IELTS Writing Sample 7

Topic:

The exploration and development of safe alternatives to fossil fuels should be the most important global priority today.

To what extent do you agree and disagree?

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

Write at least 250 words


SAMPLE ANSWER:

It is true to say that fossil fuels are still our main source of energy today, and as more countries develop their industries and their economies, the scale of their use continues to grow.

However, we are now well aware of the consequences of relying on this energy source for our natural environment. Global warning and the damage to the protective ozone layer are caused by carbon dioxide and other by-products of fossil fuels. So I certainly agree that these problems are global rather than national ones. They threaten our whole planet and no action by a single country could solve them. Furthermore these problems are urgent as nobody know when our natural world will be so damaged that it will no longer be able to support us.

While some countries already use safer alternative energy sources, such as wind, water or solar power, it seems that there has not been sufficient investment in developing the technology to make such alternatives viable for all. So it should definitely be a global priority to invest in such research and development.

Of course there are other global priorities that we also need to address, such as poverty and disease. But while it may be the case that these problems are just as important as the energy problem, there is a sense that time is ticking away for our planet and any solutions to the energy issue will take some time to achieve.

So in conclusion, I would agree that finding alternatives to fossil fuels is certainly the most pressing global priority, if not the most important one for our world today.
(269 words)

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IELTS Writing Sample 6

Topic:

In recent years some countries have experienced very rapid economic development. This has resulted in much higher standards of living in urban areas but non in the countryside.

This situation may bring some problems for the country as a whole.

What are these problems?

How might they be reduced?

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

Write at least 250 words


SAMPLE ANSWER:

From the evidence of developing countries all over the world it seems inevitable that economic growth is generated in the business and industrial centres of the major cities. As a result, urban citizens have access to jobs and facilities that improve their living standards considerably. However, it is usually the case that these are not equally enjoyed by people in the countryside and this generates several problems for the countries concerned.

First of all, people from the countryside will try to move to the cities to get more employment opportunities and better access to the facilities available there. But this increase in the urban population puts great pressure on housing and services, and leads to the creates of massive slum areas where conditions may be lower than in the rural villages. These are often left under-populated and this can impact on food production and can have severe affects for people in both urban and rural areas.

Finally, as a country's economy develops, there may be an increasing sense of inequality as the towns get richer and the villages get poorer, and this may lead to more crime and even civil unrest.

The key to reducing these problems seems to lie in improving the standards of living and the facilities available in the countryside. Perhaps incentives can be offered to factories and companies to relocate; road and rail networks can be built to make such relocation possible; doctors and teachers could be required to spend part of their professional lives in rural areas, etc.

In conclusion, however, improving rural living standards requires investment and political will that is sometimes not easy to generate.
(272 words)

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IELTS Writing Sample 5

Topic:

Music is played in every society and culture in the world today.

Some people think that music brings only benefits to individuals and societies. Other, however, think that music can have a negative influence on both.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion


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

Write at least 250 words


SAMPLE ANSWER:

Generally, music is considered to be one of the most popular and ancient modes of human expression. It features largely in all histories and all cultures and indeed has been one of the main ways of passing on cultural traditions to new generations. Because of this, many people view music as a positive influence for societies. They also believe that the influence on individuals is wholly beneficial as it is a long-established way of communicating and helping us to understand the whole range of human emotion and experience in a more spiritual language than words can represent.

However, there are different kinds of music and the qualities of classical music traditions are not necessarily part of the music many people experience today. In the modern world there is a huge music industry that sells piped music to supermarkets and advertisers. We are also constantly exposed to loud, modern music from people's CD players, iPods or car radios. so the view of music today as a kind of noise pollution produced by selfish people, is also a common and negative one.

But it is difficult to think of a world without music. Certainly there is bad music that may have negative influences, particularly on the young. But people's taste in music tends to change as they get older, and it would be difficult to find someone who had no positive musical associations at all.

In conclusion, I think that music can have both positive and negative influences on people and society, but it is an integral part of human expression that we cannot really separate from our lives.
(267 words)

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IELTS Writing Sample 4

Topic:

Young people in the modern world seem to have more power and influence than any previous young generation.

Why is this case?

What impact does this have on the relationship between old and young people?

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

Write at least 250 words


SAMPLE ANSWER:

I would agree that young people today play a bigger role in society than their parents' or grandparents' generation did. This is mainly due to the large social and technological changes that have increased the experience gap between the generations. For instance, young people today are generally better educated, and because they have been trained from a young age to use computer technology, they have internet access to information in a way that was unimaginable for earlier generations.

This means that they are probably better informed than their parents or grandparents were at their age, and their hi-tech skills give them confidence in dealing with the very rapid changes in technology that are so uncomfortable for older people.

In addition, younger people are often the most affected by globalization. They follow fashions in clothes, music and social habits that are common among young people throughout the world. So they have become powerful consumers who influence big global markets today.

As a result of all these developments, relationships with older people are often difficult. Teachers and parents are no longer treated with respect, and experience is undervalued because young people think they know everything, or at least can learn about everything from the internet. In many cultures this has led to a lack of discipline in schools, family breakdowns and even serious social problems.

However, the current generation gap is the responsibility of both younger and older generations. Both have to make efforts to understand each other and a good starting point would be for families to spend more time together than they normally do today.
(264 words)

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IELTS Writing Sample 3

Topic:

Modern societies need specialists in certain fields, but not in others.

Some people therefore thing that governments should pay university fees for students who study subjects that are needed by society. Those who choose to study less relevant subjects should not receive government funding.

Would the advantages of such an educational policy outweigh the disadvantages.

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

Write at least 250 words



SAMPLE ANSWER:

In every country there are fashions among students about which subjects are the best to study at university. Sometimes the popularity of a subjects is determined by how much more a graduate could subsequently earn in that field. Or subjects that are perceived as relatively "easy" may also become popular, in spite of later difficulties of finding appropriate employment. It is up to governments to give incentives to students to choose subjects that match the need of their society.

Obviously one way to do this would be for the government to pay the fees of those choosing such subjects. The advantage would certainly be that higher numbers of students would enroll and would later fill the employment gaps.

However, the disadvantages of such a policy would be considerable. For example, the students attracted by the funding may not have any real interest in or aptitude for that subject. Such students may drop out before graduation or after working only a short time in a related job. Furthermore, funding one group of students but not others would penalize those with a genuine interest and ability for another field. Such discrimination would certainly affect the whole of higher education of the country and students would develop very negative attitudes towards going to university altogether. This would be very counter-productive for any country.

In conclusion I thing that there are many other incentives for students that could be considered, such as making courses more interesting to take, or the job rewards greater after graduation. The educational policy proposed above, however, would certainly have more long-term disadvantages than benefits for society.
(267 words)

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IELTS Writing Sample 2

Topic:

The only way to reduce the amount of traffic in cities today is by reducing the need for people to travel from home for work, education or shopping.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?


Sample Answer:

It is certainly true that today traffic in cities throughout the world has become a major problem. This is obvious from the number of vehicles on our roads and the amount of pollution they cause. Probably the traffic problem is due to individuals traveling for work, study or shopping purpose and this is evident in the rush hours we experience every morning and evening.

It is also true that today such daily commuting is not always necessary because people can do these things from home. We can see this in the options Information technology gives us today. For instance, on-line work, distance learning and shopping facilities are all available on the internet.

However, even if everyone had access to the technology and the opportunity to work from home, it is unrealistic to think that everyone would want to. Even though the technology for working, studying or shopping on-line makes this option a possibility, nevertheless it would mean people had less freedom of choice and less social contact in their lives. This would have a large impact on society as a whole.

So, in conclusion, I think that while this practice could reduce the traffic problems in our cities, it is most unlikely to be an acceptable solution. In terms of other solutions perhaps we need to think more carefully about facilitating public transport and limiting private cars in our city centre. The development of public transport that is not road-based, such as sky trains or subways, would probably be more acceptable alternative measure to reduce jams on the roads.

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IELTS Writing Sample 1

Topic:

Some people think men and women have different natural abilities that make them suitable for different types of work. Others, however, believe that both men and women can be equally suited to do any type of work.

Write at least 250 words


Sample Answer:

It is understandable that some people believe that the physical and genetic differences between men and women equip them for different activities and skills. Because women have babies, they have traditionally worked in the home in most cultures. In addition, employed women have tended to dominate the so-called "caring professions" such as teaching, nursing or social work, and this has reinforced the idea that women are particularly suited to such jobs.

However, it is very difficult to separate this notion from our cultural traditions and to arrive at any clear idea of what natural abilities belong to one or the other gender. As more and more women in different countries get jobs outside the home, it is clear that they are able to perform jobs that were traditionally only held by men. With high level of education, even the highest positions in science, politics or law, for example, can be held successfully by women. Therefore, those who claim that the sexes can do the same jobs equally seem to have a good point, especially in terms of intellectual work.


There is also increasing scientific evidence that individual differences between people may be more important than gender differences. In other words, some women may be physically stronger than some men, while some male individuals may be more sensitive, or more caring than some women.

In my opinion, only science will be able to identify what is "natural" to each gender. But in the meantime, I thing that in the modern world individual men and women can be trained to develop similar abilities. Differences in aptitude and talents are greater at the individual level than at the gender level.

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