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Discursive essay IELTS task 2

IELTS discursive essay

Home  »  IELTS academic task 2 » Discursive essay IELTS task 2

Writing a discursive essay can be a part of your  task 2 exam , therefore you want to make sure you know how to do it to the best of your abilities. To help you get there we have created a step-by-step plan explaining how to structure your discursive essay in order to reach your target band score.

A discursive essay will look at both sides, whereas an argumentative essay takes a stance, a position, and will argue for this position.

An argumentative essay can be used for a lot of IELTS essay answers, however if you see the ‘discuss both views, and give your opinion’ then you should be writing a discursive essay.

Definition of discursive essay?

A discursive essay explores different opinions on a specific topic or idea.

The writer gives reasons and facts to support each argument he talks about. He then may provide his own opinion based on his exploration of these different perspectives.

How to structure a discursive essay?

When writing a discursive essay for your exam, for a band 7 or above the general consensus is around 350 -400 words, within a time frame of 40 minutes.

We recommend splitting your discursive essay into four paragraphs. This way you’ll get around ten minutes to prepare and write each paragraph.

Paragraph one: introduction

You should always begin your discursive essay with an introduction.

Structure your introduction like this: 1. A background statement. 2. A more detailed background statement. 3. A summary of the opinions (for and against) this topic.

Electric cars will fully replace petrol and diesel-fuelled cars in the future. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

1. A background statement about the topic:

Electric cars are currently being developed by many well-known automotive companies.

2. A more detailed background statement about the topic:

Many people still question whether electric cars are a feasible replacement for petrol and diesel-fueled vehicles.

3. A summary of the opinions (for and against) this topic:

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.

Paragraph two: argument/opinion 1 (for the topic)

In paragraph two you can discuss the first argument/opinion (the argument for the topic).

Structure paragraph two like this: 1. Opinion / argument 1 (for the topic) 2. One example to support this opinion/argument 3. A concluding sentence summing up the opinion/argument 1

Try to use connectors like:

  • On one hand
  • Some people believe
  • It is true that

1. Opinion/argument 1: On one hand, electric cars are environmentally friend. They require no non-renewable energy and are clean to run and maintain on the road. 2. One example to support this opinion/argument: To support this opinion, recent studies show that the use of electric cars helps to minimize pollution in urban and rural areas. 3. A concluding sentence summing up the opinion/argument 1: Clearly, electric cars are one way to tackle ecological concerns and support a ‘greener’ environment.

TIP: A lot of students get confused about giving personal examples. The question prompt is misleading! Give examples that you know of, not examples from your personal experience.

These examples help you develop your argument and act as supporting evidence for your position.

It is fine to mention external sources such as a ‘a recent scientific report’, ‘an academic paper from Russia’, etc. Here is a full tutorial all about giving examples .

Paragraph three: argument/opinion 2 (against the topic)

In paragraph three write about the opinion/argument 2 (usually going against the topic).

Structure your paragraph three like this: 1. Opinion / argument 2 (against the topic) 2. One example to support this opinion/argument 3. A concluding sentence summing up the opinion/argument 2

Use phrases like:

  • On the other hand
  • Other people believe that

1. Opinion/argument 2 ( against the topic): On the other hand, electric cars are inconvenient to maintain and to dispose of. 2. One example to support this opinion/argument: The driver of an electric vehicle must recharge his car approximately every 100 kilometres. In addition, the plutonium battery of an electric car is toxic to the environment and must be safely disposed of through expensive means. 3. A concluding sentence summing up the opinion/argument 2: In brief, scientists are still exploring ways to produce these types of vehicles so that they are easier to manufacture, maintain and use safely.

Paragraph four: concluding paragraph

The last paragraph of your discursive essay should contain a summary of both previous opinions, and be ended with the writer’s opinion.

The last paragraph should be structured like this:

1. Summary of both previous opinions. Use key phrases like:

  • To summarize
  • To provide a recap of the two perspectives

2. The writer’s opinion. Use language like:

  • In my opinion
  • I feel strongly that

3. Suggestion and Conclusion

1. Summary of both previous opinions: To sum up, it’s evident that there are both pros and cons in the development of electric vehicles. 2. The writer’s opinion: 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. 3. Suggestion and Conclusion: To conclude, we should remain open, supportive to the use of electric cars and to their development in the future.

TIP: Avoid informal language such as contractions and casual language patterns.

YES: It is said diesel fuelled cars are far superior for rural areas.

NO: It’s said diesel fuelled cars just totally crush it in rural areas.

The full example of a discursive essay written following our structure

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 environmentally friend. 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 minimize 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 kilometres. 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 in the development 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.

For an introduction on how to start IELTS writing task 2 click here :

For more practice, take a look at our task 2 sample essays , a band 9 IELTS essay or our essay correction service to help you improve your band score!

Useful Tips

  • To get ideas and opinions for the essays you write you need to fill your head with news about current events, alternatively you can read my answers and ideas in the section below.
  • Good grammar is by far more important than the exam skills. It is impossible to get points for Task Response if the examiner cannot understand what has been written. Getting feedback on your writing is the fastest way to improve.
  • Reviewing recent task two questions can help build your ‘essay idea muscle’. Academic papers are also useful but can be difficult to absorb quickly (unless you just read the summary or conclusion!).

Discursive Essay Topics and Answers 

The topics will be the same as all the other IELTS writing task 2 topics you will face. These include:

IELTS essay topics and answers: education

IELTS essay topics and answer: globalisation

IELTS essay topics and answer: travel and transport

IELTS essay topics and answer: employment

IELTS essay topics and answer: employment (skills)

IELTS topic and answer: education

IELTS essay topics and answer: gender issues

IELTS topic: gender issues (career)

IELTS essay topics and answer: technology

IELTS essay topic and answer: health

IELTS essay topics and answer: society

Audio tutorial

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Tutorials and Tips to Prepare for Task 2

  • How to Get Ideas for Task 2
  • Band 9 Sample Essay
  • Extremely Useful Sentences for Task 2
  • Five Powerful Sentence Structures to use in your IELTS Writing test
  • How to use comparisons in Task 2
  • Concession Paragraphs for “do I agree/disagree essays”
  • How to write an IELTS Essay Conclusion
  • IELTS Cohesion and Coherence
  • 3 ways to paraphrase for your Task 2 introduction
  • Marking Criteria for IELTS Writing
  • Topics Sentences for Your Essays
  • 7 Ways to Improve your Sentences in Your IELTS Essays
  • Grammar for IELTS Writing
  • Academic Collocations for Task 2

discursive essay sample ielts

TED IELTS

  • A Beginner’s Guide to IELTS
  • Common Grammar Mistakes [for IELTS Writing Candidates]

Writing Correction Service

  • Free IELTS Resources
  • Practice Speaking Test

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IELTS Discussion Essays [Discuss Both Views/Sides]

Posted by David S. Wills | Jun 14, 2021 | IELTS Tips , Writing | 3

IELTS Discussion Essays [Discuss Both Views/Sides]

In this lesson, I’m going to explain what an IELTS discussion essay is and how you can write a good one. I will talk about structure and content, as well as looking briefly at discussion essay thesis statements, which many people find tricky. I’ve also written a sample essay, which you can find at the bottom of this page.

What is a Discussion Essay?

As the name suggests, a discussion essay is an essay that discusses things! More specifically, it is a type of IELTS writing task 2 essay that requires you to look at two different points of view . You can easily recognise these essays by the following phrase:

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Sometimes it is phrased a little differently. It might say:

Discuss both sides and give your opinion
Discuss both points view and give your opinion

The important thing is that these all mean the same. When you see any of these, you know that you need to write a discussion essay. Importantly, this instruction tells you that you need to do two things:

  • Discuss both views (there will have been 2 views mentioned in the previous sentence(s))
  • Give your opinion (i.e. state which view you agree with)

If you failed to do either of these things, you would not have satisfied the basic criteria for Task Achievement .

Example Discussion Essay Questions

Here is a list of 5 discussion essay questions either from the IELTS exam, reportedly from the IELTS exam, or from reputable publications that have copied the IELTS question style. (Not that you absolutely should avoid fake IELTS questions when practising.)

Some people say that parents should encourage their children to take part in organised group activities in their free time. Others say that is important for children to learn how to occupy themselves on their own. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Some people prefer to spend their lives doing the same things and avoiding change. Others, however, think that change is always a good thing. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Some people feel that manufacturers and supermarkets have the responsibility to reduce the amount of packaging of goods. Others argue that customers should avoid buying goods with a lot of packaging. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Some people believe that higher education should be funded by the government. Others, however, argue that it is the responsibility of individuals to fund their higher education. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Some people believe that it is important for children to attend extra classes outside school, while others believe that they should be allowed to play after school. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

You can see in these questions that there is a similar pattern. In each case, the question phrase (“Discuss both views and give your own opinion”) is the same and in the previous sentence or sentences, there are two opposing views. This, then, makes “discuss both views” questions a sort of opinion essay .

How to Answer IELTS Discussion Questions

First of all, it is important when answering any IELTS task 2 question that you read the question carefully so that you understand it, then provide an answer that directly responds to the question, following its instructions carefully.

As discussed above, you are required to do two things: 1) Discuss both views, and 2) Give your own opinion. You absolutely must do both of those. It doesn’t really matter what your opinion is or whether you give equal weighting to both sides of the argument. Instead, you must cover both sides and also give some sort of opinion. (It is important, though, according to the marking rubric , that you are consistent in your opinion.)

Your answer of course should be structured carefully so as to present your ideas in a thoroughly logical way that is easy for your reader to interpret. I almost always use a four-paragraph structure in my essays, but some people prefer to use five paragraphs in this sort of essay. The difference would look like this:

You might be wondering why I have given my opinion in the body of the five-paragraph essay but not in the four-paragraph essay. Well, actually I would give my opinion in the body of both. However, my opinion would be more subtly woven into the text of the four-paragraph essay. I personally find this to be a better method, but it is equally possible that you could write an amazing five-paragraph essay. That issue is discussed further in this video:

Discussion Essay Thesis Statement

In academic writing, a thesis statement (sometimes called an essay outline ) is the part of the essay where you insert your opinion. It typically comes at the end of the introduction and guides the reader by explaining your opinion on the issues that have been introduced.

But do you really need to provide one in such a short essay? Well, a 2018 study into successful IELTS essays concluded that thesis statements were “obligatory” – i.e. you absolutely do need one. In fact, that study found that thesis statements appeared in 100% of successful IELTS discussion essays! Therefore, we can conclude they are very important.

Because a discussion essay will tell you to “Discuss both views and give your opinion,” you must introduce the two views and then give your opinion in the introduction. Here is an example:

Introductory paragraph:

In some parts of the world, children are forced to go to cram schools and other facilities of extracurricular learning, but many people believe that this is unfair and that they should be allowed to enjoy their free time instead. This essay will look at both perspectives and then conclude that it is indeed unfair.

My first sentence clearly introduces two different ideas:

  • Children should do extra classes
  • Children should not do extra classes

Note how I have successfully used synonyms to avoid repeating anything from the question. I have also framed the issue in a new way so that I am not just paraphrasing. (You can learn why paraphrasing is not always helpful here .)

My second sentence is the thesis statement. In this sentence, I outline what the essay will do (“look at both perspectives”) and then give my opinion (“it is unfair”). This is a simple but effective thesis statement.

Thesis Statement Advice

Your IELTS discussion essay thesis statement should do two things:

  • Tell the reader what the essay will do
  • Present your opinion

Because this is a formal essay, it is best not to be too personal. Instead of saying “I will…” or “I think…” it is better to say “This essay will…” Here are some simple templates that you can follow most of the time:

  • This essay will look at both sides and then argue that…
  • This essay will discuss both views but ultimately side with…

Just make sure to avoid being overly vague. You are required to give your opinion consistently throughout the essay, so don’t say “This essay will look at both sides and then give my opinion .” It is not really the best approach because the examiner wants to see that you can be consistent in presenting an opinion. That is clearly stated in the marking rubric. For band 7, it says:

  • presents a clear position throughout the response

It could be concluded, then, that your opinion is not clear from the start and so you have not done enough to warrant a band 7 for Task Achievement.

Body Paragraphs

As I mentioned above, there are really two main approaches you could take to the body paragraphs:

  • Discuss one view per paragraph and incorporate your opinion into each.
  • Discuss one view per paragraph and then have another for your opinion.

I suppose there is also a third option:

  • Compare and contrast the two viewpoints in each paragraph.

This last one may be a little harder to do successfully without jeopardising your score for Task Achievement or Coherence and Cohesion , but advanced candidates may find it useful.

Remember that there is no single perfect formula for an IELTS essay. That’s not how languages work and that’s not how IELTS works. Different people could come up with different ways to present a successful essay. The most common essay structures are mere guidelines for particularly useful methods of approaching an essay.

discursive essay sample ielts

Does a Discussion Essay Have to be Balanced?

Because the question says “Discuss both views,” it is quite logical to think that you must provide some degree of balance, but you certainly don’t need to give equal weighting to both sides. Remember that you are also going to give your opinion, so if you come down strongly on one side of the issue, it might be odd to give equal attention to both.

If you do feel very strongly about one side, you might want to present your discussion of the other side as quite negative. However, IELTS is a thinking exam as well as an English exam and an intelligent person can always look at both sides of an issue and explain – at the very least – why someone might believe a thing that is different to his own view. This seems quite important, but there is nothing explicitly mentioned in the marking rubric.

I would suggest that if you think a two-sided issue is basically one-sided (i.e. you strongly disagree with the other view), you should still write one or two sentences about why people believe that and then devote the rest of your essay to disputing their view.

Another approach is to write BP1 as a very short paragraph that explains why people might think one thing, but then have BP2 as a very long paragraph that debunks the opposing view and then explains why the other is correct.

(You can read more about IELTS essays and balance here .)

Sample Answer

Here is my full sample answer to the above question about whether or not children should be made to do extracurricular activities:

In some parts of the world, children are forced to go to cram schools and other facilities of extracurricular learning, but many people believe that this is unfair and that they should be allowed to enjoy their free time instead. This essay will look at both perspectives and then conclude that it is indeed unfair. In countries like South Korea, most children are made to go to an array of cram schools outside of regular school hours. Their parents do this in order to give their child a better future because it helps the child to learn more and thus gives them the academic advantages needed to apply to the best universities or jobs in future. These schools often provide children with an advantage over their peers because they improve their foreign language or math skills more quickly, and thus the children who do not attend these schools might have comparatively poor grades. However, whilst this attitude may result in better academic performance, it is certainly not good for the mental health of these children. It is no coincidence that places like South Korea have the highest rates of suicide among their young populations. The fact is that children are not equipped to spend fourteen or sixteen hours per day in classrooms, memorising facts and figures. In a sense, it is a form of child abuse. Children should be allowed to go home and spend time with friends and family to build social skills. They should be allowed to occupy themselves in order to become more creative and learn how to understand their own mind instead of being trained to repeat what they are told. In conclusion, it is understandable that some parents want their children to go to extra classes, but this is damaging to children and they should be given the freedom to play and socialise outside of regular school hours.

In BP1, I have looked at the topic of cram schools (ie the side of the argument in favour of extra lessons). I explored why parents might want their kids to do this and show the supposed benefits. Note that I never embraced any of these benefits. I was careful to use language that distanced these ideas from my own opinion, which was the opposite, so I said “Their parents do this in order to…”

In BP2, I looked at the opposite side. I was careful to make sure that my first sentence linked to the previous paragraph, highlighting that the benefits are quite minor compared to the drawbacks. All of my sentences here justify my position, which is that it is cruel to force these extra lessons on children.

My conclusion ties all of this together. The first clause references BP1 and the second summarises the main argument in BP2.

You can find two more sample essays here:

  • A discussion essay about sports facilities
  • A discussion essay about sports abilities

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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DIRWAN

It is sometimes debatable whether asking children to get extra education after school or letting them play that is actually beneficial for them. Even though both viewpoints have benefits and drawbacks but I believe ,in the childhood age, children have to take rough and discipline education after school to be succeed in the future.

To begin with, many educational experts believe that playing is one of the essential aspects that have to be gotten by children to grow and happy. By using the playing approach, children can have a good mental and psychic health. Besides, letting children play after school can also support them to increase their emotional stimuli and get a positive social interaction. With this way, experts believe children can grow as a better adult in the future and have a freedom to get a better life in the upcoming times.

However, I completely contra with the first idea because I believe childhood is a better time to train children about academic or other skills that benefits them in the future. Based on scientific journal that I read, the ability of children in learning new things are more spectacular compared to adults. A lot of artists, scientist, and even football player who currently becoming a superstar in this era is a string of process that is began since their in the childhood. For instance, nowadays, I am working in the field of election supervision, it because since in my childhood my father love to force me learning about social and political issues by getting additional class. Thus, making children to get extra class after school is an appropriate preference if parents desire to see their son getting a good future.

To conclude, based on experts children have to get a freedom to play after schools but in my viewpoint it will be more advantages if they utilize the playing time with joining additional class after school.

tufail khan

VERY GOOD MR DIRWAN But actually you mixed both of the ideas , you need to take one side for this sort of essay writting, as it is mentioned in the above instruction. By the way WELL DONE . love from Pakistan to my sweet brother.

Daisey Lachut

I have not checked in here for some time because I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are really great quality so I guess I’ll add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend. ??

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How To Plan & Write IELTS Discussion Essays

Students can find it difficult to identify IELTS discussion essays and often confuse them with either opinion essays or advantage and disadvantage essays.

This is one of the issues I’ll be covering in this lesson. I’m also going to show you how to plan and write discussion essays step-by-step.

Here’s what we’ll be covering:

  • Identifying IELTS discussion essays 
  • 3 Common mistakes
  • Essay structure
  • How to plan
  • How to write an introduction
  • How to write main body paragraphs
  • How to write a conclusion

Want to watch and listen to this lesson?

Click on this video.

Click the links to see lessons on each of these Task 2 essay writing topics. 

Once you understand the process, practice on past questions. Take your time at first and gradually speed up until you can plan and write an essay of at least 250 words in the 40 minutes allowed in the exam.

The Question

The first part of the question for an IELTS discussion essay will be a statement containing two opposing views.

You will then be asked to discuss both sides of the argument and give your own opinion. Here is some typical wording that might be used:

  • Discuss both views and give your opinion. 
  • Discuss both these views and then give your own opinion. 
  • Discuss both sides of this argument and give your own opinion.

Here's a question from a past test paper.

Some people think that zoos are cruel and should be closed down. Others, however, believe that zoos can be useful in protecting wild animals.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

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

Write at least 250 words.

I’ll be using this question to guide you through the process of planning and writing an IELTS discussion essay.

The key to identifying this type of question is the fact that you are required to discuss BOTH views. This is different to opinion questions where you must decide between two opposing views and make an argument to support your own opinion.

Opinion essays , also known as ‘agree or disagree’ essays, a generally worded in one of these ways:

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

The other essay type that students mistake for discussion essays is advantages and disadvantages essays . With these, the statement will contain just one view and the question will typically be written as shown in this sample question.

School children are using computers in school more than ever.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this and give your own opinion.

The consequence of incorrectly identifying the question type is that you will use the wrong structure for your essay. This is a major reason why people make the mistakes we’ll now look at.

3 Common Mistakes

These three errors are common in IELTS discussion essays.

  • Not stating your opinion.
  • Not giving arguments for both views.
  • Not developing both sides of the argument equally.

The most common mistake that students make is not giving their opinion. The question will clearly state that you must choose one side of the argument to agree with. If you fail to do this, you will get a low score for task achievement.

It doesn’t matter which side of the argument you take or even, that you actually agree with it.

However, you must give equal attention to both sides. A common error is to provide a stronger argument for the view you favour. This leads to an unbalanced essay and a low score for task achievement. 

Essay Structure

Now let’s look at a simple structure you can use to write IELTS discussion essays. It’s not the only possible structure but it’s the one I recommend because it’s easy to learn and will enable you to quickly plan and write a high-level essay.

1)  Introduction

  • Paraphrase the question
  • State two supporting reasons
  • Give your opinion

  2)  Main body paragraph 1

  • Topic sentence – outline the view you don’t agree with
  • Explanation – explain why this view is held by some people
  • Example – give an example

 3 )  Main body paragraph 2

  • Topic sentence – outline the view you do agree with

  4)  Conclusion

  • Summarise the key points and state your opinion

This structure will give us a well-balanced essay with 4 paragraphs.

We now need some ideas to add into the structure and we’ll have everything we need for our essay.

How To Plan IELTS Discussion Essays

# 1  analyse the question.

This is an essential step in the planning process and will ensure that you answer the question fully. It’s quick and easy to do. You just need to identify 3 different types of words:

1. Topic words

2.  Other keywords

3.  Instruction words

We’ve already considered the instruction words (the actual question) so we’ll focus on the first two.

Topics words are the ones that identify the general subject of the question.

Some people think that zoos  are cruel and should be closed down. Others, however, believe that  zoos  can be useful in protecting wild animals.

So, this question is about ‘ zoos ’.

Many people do this first step of the process and then write about the topic in general. This is a serious mistake and leads to low marks for task achievement.

What we need to do now that we know the general topic, is to understand exactly what aspect of zoos we're being asked to write about.

The other keywords in the question tell you the specific topic you must write about. They define the opinions stated in the statement.

Some people think tha t zoos are cruel and should be closed down . Others, however, believe that zoos c an be useful in protecting wild animals .

By highlighting these words, it’s easy to see that you are being asked to write about the opposing views that zoos are cruel and should be closed down and that zoos can be useful in protecting wild animals. Your essay must only include ideas relevant to these ideas.

# 2  Decide on your opinion

As already mentioned, it doesn’t matter if you genuinely agree with the view you take in your essay or not. IELTS discussion essays are about your ability to write a well-structured essay in the English language and you will not be assessed on any opinion you might hold.

So, choose one view and make sure that your opinion is clear throughout the essay.

For this model essay, I’m going to agree with the statement that zoos are cruel and should be closed down.

# 3  Generate ideas

The next task is to generate some ideas to write about.

There are several different ways to think up ideas. I cover them fully on the  IELTS Essay Planning  page.

We’re going to use the ‘friends technique’. This is my preferred method as it allows you to take a step back from the stress of the exam situation and think more calmly.

Here’s how it works. Imagine you are chatting with a friend and they ask you the question in a casual conversation. What answers would you give them off the top of your head? Plan your essay around these ideas.

Doing this will help you to come up with simple answers in everyday language rather than straining your brain to think of amazing ideas using high level-language, which isn’t necessary.

You might want to try this yourself before reading on for my ideas.

Here are my ideas:

Cruel  – closed down:

  • Cramped cages – animals distressed
  • Unnatural environments
  • Most animals not endangered
  • Animals become a public spectacle for entertainment

Useful – protect wild animals:

  • Research work to learn more about wild animals
  • Breeding programmes for endangered species
  • Some species saved from extinction
  • Seeing wild animals close up inspires people to want to help protect them

I’ve got more ideas here than I need so I’m going to pick two to develop in the essay – one for each of the main body paragraphs.

Idea 1  –  Cramped cages & unnatural environments, animals distressed.

Idea 2  –  Breeding programmes for endangered species, some species saved from extinction.

We’re almost ready to start writing our IELTS discussion essay but first, we have one other small task to do.

# 4  Vocabulary

In an IELTS essay, it’s important to be able to say the same things in different ways, either by paraphrasing and/or using synonyms. During the planning stage, quickly jot down a few synonyms of key words you could use to save you having to stop and think of the right language while you’re writing.

For example:

zoos  – animals in captivity, collections of wild animals, menagerie, wildlife park

cruel  – to cause suffering, inhumane

protect  – safeguard, preserve

animals  – creatures, species

With that done, we can focus on the first paragraph of the essay – the introduction.

How To Write an Introduction

Good introductions to IELTS discussion essays have a simple 3 part structure:

1)  Paraphrase the question

2)  State two supporting reasons (outline statement)

3)  Give your opinion (thesis statement)

  • Have 2-3 sentences
  • Be 40-60 words long
  • Take 5 minutes to write

Start your introduction by paraphrasing the question.

Question:   Some people think that zoos are cruel and should be closed down. Others, however, believe that zoos can be useful in protecting wild animals.

There are various phrases you can use to do this. Here are three examples. They all say the same thing using different language.

  • Some people argue that… while others say that…
  • It is considered by some…. while there are others who think….
  • It is often argued that... whilst others disagree and think...

Choose one and add the details in the question statement in a paraphrased form. I recommend putting the view you don’t agree with first.

Paraphrased question:  

Some people argue that zoos help to preserve wild creatures, while others say that they are inhumane and should be abolished.

Note my use of synonyms. You don’t have to replace every key word but do so where possible whilst ensuring that your language sounds natural. There aren’t any suitable synonyms of ‘zoo’ that I can think of, so I've repeated this word from the statement.

2)  Thesis and outline statements

Now we need to add an  outline statement  where you outline the two main points that you’ll cover in the rest of the essay (ideas 1 and 2 above) and a  thesis statement  where you state your opinion.

Outline & thesis statements:

While the development of breeding programmes contributes to the preservation of endangered species, I believe that the poor conditions that many animals held in captivity are kept in make the existence of zoos unacceptable. 

So, let’s bring the three elements of our introduction together.

     Introduction

discursive essay sample ielts

This introduction achieves three important functions:

  • It shows the examiner that you understand the question.
  • It acts as a guide to the examiner as to what your essay is about.
  • It also helps to keep you focused and on track as you write.

The two ideas in your introduction will become your two main body paragraphs.

Main body paragraph 1  – Breeding programmes for endangered species, some species saved from extinction.

Main body paragraph 2  – Cramped cages & unnatural environments, animals distressed.

How To Write Main Body Paragraphs

Main body paragraphs in IELTS discussion essays should contain 3 things:

It is easier to begin by discussing the opinion you don’t agree with and then present the reasons for the opposing view that you support. So, we’ll start with idea 1.

Main Body Paragraph 1

The  topic sentence  summarises the main idea of the paragraph. That’s all it needs to do so it doesn’t have to be complicated.

It plays an important role in ensuring that your ideas flow logically from one to another. It does this by acting as a signpost for what is to come next, that is, what the paragraph will be about.

If you maintain a clear development of ideas throughout your essay, you will get high marks for task achievement and cohesion and coherence.

We’ll now take the idea for our first main body paragraph and create our topic sentence.

Topic sentence:  

On the one hand, there are many projects in existence in zoological parks around the world where species facing extinction have been successfully bred in captivity and their numbers increased substantially.

Next, we must write an  explanation sentence that expands on the idea. This explains to the examiner what we mean or why this is the case.

Explanation sentence: 

This is important for ensuring the survival of animals under threat from poaching and the destruction of their natural environments.

Finally, we add an  example  to support our main point. If you can’t think of a real example, it’s fine to make one up, as long as it’s believable. The examiner isn’t going to check your facts.

Example sentence:

A good example of this is the golden lion tamarin from Brazil which nearly died out because of logging and mining activities which are destroying its habitat. Today, a third of wild golden lion tamarins were raised in captivity.

That’s the 3 parts of our first main body paragraph complete. Here’s the finished paragraph.

discursive essay sample ielts

We now follow the same process for our second main body paragraph.

Main Body Paragraph 2

Main idea 2  – Cramped cages & unnatural environments, animals distressed.

First, we write the  topic sentence  to summarise the main idea. I started main body paragraph 1 with the phrase ‘On the one hand...’, so main body paragraph 2 will naturally begin, ‘On the other hand... .

These are great cohesive devices to use when making a direct contrast between two opposing views and they link the ideas together well. They can be used in most IELTS discussion essays and will help to earn you a good score for cohesion and coherence.

Topic sentence:

On the other hand, a significant percentage of zoos house their animals in cramped cages with very little space to move around or behave naturally.

Now for the  explanation sentence  where we expand on this idea.

Explanation sentence:

This can lead to them becoming distressed and depressed as well as suffering physically through lack of exercise.

Finally, an  example  to support this point.

A friend of mine recently visited a wildlife park while on holiday abroad and was very upset to see the lions pacing up and down in a narrow, bare pen and eagles in enclosures so small that they were unable to fly.

That’s the 3 parts of our second main body paragraph complete. Here’s the finished paragraph.

discursive essay sample ielts

Now we need a conclusion and our IELTS discussion essay is done.

How To Write a Conclusion

Conclusions to IELTS discussion essays should do two things:

  • Summarise the main points
  • State your opinion

This can generally be done in a single sentence.

If you're below the minimum 250 words after you’ve written your conclusion, you can add a prediction or recommendation statement.

Our essay currently has 231 words so we’re on target and don’t need this extra sentence but you can learn more about how to write a prediction or recommendation statement for IELTS discussion essays on the Task 2 Conclusions page.

The conclusion is the easiest sentence in the essay to write but one of the most important.

A good conclusion will:

  • Neatly end the essay
  • Link all your ideas together
  • Sum up your argument or opinion
  • Answer the question

If you achieve this, you’ll improve your score for both task achievement and cohesion and coherence which together make up 50% of the overall marks. Without a conclusion, you’ll score below band 6 for task achievement.

You can start almost any final paragraph of an IELTS discussion essay with the words:

  • In conclusion

        or

  • To conclude

Now all you need to do is briefly summarise the main ideas into one sentence.

Here’s a top tip . Go back and read the introduction to the essay because this is also a summary of the essay. It outlines what you are going to write about.

To create a great conclusion, you simply have to paraphrase the introduction. Let’s give it a go.

Introduction:

Here is the same information formed into a conclusion:

discursive essay sample ielts

That’s it. We’ve completed our essay. Here it is with the 4 paragraphs put together.

Finished IELTS discussion essay.

discursive essay sample ielts

Go through this lesson as many times as you need to in order to fully understand it and put in lots of practice writing IELTS discussion essays from past exam questions. Practice is the only way to improve your skills.

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More help with ielts discussion essays & other task 2 essays.

IELTS Writing Task 2  – T he format, the 5 question types, the 5 step essay writing strategy & sample questions. All the key information you need to know.

The 5 Types of Task 2 Essay   – How to recognise the 5 different types of Task 2 essays. 15 sample questions to study and a simple planning structure for each essay type.

Understanding Task 2 Questions  – How to quickly and easily analyse and understand IELTS Writing Task 2 questions.

How To Plan a Task 2 Essay  – Discover why essay planning is essential & learn a simple 4 step strategy, the 4 part essay structure & 4 methods of generating ideas.

How To Write a Task 2 Introduction  – Find out why a good introduction is essential. Learn how to write one using a simple 3 part strategy & discover 4 common mistakes to avoid.

How To Write Task 2 Main Body Paragraphs  – Learn the simple 3 part structure for writing great main body paragraphs and also, 3 common mistakes to avoid. 

How To Write Task 2 Conclusions  – Learn the easy way to write the perfect conclusion for a Task 2 essay. Also discover 4 common mistakes to avoid.

Task 2 Marking Criteria  – Find out how to meet the marking criteria in Task 2. See examples of good and poor answers & learn some common mistakes to avoid.

The 5 Task 2 Essay Types:

Step-by-step instructions on how to plan & write high-level essays. Model answers & common mistakes to avoid.

   Opinion Essays

   Discussion Essays

  Problem Solution Essays

  Advantages & Disadvantages Essays

  Double Question Essays

Other Related Pages

IELTS Writing Test  – Understand the format & marking criteria, know what skills are assessed & learn the difference between the Academic & General writing tests.

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  • IELTS: Writing Part 2 – How To Write A Discursive Essay

IELTS Writing Part 2 - How to write a discursive essay | Oxford House Barcelona

  • Posted on 05/02/2020
  • Categories: Blog
  • Tags: IELTS , Writing

When it comes to exams, preparation is the key to success – and the IELTS Writing Paper Part 2 is no exception! It is worth twice as much as Part 1 and is the longest part of the writing paper. So it’s important to perfect your technique before the big day.

We’ve put together some tips, examples, and useful language to help you prepare for Part 2 of the Writing Paper.

IELTS exam requirements

In both the General and the Academic papers, the IELTS Writing Task 2 requires you to write at least 250 words. You will be presented with a topic and tested on your ability to:

  • Respond by discussing it
  • Extend the ideas, giving an opinion
  • Support that opinion with reasoned arguments

Three tips to get a great mark in Part 2

1. Read the question carefully

Don’t be tempted to rush this part: identifying the topic correctly is a crucial first step.

Remember, you are required to give reasons for your answer and include relevant examples from your own knowledge. That means it’s really important that you make sure you understand the essay question fully.

2. Brainstorm ideas

Organising your ideas is an important step in the process. Before you start writing, take some time to make a short plan of what you are going to write. Think about your response to the question:

  • What are your opinions?
  • Why do you have this opinion?
  • What problems can you foresee ?
  • What solutions can you suggest?

3. Don’t write too much

The more you write, the more chances there are that you’ll make mistakes. So don’t be tempted to write a long essay. In fact, structure and coherence are more important than length when it comes to marking. A good length to aim for is around 280 words.

You get an hour to complete the two tasks in the Writing Paper, but try to dedicate at least 40 minutes to Task 2, as it is worth twice as many points as Part 1 and you need to write a longer response.

Structuring your answer

The structure of your essay is important for the development of your ideas. Have a look at how we have answered the sample question, below. As you can see, the answer follows a clear structure. Bear in mind, your essay will need to be at least 250 words long, so try to dedicate at least 40 minutes to this task.

Here’s a sample essay question :

In some countries, it is thought advisable that children begin formal education at four years old, while in others they do not have to start school until they are seven or eight. How far do you agree with either of these views?

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

Beginning your essay

In the opening paragraphs , the main idea from the question is identified and developed, so the examiner can see that you have fully understood the essay question and can give a detailed summary with examples .

In this essay, the arguments surrounding early education and the best age to start school will be discussed .

One can see that education is different all over the world. In some countries, parents are content for their children to play and explore on their own, without the help of teachers. It’s considered normal for children to learn through play and they might not go to school, formally, until they are 7 or 8 years old.

In other countries, parents focus on academic education at a much earlier age. They put their children in pre-school programmes, try to help them learn songs, write simple things at home, and play educational games with them. This helps prepare them before they start attending their first school.

Writing the essay body

The following paragraph is the main body of the essay. It explains the student’s personal approach to the question and the way that they are qualifying their opinion . It extends their ideas and supports this approach with a relevant example . Finally, it ends with a concluding sentence which leads into the final paragraph.

In my view, I think a combination of the two approaches is the best answer. Learning through play is beneficial because students have fun and don’t ever find learning to be “boring.” Evidence suggests this method can lead to a life-long love of learning too: many students who start learning in this way go on to university and continue educating themselves for their whole lives. Nevertheless, there are drawbacks to this, such as a lack of direction, which might mean some children are unprepared for school. Having a professional teacher, who makes interesting, personalised lessons and follows a syllabus can solve this issue. In this way, through teacher-directed play, students are given equal opportunities to learn together and no child is put at a significant disadvantage.

Concluding your essay

The last paragraph is the conclusion, which presents an opinion and gives final supporting arguments .

To sum up, I would argue that students benefit from having a formal education at an earlier age. However, it seems to me that teachers should make play a priority because that is how children naturally learn.

By following this structure, you’ll produce a coherent and cohesive answer to the essay question, whatever it is.

You can see another sample answer for the question above here .

Useful language

While it’s not advisable to memorise entire sentences, it is good to have a stock of phrases that you can use to join ideas and make your writing flow more naturally. Here are some examples:

In the introduction:

This essay will outline _____

This essay seeks to ______

In this essay, the arguments surrounding _____ will be discussed.

When giving examples:

As can be seen from _____

Recent studies have shown that _____

One solution proposed by____ is _____

A good example of this is _______

Evidence suggests that _______

When sharing your opinion:

It seems to me _____

In my opinion _____

In my view _____

I would argue that _____

When giving an alternative perspective:

However, there are drawbacks to this, such as _____

Another approach is _____

However, it is important to consider _____

Having said that, _____

In spite of this, _____

In the conclusion:

To sum up, _____

Overall _____

In the end _____

Can you see any of these phrases being used in our sample answer above?

Can you see any of these phrases being used in our sample answer above?  

A few final reminders

Take a few moments to plan the structure of your essay before you start writing, it will help your ideas flow.

Avoid contractions: the language of the essay should be academic and formal in tone.

Keep an eye on the clock: it’s always a good idea to leave yourself a few minutes at the end to quickly read over your answer in case of any mistakes.

Are you taking an IELTS exam soon? Feeling nervous about the writing paper? This blogpost has some top tips and useful language to help you with part 1 of the writing paper.

Glossary for Language Learners

Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.

Perfect (v): to make something perfect, to bring to its final form.

Crucial (adj): very important, essential.

Foresee (v): predict, see something before it happens.

Coherence (n): logic, intelligibility.

Fully (adv): completely.

Qualifying your opinion (exp): explaining their position, justifying.

Drawbacks (n): disadvantage.

Advisable (adj): a good idea, prudent.

adj = adjective

pv = phrasal verb

adv = adverb

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IELTS Writing Task 2: Discussion Sample Essay

2 people discussing IELTS task 2 essay

Today we’re going to look at a discussion essay IELTS sample that’s considered Band 9. This Band 9 scored essay matched the pattern for the “discussion” type of Writing Task 2 question. Discussion essays are sometimes also called “discuss both sides” essays. In this kind of essay, you will be presented with two statements of opinion that oppose each other. You will then be asked to “discuss both sides” of the debate, and to give your own opinion. For more information on this and other question types, including tips, tricks, and general advice for the discussion essay question type, see Magoosh’s full guide to IELTS Writing Task 2 question types .

Discussion Essay IELTS Sample: Band 9

The essay below is a band 9 model IELTS essay, patterned after Magoosh’s IELTS Writing Task 2 Template .

IELTS Writing Discussion Essay Practice Question

Some people seek a lot of advice from family and friends when choosing their career. Others feel it is better to choose a career more independently. Discuss both views and give your opinion. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Get a higher IELTS score? Start your online IELTS prep today with Magoosh.

Write at least 250 words.

Discussion Essay IELTS Sample Band 9 Response

Choosing a career can be a challenging process. It can be difficult to say whether this decision should be made alone, or made with input from loved ones. In my opinion, it is best to find one’s career independently, with no more than a small amount of advice from family or friends. Below, I will explain why I feel that we must ultimately face career decisions on our own.

Getting career guidance input from loved ones can be confusing rather than useful. Family and friends likely have different careers, and thus give different, conflicting advice. Suppose, for instance, that your father is a teacher, your mother is an accountant, and your best friend is a nurse. They have all made very different career decisions, and only have knowledge on their respective careers. Different people will likely only steer you to their careers, without giving good advice on your own best path.

In contrast, focusing on one’s own preferences and skills provides a clearer path to the right career. After all, individuals have the best knowledge of their own abilities and interests. As an example, if someone has gone to university to study biology, they will know more about biology careers than a family member or friend who does not have that same kind of training. Ultimately, your career must be built on your own training and experience, not the training and experience of others.

For the reasons I’ve outlined above, I really do believe that career decisions are a matter of personal knowledge. Other people, even trusted family and friends, simply cannot understand your career the way you can. To select your field of work wisely, you must face this important decision alone.

Scorer Commentary (Discussion IELTS Essay Sample, Band 9)

The score report below is based on the official IELTS Writing Task 2 rubric . This report also looks very similar to the Magoosh IELTS essay scoring service .

Overall Band Score: 9

What was done well in the essay:

  • At 283 words, this essay exceeded the 250 word minimum. (This is very important for getting full points!)
  • Each part of the task was fully addressed. Both sides of the issue were discussed in the first and second body paragraphs. Moreover, reasons and relevant examples were included.
  • Each paragraph had its own clear topic sentence and supporting details, with explanations of the details, and summarization of the most important ideas.
  • Transitional language was used to clearly tie in all paragraphs to clear main ideas from the introduction and conclusion.
  • Vocabulary and grammar were used clearly and fluently. There were no serious errors in grammar or word use; word choice and sentence structure varied and avoided significant repetition.

More Model Essays for IELTS Writing Task 2

Would you like the see model essays for the other common IELTS Writing Task 2 question types as well? Magoosh has you covered! Just click the links below.

  • Advantage/Disadvantage Essay
  • Two-Part Question Essay
  • Causes/Solutions Essay
  • Agree/Disagree Essay

David Recine

David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he’s helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. David has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His work at Magoosh has been cited in many scholarly articles , his Master’s Thesis is featured on the Reading with Pictures website, and he’s presented at the WITESOL (link to PDF) and NAFSA conferences. David has taught K-12 ESL in South Korea as well as undergraduate English and MBA-level business English at American universities. He has also trained English teachers in America, Italy, and Peru. Come join David and the Magoosh team on Youtube , Facebook , and Instagram , or connect with him via LinkedIn !

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5 responses to “IELTS Writing Task 2: Discussion Sample Essay”

Jinil Bhavsar Avatar

Contractions must be avoided because they are a sign of informal writing style. Whereas essay’s should be written in formal way.

Magoosh Expert

You are correct that contractions shouldn’t be used in the formal Task 2 essay. However, note that they can be used at times, such as in IELTS Speaking or in Task 1 if you are asked to write an informal letter.

Happy studying!

Ore Avatar

Greetings, and thank you for this model essay. I wanted to ask a question relating to the discussion essay’s addressing of the task. Since the two views are 1) Some people think it is beneficial to ask for advice from friends/loved ones, and 2) others think that it is better to do so alone, why isn’t the 2nd paragraph addressing the benefits but instead talks about how it can be confusing? Isn’t a discussion essay’s structure supposed to be something like this:

2nd paragraph: Reasons people believe asking for help to decide for a career is good 3rd paragraph: Reasons people believe doing it on your own is good Conclusion: Giving your own opinion

Thank you for your time!

Good question! The short answer is that both approaches work! The directions are simply to “discuss both views,” but you don’t have to provide support for both sides. You can also discuss the problems or issues with one side, as this essay has done. Does that make sense? I’d suggest reviewing more sample essays to get a better sense of this.

Hope this helps, and best of luck to you!

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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.

discursive essay sample ielts

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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IELTS Writing Task 2: discuss both views + give your opinion

In this guide, you'll learn how to answer IELTS writing task 2 questions that ask you to discuss both points of view before giving your opinion . This type of question is often confused with an agree/disagree question or a give your opinion question. In the latter types of questions, you can choose an opinion and generate your arguments. However, for a discuss both views + give opinion question, you have to discuss both points of view impartially before giving your own view.

In this lesson you will see IELTS writing task 2 sample question + model answer and learn:

  • how to impartially discuss the points of view
  • how to present your own point of view
  • how to give a band 9 answer

IELTS question - discuss both views + give opinion

Let's look at an example of IELTS writing task 2 question that asks you to discuss both views and give your opinion:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

It is commonly believed that nowadays main factors that affect a child's development are media, pop culture and friends. A different point of view is that family plays the most significant role.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Write at least 250 words.

Generate arguments for each point of view:

discursive essay sample ielts

First of all, you have to identify the two opinions . These are:

  • External factors have more considerable influence on a child's development.
  • The family has a greater influence on a child's development.

Next, let's brainstorm for arguments that support each side:

  • External factors have a more considerable influence on a child's development.
  • Children tend to copy the behaviour of their favourite fictional characters.
  • Children spend a lot of time with their peers.
  • Technology has an all-pervasive impact on children.
  • Parents are always present in the life of a child.
  • The younger the children are, the more malleable their character is.
  • Parents can set boundaries and have more control over their children.

Choose your point of view:

For our essay, we will agree that although external factors influence the development of a child, parents and family still have the upper hand.

Our reason: A child's choice of friends, books or music depends on the values instilled in them by their parents.

Band 9 answer structure for discuss both views + give opinion essay

Though there are many ways to structure your IELTS essay, we’ll use this time-tested band 9 essay structure:

  • Introduction
  • Body paragraph 1 – discuss the first opinion
  • Body paragraph 2 – discuss the second opinion
  • Body paragraph 3 – give your own opinion

It is often held that teachers, peers and the media have a significant influence on the life of children. While some people argue that these factors are predominant in shaping a child's future, others believe that parents impact their offspring in more critical ways. This essay will discuss both these points of view and argue in favour of the latter.

discursive essay sample ielts

On the one hand, the books children read and the music they listen to form their belief system. In other words, children tend to copy the behaviour of their favourite personality or fictional character. Moreover, when little ones work and play in groups, they are influenced by their peers. Finally, other factors, like the media, prompt children to want things regarded as fashionable. For instance, children demand toys that they see on television.

discursive essay sample ielts

On the other hand, a child's personality is malleable at a very young age, and parents are always present in their life at this stage. Also, very young children love to imitate. For example, children who come from a dysfunctional family often exhibit behavioural problems at school. An emotionally secure environment at home is critical for the child's confidence. Moreover, parents also teach children about setting boundaries.

In my opinion, children's choice of friends, books or music depends on the values instilled in them by their parents. Therefore, parents hold more substantial sway over their offspring than media, pop culture and friends circle.

In conclusion, the outside world influences the intellectual and social development of children. However, I believe that it is parents who set the stage for these developments by laying a strong foundation from a very young age.

Band 9 answer sample

(273 words)

Preparation for the IELTS Exam

IELTS Writing Task 2

Ielts writing task 2 essays.

ielts general task 1

You need to analyse the question first, find the issues in the question, plan and organise ideas, write supporting points and specific examples, paraphrase well, give a good introduction and conclusion. There is a lot to do.

If you don’t use the right approach then it will be very difficult to raise your score you need to have a good foundation of grammar and vocabulary to get to Band 7. Some people become obsessed with a Band 9, but Band 9 is quite rare in IELTS writing task 2. Most universities or companies only require Band 7 or 8.

IELTS essays are marked according to specific marking criteria set out by Cambridge, so if you know what the examiner is looking for, then you have a good chance of getting a good band score. Some students have very good English skills but are not familiar with the way IELTS essays are marked and end up losing a band score because of this.

Click here for the marking criteria in IELTS writing task 2.

5 types of essay questions in ielts writing task 2., 1. advantages and disadvantages essay 2. opinion essay 3. discussion essay 4. two-part question essay / direct question essay 5. problem solution essay / causes solution essay, model answers.

IELTS discussion essay model answer on university studies (IELTS 18 book).

IELTS discussion essay model answer on work and migration (IELTS 17 book).

IELTS discussion essay model answer on the topic of education

IELTS advantage disadvantage (outweigh) essay model answer and structures.

IELTS two-part question essay model answer on homes (IELTS 16 book)

IELTS two-part question essay model answer on owning or renting a home.

IELTS opinion essay on the role of newspapers and books in the future

Crime and punishment vocabulary with a crime essay model answer

IELTS opinion essay model answer on the topic of wealth

IELTS opinion essay model answer on ‘choice’ with structure and analysis

IELTS causes solutions essay on the topic of endangered animals (video)

7 model answers for the 5 different types of essays in IELTS

How to write a causes solution essay with a model answer

Important tips/lessons about IELTS essays

Writing an essay introduction without paraphrasing

Time management issues in your writing (video)

7 step guide to writing examples in main body paragraphs

Realistic expectations when preparing for IELTS

Why a Band 9 student was stuck at Band 6.5 in writing

IELTS Discussion essay language: Expressing others views

Complex sentences lesson: using ‘tend to’ ‘That’ clauses and modals

Words and phrases to avoid in the IELTS writing section

Balancing your opinion in an IELTS essay

3 types of advantage disadvantage essays.

The difference between a problem solution and causes solution essay

How to write effective body paragraphs in IELTS essays

How many words should be in an IELTS essay?

Video Lesson: 8 reasons why you are not getting Band 7

Setting up your personalised study plan

9 things that are stopping you from getting a Band 7

Referencing in IELTS: avoiding repetition with pronouns

Handwriting, paragraphing and using the official IELTS answer sheet

Key points about learning new vocabulary

Keeping it simple and concise in your writing

The danger of putting memorised sentences in essays

Why does this essay score Band 6?

5 things to do before writing your essay

Time management in IELTS writing

Clearing up confusion in IELTS

IELTS Grammar: how to use conjunctions in essays.

When should I write my opinion in an IELTS essay?

Step by step Guide to paraphrasing in IELTS Writing

Paraphrasing lesson 1 and practice exercise

Paraphrasing lesson 2 and practice for introductions

Paraphrasing without synonyms

Step by step guide to using cohesive devices in IELTS writing

Using personal pronouns in IELTS essays

How to write an effective conclusion

The importance of analysing an IELTS essay question

How to write a thesis statement in IELTS essays

Writing complex sentences in IELTS essays

How to think of ideas for your essay

How to write a good introduction to a problem solution essay

How to identify the 5 types of IELTS task 2 essays

IELTS writing common topics

What are the 10 most common mistakes students make with IELTS essays? Click here to find out more…

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IELTS Discussion Essay: Overview, structure and tips

In this article, the brief introduction, structure and strategy to successfully write an IELTS Discussion Essay will be mentioned in order for you to have in-depth knowledge of this type of essay.

1. IELTS Discussion Essay Overview

The format of the question for an IELTS discussion essay will be normally 2 parts: 

  • 1st part: a statement of two opposing perspectives
  • 2nd part: requirement to discuss the statement

Depending on different questions, the requirement varies in the way of wording:

  • Discuss both views and give your opinion.
  • Discuss both these views and then give your own opinion. 
  • Discuss both sides of this argument and give your own opinion.

IELTS discussion questions seem to be similar to IELTS opinion questions in the first place, but there is a key difference between the two types. While IELTS discussion essay (Discuss both views and give your opinion) asks candidates to discuss both views given and/or give your point of view, IELTS opinion essay (Do you agree or disagree?) requires you to choose between two contrasting views and support your choice with arguments.

In terms of IELTS advantages and disadvantages essay, the first part of the question will be a one-view statement only, compared to the two-opposing-view statement in the IELTS discussion essay. 

ielts discussion essay overview

2. IELTS Discussion Essay Structure

It is suggestable to write the IELTS Discussion Essay with three parts in four or five separate paragraphs:

2.1. Introduction

– Paraphrase the statement / State both views 

(e.g. It is often held that teachers, peers and the media have a significant influence on the life of children. While some people argue that these factors are predominant in shaping a child’s future, others believe that parents impact their offspring in more critical ways. )

– Thesis statement with your opinion

(e.g. This essay will discuss both these points of view and argue in favour of the latter.)

– Body paragraph 1:

  • Topic sentence: state the first view (e.g. On the one hand, the books children read and the music they listen to form their belief system.)
  • Explain the topic sentence: elaborate the first view (e.g. In other words, children tend to copy the behaviour of their favourite personality or fictional character. Moreover, when little ones work and play in groups, they are influenced by their peers. Finally, other factors, like the media, prompt children to want things regarded as fashionable.)
  • Example: support the first view with an example (optional) (e.g. For instance, children demand toys that they see on television.)
  • Brief summary of the first view (optional)

– Body paragraph 2:

  • Topic sentence: state the second view (e.g. On the other hand, a child’s personality is malleable at a very young age, and parents are always present in their life at this stage.)
  • Explain the topic sentence: elaborate the second view (e.g. On the other hand, a child’s personality is malleable at a very young age, and parents are always present in their life at this stage. Also, very young children love to imitate. An emotionally secure environment at home is critical for the child’s confidence. Moreover, parents also teach children about setting boundaries.)
  • Example: support the second view with an example (optional) (e.g. For example, children who come from a dysfunctional family often exhibit behavioural problems at school.)
  • Brief summary of the second view (optional)

– Body paragraph 3:

  • Topic sentence: state your opinion (e.g. In my opinion, children’s choice of friends, books or music depends on the values instilled in them by their parents.)
  • Explain the topic sentence: elaborate your opinion (e.g. Therefore, parents hold more substantial sway over their offspring than media, pop culture and friends circle.)
  • Example: support your opinion with an example (optional)
  • Brief summary of your opinion (optional)

>>> Practice now: IELTS Writing Practice Test

2.3. Conclusion

– Summarize the main points

(e.g. In conclusion, the outside world influences the intellectual and social development of children.)

– State your point of view

(e.g. However, I believe that it is parents who set the stage for these developments by laying a strong foundation from a very young age.)

3. IELTS Writing Task 2 Discussion Essay Strategy

3.1. analyse the ielts discussion questions.

This step should be prioritized since it decides your understanding of the question. You should analyse the IELTS Discussion question quickly by following these two points:

(e.g. It is commonly believed that nowadays main factors that affect a child’s development are media, pop culture and friends. A different point of view is that family plays the most significant role.)

  • Instructions

(e.g. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write at least 250 words.)

ielts discussion essay strategy

3.2. Make an outline

The first thing you should take action on is to decide which view you incline to. Then, you should note down what are the main points for your essay by outlining in the form of bullet points, a table, or a mindmap. 

3.3. Write a complete IELTS discussion essay

You should strictly follow the three-part structure and base on the outline prepared to write a complete IELTS discussion essay.

3.4. Check your IELTS discussion essay

Your IELTS discussion essay should be not only cohesive and coherent, but also correct with regards to grammar and spelling, so it is important to check your essay before handing in.

4. IELTS Writing Task 2 Discussion Essay Tips

  • The time limit and word count should be taken into consideration while writing your IELTS Discussion essay. You had better complete the task with the word range from 250 to 290 words in around 40 minutes.
  • You should point out clearly what your opinion is between the two opposing views instead of being in favor of both perspectives. 
  • Give detailed explanation or example to elaborate each view in the Body part. 
  • Do not just list all the reasons without any explanation or example in the body paragraphs.
  • Make use of linking words to clarify the cohesion of your IELTS discussion essay.

In short, IELTS discussion essay will be not much of a difficulty if you gain a well-rounded knowledge and practice regularly. Install our mobile app or visit IELTS Online Test website now to practice with diverse tests.

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Education in developing & rural areas – IELTS Writing Task 2 Discursive Essays

Zuhana

Updated On Nov 04, 2022

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Education in developing & rural areas – IELTS Writing Task 2 Discursive Essays

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The Essay Writing section of the IELTS Writing Module can be a difficult task for many IELTS Aspirants. Thus, it is vital that you polish your essay writing skills before attempting the IELTS.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Topic:

In developing countries, children in rural communities have less access to education. Some people believe that the problem can be solved by providing more schools and teachers, while others think that the problem can be solved by providing computers and Internet access. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. OR

Some believe that money for education should mainly be spent on better computers while others believe it would be better spent on teachers. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Band 8.0 Sample Essay 1

Limited access to education has led children in remote locations to live under poor conditions. Schools and teachers, accordingly, are believed to a long-term solution, which will guarantee a better life for disadvantaged children. However, others argue that technology is the master key to this issue. In this essay, I will discuss both these views before giving my own opinion.

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There is not any difficulty to understand why the role of schools and teachers is highly acclaimed. Unlike developed nations, many rural areas have faced a severe teacher and school shortage, leading to illiteracy among children. Therefore, erecting more schools would help rural pupils acquire new knowledge as well as social skills more easily, all of which are conducive to their mental and physical development at an early age. Apart from this, rural communities can gradually escape from poverty through far-reaching changes in education.

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On the other hand, without the help of technology, children in remote villages will have many difficulties in access to education. The reason is due to geographic barriers. Since the distance from their home to school is far, and they often go to school on foot, students often drop out. Therefore, by equipping young children with online lessons or programmes, they can self-study at home without having to go to class or being completely dependent on teachers. Also, this is a good chance for them to familiarize themselves with online education – a state of the art educational mode.

In my view, schools and technology play an equally important role in rural and remote education because both have their own values. The concerted action between these factors, therefore, will promise disadvantaged children a better studying condition.

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Band 8.0 Sample Essay 2

It is true that rural children are significantly less likely than urban children to receive adequate education opportunities and resources in developing nations. While some argue that the issue could be fully addressed by providing computers and Internet access, I personally believe that building more schools and recruiting competent teachers would be a more practical solution.

On the one hand, some individuals’ main mottos for dealing with the problem are to spread computer literacy in rural regions. Firstly, mastering computer use allows children from remote areas to compete against other candidates in the race for decent future jobs. It is mainly because a modern job will require employees to be familiar with at least some computer applications to boost their productivity at work. Secondly, the main attribute of E-learning is to offer the youth a wide range of knowledge and also the flexibility of accessing information and resources. For example, utilizing free search engines could supply users valuable and up-to-date information within few minutes. Studying via Internet also have the capacity to support children’s language development as there are numerous websites aiding in learning foreign languages.

On the other hand, children could not access a well-rounded education without dedicated teachers and renowned schools. The first reason is that spending prolonged periods in front of faceless computers screens could take away critical human interaction which is beneficial to our children. Moreover, children could be easily distracted and exposed to largely unregulated material in an unsafe environment. Secondly, it is the trust and bond between teachers and learners that creates the learning environment while virtual learning simply cannot do that. Good teachers apparently inspire our young people, promote their enthusiasm and build their self-esteem to succeed in their educational goals.

In conclusion, although computers have been helping several children to progress more quickly compared to traditional methods, teachers still have a pivotal role to play in education development.

Band 9.0 Sample Essay

It is true that a proper education is still out of reach for the children born in rural parts of developing countries. While some people suggest building more schools and sending more teachers to these areas, others would propose the provision of computers and Internet access. In my personal view, the latter seems more feasible.

On the one hand, schools and teachers are still fundamental to the objective of making education accessible to countryside students. Firstly, schools serve a number of purposes other than providing places for classes. More importantly, schools also function as meeting places for students to learn the importance of collaborating and socialising with other people, provide an ideal learning environment for further study and maintain the discipline of students through regular attendance. Secondly, owing to poor access to a systematic and constant education in the first place, students in remote areas are unlikely to study by themselves effectively. In other words, teachers are required in the learning process because they can acknowledge these students’ deficiencies and help them to solve their problems by repeating the same explanation, giving suitable exercises or even tutoring them privately.

On the other hand, I believe there are good reasons to supply these rural students with computers and Internet connection. The first reason is that these devices enable the students to pursue study programmes despite the fact that these students live in distant areas. For example, students can use the computer and the Internet to participate in webinars from universities or work with the teachers through emails. This idea would seem more feasible than sending teachers to remote regions to teach. Another reason is that the computer can be a useful learning tool with educational softwares. There are many computer programmes which contain a comprehensive course of self-study these days, so that the students can use these software applications without travelling out of their hometowns.

In conclusion, as people have their own views in how to provide education for rural students, I think that technology would offer a more plausible solution for the reasons mentioned.

Useful Expressions

  • To be out of reach for sb (preposition phrase)
  • To be fundamental to st(adjective)
  • Accessible (adjective)
  • Other than st (conjunction)
  • Function as st (verb)
  • Collaborate with sb (verb)
  • Socialise with sb (verb)
  • Discipline (noun)
  • Attendance (noun)
  • Systematic (adjective)
  • Acknowledge (verb)
  • Deficiency (noun)
  • Tutor sb(verb)
  • Distant (adjective)
  • Webinar (noun)
  • Feasible = Plausible (Adjective)
  • Learning tool (noun phrase)
  • Comprehensive (adjective)

Bonus Question:

In some developing countries, it is difficult to get good teachers to work in rural areas which can have a negative impact on the education of children in those rural communities. Why do you think good teachers do not want to work in rural areas in developing countries? What could be done to solve this problem?

Also check :

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Zuhana

Nafia Zuhana is an experienced content writer and IELTS Trainer. Currently, she is guiding students who are appearing for IELTS General and Academic exams through ieltsmaterial.com. With an 8.5 score herself, she trains and provides test takers with strategies, tips, and nuances on how to crack the IELTS Exam. She holds a degree in Master of Arts – Creative Writing, Oxford Brookes University, UK. She has worked with The Hindu for over a year as an English language trainer.

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100 IELTS Essay Questions

Below are practice IELTS essay questions and topics for writing task 2. The 100 essay questions have been used many times over the years. 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). Also see model essays and tips  for writing task 2.

Below you will find:

  • Essay Questions By Topic
  • Essay Questions by Essay Type

Please also note that my new Grammar E-book is now available in my store along with my Ideas for Essay Topics E-book and Advanced Writing Lessons. To visit store, click here: Liz’s Store

1) Common IELTS Essay Questions

IELTS practice essay questions divided by topic. These topics have been reported by IELTS students in their tests. Essay questions have been recreated as accurately as possible.

  • Art   (5 essay questions)
  • Business & Money   (17 essay questions)
  • Communication & Personality   (20 essay questions)
  • Crime & Punishment   (12 essay questions)
  • Education   (17 essay questions)
  • Environment   (12 essay questions)
  • Family & Children   (8 essay questions)
  • Food & Diet (13 essay questions)
  • Government (6 essay questions)
  • Health   (9 essay questions)
  • Housing, Buildings & Urban Planning (8 essay questions)
  • Language (6 essay questions)
  • Leisure (1 essay question)
  • Media & Advertising   (12 essay questions)
  • Reading  (5 essay questions)
  • Society   (10 essay questions)
  • Space Exploration (3 questions)
  • Sport & Exercise   (6 essay questions)
  • Technology  (6 essay questions)
  • Tourism and Travel   (11 essay questions)
  • Transport  (7 essay questions)
  • Work (17 essay questions)

2) IELTS Essay Questions by Essay Type 

There are 5 main types of essay questions in IELTS writing task 2 (opinion essays, discussion essay, advantage/disadvantage essays, solution essay and direct question essays). Click on the links below to see some sample essay questions for each type.

  • Opinion Essay Questions
  • Discussion Essay Questions
  • Solution Essay Questions
  • Direct Questions Essay Titles 
  • Advantage / Disadvantage Essay Questions

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    Home » IELTS academic task 2 » Discursive essay IELTS task 2. Writing a discursive essay can be a part of your task 2 exam, therefore you want to make sure you know how to do it to the best of your abilities.To help you get there we have created a step-by-step plan explaining how to structure your discursive essay in order to reach your target band score.

  2. IELTS Discussion Essays [Discuss Both Views/Sides]

    First of all, it is important when answering any IELTS task 2 question that you read the question carefully so that you understand it, then provide an answer that directly responds to the question, following its instructions carefully. As discussed above, you are required to do two things: 1) Discuss both views, and 2) Give your own opinion.

  3. IELTS Discussion Essay Sample Questions

    Below is a list of IELTS discussion essay sample questions for IELTS writing task 2. These are also known as two sided essays. Discussion Essay Tips. identify both sides. find supporting points for both side. only give your opinion if the task asks for it. use discussion essay language. follow a safe discussion essay model.

  4. IELTS Discussion Essays

    More Help With IELTS Discussion Essays & Other Task 2 Essays. Task 2: IELTS Writing Task 2 - T he format, the 5 question types, the 5 step essay writing strategy & sample questions. All the key information you need to know. The 5 Types of Task 2 Essay - How to recognise the 5 different types of Task 2 essays. 15 sample questions to study ...

  5. IELTS: Writing Part 2

    In both the General and the Academic papers, the IELTS Writing Task 2 requires you to write at least 250 words. You will be presented with a topic and tested on your ability to: Respond by discussing it. Extend the ideas, giving an opinion. Support that opinion with reasoned arguments.

  6. IELTS discussion essay: model answer and analysis

    IELTS discussion essay: model answer and analysis. October 15, 2017 by Ray IELTS Focus. Updated : February 2024. Below is an IELTS question for writing task 2 and my model answer. It is on the topic of Education. After analysing the question, I can see that it's about whether homework is a good idea or not in helping kids in their educational ...

  7. IELTS Writing Task 2 Discussion Sample Essay (Band 9)

    on. April 21, 2021. in. IELTS Writing Task 2: Academic & General Training. Today we're going to look at a discussion essay IELTS sample that's considered Band 9. This Band 9 scored essay matched the pattern for the "discussion" type of Writing Task 2 question. Discussion essays are sometimes also called "discuss both sides" essays.

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

    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 ...

  9. IELTS discuss both views essay

    Band 9 answer structure for discuss both views + give opinion essay. Though there are many ways to structure your IELTS essay, we'll use this time-tested band 9 essay structure: Introduction. Body paragraph 1 - discuss the first opinion. Body paragraph 2 - discuss the second opinion.

  10. 7 Model answers for IELTS writing task 2.

    7 model answers: IELTS writing task 2. Updated: February 2024. An IELTS essay is a 'discursive essay' where you may have to discuss an issue, give an opinion, explain the advantages or disadvantages, write about problems or causes of problems, and give solutions. There are 5 variations to an IELTS discursive essay.

  11. PDF Advanced Self-Access Learning Writing

    Writing Part 1 - the discursive essay Lesson summary The topic of this lesson is technology. In the lesson you will: • review the format and focus of the Writing Part 1 paper • research a topic online in English • make notes on useful ideas and vocabulary to help you write a discursive essay

  12. IELTS Writing Task 2: sample discussion essay

    Here's an example of how I write a 4-paragraph essay for "discuss and give your opinion" questions. Notice that I give my opinion in 3 places (introduction, paragraph 3, conclusion). Some people believe that studying at university or college is the best route to a successful career, while others believe that it is better to get a job straight after school. Discuss both views and give your ...

  13. PDF IELTS Academic Module preparation > Writing > Lesson 5

    In the second half of the lesson, we will take a final look at writing discursive essays. In particular, you will • review sentence re lationships that we have covered in previous lessons. • learn how to organise a good academic style paragraph. • practise writing more complex sentences.

  14. IELTS Writing: Discursive Essay IELTS Task 2

    Prepare for IELTS Online here: https://www.ieltspodcast.com/online-ielts-course/IELTS Essay Correction: https://ieltspodcast.com/essay-correction-service/IEL...

  15. How to Write an IELTS Discussion Essay?

    IELTS Discussion Essay Sample Questions with Sample Answers. Here are a few sample questions and their answers for IELTS Writing Task 2 discussion essays with a proper breakdown of them. IELTS Discussion Essay Model Answer 1. Some people believe that it is essential to learn a foreign language in school, while others believe that it is not ...

  16. IELTS Writing task 2. Free lessons for improving your essays in IELTS

    In the Academic IELTS writing exam task 2, there are 5 types of questions and each of these has a slightly different approach. IELTS essays are discursive essays and not the same type of essay you would have to write at University. There is a minimum word count of 250 words and no more than 5 body paragraphs in IELTS essays.

  17. IELTS Discussion Essay: Overview, Structure And Tips

    IELTS Discussion Essay Structure. It is suggestable to write the IELTS Discussion Essay with three parts in four or five separate paragraphs: 2.1. Introduction. - Paraphrase the statement / State both views. (e.g. It is often held that teachers, peers and the media have a significant influence on the life of children.

  18. Education in developing & rural areas

    Band 8.0 Sample Essay 1. Limited access to education has led children in remote locations to live under poor conditions. Schools and teachers, accordingly, are believed to a long-term solution, which will guarantee a better life for disadvantaged children. However, others argue that technology is the master key to this issue.

  19. IELTS Discussion Essay Model Answer

    This IELTS discussion essay sample answer is estimated at band 9. See comments below the essay for advice and tips. Completing university education is thought by some to be the best way to get a good job. On the other hand, other people think that getting experience and developing soft skills is more important. Discuss both sides and give your ...

  20. Discursive Essay

    Watch the video to get advice on answering this question: IELTS Writing Task 2 - Writing an Essay (Example 1) Watch on. This kind of question expects a response which will look at both the advantages and the disadvantages of the statement and give your opinion. It is a balanced, discursive essay. A good structure for your essay would be:

  21. IELTS General Writing Practice test

    IELTS General Writing part 2. You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. The increase in mobile phone use in recent years has transformed the way we live, communicate and do business. Mobile phones can also be the cause of social or medical problems. What forms do these problems take?

  22. IELTS Discussion Essay Video Lesson: Useful Language

    IELTS Discussion Essay Video Lesson: Useful Language. Learn expressions to use in your discussion essay for IELTS writing task 2 with this video lesson. It is important to use a variety of language to express both sides in your essay. Being able to have flexible language for giving other people's opinions is a good way to increase your ...

  23. 100 IELTS Essay Questions

    Work (17 essay questions) 2) IELTS Essay Questions by Essay Type There are 5 main types of essay questions in IELTS writing task 2 (opinion essays, discussion essay, advantage/disadvantage essays, solution essay and direct question essays). Click on the links below to see some sample essay questions for each type. Opinion Essay Questions