are overlooked, since the tradition of male executives are very strong. Allocated recruitment would result in women with high competence rather than mediocre men in those high-level positions. For example, an audit of the relative competence level in one of the biggest investment banks in Sweden showed a significant increase after they decided to allocate at least 40 per cent of their leading positions to women. 

Companies with gender equality show better cooperation. In other words, both male and female leaders are needed in a company because men and women contribute with different aspects to the group dynamics. For example, in space shuttles the crew is always formed with a certain per cent of both female and male crewmembers, since cooperation is so vital. 

In conclusion, this essay totally agrees with the statement that companies should be obliged to recruit women for a certain percentage of the leading positions because this is a way of increasing both the level of competence and the cooperation in the company.

There is an increasing trend for people in some nations to have vegetarian foods for their meals. This essay thinks that the benefits do not outweigh the drawbacks because although vegetarian diets can reduce carbon footprints, consuming vegetables only may lead to nutritional deficiencies.

The main advantage of having a vegetarian diet is that carbon emissions can be reduced. Animal agriculture accounts for a significant portion of carbon footprints because animal feed has to be transported a long way to farmers, and animals release a large amount of carbon dioxide after they eat the feed. For example, a research by the University of Australia found that around 35% of carbon emissions around the world is from animal agriculture, and if everyone eats vegetables, carbon footprint in animal agriculture can be reduced by one third. However, this essay argues that people may not be able to get nutrients which is available only in meats if they solely consume vegetables.

One disadvantage is that vegetarian diets may cause nutritional deficiencies. That is because vegetables do not contain nutrients or minerals that are available in meats, and in the long run vegetarian may suffer from diseases caused by nutritional deficiencies. For instance, meats provide minerals such as iron to strengthen the red blood cells. If people do not gain enough iron, their immune systems will be weakened, and in most serious case, brain functions will be impaired. Therefore, this essay believes that a balanced diet with meats and vegetables should be followed.

In conclusion, although eating vegetables solely can reduce carbon emissions, unbalanced diets with only vegetables may lead to nutritional deficiency.

Nowadays, people are travelling more than at any time in the past. The main reason for this is that it is cheaper to travel now, and the main benefits of travelling for the traveller are that they can expose to different cultures and expand their social network. 

One of the main reasons people are travelling more now is that it is not as expensive as before. That is to say that there are many new travel transportation companies exist now, such as flight and bus companies, while there were only a few of them in the past. As a result, there is a big competition between these companies to attract more customers, which results in massive price reduction. For example, Ryanair, a famous flight company in Europe, sells tickets starting from $15 during the sale, from London to European countries. 

One of the main benefits of travelling for the traveller is that they can understand different cultures better. This is because when people travel to a new country, they have a chance to spend time with locals and experience their traditions. Also, museums and monuments are mainly visited by tourists to learn more about the country’s culture. Furthermore, being able to enlarge their social circle is another benefit of travelling. Visitors can meet a plethora of people from different nations while travelling. For instance, people who are using Couchsurfing app, which allows people to stay at locals’ houses when travelling, are making friends from all around the globe. 

In conclusion, the principal reason why people are travelling more than ever before is that it is less costly now, and the main advantages of this are that travellers can learn about different cultures and can meet with people from all around the world.

Some would argue that certain fields, such as sport or music are meant only for naturally talented children, while others believe that it is something which can be learned by anyone. While kids with the aptitude for certain skills are given a head start in life, this essay argues that such skill sets can be mastered by working hard.

On the one hand, children who are gifted with a particular inborn talent often achieve their goal early in their lives. This is because when someone is very good at what they are doing, it usually does not take much effort for them to strive for excellence in that specific area. For instance, there are many talented singers who have already established a successful singing career before they even become teenagers. However, I believe that talent alone does not guarantee success in the long-run, and that a person can only reach the highest level in their profession if they combine their innate ability with hard work.

On the other hand, many people think that anything is achievable in this life through practice and training. That is to say that it may take extra time and energy for an individual with average potential to harness a skill, but success is possible as long as one has the will, determination and the passion to work for it. For example, the world is filled with many star athletes who start off as a mediocre in the beginning, but they challenge and push themselves to their limit, which ultimately help them to attain the greatest version of themselves. I believe this view point is more practical because majority of the people are born average, and hard work beats talent in many cases. 

In conclusion, although it is easier for children with extraordinary ability to accomplish their dreams at the beginning of their lives, this essay finds that hard skills, even though time taking to master, can be earned by coaching and experience.

The multinational type of companies is increasing in the developed nations. While the advantages of such phenomenon are economical as these companies create large number of jobs and invest significant capitals for their operations, the effects on the environment and the over exploitation of natural resources are the disadvantages.

The advantages of these companies are economical, and one of the benefits is creating job vacancies. Owing to the nature of these companies and their high standard, their operations are carried out under certain standards that require significant number of employees. As a result, they tend to employ many people from local communities. In addition, those Firms usually invest huge capital in order to establish their local presence and facilities such as headquarters and accommodation for their staff. For example, IBM, a computer manufacturer, invested hugely in China as part of their plan to establish their manufacturing plants there.

On the other hand, one of the disadvantages of these companies are their bad effects on the environment. For those multinational firms, in most cases, making profit precedence over any other consideration including the nature and the environment. Their activities usually produce enormous amount of toxic chemicals and gases that cause global warming. In addition, in order to meet their large production capacity, they consume the natural resources in a sustainable way, cause irreversible damage to the nature. For instance, mutlinational mining companies seeking marble in the mountains of Italy have severely devastated the area and these highlands.

To conclude, the benefits of multinational companies are economical as they create job vacancies and invest significant liquidity, whereas the effects on the environment and the exhaustion of natural resources are the disadvantages resulting from such companies.

Music, art, and drama are deemed by some to be of the same importance as other subjects, particularly in primary school. This essay agrees with the statement because these subjects have a tremendous impact on students’ creativity at this age, and they might help some to choose a career path.

The inclusion of fine art in the primary school curriculum positively affects pupils creative thinking. During these classes, not only do students have an opportunity to paint, sing or act, but also their creativity is challenged. This is because one correct outcome does not exist when painting or playing an instrument; thus, students discover that engagement in music, art, and drama offers them a plethora of ways of expressing themselves. In Scandinavia, for example, where primary schools offer a sound number of these types of classes, young people demonstrate outstanding ability to be creative, which reflects in a number of designers and architects coming from this region. 

Having an opportunity to participate in music, art, and drama classes could potentially help some youngsters figure out what they are really passionate about. As a result, this passion could turn into a career path. Should primary school offer frequent exposure to fine art, then it could create empowering atmosphere, where pupils feel encouraged to believe that they can become artists. To illustrate, most of the famous artists decided to pursue this type of career due to a primary school teacher who awoke this interest in them. 

In conclusion, I personally agree with a belief that the importance of fine art in the primary level of education is equal to other subjects because it stimulates creativity, and in some cases, empowers youth to become painters, sculptresses, or actors.

While some people argue that watching TV is beneficial for learning new things, others are convinced that it is only a source of entertainment. This essay believes that television can do both as it helps people to unwind, but it also presents complicated information in an easily digestible form. 

For many people watching TV programmes is the easiest way to distract from the everyday routine and relax after a hard-working day. This is because one just needs to switch on the TV, and he or she will have immediate access to the programmes that could easily spark the brightest emotions, forcing them to laugh out loud or have a good cry. Besides, entertainment programmes account for the largest portion of the content on television. For these reasons, some people use it only for relaxation. However, I disagree that this is the only way that people use it as, in the modern world, television is much more than that. 

Television provides not only plain information but also audio and video content that helps to remember information in an easier way. For instance, if one watches a documentary about the history of London, sound and picture will help to engross a viewer into the atmosphere of the city and the way people behaved themselves. This might contribute to remembering the information for a longer time than if one just reads an article about it. For this reason, I believe that television can foster the learning process.

To conclude, even though for some people television is just a source of amusement, I believe that it is not the only useful way to use it. This is because through television people can also learn new things about the world in a way that is easy to comprehend.

Details of politicians’ private lives should not be publicized in the media. This essay completely agrees with this statement because keeping the private lives of politicians away from the media helps them to maintain a sound mental health and also helps to protect them from danger.

Keeping the private lives of politicians away from the public helps their mental health. Politicians are usually stressed mentally as a result of the pressure that comes with their jobs. Making their private lives open to the public adds to the level of pressure they experience because it is during their private times that they engage in activities that help to relieve them of stress. Therefore, making this important time of their life open to the public is dangerous to their mental health. For instance, in Nigeria, in order to maintain a sound mind, politicians keep their occasions private so that they can be themselves without being pressured to behave in a certain way.

Protection from danger is another reason why private lives of politicians should not be made public. Due to the high rate of insecurity in some countries, activities of politicians which are not for the service of the people should not be disclosed. This is because these individuals have opponents who are ready to harm them when given an opportunity therefore giving out information about their private lives is an easy way to expose them to danger. For instance, in Nigeria a governor’s house was burnt and it was discovered that the criminals who did this got his home address from social media.

In conclusion, the details of politicians’ private life should be kept away from the media because it benefits their mental health and helps to secure them from danger.

Because of technology, many men and women today interact with each other in new ways. This essay will suggest that people have more regular contact, and that the interaction has changed from physical to digital due to technology. I believe this is a negative development because humans need physical contact as part of their interaction to stay healthy.

Technology has made it possible for people to have more regular contact with each other through social media. This is because smartphones have applications, like Facebook and WhatsApp, which are designed to make it easy to talk, write messages and send pictures to other people. As a result of this, the interaction between humans has also changed from mainly physical to mostly digital. For example, an average Swedish person interacts with 15 friends every day through social media but only have physical contact with two. 

This development must be seen as negative, because physical meetings are needed for human health. It is important to meet other humans in person, because it creates an environment where people can interact in a more complex way. This is because all senses can be used, making it is possible to touch, smell and hear things that would be impossible through an application. For example, during the Corona-pandemic, many people work from home and Swedish doctors have noticed an increase in the number of patients with mental illness due to the lack of physical contact with friends and colleagues.

In conclusion, people´s interactions have changed because of technology and the relationships nowadays are more regular but less physical. I believe this is a negative development because humans need physical meetings to feel good.

Some people prefer to live in a house, while others feel that there are more advantages to living in an apartment. Are there more advantages than disadvantages of living in a house compared with living in an apartment?

Some people feel that it is better to live in a house, while it is the view of others that living in an apartment is more advantageous. Although it is more expensive to live in a house, I believe that there are more advantages than disadvantages of living in a house because houses are bigger in size.

Living in a house is less cost-effective in comparison to living in an apartment. This is because houses are usually bigger in size and offer more privacy to its inhabitants, as a result, the cost of owing or renting and maintaining a house is usually higher than for an apartment. For example, in Nigeria, people who live in houses spend on average three times more money than those who live in apartments because of the higher cost of mortgages and maintenance, such as utility bills, involved in living in houses. However, I believe that with appropriate planning and financial discipline, this extra expense can easily be paid off. 

An advantage of living in a house is that houses are more spacious. Houses are usually built to be more accommodating than apartments, and this is an important factor to consider, especially for large families who require playgrounds and gardens for their children. To illustrate, in Nairobi, the average size of a house measures around 700 square meters, which is large enough to accommodate a private car park, a garden and children’s playground, as compared to an apartment, which does not have enough space for these amenities. Therefore, I believe that there are more advantages than there are disadvantages of residing in a house than in an apartment.

In conclusion, even though it costs more to live in houses than in apartments, I believe that there are more benefits than drawbacks to living in a house because houses are more accommodating.

At present, travelling is more popular than it was in the past. This essay will discuss that this is because nowadays flying is cheaper and that the benefits of travelling are learning about new cultures and experiencing new adventures. 

People are travelling more than ever because flying has become more economic. This is because now there are many low-cost airline companies that offer cheap flight tickets to visit several countries, and this did not exist two decades ago. As a result, more people have the opportunity to travel to new places without spending a huge amount of money, while in the past flying was only affordable for rich people. For example, Ryanair is a low-cost company that provides extremely cheap flight tickets to visit countries around Europe, sometimes for the cost of 10 euros. 

One benefit of travelling is that people can learn about other countries’ culture. That is to say, when people visit a new nation, they go to local shops, eat typical food and visit museums where they can learn about the history of that country. Another advantage that travelling has is that travellers can live new adventures. This is because people who travel often choose to do activities that they cannot do in their own country. For example, is very common for travellers that visit South Africa to do a safari in Kruger, one of the biggest national parks to visit wild animals in the world, since this is an activity that most countries do not offer. 

In conclusion, travelling has become more popular because flying is cheaper than it was in the past and the advantages that this gives to travellers is the possibility to learn about new cultures and experience new adventures.

Some companies require their employees to wear uniforms at all times. The advantages of this are, it helps promote the company and helps customers distinguish the roles of staffs. However, employees may find it difficult to wear uniforms at all times and most company do not provide enough sets of uniforms.

Having staff wear uniforms at all times helps distinguish a company. It promotes a company’s identity to help customers differentiate it from other entities. Another benefit is that companies can better classify their services by the type or color of uniforms they wear which helps improve the customer experience. For example, in my hospital workplace, all patients are able to better distinguish which is a nurse or a doctor, because all nurses are only required to wear a blue scrub suit, meanwhile all doctors wear maroon scrub suits.

On the other hand, employees may find it uncomfortable to wear a uniform. Some uniforms are uncomfortable and poorly fitted that it adds to an employee’s unhappiness. Another disadvantage is that most companies do not provide enough uniforms for their employees. It becomes a financial burden for the employee because he may need to purchase a new set of uniform. For example, my brother who works twelve hours a day and six days a week, paid two thousand pesos to a local tailor just to make him three sets of custom fit uniforms because his employer only gave him two sets.

In conclusion, having a staff to wear uniforms at all times is a great way to promote a company and helps their customers distinguish their employees. On the other hand, employees may find it distracting to wear a uniform and companies may pass the burden of expense to their staff to buy extra uniforms.

Newspapers should not issue stories of politicians’ private lives. I totally disagree with the statement because it is in the public interests to publish, and some readers get interested in politics after reading the stories.

Printing the details of politicians’ private lives in newspapers is in the public interests. Readers can understand more on politicians’ values through the stories, and it gives voters information who have the same values with them. For example, some lawmakers put their families in first priority and they often do volunteer work with their children. If voters see these stories in newspapers and if they have the same values with them, they are likely to vote them in the next election because the politicians may propose laws that protect the values of family. Therefore, I completely disagree that stories of politicians’ private lives should not be published.

After reading stories of politicians’ private lives in newspapers, some readers become more interested in politics. Readers who get interested in stories of politicians will read further on things that are related to the politicians, and this leads them to become more interests in politics. For example, the former US President Donald Trump appeared in newspapers several time during his presidency, and the stories covered his relationship with the First Lady. Some readers found these stories interesting and they started following policy that Trump proposed to make, and later on demonstrations of support were held by them. Therefore, I totally disagree with the statement that newspapers should not issue the stories of politicians’ private lives.

In conclusion, I completely disagree that stories of politicians’ private lives should not be printed because it is in the public interests, and some readers become more interested in politics after reading the stories.

Economic growth is prioritized above all other concerns by the state, in many nations. The advantages of this are, improved quality of life of people and good infrastructure. The disadvantages of prioritizing economic growth above all other concerns are unaffordable cost of living and more environmental damage.

The main advantage of giving importance to economic growth is, it improves the quality if life of people. This is because with economic progress, states generate lots of revenue which can be used to provide high quality services such as free education, good public transportation and sophisticated health care system. Another advantage is developing good infrastructure. When a government prioritizes economic growth, they would build a good infrastructure to attract both domestic and foreign investments. So infrastructure in a nation is usually developed when economic growth is prioritized. For example, in India many highways and an international airport is built in the National Capital Region which attracted thousands of companies to establish a branch in that region.

One of the main disadvantages of prioritizing economic growth is unaffordable cost of living. That is to say, with economic growth, prices of consumer products and real estate increases rapidly making it difficult for low-income families to afford the cost of living. Another disadvantage is more environmental damage. This is because, to develop the industries and to get maximum profits, nations tend to use the most accessible and locally available sources of energy. This leads to more and more use of fossil fuels and thus causing more environmental damage. For example, coal is widely used in China to supply energy to its industries because it is cheap and can be mined within the country. 

In conclusion, the advantages of the prioritizing economic growth above all other concerns are improved quality of life of people and good infrastructure. The disadvantages are unaffordable cost of living and more environmental damage.

In many places around the world, people are choosing to follow a vegetarian diet. The disadvantages are that meat related businesses are being badly impacted and it causes protein deficiency in people. The advantages are that fewer animals are being butchered and it protects people from meat related deceases. This essay argues that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

On the one hand, meat related businesses are badly impacted. When people follow a vegetarian diet, it decreases the demand of meat, which forces the businesses to lower the meat prices. Another disadvantage is that vegetarian people develop protein deficiency. That is to say that meat has significantly more protein than vegetables, and it is difficult to consume a sufficient amount of protein just from vegetables. For example, in Mumbai, people eat only vegetarian food and consume less protein, and this is the primary reason for their lethargy. However, this essay believes that people can fulfil their daily protein needs from vegetables if they consume more nutritious vegetables everyday. 

On the other hand, lesser number of animals are being killed. When people decide not to consume meat, it plummets the demand, which results in lesser number of animals killed. Another advantage is that vegetarian people are less prone to the meat related deceases. A vegetarian diet prevents people from any meat related virus going inside the body and develop any sickness. For example, in Sudan, people don’t consume meat and the country has the lowest number of people with medical conditions. In my opinion, a vegetarian diet should be preferred because it prevents a person from many deceases in the long run. 

In conclusion, while vegetarian diet is not good for meat related businesses and people tend to develop protein deficiency, lesser number of animals are being killed and prevents people from meat related deceases. This essay believes that advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

The majority of the chief positions in business organizations are occupied by males, despite the fact that more than half of the workforce in numerous developed nations is made up of women. It is believed that corporations should be asked to designate a certain portion of high-level roles for females. This essay completely disagrees with this statement because selecting employees should be based on merit, and companies need to focus on profit. 

The main reason is that candidates should be selected according to meritocracy. This is to say that employees should be recruited for their work experience, their qualifications and their soft skills, rather than their gender. In other words, the high-profile positions should be given to the candidates who deserve them the most. For example, if a man and a woman apply for the same position, a woman should not have a priority over a man, but a fair selection on merit should be conducted to find out who is the most suitable person for the advertised role, considering skills, abilities and knowledge.

Another reason why I disagree is that the main goal for companies is profit. This is to say that if a company wants to thrive, it needs to have the best possible employees which are not necessarily one gender or the other. If companies were to select staff members on gender, they could end up putting at risk the smooth running of the business and causing financial losses. Therefore, choices should be made by the human resources team only by bearing in mind which candidate would be an asset for the business. For example, in Italy soccer teams are almost exclusively run by men because they usually know more about this business.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that companies should not be asked to allocate a certain number of executive positions to women because candidates should be selected considering merit, and profit is the top priority for a business.

In recent years, there has been a rise in the popularity of second-hand clothing amongst the younger generation. Why is this happening? Do you think it’s a positive or negative development?

In recent years, buying used clothes has become popular among youngsters. This is because many adolescents try to be like famous people, and I think it is a positive development because teenagers can save money for other useful things. 

Many adolescents buy used clothes because they want to be like famous people. That is to say that they need different outfits for any occasion and that is expensive. That is because they cannot cope with the financial burden of buying new clothes from stores, such as Prada or Gucci. As a result, many youngsters buy second-hand clothes. For example, in the United States, many teenagers buy used Gucci products in order to wear them and be like their idols. 

I think it is a positive development because teenagers who buy used shirts or pants can save money for other useful things, such as a computer or a car. That is to say that, if these adolescents have a computer, they could use it for the school or even to work in computer related jobs. For example, many teenagers can work as a freelancer in many jobs that do not require high skills to do it, such as making presentations or translating works from other language and as a result earn money and save it. 

In conclusion, many adolescents are buying used clothes because they want to be like their idols, and I think it is a positive development because they can use the money they do not spend in useful things.

In many countries today, more and more people are following a vegetarian diet. Although it causes a deficiency of important nutrients in the body, I believe that the advantage of a reduction in the number of obese people due to this outweighs any disadvantage it may have.

Following a vegetarian diet leads to a lack of vital nutrients. Many vitamins, especially vitamins B12 and B6, are sourced majorly from meat, which is not part of the vegetarian diet. As a result of this, vegetarians will be deficient in these nutrients, thereby predisposing themselves to illnesses associated with the deficiency of these nutrients. For example, according to a report by the health ministry of Brazil, vegetarians in the country account for the highest percentage of pernicious anemia and sensory nervous disorders due to a deficiency of vitamin B12 in their diet. However, I believe that these vitamins and many other nutrients which are absent in vegetarian diets can be gotten from supplements in vitamin tablets.

Vegetarian diet causes a decrease in the prevalence of obesity. As obesity is a risk factor for many cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, following a vegetarian diet, which is low in calories and fat, will mean that there will be a decline in the weight of people, which therefore reduces the risk of these diseases in people. To illustrate, in Japan, where a large number of people abstain from meat and eat mostly vegetables, the rate of obesity related illnesses is one of the lowest globally. Therefore, I believe that it is of greater advantage for more people to follow a vegetarian diet.

To conclude, even though adhering to a vegetarian diet leads to a lack of vital nutrients in the body, I believe that the advantage of reducing the problem of obesity outweighs any advantage this may have.

In some corporations, it is mandatory for employees to wear a uniform. The main benefits of wearing a uniform are that it brings uniformity to the workplace and helps to increase the output of companies; however, the increase in the expenditure of organizations and monotony among employees are the main drawbacks of compulsory uniforms.

The first main positive of a mandatory uniform is that it creates equality among workers. When employees wear uniforms, they do not know each other’s socio-economic background because they all look the same, and as a result, they treat each other equally. Furthermore, uniforms help companies to enhance their overall sales. This is because uniforms help people to develop good relationships with others, and when people have a good bonding with others, they usually help each other, and it increases the output of corporations. For example, In India, the sales of those automobile companies are higher where uniforms are mandatory because, in these corporations, people have good relationships with others.

The main disadvantage of the compulsory uniform is that it creates monotony among workers. When employees have to wear the same clothes regularly, they feel bored and sometimes, it has a negative impact on their productivity. Furthermore, the obligation to wear a uniform also increases the expenses of organizations. This is to say that in those corporations, where uniforms are mandatory, companies have to allocate some money for new and worn-out uniforms. For instance, the spending of the famous footwear company, Bata, is around 5% more than its rival companies because in this company a uniform is mandatory, and the company allocates some money for uniforms. 

In conclusion, the main advantages of the compulsory uniform are that it brings uniformity among employees and increases companies’ overall sales, and the main disadvantages are boredom among workers and an increase in the expenditure of corporations.

Some think that in most people’s lives the happiest moment are the time when they were teenagers while other people think that, despite taking up more responsibilities, adult life is happier. I agree with the latter statement that, although teenagers generally do not need to worry about their finances, adults can do everything they want legitimately.

Most people in the teenage years do not need to take care of their finances. That is because teenagers are usually supported by their families financially, and their parents pay all kinds of expenses for them. For example, most parents in Hong Kong give their teenage children US$20 a week pocket money. Their parents also buy new video games they want or they pay for tuition fees of interest classes. Despite the fact that most people do not need to worry about their finances when they were teenagers, I consider that, in spite of more responsibilities, adult life is happier because adults can do legally whatever they want.

Adults can do anything they like as allowed by law. They can get married and have their own families, and they can create their own childhood joys. Of course, the adults have greater responsibility as they need to support themselves and their families, and they need to take care of their spouses and children. For instance, people work so hard to make a living and they are usually exhausted when they leave the office. But when they come home, their cheerful spouse and children are there to support them and they feel loved and cared for. Therefore, I think that there is more happiness in adult life.

In conclusion, although teenagers generally do not need to worry about their finances, being adults are happier even though they have greater responsibility, because they can do anything they want legally.

Some would argue that people are happiest during adolescence, while others believe that adulthood offers more happiness, irrespective of the numerous responsibilities. Although some people think that teenagers are because of the care and support from their family members, I feel that adult life avails people the most happiness, regardless of having multiple roles due to an immense sense of accomplishment.

On the one hand, some believe that people are happiest during the teenage years because adolescents enjoy family support. Parents and relatives are so concerned about teenagers’ welfare, and they do not have to think about how to eat or wear clothing because their parents provide for their needs, which makes them happy with little or no responsibilities. For example, a group of teenagers in my community responded that they were full of happiness because of the family support. However, I believe that one can still be happy during adulthood because of a sense of accomplishment.

On the other hand, some feel that adult life enables people to be full of happiness because of achievement, despite responsibility. That is to say that when people realize what they achieve in life, like higher qualifications, good partners, and children, and as a result, they are pleased. For example, many married couples in my school club confirmed that they are happier because of their fulfillment, even though they have many roles. For this reason, I believe that individuals are more contented during adulthood than in adolescence.

In conclusion, although adolescents tend to be happier because they enjoy support from their families, I believe that adult life brings more joy because of life fulfillment, irrespective of more responsibilities.

Nowadays, many people are commuting more than past. This is because people now can afford travel expenses. There are two main benefits of traveling such as people can gain knowledge and embrace other cultures.

One of the main reasons why the number of tourism has increased is that travel is much more affordable than it used to be. This is partly because of salary rises and partly because the price for essential goods such as food and clothing has fallen. Many families now have two income earners rather than one, they have fewer kids and often have a car. All of these factors increase the likelihood of people becoming tourists. For example, in the past, it might have cost the average person a year’s salary to travel from India to Singapore, but these days it is possible for Indian tourists to enjoy their holidays in another country for the cost of half a month’s pay. 

This growth in travel means that many people can now enjoy the benefits of traveling, Firstly, traveling can help to broaden people’s horizons and adds upon knowledge. People can travel to different places and can gain knowledge of other religions, cultures, and western lifestyles. Meeting different people from vast cultures and societies provides an education that is impossible to get in a traditional school, college, or a university. Secondly, one can explore and embrace the good qualities of other cultures through traveling. For example, foreigners visiting India are often fascinated by Indian customs and traditions and always try to imitate these valuable traditions.

In conclusion, greater affordability is the main reason for increased travel, and the benefits for travelers include enhanced knowledge and increased appreciation of other cultures.

While some think that adding more and and more sport centers is the most beneficial way to improve people’s health, others think that there are better ways to do this. Although increasing the the number of gyms would motivate people to exercise more and become healthier, educating them about health is far more effective. 

On the one hand, building more sport centers would encourage people to start doing physical activities. People will have no excuse if there is a gym next to their work place or house. That is why increasing the number of sports facilities will ensure that the vast majority of people have easy access to sport centers and this would eventually improve their health. For example, in 2016, fifty new gyms were opened in Baghdad and a large number of people started exercising for the first time in their lives and they became healthier. However, I think that this is a temporary fix and better steps should be taken. 

On the other hand, educating people about the importance of health is a better, long-lasting solution. The media should focus more on encouraging people to take good care about their health and warn them about the possible health diseases such as heart failure and diabetes. Even in schools, young children should be educated about health from a young age in order to grow as healthy adults. For example, people in Japan are one of the healthiest people in the world because they teach their students about the importance of health. I therefore believe that this is the best way to maintain and improve health. 

In conclusion, while increasing the number of sports facilities can encourage people to exercise more and improve their health, educating them about health is better because it lasts longer.

In some nations, despite declining rates of dangerous crimes, people tend to feel less secure compared to the past. The most obvious causes are previously committed crimes and detailed description of such scenes on news can make people feel less safe, and the most viable solutions are more safety measures in place and detailed description of any serious crimes should be banned on news channels.

Sometimes, previously committed crimes can make people feel less protected. This is because they still have memories of horrible crimes in their minds and make them feel frightened. As a result, they find it difficult to trust anyone and feel less secure in strengers’ presence. In addition, watching detailed descriptions of any dangerous crimes on television can have a destructive effect on people’s mental health. In other words, a negative visualization of such crimes can result in crime happening in people’s heads and making them feel less safe. For example, 1 in every 30 adults in the UK feel frightened after watching detailed news of serious crimes on television, and not wanting to go out.

A possible solution to this issue is to put more safety measures in place in order for people to feel safe. This gives them a sense of security and a way to seek help if in any danger. Another possible solution is a ban on a detailed description of any serious crimes on television. This will help people keep away from a negative visualisation and their damaging effects on their mental health to make them feel unsafe. For example, recently in India a show called ‘crime patrol’ was prohibited on news channels because it had a negative psychological impact on people after watching it.

In conclusion, previously committed crimes and detailed news on any serious crimes can lead to people feeling less safe. However, this can simply be prevented by putting extra safety measures in place and compelling news channels to stop showing comprehensive details of dangerous crimes.

Some companies make their workers always wearing uniforms. The main benefits of this is that companies are shown as reliable for their clients and their workers feel safe wearing them. However, the key drawbacks are that their staff can feel uncomfortable on hot days and demotivated by wearing the same every day.

Companies in which uniforms are always worn show their clients that they can trust them. When employees look neat wearing their uniforms, clients trust in the services that are provided by a company because it shows professionalism and order. Another advantage is that workers feel protected. In some types of jobs, employees who work with dangerous products can feel safe wearing their uniforms all day because they prevent them from getting hurt. For example, builders demand their uniforms as a basic element for their protection before starting a construction. 

However, employees can feel uncomfortable in days with high temperatures. On hot days, wearing uniforms can reduce worker’s comfort because they cannot change their clothes to avoid the heat. Another key drawback is that repeating the same clothing can demotivate workers. Employees can feel tired of always looking the same because they cannot choose what they want to wear. For instance, a recent survey showed that 60.3% of people who wear uniforms do not like to wear them, and they would like to make decisions about their outfit at work. 

In conclusion, although having uniforms for staff makes a company looks reliable for its clients and provides safety for its workers, they can feel uncomfortable on hot days and unmotivated due to the fact that they constantly have to wear the same clothing.

In some nations, following a vegetarian diet is becoming more popular. Although having a vegetarian diet can help to protect animals, I believe that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages because they do not incorporate all the nutrients they need. 

One benefit of not eating meat is that animals are being protected. That is to say, if more people start opting to eat meals that do not include meat, fewer animals will be tortured and killed. This is because animals are reproduced, kept in small and uncomfortable places, and then killed and sold to supermarkets and butchers for human consumption. For example, cow’s meat in Argentina is the basis of people’s nutrition, so thousands of cows are reproduced and killed every year just for human consumption. However, I believe that avoiding eating meat will not make a significant difference on animals’ protection. 

One drawback of having a vegetarian diet is that the nutrients incorporated through this diet are insufficient. This is because meat has several vitamins and other important components, such as iron, that are very difficult to replace with fruits and vegetables. If people are not aware of this and do not visit a specialist, it can be dangerous and lead to several diseases. For example, many vegetarian people are anemic because of the lack of iron in their diet, so they need to be supplemented with iron tablets. Therefore, I believe that having a healthy and complete diet is more important than any other thing. 

In conclusion, although animals can be protected if more people start following a vegetarian diet, I believe that having a balanced diet with all the nutrients and vitamins that a person needs is far more important. Therefore, I consider that the drawbacks of a vegetarian diet outweigh the benefits.

In many nations, governments give precedence to economic growth over other issues. The advantages of this are that numbers of employed residents will increase and residents’ standards of living will be improved. However, this can cause serious environmental problems and health problems.

One major benefit of prioritising economic development is that numbers of employed citizens will significantly increase. In other words, countries, where their economies are growing, require substantial workforces to produce sufficient supplies of goods in order to meet markets’ demand. As a result, more and more citizens are in employment. Moreover, this will also offer citizens a better quality of life. This is because, when economies are growing, governments will gain more taxes from trading and can spend them on people’s welfare. For example, Singapore has been improved its economy for the last 40 years. As a result, Singaporeans have excellent public transports and the well-organised health care system. 

On the other hand, focusing only on economic development results in serious environmental damage. This is because, manufacturing processes generate CO2 and other fumes, sewage, and industrial waste which are released to environments and cause air, water and soil pollution. Furthermore, industrial pollution will negatively affect people’s health by precipitating respiratory diseases as well as some types of cancer. For example, Beijing, a big city in China, is facing smog which comes from manufacturing and incomplete combustion of logistic vehicles. This leads to an increase in the number of asthma-exacerbated patients.

To conclude, while prioritisng economic development will result in an increase in employment and a better quality of life, the serious downsides that come with this are environmental pollution and residents’ health issues.

Some organizations force their employees to wear uniforms whenever they are at work. The advantages of this approach are creating a sense of discipline and displaying their professionalism. The disadvantages are that it may hurt employees’ confidence and cause them to feel stressed.

One benefit of this measure is that it would result in them being more disciplined. Every time they put on that suit or dress, they would be reminded that they are working as part of the company and that they have a job to take care of, making them more responsible. Moreover, these employees will come across as more professional when they meet clients. This is because uniforms are often designed to be more suitable for business than casual clothes. For example, how appropriate staff members’ outfits are is often cited by clients as one of the reasons they choose to do or not do business with a company.

One drawback of this policy is that it tends to make each individual feel less confident. This is because they all have their own styles of fashion, so they may feel uncomfortable putting on something that had been chosen for them. This is compounded by the fact that they must wear these outfits daily, which can be highly stressful. In other words, it is terribly frustrating having to wear the same thing in a long period of time. For instance, many major companies in Vietnam have a scheme to change the design of their uniforms every six months to slightly reduce the frustration caused by wearing the same outfit repeatedly.

In conclusion, while having a dress code can instill a sense of discipline in the workforce and make them appear more professional in the eyes of customers, this may also come with a drop in employees’ self-esteem and an increase in their levels of frustration.

In many nations, governments put more focus on improving their economies than improving other sectors. Although, residents’ earnings will increase, I personally believe that the main drawback outweighs the main benefit as this will cause environmental pollution.

The main benefit of prioritising economic growth rather than other issues by governments is that people will earn higher income. This is because governments will support companies to run their businesses more effectively. As a result, companies will gain more profits and consequentially pay their employees bigger bonuses or higher wages. For instance, In China, businesses make huge revenue due to its strong economy. Therefore, Chinese citizens are paid higher and can spend money on luxuary products and travelling abroad. However, I personally believe that earning more money cannot offset pollution problems that happen after economic growth prioritisation.

The primary downside of putting more focus on economic development than other concerns by governments is that environments will be polluted. This is because there will be far more new-built factories for supporting the economic expansion. Without ecological concerns, the air will be polluted from carbon dioxide and fumes which are emitted from these factories, and rivers will be polluted by industrial sewage from manufacturing and chemical processes. For example, Beijing, China, is facing a hazardous level of the air pollution caused by fuel burning and chemical reactions from industrial areas. As a clean environment is extremely vital for a human life, I therefore think that the main drawback outweighs its key benefit.

To conclude, although people will earn higher income if the government prioritises the economic sector rather than other sectors, the serious drawback as pollution problems far outweighs the advantage.

In recent years, advancements in technology have changed how people connect with each other. This has turned people into making much more friends but has also reduced the depth of those relationships. In my opinion, this is a harmful change due to the fact that it makes human less able to communicate their personal feelings.

Technology’s influence has enabled people to make much more friends than they possibly could in the past. This is largely owing to social media, which revolutionizes communication and helps people to keep touch with each other regardless of their geographical locations. Another change in human relationships caused by modern technology is that the number of intimate relationships made has been substantially less significant. With so many people to care about, social media deters users from strengthening bonds. For instance, a stark difference can be observed in Vietnam, where most young adults 20 years ago – when the internet was underdeveloped, had much deeper connections than their modern counterparts.

The changes made to the types of relationships people make nowadays is largely a disadvantageous one, for it deters people from having deep connections. Lacking valuable bonds means that they have almost no one to confide during depressive episodes that are inevitable for most humans, and thereby increase the possibility of making unwise decisions. Examples of this can be found all over the world, where the cases of depression that cause suicidal behaviors are becoming more and more common, and one of the primary contributing factors is victims having no one to share their burdens with. 

In conclusion, despite having much more ability to connect, people are making less meaningful relationships; thus, the quality of relationships diminishes and harms their wellbeing.

Nowadays, passion for a journey from one place to another has been increasing among people. This essay will first discuss that an increasing number of tour packages is the prominent reason behind this, and it will then explain that cultural awareness and being healthy are the two prime advantages of this.

Many tour companies around the world are enticing people to travel more than ever before. That is to say, people are being offered appealing and discounted tour packages, especially during the holiday season, to explore other places. Whereas in the past travelling was very expensive and people could not afford it; however, these companies have made it possible to visit one place to another by spending a small chunk of money. For example, Travel Magazine estimated that more than 40% of Australian people travelled nationally and internationally, in the year 2019, because of cheap tour deals they grabbed from the Flight centre.

The first major benefit of travelling is that it allows a traveller to know about different cultures. By visiting other parts of the world, people get an opportunity to experience the various culture, cuisines and languages. The other significant advantage is stress relaxation through holidays. This is especially true for a significant number of people who are working many hours a week to earn their livings. During holidays, they choose to travel to different destinations around the world, and this greatly helps them to relieve their stress and keep their health in a sound condition. For example, a recent study by the Indian Medical Institute concluded that frequent travellers are happier and more satisfied with their life than those who do not.

In conclusion, people travel more often than in the past because of the tour deals they are being offered, and travelling does not only provide a traveller with knowledge about a different culture, but it also helps them to stay away from a hectic schedule

In recent years, the operation of big corporations is ubiquitous in developing nations. The essay will first suggest that economic growth is the prime benefit, while the excessive use of emergent nations’ natural resources is the main drawback.

One evident benefit of the operation of transitional companies in less developed countries is the prosperity of the local economy. That is to say, multination companies provide an inflow of capital into developing countries. This investment not only creates job opportunities for the people in developing nations, but it also helps to build better infrastructure, such as bridges, roads, and transportation facilities, for them. For example, the role of Foreign Direct Investment in the year 2010 was undeniable because it uplifted the Indian economy so fast and increased GDP and created so many jobs for locals. 

The prime disadvantage is that these companies use the natural resources of developing nations recklessly, which affects the environment. In other words, Smaller, less developed governments often trade an increase in revenue for access to natural resources. This extraction of raw materials, such as oil, diamond, rubber and fuel, can cause environmental externalities- polluted rivers and loss of natural landscape. For instance, many Chinese private enterprises have been heavily criticised for using the resources of countries like Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippine and for polluting the environment.

In conclusion, huge global companies benefit less developed nation economically is the prime advantage of this, and the extraction of raw materials for the sake of profit is the main disadvantage.

How To Use IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Essays

IELTS Writing Task 2 sample essays can be a great resource for students preparing for the test. However, it’s important to use them correctly in order to get the most out of them. Here are some steps students can take to make the most of these samples:

  • Understand the question: Before looking at any sample essays, make sure you understand the question you’ll be answering on the test. This will help you focus on the relevant parts of the sample essays and understand how to apply the strategies used in them to your own writing.
  • Analyze the structure: Look at the structure of the sample essays, paying close attention to how the writer has organized their ideas. Make note of the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion and how they are linked.
  • Study the vocabulary: Take note of the vocabulary used in the sample essays and try to incorporate similar words and phrases into your own writing.
  • Practice with different topics: Use sample essays on different topics to get a feel for the different types of questions you might encounter on the test.
  • Don’t copy: It is important to remember that you must not copy the sample essays word for word. This will lead to plagiarism and can result in a low score. Instead, use the sample essays as inspiration and practice for your own writing.

In conclusion, IELTS Writing Task 2 sample essays can be a valuable resource for students preparing for the test. However, it’s important to use them correctly in order to improve your score. Use them as a guide, not as a final answer key. Remember to stay original, use them to understand the question and structure, analyze vocabulary and practice different topics. Remember, you will be marked on your ability to clearly communicate in English, not on your ability to memorise answers.

IELTS Task 2 Sample Essays Next Steps

If you need more help, please check out our further Writing Task 2 resources here .

If you wish to view the Official Marking Criteria for IELTS Writing Task 2, you can do so here .

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Writing Task 2 Sample

IELTS Writing Task 2 ( also known as IELTS Essay Writing ) is the second task of your IELTS Writing test. Here, you will be presented with an essay topic and you will be scored based on your ability to respond to the topic.

You need to write at least 250 words and justify your opinion with arguments, discussion, examples, problem outlining, proposing possible solutions and supporting your position. You will have approximately 40 minutes to finish your Essay Writing. IELTS Writing Task 2 carries more weights than Writing Task 1.

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IELTS test format explained

Test takers who understand the format of IELTS are at an advantage. Make sure you’re familiar with how IELTS testing works.

There are two IELTS tests available, IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training . Both tests are graded in exactly the same way. 

You’ll take the first three parts of the test on the same day, in the following order: Listening, Reading and Writing (there are no breaks between these tests). Your Speaking test will be held either on the same day or seven days before or after that, depending on local arrangements.

The IELTS Listening test is designed to assess a wide range of listening skills, including how well you:

  • understand main ideas and specific factual information
  • recognise the opinions, attitudes and purpose of a speaker
  • follow the development of an argument.

Take a free listening practice test.

You will need to read quickly and efficiently, and manage your time. You will be asked to read three different passages and respond to related questions in your IELTS Reading test. The content of the Reading test is different for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests.

The IELTS Reading test is designed to assess a wide range of reading skills, including how well you:

  • read for the general sense of a passage
  • read for the main ideas
  • read for detail
  • understand inferences and implied meaning
  • recognise a writer’s opinions, attitudes and purpose

Academic Reading

 general training reading.

Take a free reading practice test.

The IELTS Writing test is designed to assess a wide range of writing skills, including how well you:

  • write a response appropriately
  • organise ideas
  • use a range of vocabulary and grammar accurately.

Academic Writing

General training writing.

Take a free writing practice test.

You will talk to a certified examiner in the IELTS Speaking test. The test is interactive and as close to a real-life situation as a test can get. A variety of accents may be used, and the test will be recorded.

The content of the IELTS Speaking test is the same for both the IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests.

The IELTS Speaking test is designed to assess a wide range of skills.

The examiner will want to see how well you can:

  • communicate opinions and information on everyday topics and common experiences; to do this you will need to answer a range of questions
  • speak at length on a given topic using appropriate language
  • organise your ideas coherently
  • express and justify your opinions
  • analyse, discuss and speculate about issues.

Make sure that you relax and talk fluently. You will need to speak naturally.

Take a free speaking practice test.

Video call Speaking test

Many IELTS test centres will start delivering the IELTS Speaking test via video calls. This means more flexibility and more availability of IELTS Speaking tests.

You will take the video call Speaking test at an official IELTS test centre with the same high standard of identity verification. The test will be exactly the same as the in-person Speaking test in terms of content, scoring, timing, level of difficulty, question format and security arrangements.  Delivered by an IELTS Speaking Examiner, the video call Speaking test will maintain the face-to-face feature of the in-person Speaking test.

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How to Start an Agreement Essay

Posted by David S. Wills | Aug 7, 2023 | IELTS Tips , Writing | 0

How to Start an Agreement Essay

In IELTS writing task 2, you could be asked to write an agree or disagree essay, also known as an “agreement essay.” Today, however, I want to show you how to start an agreement essay . This will focus on the first few lines.

You can read my full guide to agree/disagree essays here if you want to learn about the overall structure.

What are the requirements of an agreement essay?

First of all, let’s look at what an agreement essay actually is and what you need to do. Here’s an example:

All cars that burn fossil fuels should be banned and electric cars should replace them. Do you agree or disagree?

An IELTS agreement essay will typically give you a statement and then a line that says something like:

Do you agree or disagree?

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

  • To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement?

the structure of an ielts agree/disagree question

Your objective is to state whether (or to what extent) you agree or disagree with the idea expressed in the first line of the question. For the above example, you would either:

  • Completely agree
  • Partly agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Partly disagree
  • Completely disagree

Your essay should explain your position and your view should be clear throughout the entire piece of writing.

Now let’s look at the first lines.

How to start an agreement essay

Considering the above, what should you write in the opening lines of your essay?

Generally, an IELTS task 2 introduction should feature 2-4 sentences that clearly tell the reader what the essay is about and what your opinion is. You should write 1-3 sentences that explain the overall idea (basically introducing the topic) and then you should write an outline sentence .

Important: Your opinion must be stated in the introduction . Regardless of whether you agree, disagree, or have no strong opinion either way, you must make this clear to the reader. If you fail to do this, you will not score band 7 or above.

Thus, here is how you should start an agreement essay:

You often hear people say that you should paraphrase the question. This is certainly a possible approach, but it presents many problems and often results in terrible first sentences. In fact, it can ruin your whole introduction. You can learn about paraphrasing here .

Examples of agreement essay introductions

To further explain how you can start an agreement essay, let’s look at some examples.

All cars that burn fossil fuels should be banned and electric cars should replace them.

Intro to sample band 9 answer:

During the twentieth century, people around the world began using vehicles powered by fossil fuels, and in this new millennium that trend has continued, with a vast uptick in the number of privately owned cars. However, it has become apparent that this phenomenon is causing major environmental damage and needs to be stopped. This essay will argue that humans ought to switch to electric cars.

Instead of paraphrasing the question, I have taken the approach of explaining the wider situation. This is much better! I have used the next sentence to give a more focused introduction, raising the idea of banning traditional cars. Then, I gave my opinion. It is nice and clear and the reader would understand the topic fully before reading the body paragraphs.

A person’s worth nowadays seems to be judged according to social status and material possessions. Old-fashioned values, such as honour, kindness and trust, no longer seem important.

There are numerous ways in which a person can be valued, and these vary widely from culture to culture. They also vary over time, and some people suggest that in the modern era it is more common for people to be judged according to their wealth, rather than personality attributes. This essay will argue that it is probably not true.

Again, you can see that I have avoided blindly paraphrasing the question. Instead, I started with a nice, broad overview of the main idea, then focused it specifically in the next sentence. My opinion is made very clear in the final sentence.

Note: This is a notoriously difficult question and many people struggle with it. I’ve made this video to explain why it is so hard and how people can answer it intelligently.

Using a computer every day can have more negative than positive effects on young children.

Nowadays, it is quite common for children to have access to some kind of computer, and some people argue that this is damaging for their health. This essay will look at both sides of the argument, but ultimately conclude that it is not entirely negative.

This introduction is a little more “standard” in that I have sort of paraphrased the question. Still, it is hard to see that it is paraphrased because it is totally my words and ideas. I have then given my opinion clearly. Note that this may seem like an introduction to a “ discuss both views ” question but really I just wanted to talk about both sides because I feel that there is no clear-cut answer here. In other words, I’m providing balance because I neither wholly agree nor disagree.  

Question #4

Some people think that women should not be allowed to work in the police force.

Traditionally, there were some jobs that could only be done by men. These days, however, it is common to see women doing jobs that they were once forbidden from doing. Some people still hold onto the traditional view in regards the police force, but this essay will argue that women shouldn’t be unfairly restricted.

This goes back to my favoured approach, which is starting with a general statement, then refining it to a more specific point. As always, I have made my opinion very clear in the essay outline sentence. Note that I have avoided personal pronouns by saying “this essay will…” This is a good way to increase the level of formality without making it convoluted.

When you start your agreement essay, you should introduce the main topic and then provide your opinion. That is the key to writing a great introduction. Keep it relatively simple and make sure that your primary aim is to let the reader know exactly what your position is. Don’t try to show off with any fancy language or complicated ideas. Just make it straightforward and your essay will be off to a great start!

About The Author

David S. Wills

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.

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IELTS Academic

Ielts academic is your key to studying abroad., jump to section.

The IELTS Academic test is designed to assess your English-language skills, especially those skills that are relevant when studying at undergraduate or postgraduate levels. Check which academic institutions accept IELTS and the scores they require for acceptance onto their degree programmes.

The IELTS Academic test features vocabulary that is common within an academic setting and may also be a requirement for registration with professional bodies.

You can sit the test at our official test centres, either on paper, or on computer. There may also be an option to take the test online. Find out more about ways to take an IELTS test .

The IELTS Academic test is made up of four sections: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. You can read more about these sections below.

The paper has four parts, with ten questions in each part. The questions are in the same order as the information in the recording, so the answer to the first question will be before the answer to the second question, and so on.

Parts 1 and 2 deal with everyday, social situations . There is a conversation between two speakers in Part 1 (for example, a conversation about travel arrangements). Only one person speaks in Part 2 (for example, a speech about local facilities).

Parts 3 and 4 deal with educational and training situations . In Part 3 there is a conversation between two main speakers (for example, two university students in discussion, perhaps guided by a tutor). In Part 4 only one person speaks on an academic subject.

You will hear the recordings once only. Different accents, including British, Australian, New Zealand and North American, are used.

You will need to transfer your answers to an answer sheet. You will have 10 minutes at the end of the test to do this. You should be careful when writing your answers on the answer sheet because you will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.

Time allowed: Approximately 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet)

Number of parts: 4

Number of questions: 40

Marking: Each correct answer receives 1 mark. Your final score is given as a band score in whole or half bands, e.g. 5.5 or 7.0.

Academic Reading

Texts come from books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online resources, written for a non-specialist audience. All the topics are of general interest to students at undergraduate or postgraduate level . The texts may be written in different styles, for example, narrative, descriptive or discursive/argumentative. At least one text contains detailed logical argument. Texts may also contain diagrams, graphs or illustrations. If texts use technical vocabulary, then a simple dictionary definition is provided.

You will need to transfer your answers to an answer sheet. You must transfer your answers during the hour you are given for the Reading test. Unlike the Listening test, no extra transfer time is given. You should be careful when writing your answers on the answer sheet because you will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.

Time allowed: 60 minutes (including transfer time)

Number of sections: 3; the total text length is 2150–2750 words

Marking: Each correct answer receives 1 mark. Your final score is given as a band score from 1–9 in whole or half bands, e.g. 4 or 6.5.

Academic Writing

There are two Writing tasks and BOTH must be completed.

In Task 1, you have to describe some visual information in your own words (a graph, table, chart or diagram). You need to write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes.

In Task 2, you are given a point of view, argument or problem which you need to discuss . You need to write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes.

You must write your answers using full sentences. You must not write your answers as notes or bullet points. You must write your answers on the answer sheet. You are allowed to write notes on the question paper, but these will not be seen by the examiner.

Time allowed: 60 minutes

Number of tasks: 2

Marking: Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing score.

The Speaking test is a face-to-face interview between the test taker and an examiner. The Speaking test is recorded.

There are three parts to the test, and each part follows a specific pattern of tasks in order to test your speaking ability in different ways.

In Part 1 you will be asked about yourself and about familiar topics, such as home and family, studies or interests .

In Part 2 you are shown a card asking you to talk about a particular topic . After a minute to prepare, you must speak for up to two minutes and then answer general questions on the topic.

In Part 3 further questions will be asked about the topic in more detail .

Time allowed: 11–14 minutes

Number of parts: 3

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Find out more about each question type in the IELTS Academic test.

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How to prepare

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IELTS Academic sample test questions

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  2. IELTS Sample Essay Topics 2020 Band 9

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  3. BASIC TIPS FOR IELTS WRITING (TASK 2)

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  4. Understanding IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Types: Tips & Strategies

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  6. How To Write Ielts Essay Writing

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COMMENTS

  1. How to Write an IELTS Essay: The key steps

    The IELTS essay introduction talks in general about the increasing use of IT, thus introducing the topic well. The thesis then clearly sets out the writers opinion. ... Requirements for IELTS Band 7 in Writing. Getting to an IELTS Band 7 is a struggle for many candidates. This lesson explains exactly what you have to do to reach this band score.

  2. Writing High-Scoring IELTS Essays: A Step-by-Step Guide

    Writing great IELTS essays is essential for success. This guide will give you the tools to craft high-scoring essays. It'll focus on structuring thoughts, ... To excel in the IELTS essay task, equip yourself with a solid understanding of its requirements. Dive into the sub-sections that uncover what is expected in this task and the various ...

  3. IELTS Writing Task 2: ️ Everything You Need to Know

    IELTS Writing Task 2 is the second part of the writing test, where you are presented with a point of view, argument or problem and asked to write an essay in response. Your essay should be in a formal style, at least 250 words in length and you should aim to complete it in under 40 minutes. IELTS Writing Task 2: Everything You Need to Know

  4. How to Write an IELTS Essay [Task 2]

    The first thing you need to know before you even begin writing an IELTS essay are the basic requirements of the exam. In IELTS writing, you have one hour to write two pieces of writing. It is recommended that you spend about 20 minutes on task 1 - which for academic IELTS is a report on a graph or map, and for general IELTS is a letter ...

  5. 7 Steps to Structuring an IELTS Task 2 Essay

    IELTS Essay Structure: The Basics. Before we begin with the 7 steps, I would like to give you a short overview. Writing an IELTS essay requires many skills and you have a lot of different criteria to meet in order to get a band 7 or above. Your essay will be judged in four ways, each accounting for 25% of the total score: Task Achievement

  6. IELTS Writing band descriptors and key assessment criteria

    03 May 2023. The full assessment scales used by IELTS Writing examiners, are now available. These consist of the IELTS band descriptors and the detailed, key assessment criteria which support the band descriptors. IELTS' commitment to continuous improvement and ensuring fair and accurate results for test takers, combined with our extensive ...

  7. IELTS Essay Writing: A Step-by-Step Guide

    IELTS essay is the same for academic and general, where you will be presented with a topic and asked to write an essay of around 250 words on the same. You are allotted 40 minutes for the IELTS Task 2 out of the 60 minutes of the total writing test. In IELTS essay writing, you must express your thoughts, opinions, and arguments on a given topic.

  8. 2024 IELTS Writing Task 2 Guide for Essays

    What are the requirements for IELTS Writing Task 2 essay? You have 40 minutes to write an essay. Your essay must have a minimum of 250 words. Around 300-320 words is a typical word count for a high-scoring response.

  9. 100 IELTS Essay Questions

    The questions are organised under common topics and essay types. IELTS often use the similar topics for their essays but change the wording of the essay question. In order to prepare well for writing task 2, you should prepare ideas for common topics and then practise applying them to the tasks given (to the essay questions). ...

  10. IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Types and Structures + Samples

    Essay Structure: Introduction: Paraphrase the Question and state your opinion, outlining the main ideas. Main Body Paragraph 1: Begin with a topic sentence, explain this topic sentence, and provide an example. Main Body Paragraph 2: Follow the same format as the previous paragraph. Conclusion: Recap the main points and reiterate your opinion.

  11. IELTS Writing Task 1 & Task 2 Assessment Criteria

    It assesses the main idea of your essay and the way you develop it with relative examples. You are supposed to write 250 words for Task 2. Otherwise, you will be penalized for writing fewer word counts. To avoid such problems, you must learn how the examiner counts your word and how many words you must write.

  12. IELTS Essays: Five Types of IELTS Essays

    There are 5 types of IELTS essays which can appear in IELTS writing task 2. These types of essays are for both GT and Academic writing task 2. ... An IELTS essay has specific requirements which you need to learn about. If I could give you small pointers, I would. But you really need to learn the right way in detail. Reply. lobar says January 25 ...

  13. IELTS Writing Task 1: Everything You Need to Know

    People doing the Academic test will write a report on a data set, map, or process. People doing General Training will write a letter. You must write 150 words or more. You should spend around 20 minutes on this part of the test. Task 1 is worth 1/3 of your total mark on the Writing test.

  14. IELTS Writing Task 2: 7 steps towards a band 7

    Step 1: Answer all parts of the question. IELTS Writing Task 2 requires you to write an essay in response to a statement, or premise. You must read the question carefully so that all parts are answered. For example, in the question below, you must do 3 things to achieve a higher band, showing the examiner that you are addressing all parts of ...

  15. IELTS Essay Writing Guidelines and Tips

    Read the language, speak the language, and write the language as often as possible. Remember that the IELTS essay doesn't have to be flashy or packed with complex words, language, and thoughts. While you may enjoy playing with different English words or even writing poetry in English, remember that this test is a simple assessment of the ...

  16. IELTS Essay Format: Solving Writing Task 2 Easily

    Essay writing question in Task 2 of the IELTS Writing test is considered to be one of the most difficult questions. This is due to a very strict evaluation of the test by examiners. Each and every aspect of grammar, punctuation, spelling, word choice, sentence structure, paragraph structure, presentation of arguments, and logical development of ideas are scrutinized.

  17. 100 Band 7, 8 + 9 IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Samples

    In this blog post, we have compiled a list of 100 Band 7, 8, and 9 IELTS Writing Task 2 essay samples to help you improve your writing skills and boost your chances of achieving a high score on the exam. These sample essays cover a wide range of topics, from education and technology to health and environment, and are a valuable resource for ...

  18. IELTS Essay Topics with Model Answers

    IELTS Writing Task 2 (also known as IELTS Essay Writing) is the second task of your IELTS Writing test.Here, you will be presented with an essay topic and you will be scored based on your ability to respond to the topic. You need to write at least 250 words and justify your opinion with arguments, discussion, examples, problem outlining, proposing possible solutions and supporting your position.

  19. The Ultimate IELTS Essay Writing Guide

    This course is a quick and detailed step-by-step explanation of the IELTS Writing Task 2 Exam, which can help you create the perfect essay - every time. In this course we will look at the following: - The Writing Section Basics. - Different Essay Types. - The 17 sentences you need for an IELTS essay. - How to focus on sentence types to improve ...

  20. IELTS test format explained

    IELTS test format explained. Test takers who understand the format of IELTS are at an advantage. Make sure you're familiar with how IELTS testing works. There are two IELTS tests available, IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. Both tests are graded in exactly the same way. You'll take the first three parts of the test on the same day ...

  21. How to Start an Agreement Essay

    Thus, here is how you should start an agreement essay: 1 st sentence. Introduce the topic. 2 nd sentence (optional) Further explain the topic. 3 rd sentence. Present your opinion. You often hear people say that you should paraphrase the question.

  22. IELTS

    IELTS Academic is your key to studying abroad. The IELTS Academic test is designed to assess your English-language skills, especially those skills that are relevant when studying at undergraduate or postgraduate levels. Check which academic institutions accept IELTS and the scores they require for acceptance onto their degree programmes.