Model IELTS 8.0

Model IELTS salary essay
The IELTS salary essay

It is sometimes said that a high salary is the most important factor in choosing a job. Do you
agree?
It is, of course, important for people to earn a sufficiently high salary to support their lifestyle. This
does not mean, however, that the salary is the only point to be taken into consideration when
choosing a job. Indeed, I would argue that there are a number of other factors that are equally
significant.
The first point to consider is why it may be a mistake to place too much emphasis on the salary. One
reason why this is so is that you may select a job that is well-paid but ultimately unsatisfying. In this
case, you may spend 8 hours a day being unhappy. Something else to be taken into account is that
highly-paid jobs tend to be stressful and involve long working hours. For instance, many doctors have
a 60 hour working week and they often suffer from burn out early in their careers and wish they had
chosen a less stressful profession.
The other point to be taken into account is how other factors may matter more than the salary when
deciding on a job. Indeed, most people would accept that the work environment is key to job
satisfaction. If you are working alongside people you like and the atmosphere in the office is positive,
you are much more likely to be satisfied in your work. Likewise, it is also critical that you actually
enjoy what you do. For example, someone who is artistic is much more likely to be happy working for
a low salary teaching art than earning a fortune as a merchant banker.
In conclusion, I would say that the salary should be only one consideration in choosing a job and that
other factors such as job satisfaction and work environment are just as important.
(296 words)
Understand the essay structure

This is a very clearly structured essay that fully answers the question. Note how simple and clear the
structure is.
Introduction: identify the question and set out main idea

question: It is, of course, important for people to earn a sufficiently high salary to support their
lifestyle.
main idea: This does not mean, however, that the salary is the only point to be taken into
consideration when choosing a job. Indeed, I would argue that there are a number of other factors
that are equally significant.
Main body 1 – reasons why depending on a high salary is not a good idea
Note how the first/topic sentence clearly sets out the point of view. This is then supported with two
reasons. This is a well-developed argument.
The first point is…

One reason why…
Something else to be taken into consideration….
Main body 2 – other factors that may be more or equally important
Note how this paragraph balances the first paragraph. The first point – The other point: the examiner
immediately sees your essay structure in the first sentence.
Note how the arguments in this paragraph are supported with examples. This is another way you
should develop paragraphs. See also how I vary the language in my examples:
if
for example
Conclusion – restate the main idea in the introduction and give examples from the body
paragraph
The conclusion is brief. That is fine. Note though how it reflects the main idea in the introduction –
completing the essay. It also uses some language from the body paragraphs to show the examiner
that it is a logical conclusion;
other factors such as job satisfaction and work environment are just as important.

IELTS international sporting events essay
This is one of my model IELTS essays lessons where you can
 read the essay

 do a vocabulary exercise
 get a full lesson on how to write the essay
Read the international sporting events essay
Many people want their country to host an international sporting event. Others believe that
international sporting events bring more problems than benefits. Discuss both views and
state your opinion.
There is frequently great competition to host international sporting events. Not everyone, however,
believes that the price involved in hosting such events is worthwhile. For me, this is an
understandable point of view and perhaps not every country should try and stage international
sporting events.
The major argument against hosting international sporting events is financial. Typically, it can cost
several million pounds to build the arenas and modernise the infrastructure so that it can cater for the
athletes and the spectators. This money, it is argued, would be better spent on welfare and education
programmes that provide direct support for the population. Indeed, some governments have incurred
so much debt through hosting the Olympic Games that they have had to reduce spending on other
social programmes.
While there is some merit in that argument, hosting sporting events does also bring significant
benefits. First among these is the honour and prestige it brings to the host country because that
country will be the centre of the sporting world for the duration of the event. For many people this is
beyond any price. More than that, if the authorities plan carefully, they can use the occasion of the
sporting event to help finance public works that benefit the whole population in the long term. For
example, the village for the athletes can be transformed into public housing and the various stadia
can be used to build a sporting legacy for future generations.
My own view is that it is an honour for a country to host a major sporting event. However, if a
government wishes to bid for an international event to be staged in its country, it should ensure it has
sufficient funds to maintain spending on other projects.
Practise using the essay vocabulary

Get the lesson on how to write it
Close Me
Understanding the essay question and thinking about essay
structure
state your opinion.
You should note that you must write about both the pros and cons of hosting international
events and give your own opinion. With this type of question it is sensible to use one topic paragraph
for the advantages and one for the disadvantages. You can then use the conclusion to (re-)state your
own opinion, which should also be clear from your introduction.
Ideas for the essay
To write the essay, you need one good reason for and against hosting sporting events. If you find it
difficult to think of ideas, it often works to use just one idea and then argue for and against it. So, for
example, in this essay, I use the idea of finance in both the for and against paragraphs. In one
paragraph, the idea is that it is waste of public money, and in the other the idea is that it could be a
good investment.
Other ideas include:
 sporting legacy for future generations (stadia and arenas)

 good for tourism and international investment
 national pride
 raise the profile of sport in the country
 improve infrastructure (new transport and housing)
 problem of debt
 hidden costs (policing etc)
 stadia are empty after the games
 need for investment in other areas (health etc)
See the essay vocabulary
state your opinion.
There is frequently great competition to host international sporting events. Not everyone, however,
believes that the price involved in hosting such events is worthwhile. For me, this is an
understandable point of view and perhaps not every country should try and stage international
sporting events.
The major argument against hosting international sporting events is financial. Typically, it can cost
several million pounds to build the arenas and modernise the infrastructure so that it can cater for the
athletes and the spectators. This money, it is argued, would be better spent on welfare and education
programmes that provide direct support for the population. Indeed, some governments have incurred
so much debt through hosting the Olympic Games that they have had to reduce spending on other
social programmes.
While there is some merit in that argument, hosting sporting events does also bring significant
benefits. First among these is the honour and prestige it brings to the host country because that
country will be the centre of the sporting world for the duration of the event. For many people this is
beyond any price. More than that, if the authorities plan carefully, they can use the occasion of the
sporting event to help finance public works that benefit the whole population in the long term. For
example, the village for the athletes can be transformed into public housing and the various stadia
can be used to build a sporting legacy for future generations.
My own view is that it is an honour for a country to host a major sporting event. However, if a
government wishes to bid for an international event to be staged in its country, it should ensure it has
sufficient funds to maintain spending on other projects.
Think about the vocabulary
Before you write the essay, you should think about the range of vocabulary you can use. The best
advice is always to try and use topic specific language. Some of this may be quite simple. That’s
good. Simple language used precisely is far better than complicated language used badly. In
my essay, I focus on the idea of finance and this allows me to use this language:
 the price
 financial
 cost several million pounds
 this money
 would be better spent on
 incur debt
 reduce spending on
 finance public works
 ensure it has sufficient funds
You also want to ensure that you have some variety of sporting language too:
 build the arenas

 the athletes and the spectators
 the Olympic games
 the centre of the sporting world
 the village for the athletes
 a sporting legacy

IELTS advertising essay
 read the essay

Read the IELTS advertising essay
Consumers are faced with increasing numbers of advertisements from competing companies.
To what extent do you think are consumers influenced by advertisements? What measures
can be taken to protect them?
In today’s material world, we are inundated with various forms of advertising. In my view, this can be
dangerous as it encourages us to spend without thinking and young people, in particular, need some
protection from it.
The first point to make is that advertising does make us spend money we do not need to. There are
nowadays so many different ways companies promote their products and services, ranging from
television commercials to simple flyers that we cannot escape it. If, for example, you watch a football
match on television, you will see the logos of the tournament sponsors. Likewise, if you watch the
latest blockbuster movie, very probably you will see a product placed in the film by some advertising
agency. The volume of this advertising means that we, as consumers, tend to be profoundly
influenced by it and buy without thinking.
It is not easy to decide how to regulate advertising. Clearly, governments ought to restrict
advertisements for harmful products such as alcohol and tobacco. They do not have the power,
however, to control other forms of advertising. This means we need to use our common sense when
we go to the shops, and ask ourselves whether we really need to make that purchase. Parents
should, however, ensure that young people are protected from too much exposure to advertising.
This can mean simply explaining that it is not in fact necessary to buy the newest Xbox, or simply
turning the television off.
My conclusion is that while we cannot escape advertising or its effects in the modern world, children
should be encouraged not to pay too much attention to it.
Practise writing the essay

Get the lesson on how to write the essay
Close Me
Reading the essay question and getting the structure right
This is one of those double questions types. It is absolutely essential that you answer both parts of
the question. One logical way to do this is use a main body paragraph for each part of the question.
So, my essay uses this structure:
Introduction: identify theme of essay and outline your position
Main body 1: answer to what extent advertising does influence us
Main body 2: answer what measures we can take to protect consumers
Conclusion: return to main theme of essay and underline your position
The benefit of this structure is that it is simple (and simple tends to be good in exam circumstances)
and coherent in that it follows a logical progression. It makes sense to talk about the influence of
advertising before discussing protection measures, and the conclusion reflects the introduction and
so tops and tails the essay.
Step 1 – getting ideas to write the essay – ask yourself questions

One problem many candidates have is finding ideas for essays. Very often, the place to get these
ideas is in the question itself. The trick is to look at the words in the question and ask yourself some
WH questions (who/where/what/why/when etc). That gives you your start, then it often works to try
and think of differences. So, for example:
numbers of advertisements: Ask yourself what different types of advertising do you know? TV

commercials/bilboards/leaflets and flyers/promotions/logos and slogans/product
placement/sponsorship
Are all these the same? Is one type more dangerous than others?
consumers: Ask yourself what different types of consumer are there? high street shoppers/online
shoppers/impulse buyers/regular customers/children/adults.
Are all these the same? Do some need more protection than others?
competing companies: Ask yourself what does this mean? It’s about the free market and
competition.
Is it possible to regulate the free market?
influenced: Ask yourself how we are influenced by advertising? Is it the same in all cases?
Which is the most dangerous form of advertising?
measures: You can ask yourself what measures need to be taken, but you can also ask yourself who
should take those measures.
Can the government regulate advertising? If they cant’t who can? The consumers themselves? Some
other body?
Step 2 – 0rganising the ideas – making your paragraphs coherent
Another common problem is that candidates have enough ideas to write an essay, but they don’t
organise them well. If you try and include all your ideas, your writing will almost certainly become
incoherent – and that’s bad for your band score. Here is how to avoid that problem:
Each paragraph is about one main idea only

Yes, that’s right – just one main idea per para. This means that you need to select what ideas you
use – if you try and use all your ideas in a 250 word essay, it is likely to become confused.
The main ideas are simple ideas – normally found in the question

Yes, this is right too. Your big (or main) ideas are simple. They are things like, “I agree with this
proposal” or “This opinion is partly right and partly wrong”. So each paragraph begins with a simple
sentence like:
The first point to make is that advertising does make us spend money we do not need to.
This means it does influence us. All you have to do now is explain why and how.Or
It is not easy to decide how to regulate advertising.
This means that controlling advertising is complex. All you have to do now is explain why that is so
and what can be done.
Others ideas are supporting ideas that explain or give examples

The key here is to see that we just need a couple of explanations of the one big idea. Looking at the
“ideas” from step I, I chose these for my first paragraph:
explanation; the most dangerous type of adverts are those that we see all the time and don’t think
about
examples: tv commercials/flyers/sponsorship/product placement
So the final paragraph looks like this:
nowadays so many different ways companies promote their products and services, ranging
from television commercials to simple flyers that we cannot escape it. If, for example, you watch a
football match on television, you will see the logos of the tournament sponsors. Likewise, if you watch
the latest blockbuster movie, very probably you will see a product placed in the film by some
advertising agency. The volume of this advertising means that we, as consumers, tend to be
profoundly influenced by it and buy without thinking.
Step 3 – paragraphs are like essays: it can better to
repeat/rephrase an idea than to give a new idea
The next point to note is that one possible paragraph structure is to repeat/rephrase your main idea
rather than give a new one. This works best in more complex paragraphs like the one above. The
main idea is:
The first point to make is that advertising does make us spend money we do not need to.
I then use a mixture of reasons and examples to explain this idea. At the end of the paragraph, I don’t
try and say something different. Rather I come back to the main idea:
The volume of this advertising means that we, as consumers, tend to be profoundly influenced by it
and buy without thinking.
This should be a familiar idea to you. It is really just using the introduction – main body –
conclusion structure of an essay for a paragraph. You wouldn’t add a new idea in the conclusion of
your essay, so why would you in a paragraph?
Read the essay again
You can read the essay and writing notes on the use of pronouns and introductions and conclusions
here.
In today’s material world, we are inundated with various forms of advertising. In my view, this can be
dangerous as it encourages us to spend without thinking and young people, in particular, need some
protection from it.
nowadays so many different ways companies promote their products and services, ranging from
television commercials to simple flyers that we cannot escape it. If, for example, you watch a football
match on television, you will see the logos of the tournament sponsors. Likewise, if you watch the
latest blockbuster movie, very probably you will see a product placed in the film by some advertising
agency. The volume of this advertising means that we, as consumers, tend to be profoundly
influenced by it and buy without thinking.
It is not easy to decide how to regulate advertising. Clearly, governments ought to restrict
advertisements for harmful products such as alcohol and tobacco. They do not have the power,
however, to control other forms of advertising. This means we need to use our commonsense when
we go to the shops, and ask ourselves whether we really need to make that purchase. Parents
should, however, ensure that young people are protected from too much exposure to advertising.
This can mean simply explaining that it is not in fact necessary to buy the newest Xbox, or simply
turning the television off.
My conclusion is that while we cannot escape advertising or its effects in the modern world, children
should be encouraged not to pay too much attention to it.
(266 words)
notes
My introduction and conclusion are both quite short: 2 sentences and 1 sentence. There are different
ways of writing introductions and conclusions. The benefit of this approach is that it allows me more
words for the main body of the essay – perhaps the most important part.
If you are writing an academic essay, it is conventional to try and not use personal pronouns unless
you need to. In this essay, I use first person, second person and third person pronouns.
I/MY
If the question asks you for your opinion, you are probably going to need to use first person pronouns
in order to answer the question. You should try and use “I”/”my” as little as possible. Here I use them
in my introduction and conclusion to show the examiner what my personal point of view is.
We
I use “we” and “ourselves” to talk more impersonally about people/consumers. This is one academic
convention and it is perfectly acceptable in IELTS.
You
Normally, in my essays I avoid using “you”. It is fairly informal and avoided in academic writing.
Some/many teachers will tell you that it is wrong to use “you” in academic essays because it is more
spoken and not written language. In IELTS, however, you can get away with this provided you use
enough more formal/written language elsewhere – this is one way IELTS is not exactly like academic
writing. My best advice: try to find another solution if you can.
He/They
In my view, perfectly acceptable. In fact, you are going to need these pronouns if you use examples.
It is better to use a pronoun rather than repeat the noun.

IELTS exams and continuous assessment essay
 read the essay

Read the exams and continuous assessment essay
Some people believe that exams are an inappropriate way of measuring students’
performance and should be replaced by continuous assessment. Do you agree or disagree
with this view?
There is some dispute whether the best method of assessing students is to use examinations or
some form of continuous assessment. This is a complex issue and my belief is that there is probably
no one method that applies to all educational systems.
There are three major arguments in favour of retaining exams. One is that they provide a clear and
objective measure of what students have learned, whereas any form of continuous assessment
is probably going to be far more subjective. An additional point is that testing tends to be an excellent
way of motivating learners to study harder and to reward the students who do best. Likewise,
examinations test the ability of students to work under pressure, and this is a vital life skill for their
later careers.
On the other hand, there are still occasions when it can be better to relieve the students of exam
pressure and to measure their abilities through continuous assessment. This is particularly the
case in lower age groups where young children can be affected negatively by stress and under-
perform in exams. It can also be argued that continuous assessment is a more effective way of
testing some subjects such as design and technology, which are more creative and less academic. A
further point is that often continuous assessment can allow teachers to reward students who work
hard, but who may be less able and not do well in more formal testing.
In conclusion, while continuous assessment may be fairer in some contexts, there are still times when
traditional exams may be more appropriate. A possible compromise would be to use both forms of
testing together, allowing teachers to reward both ability and hard work.
(280 words)

Close Me
Coherence and cohesion reviewed
Coherence is really just how readable your writing is. Your goal should be to make your writing as
clear as possible so that the examiner understands instantly what you are saying. Some tips for you
are:
1. Essay structure: Outline your position in the introduction to the essay and summarise it in the
conclusion. If you “top and tail” your essay like this, the examiner should have a clearer idea of what you are
saying in the content paragraphs and finish the essay thinking that it was well-organised.
2. Paragraph structure: start each content paragraph by explaining what the purpose of that paragraph
is: Are you arguing in favour or against? Does this paragraph add to or contradict the points made in the
previous paragraph?
3. Link your sentences: make sure that each sentence links in some way to the sentence before. This
does not just mean using words like “Furthermore”, you can also link by using words like “this” or by
explaining the sentence before.
Paragraph coherence – count the reasons why
One possible way to structure a paragraph and make it coherent is to number the arguments for or
against an idea. This is the “firstly”, “secondly”, “thirdly” paragraph. This is a useful structure for when
you get a complex question where you can think of lots of different arguments. Rather than try and
explain one complex idea, you outline 3 different ones in brief. I have two connected tips for you:
Tip 1: start your paragraph by saying that you are going to make a number of different
arguments. For example, some language you could use here is:
There are several arguments why…
There are a number of different reasons why…
There are at least three points that can be made in favour of …..
This works because the examiner now knows what is going to come next. That is coherence. Your
writing is now more readable.
Tip 2: count your arguments and vary your “counting language” , don’t just go ‘”firstly”,
“secondly”, “thirdly”. You should have seen from my example below that I “count” out the different
arguments in favour of exams. I make it easy for the examiner to see what I am doing. Coherence
again. It really helps if you use some variation in your vocabulary. It’s a very simple structure so we
want some more complex vocab. Possible language to use is:
The most important argument is…
Another point that can be made is…
A second reason why…
There is also the idea that…
The next argument is…
See an example of how it works

objective measure of what students have learned, whereas any form of continuous assessment is
probably going to be far more subjective. An additional point is that testing tends to be an excellent
later careers.
Now look at another way of doing it
On the other hand, there are still some occasions when it can be better to relieve the students of
exam pressure and to measure their abilities through continuous assessment. This is particularly the
case in lower age groups where young children can be affected negatively by stress and
underperform in exams. It can also be argued that continuous assessment is a more effective way of
Notes
You should see that this paragraph has almost exactly the same structure as the first. I have only
used rather different language.
I don’t do the counting thing in the first sentence. You want to vary your writing techniques – there are
marks for that. I do however say there are “some occasions“. This is the same idea really.
My linking language between sentences is different too. I use “This is the case” for the first idea and
then “also” and “further” for the later ideas. The structure of the writing should be obvious and this
helps make my writing clear and coherent.
Understanding the question
with this view?
This is an agree/disagree type question that asks you for your opinion. My tip is that if you get a
question of this type is to remember that there is always a 3rd way of answering it: you half agree and
you half disagree. Unless you have strong feelings about the question, I suggest this approach
because
 you can use all the arguments you can think of – both for and against
 it allows you to organise your essay in a simple way (and in IELTS simple is good)
 you can use some good cautious academic language (good for your range of grammar)
Structuring the essay – getting the content right
The question demands that you talk about both continuous assessment and exams. You will not have
answered the question fully if you only write about exams or continuous assessment. With this in
mind, the sensible choice is to use one content para for exams and another for continuous
assessment – then you are sure to cover the content. So my rough plan looks like this
intro: the answer depends on context – both exams and continuous assessment have points in their
favour
para 1: reasons why exams work (objective) (motivation to study) (preparation for life)
para 2: reasons why continuous assessment works (good for young kids) (good for skills based
subjects) (rewards hard work)
conclusion: both can work – perhaps they should be used together
A note about academic language
Simple language can be good language. There is a danger though that you make your writing too
simple. That you don’t want. One tip is to add in a little academic caution language. Done well, this
can really improve your writing, not least because you will use a greater range of grammar.
How does it work? If you find yourself writing the verb “is” or “are”, you should ask yourself the
question whether what you are writing is 100% true, or whether you want to qualify it in some way. In
my essay, this allows me to use this language:
“there is probably no one”
“major arguments”
“is probably”
“tends to be”
“This is particularly the case”
“often continuous assessment can allow teachers to”
“may be fairer in some contexts”
“a possible compromise would be”
Put together, this language helps this essay get a band score 9.0.
See more notes on the vocabulary

with this view?
There is some dispute whether the best method of assessing students is to use examinations or
some form of continuous assessment. This is a complex issue and my belief is that there is probably
no one method that applies to all educational systems.
objective measure of what students have learned, whereas any form of continuous assessment
is probably going to be far more subjective. An additional point is that testing tends to be an excellent
later careers.
On the other hand, there are still occasions when it can be better to relieve the students of exam
pressure and to measure their abilities through continuous assessment. This is particularly the
case in lower age groups where young children can be affected negatively by stress and under-
perform in exams. It can also be argued that continuous assessment is a more effective way of
In conclusion, while continuous assessment may be fairer in some contexts, there are still times when
traditional exams may be more appropriate. A possible compromise would be to use both forms of
testing together, allowing teachers to reward both ability and hard work.
(280 words)
Notes
the cautious/academic language is in red
the introduction and conclusion match each other: topping and tailing the essay to make it coherent
my second content paragraph links back to the first content paragraph by using “On the other hand”.
This phrase is probably best used to link paragraphs
Vocabulary
One problem with this essay is that you are bound to use the words “continuous assessment” and
“examination” a lot. I get some variation by using the word “test” and some good exam
collocations/phrases:
traditional exams/formal testing/exam pressure
I also use some precise educational vocabulary:
educational systems/some subjects like design and technology/academic
Other phrases to note include:
vital life skills/later careers/work under pressure
Get more sample essays

IELTS computer technology essay
 read the essay

Read the IELTS computer technology essay
We are becoming increasingly dependent on computer technology. It is used in business,
crime detection and even to fly planes. What will it be used for in future? Is this dependence
on technology a good thing or should we be suspicious of its benefits?
As we move into the twenty-first century, it is clear to see that we have become more and more
dependent on computers and information technology. This technology now reaches into almost every
area of our lives and it is easy to predict that this phenomenon is only going to grow. My personal
belief is that this presents a variety of dangers.
It is highly likely that in the future there will be comparatively few aspects of our lives that will not be
influenced by computer technology. The probability is that it will control more and more forms of
communication, transforming fields such as education and business when video-conferencing
platforms become more stable. It might even affect romance with more people forming relationships
online.
While there may be benefits to this technological revolution, there are also a number of potential
dangers. Perhaps the most serious of these would be that if people rely on computers too much for
communication, they could in fact begin to communicate less well. For example, if every member of a
family had their own computer screen and smart phone, they might speak less and less often to one
another and simply look at a screen. This would be serious because our ability to communicate is an
essential part of our humanity.
My conclusion is that the growth of computer technology is inevitable, but that this may not be
entirely positive. Just one area in which it is possible to foresee dangers is communication, and if we
are going to ensure that computers do not become a negative influence, we need to think carefully
how we use them.

Learn how to write the essay
Close Me
Thinking about the question
We are becoming increasingly dependent on computer technology. It is used in business, crime
detection and even to fly planes. What will it be used for in future? Is this dependence on technology
a good thing or should we be suspicious of its benefits?
A double question
The first point to note about the question is that there are in fact 2 questions. This is quite common in
IELTS essays and it very, very important that you answer both halves of the question or you will be
penalised heavily for Task Response.
The open question

The first question is an open question: “What will it be used for in the future?”. In a way, this is the
harder question as you need to think yourself of 2/3 areas in which computers will be used in the
future. There are a number of possibilities here, just a few are:
 education
 communication
 transport
 personal robots
You do not need to be very imaginative. There are no prizes for originality. I’d suggest you pick 2 areas and
briefly explain how they might be used in the future, perhaps contrasting what happens now.
The closed question

The second question is a “Yes/No” question. Note that you must directly provide an answer to the question.
You should also see that it is quite possible to answer it with a “Slightly” answer by saying that there are equal
benefits and dangers to computer technology. The trick to answering this question is to give a reason why for
your answer.
Making your answer coherent

I have two suggestions to make the essay coherent. The first is to make sure you explain your ideas
. This means explaining how the technology will be used in the future, rather than just listing
different areas in which it will be used in and also explaining why it may or may not be
dangerous.The second idea is to try and link your paragraphs together. One way to do this is to refer
to the same ideas about how computer technology when you write about the possible dangers.
Structuring the essay
There are 2 main possible structures for this essay. One is to write a topic paragraph about each
question and a separate conclusion. The other is to write 2 topic paragraphs about how computers
will be used in the future and then use the conclusion paragraph to answer the second question. If
you take this second approach, be sure to write a complete paragraph for your conclusion, or the
examiner may think you have not answered the question fully.
Grammar and vocabulary

This question asks you to write about the future. Be sure to try and vary your future language. It is
important to use different structures to get a good band score; it is not enough just to avoid
mistakes.You also want to try and avoid using the word “computer” all the time and try and find some
varied vocab.
 See my lesson on futures to get some ideas for grammar

 See my lesson on technology vocabulary for words
Read the essay notes
Here is my sample essay with notes.
online.
how we use them.
(273 words)
Varying vocabulary
influence/affect/control are 3 similar words. See how I vary my vocabulary, rather than just repeating
the same word.
Being academic
This essay is quite academic in tone. This is because I do not always use “is” and “will”. Rather I
choose to lots of modal verbs such as would, might and may.
Matching the introduction and conclusion
The essay is extremely coherent. Part of the way I achieve this is by matching my introduction and
conclusion. This is an easy trick to learn and will certainly help your essay writing.

Get more model essay lessons
Read more: IELTS computer technology essay | http://www.dcielts.com/ielts-essays/computers-the-

future/#ixzz3crFYYfed
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IELTS computer technology essay
 read the essay

Read the IELTS computer technology essay
We are becoming increasingly dependent on computer technology. It is used in business,
crime detection and even to fly planes. What will it be used for in future? Is this dependence
on technology a good thing or should we be suspicious of its benefits?
online.
how we use them.

Close Me
We are becoming increasingly dependent on computer technology. It is used in business, crime
detection and even to fly planes. What will it be used for in future? Is this dependence on technology
a good thing or should we be suspicious of its benefits?
A double question
The first point to note about the question is that there are in fact 2 questions. This is quite common in
IELTS essays and it very, very important that you answer both halves of the question or you will be
penalised heavily for Task Response.
The open question
The first question is an open question: “What will it be used for in the future?”. In a way, this is the
harder question as you need to think yourself of 2/3 areas in which computers will be used in the
future. There are a number of possibilities here, just a few are:
 education
 communication
 transport
 personal robots
You do not need to be very imaginative. There are no prizes for originality. I’d suggest you pick 2 areas and
briefly explain how they might be used in the future, perhaps contrasting what happens now.
The closed question

The second question is a “Yes/No” question. Note that you must directly provide an answer to the question.
You should also see that it is quite possible to answer it with a “Slightly” answer by saying that there are equal
benefits and dangers to computer technology. The trick to answering this question is to give a reason why for
your answer.
Making your answer coherent

I have two suggestions to make the essay coherent. The first is to make sure you explain your ideas
. This means explaining how the technology will be used in the future, rather than just listing
different areas in which it will be used in and also explaining why it may or may not be
dangerous.The second idea is to try and link your paragraphs together. One way to do this is to refer
to the same ideas about how computer technology when you write about the possible dangers.
There are 2 main possible structures for this essay. One is to write a topic paragraph about each
question and a separate conclusion. The other is to write 2 topic paragraphs about how computers
will be used in the future and then use the conclusion paragraph to answer the second question. If
you take this second approach, be sure to write a complete paragraph for your conclusion, or the
examiner may think you have not answered the question fully.
Grammar and vocabulary

This question asks you to write about the future. Be sure to try and vary your future language. It is
important to use different structures to get a good band score; it is not enough just to avoid
mistakes.You also want to try and avoid using the word “computer” all the time and try and find some
varied vocab.
 See my lesson on futures to get some ideas for grammar

 See my lesson on technology vocabulary for words
Read the essay notes
Here is my sample essay with notes.
online.
how we use them.
(273 words)
Varying vocabulary
influence/affect/control are 3 similar words. See how I vary my vocabulary, rather than just repeating
the same word.
Being academic
This essay is quite academic in tone. This is because I do not always use “is” and “will”. Rather I
choose to lots of modal verbs such as would, might and may.
Matching the introduction and conclusion
The essay is extremely coherent. Part of the way I achieve this is by matching my introduction and
conclusion. This is an easy trick to learn and will certainly help your essay writing.

Get more model essay lessons
Read more: IELTS computer technology essay | http://www.dcielts.com/ielts-essays/computers-the-

future/#ixzz3crFYYfed
IELTS youth crime essay
This is one of my model IELTS essays lessons. You can
 read the essay

The youth crime essay
In recent years, there has been a considerable rise in crimes committed by young people in
cities.
What has caused this? What solutions can you suggest?
The rise of crime among young people is an urgent problem in many cities that needs to be
addressed. However, in order to find a solution, it is first of all necessary to understand what has led
to this happening. In this essay, I first of all examine the reasons for the rise in youth crime, then I
suggest how this problem may be resolved.
Perhaps the principal cause of this rise in youth crime is the increased use of drugs and alcohol
among young people. Many cities suffer from the phenomenon of binge drinking by teenagers who
lose control under the influence of alcohol and commit crimes. For instance, it is a common sight on
the streets of Britain to see fights breaking out outside pubs and clubs. Similarly, there is a clear
connection between drug abuse among the young and crime. It is still unfortunately the case that
young people frequently see drugs as cool and become addicted. It is a common occurrence for
these addicts to resort to petty theft in order to pay for their habit.
There are a variety of potential ways of combatting this problem. One possibility that is sometimes
suggested is a much stricter system of penalties and punishments to deter young people from a life of
crime. That might work, but it would also be sensible to improve the system of education so
that young people were better informed about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. This should have the
effect of dealing with the issues that cause youth crime in the first place.
In conclusion, alcohol and drug abuse are among the primary reasons for the rise in young offenders
and if the authorities wish to tackle youth crime, one approach would be to educate the young more
effectively.
Practise writing the essay

Close Me
Thinking about functional and not just topic vocabulary
There is a skill in reading IELTS essay questions. One step is to see that you need to use particular
vocabulary to write the essay. The next step is to see that not all the vocabulary you need is topic
vocabulary. That is what this lesson is really about – a large part of the vocabulary you need in your
essays is not about the topic of the essay itself.
Read and understand the question – finding the vocabulary you

need
You should see that as you read this youth crime essay question that it does not simply ask you
about crime and young people, it also asks you about: causes, solutions,
explanations and suggestions. These are the areas where a good range of functional vocabulary
will help you.
In recent years, there has been a considerable rise in crimes committed by young people in cities.
What has caused this? What solutions can you suggest?
Topic vocabulary
One obvious area is topic vocabulary. Here we have:
 crime
 young people
 cities
More functional vocabulary
What other language do you need? Sometimes it can be easy to forget this part.
 Problem/solution vocabulary: the question asks you to discuss a problem.

 Cause and effect vocabulary: you need to think about why it is happening
 Explanation vocabulary: you are asked to explain something.
 Suggestion vocabulary: again, you are asked to make suggestions.
The big idea – vary the vocabulary you use
Once you have identified what types of vocabulary you need, the next step is to understand that you
want to vary the language you use. That much is clear. It is worth understanding that there are
different ways to do this:
1. Changing the word itself

One obvious thing to do is just change the word you use. For example, all these words are related
and can be used to discuss causes:
 cause
 effect
 result
 reason
 lead to
2. Varying your word combinations
A slightly different idea is to keep the main word, but change the words you use with it. This can be a
sensible approach as keeping the same word is good for cohesion, while changing the combinations
helps show off your range of vocab. For example, all these phrases use “problem” in different ways:
 a pressing problem
 an urgent problem
 deal with a problem
 a problematic situation
Look at my IELTS youth crime essay and see how I use this vocabulary
When I say “look at”, I really mean look. I have highlighted the different functional language in
different colours. You should see these words are a huge part of the essay:
The rise of crime among young people is an urgent problem in many cities that needs to be
addressed. However, in order to find a solution, it is first of all necessary to understand what has
led to this happening. In this essay, I first of all examine the reasons for the rise in youth crime,
then I suggest how this problem may be resolved.
Perhaps the principal cause of this rise in youth crime is the increased use of drugs and alcohol
among young people. Many cities suffer from the phenomenon of binge drinking by teenagers who
lose control under the influence of alcohol and commit crimes. For instance, it is a common sight on
the streets of Britain to see fights breaking out outside pubs and clubs. Similarly, there is a clear
connection between drug abuse among the young and crime. It is still unfortunately the case that
young people frequently see drugs as cool and become addicted. It is a common occurrence for
these addicts to resort to petty theft in order to pay for their habit.
There are a variety of potential ways of combatting this problem. One possibility that is
sometimes suggested is a much stricter system of penalties and punishments to deter young
people from a life of crime. That might work, but it would also be sensible to improve the system of
education so that young people were better informed about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. This
should have the effect of dealing with the issues that cause youth crime in the first place.
In conclusion, alcohol and drug abuse are among the primary reasons for the rise in young
offenders and if the authorities wish to tackle youth crime, one approach would be to educate the
young more effectively.
Notes on vocabulary
Problem/solution
an urgent problem… to be addressed
find a solution
how this problem may be resolved
combatting this problem
dealing with the issues
to tackle youth crime
Cause and effect

has led to
the primary reasons for
the reasons for
the principal cause of
a clear connection between
have the effect of

issues that cause youth crime
the primary reasons for
Explanation
examine the reasons
Perhaps
Suggestions
then I suggest how
There are a variety of potential ways of
One possibility that is sometimes suggested is
it would also be sensible to
“Crime” words
I haven’t highlighted these in the essay, but you might want to look at:
fights breaking out
binge drinking (not a crime really)
petty theft
life of crime
drug abuse
addicted
their habit
An exercise and different ideas for the essay

There are of course different approaches to this essay. I decided to focus on the link between crime
and young people’s use of drugs and alcohol. Two other ideas I didn’t include were
 poverty – does poverty lead to crime

 families – should families be more responsible in the way they bring up children
The exercise is just to write one paragraph about what causes crime among young people and to try
and use a variety of the cause and effect language in my essay. It sometimes help to focus on one
thing at a time, so you need not write the whole essay.
Find all my sample essays
IELTS globalisation essay

 read the essay

Read the IELTS globalisation essay
Differences between countries become less evident each year. Nowadays, all over the world
people share the same fashions, advertising, brands, eating habits and TV channels. Do the
advantages outweigh the disadvantages of this?
It is undoubtedly the case that the world today has become a global village. One of the effects of this
is that increasingly people in all corners of the world are exposed to similar services and products and
adopt similar habits. My view is that this is largely a beneficial process and in this essay I will explain
why.
The first point to make is that there are some downsides to this process of cultural globalisation, but
these are relatively minor. The most significant of these disadvantages is that it can weaken national
culture and traditions. For example, if people watch films and television programmes produced in the
United States, sometimes they adopt aspects of the lifestyle of the American characters they see on
television. Typically, however, this only affects minor details such as clothing and does not seriously
threaten national identity.
When we turn to the other side of the argument, there are two major points to make in favour of this
process. The first of these is that the more we share habits, products and services, the better we
understand each other and this reduces prejudice against other nations. The other point relates to
modernity. It is a sign of progress in a society that people no longer are restricted to brands and
advertisements from their own society but are able to access more international goods. If, for
example, there were unable to drink Coca Cola or wear Nike, then that would mean their society was
not part of the international community.
In conclusion, I understand the point of view of people who worry about cultural globalisation because
it is a threat to national traditions. However, this is outweighed by its positive impact on international
understanding and the fact that it represents progress within a society.

Close Me
The question
Differences between countries become less evident each year. Nowadays, all over the world
people share the same fashions, advertising, brands, eating habits and TV channels. Do the
advantages outweigh the disadvantages of this?
Focussing on the topic
This question clearly is about the process of globalisation and whether it is a good or a bad thing.
However, you need to be careful not to just write a general globalisation essay. Globalisation is a big
idea and can refer to many different things. Here the question asks you to focus on the concepts
such as fashion, brands, eating habits and television. This means that you need to refer to these
concepts in your essay and not, for example, simply write about financial or commercial globalisation.
Consider both sides of the issue
You should also note that you need to write about both sides of this issue. It would be a mistake to
write only about the disadvantages or advantages because of the way the question is worded. You
can only say if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages if you consider both.

The logical approach here is to write one paragraph about advantages and another about
disadvantages. Personally, I prefer to write about the opinion I disagree with first. You may choose to
do it the other way around.
Balance and making your essay coherent

Thinking about balance is one excellent way to make your writing more coherent. The general idea is
that the more balanced your essay is, the better it links together. This can work in different ways:
1. essay structure – linking the introduction and the conclusion

2. paragraphs – balancing any ideas with explanations and examples
3. vocabulary – repeating or reflecting vocabulary
1. Balancing your essay structure
the introduction and the conclusion should match: you outline your position in the introduction
and the conclusion repeats that position and adds the main ideas you have introduced in the main
body paragraphs of the essay.
the main body paragraphs should match: you want to make sure that each paragraph is clearly
about one main idea that relates to the question. Here, this should be quite easy. The main ideas are:
cultural globalisation is a good thing
cultural globalisation is a bad thing
These ideas obviously balance each other and relate to the main question. All you need to do is find
reasons and examples to support those ideas.
The top tip here is to try and make the first sentence of each content paragraph reflect/balance the
language of the the previous paragraph. This makes the argument of your essay much easier to
follow and so more coherent. So, for example, if you start one paragraph with:
There are several reasons to argue that this form of cultural globalisation has had negative
consequences for society.
The next should begin with a sentence that reflects/balances that sentence so that the
reader/examiner can understand how the two paragraphs link together:
There are, however, also arguments that that the positive effects of this globalisation are more
significant.
In this way, the structure of your argument and the coherence of your essay is immediately obvious.
This is the intelligent way of writing “Firstly,” “Secondly”.
2. A balanced paragraph structure

The main idea here is that when you write your paragraphs, you do not just include “ideas”. If you
have too many ideas, it is likely that your essay will become confusing to read. What you want to try
and do is balance every idea with an explanation and/or an example. The benefit of this is that you
can develop one idea coherently.
A top tip here is that you want to start off with a very general point and then become more detailed
with each sentence. This allows the reader/examiner to follow your train of thought.
There are a number of ways in which this form of globalisation has had negative effects on society.
[Very general statement]. Perhaps the most significant of these is how there is now far less
diversity than before and that this has also lowered satndards. [more complex explanation]. A good
example here is how one of the most popular meals in the world is McDonalds’ Happy Meal, a dish
that cannot compare to any of the national dishes it has replaced, such as a curry in India or a hotpot
in China. [balanced by a simple example]
3. Balancing your vocabulary
Another form of balance you want to consider is repeating or reflecting vocabulary in your essay. The
idea here is that if you keep on changing your words, it can make you essay harder to follow. There
are 3 separate ways in which you can do this:
1. repeating words
2. changing the form of the word
3. using a synonym or similar phrase
There are a number of positive aspects to this form of cultural globalisation. One
such aspect [repeated word] is how the “new” goods and services generally make out lives
more convenient and have improved our quality of life. For example, fast food chains such as
McDonalds provide us with convenience [change of word form] food that is much better adapted
to the pace of modern life. Indeed, few people nowadays can find the time to sit down [a phrase with
the same general meaning]and have a traditional meal in the middle of the day.
It is undoubtedly the case that the world today has become a global village. One of the effects of this
is that increasingly people in all corners of the world are exposed to similar services and products and
adopt similar habits. My view is that this is largely a beneficial process [personal opinion balanced
by the opinion in the conclusion]and in this essay I will explain why.
The first point to make is that there are some downsides to this process of cultural globalisation, but
these are relatively minor. The most significant of these disadvantages [balances/reflects
downsides in the previous sentence]is that it can weaken national culture and traditions. For
example, if people watch films and television programmes produced in the United States, sometimes
they adopt aspects of the lifestyle of the American characters they see on television. Typically,
however, this only affects minor details such as clothing and does not seriously threaten national
identity. [an example and explanation that balance and develop the main idea of the paragraph
that globalisation weakens national culture]
When we turn to the other side of the argument, there are two major points to make [balances the
language of the first paragraph – the structure is clear] in favour of this process. The first of these
is that the more we share habits, products and services, the better we understand each other and this
reduces prejudice against other nations. The other point relates to modernity. It is a sign
ofprogress [balances/reflects modernity in the previous sentence] in a society that people no
longer are restricted to brands and advertisements from their own society but are able to access more
international goods. If, for example, there were unable to drink Coca Cola or wear Nike, [two famous
brands, reflecting/balancing brands in the previous sentence] then that would mean
theirsociety [repeated language] was not part of the international community.
In conclusion, I understand the point of view of people who worry about cultural globalisation because
it is a threat to national traditions [summary of first paragraph]. However, this is outweighed by its
positive impact on international understanding and the fact that it represents progress within a
society [summary of second paragraph].
Get more sample essays and exercises
IELTS traffic essay
 read the essay

Read the IELTS traffic essay
In cities and towns all over the world the high volume of traffic is a problem. What are the
causes of this and what actions can be taken to solve this problem?
It is undoubtedly the case that urban areas around the world increasingly suffer from congestion. In
this essay, I examine the reasons for this trend and suggest some practical
policies the authorities could implement to reduce the level of traffic in our cities.
The first step is to understand why traffic has increased in towns and cities. Broadly speaking, there
are three main reasons for this. One is that cars have become more affordable for the
average consumer and they are no longer a luxury item, but something that most families expect to
own. A second reason is that public transport has become increasingly unreliable in recent years, not
least because many bus and train services have been reduced because of the difficulty
in funding them. The third reason is that society has in general become more mobile and this means
more people are prepared to commute to work by car than they were before.
There is almost certainly no one solution to this problem given the complexity of its causes.

However, one option has to be to improve the reliability of public transport to encourage people
to take the bus or the train rather than get in the car. It would also be possible to discourage people
from driving to work by introducing special tariffs for using the roads, especially during
peak periods. A successful example of this is the congestion charge scheme in London which has
certainly reduced the level of trafficin inner-city areas.
In conclusion, there are a variety of different factors that have led to rising levels of traffic in urban
areas. While it may not be possible to find a complete solution, any action should
probably involve encouraging greater use of public transport and making it more expensive for the
motorist to drive in urban areas.
Practise using the essay language

Do a lesson to help you write it
Close Me
In this lesson you will find guidance on:
 structuring the essay so that you answer the question fully

 getting ideas for the essay
 organising your paragraphs
 choosing the right vocabulary
There are also two vocabulary exercises to help you write the essay yourself.
Getting the essay question right

In cities and towns all over the world the high volume of traffic is a problem. What are the
causes of this and what actions can be taken to solve this problem?
This is a “double question” question. The one point to focus on here is to make sure that you answer
both halves of the question throughout the essay. This means that you want to identify both halves of
the question in your introduction and your conclusion.
Essay structure
With this type of essay question with a double question, the natural structure is to deal with each
question in a content separate paragraph – dealing with the causes and the policies separately. It is
often quite hard to summarise your position quickly in relation to two question and so it can make
sense to just say that you are going to discuss the questions in the introduction as opposed to stating
your position to both of them. You do want to make sure, however, that your conclusion does
summarise your main points.
A key tip here is to make sure that you use the introduction, topic sentences and the
conclusion to form the spine of your essay. Just reading those should be enough to tell the reader
what it is about.
Introduction
Here you can see the situation behind the question/the topic is identified in red. While in the next
sentence, it is clear that the essay is going to look at both the causes of and solutions to this problem
(blue and green)
this essay, I examine the reasons for this trend and suggest some practical policies the authorities
could implement to reduce the level of traffic in our cities.
Content 1
The first two sentences clearly link back to the introduction and outline what the paragraph is going to
be about. Here I choose to use two quick and short sentences, rather than one long one. Clarity is
the main goal here.
are three main reasons for this.
Content 2
Again, I use a quick short sentence to start that clearly links back to the introduction. The goal is to
make my structure clear, I don’t worry about introducing details of my argument in my first sentence.
Conclusion
My conclusion is split into two halves to make sure I answer both halves of the question. It also
borrows some language from the introduction to improve coherence. I choose to add more detail
about the solutions as this neatly links back to the second of my topic paragraphs.
In conclusion, there are a variety of different factors that have led to rising levels of traffic in urban
areas. While it may not be possible to find a complete solution, any action should probably involve
encouraging greater use of public transport and making it more expensive for the motorist to drive in
urban areas.
Ideas for the essay
Here are some possible ideas for the essay. You should note that I have not used all these ideas in
my own essay. The idea is to select those ideas that work best for you – meaning those that you can
expand with reasons and examples. A top tip is NOT to include ALL your ideas.
More cars
 cars are more affordable than ever before
 cars have become a status symbol
 people need cars to commute to work
 people do not share car journeys
 improved road networks make it easier to travel
 many families now own two cars (both husband and wife work)
 public transport is inconvenient
 public transport is unavailable in some areas
Solutions
 improve public transport by adding more bus routes
 give incentives to drivers to share journeys
 add more cycle routes
 put tariffs on using roads in peak periods
 advertising campaigns to highlight negatives of using cars
 have more pedestrianised areas in towns to prevent cars from entering them
Structuring your paragraphs when you have more than one idea
When you have a number of different ideas to include in one paragraph, you probably want to choose
a “listing paragraph” structure. The way to do this is simply to start your paragraph by saying that it
will include a number of related points. This way it is clear to the examiner what you are saying. So in
this example it is clear that I have three things to say about why traffic has increased in cities.
are three main reasons for this. One is that cars have become more affordable for the average
consumer and they are no longer a luxury item, but something that most families expect to own. A
second reason is that public transport has become increasingly unreliable in recent years, not least
because many bus and train services have been reduced because of the difficulty in funding
them. The third reason is that society has in general become more mobile and this means more
people are prepared to commute to work by car than they were before.
If this appears “too simple” for you. You can also look at the structure of my second topic paragraph
where I also use more than one reason. The pattern is much the same though. I start by saying that
there is more than one point I wish to make.You may want to notice how “also” is a natural linking
word.
However, one option has to be to improve the reliability of public transport to encourage people to
take the bus or the train rather than get in the car. It would also be possible to discourage people from
driving to work by introducing special tariffs for using the roads, especially during peak periods. A
successful example of this is the congestion charge scheme in London which has certainly reduced
the level of traffic in inner-city areas.
Vocabulary
Academic vocabulary
Almost certainly the most useful vocab to focus on in IELTS essays comes from the academic word
list. These are words that can be used in ANY essay and the idea is that IELTS essays should be
formal in language.
this essay, I examine the reasons for this trend and suggest some
practical policies the authorities could implement to reduce the level of traffic in our cities.
are three main reasons for this. One is that cars have become more affordable for the
own. A second reason is that public transport has become increasingly unreliable in recent years,
not least because many bus and train services have been reduced because of the difficulty
in funding them. The third reason is that society has in general become more mobile and this means
more people are prepared to commute to work by car than they were before.
However, one option has to be to improve the reliability of public transport to encourage people to
take the bus or the train rather than get in the car. It would also be possible to discourage people from
driving to work by introducing special tariffs for using the roads, especially during peak periods. A
successful example of this is the congestion charge scheme in London which has certainly reduced
the level of traffic in inner-city areas.
In conclusion, there are a variety of different factors that have led to rising levels of traffic in
urban areas. While it may not be possible to find a complete solution, any action should
Topic vocabulary
You also want, however, to use a good range of topic vocabulary. Here the vocabulary you want falls
into these areas:
 transport
 cities
 problem/solution
 cause
 general academic language
You should see in the essay that I both vary and repeat language. Varying language is good for range
of vocabulary, repetition is good for cohesion.
this essay, I examine the reasons for this trend and suggest some practical
policies the authorities could implement to reduce the level of traffic in our cities.
The first step is to understand why traffic has increased in towns and cities. Broadly speaking,
there are three main reasons for this. One is that cars have become more affordable for the
own. A second reason is that public transport has become increasingly unreliable in recent years,
not least because many bus and train services have been reduced because of the difficulty
in funding them. The third reason is that society has in general become more mobile and this
means more people are prepared to commute to work by car than they were before.
However, one option has to be to improve the reliability of public transport to encourage people
to take the bus or the train rather than get in the car. It would also be possible to discourage
people from driving to work by introducing special tariffs for using the roads, especially during
peakperiods. A successful example of this is the congestion charge scheme in London which has
certainly reduced the level of traffic in inner-city areas.
In conclusion, there are a variety of different factors that have led to rising levels of traffic in
urban areas. While it may not be possible to find a complete solution, any action should
More related lessons
Read more: IELTS traffic essay | http://www.dcielts.com/ielts-essays/sample-ielts-essay-city-traffic/

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IELTS factory farms essay
 read the essay

Read the IELTS factory farms essay
In recent years, farming practice has changed to include methods such as factory farming and
the use of technology to improve crops. Some people believe these developments are
necessary, while others regard them as dangerous and advocate a return to more traditional
farming methods. Discuss both points of view and give your own opinion.
There is some controversy about how farming has been revolutionised in the past decades. While it is
possible to claim that the net effect of these changes has been for the benefit of mankind, my view is
that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. In this essay, I shall explain my point of view by
analysing both sides of the argument.
There are several reasons why these innovations in agriculture can be said to be positive. One is that
the world’s population has exploded within the past century and that traditional methods of agriculture
could not provide sufficient food for everyone. It can also be argued that we need more efficient
methods of farming because many countries in Asia and Africa suffer regular famine and droughts
and the people would starve if it was not for genetically modified crops that are drought resistant. It
should also not be forgotten that the quality of life of farmers has been improved by these advances
which are less labour intensive.
Those who argue for a return to smaller scale and more organic farming base their arguments on the
impact of agriculture on health and the environment. Firstly, it is claimed that a variety of diseases
such as BSE, swine flu and bird flu were caused by conditions in factory farms and that organic food
is much healthier. Then, there are concerns about the lack of research into how genetically modified
crops might affect the ecosystem for the worse.
While there are strong arguments on both sides of the case, my personal belief is that the long-term
dangers of these developments mean that we should be extremely cautious. I suggest that there
should be more investment in traditional farming methods to make them more efficient and that there
should be stronger legislation to ensure that both factory farms and GM crops are safe.

Close Me
The essay question and the essay structure
In recent years, farming practice has changed to include methods such as factory farming and
the use of technology to improve crops. Some people believe these developments are
necessary, while others regard them as dangerous and advocate a return to more traditional
farming methods. Discuss both points of view and give your own opinion.
This type of question asks you to do two different things. You must:
1. discuss both sides of the issue

2. give your own opinion
The logical approach is to use this structure:
1. introduction identifying the issue and making your opinion clear

2. one paragraph about why people believe the new developments are positive
3. one paragraph about why other people disagree
4. a conclusion stating your own opinion
You should note that in this form of essay the conclusion is “heavier” than in an essay where you just use the
conclusion to summarise the main points in the content paragraphs. Here, you are going to add content by
explaining the opinion you outlined in the introduction.
Ideas for the essay

There are a number of possible ideas for this essay. In favour of new methods of farming, you can
consider:
1. recent growth in population requires more food

2. some countries suffer from famine from lack of water/drought
3. genetically modified crops are more “efficient” than traditional crops
4. new methods of farming are less labour intensive
In favour of more traditional methods, you can say:
1. there are problems with health connected to factory farming

2. factory farms are cruel to animals
3. the long-terms effects of genetically modified crops on the environment are unknown
Use a “listing” paragraph structure
When you have an essay topic for which you have a lot of connected ideas, it is possible to use a
listing paragraph structure where you list all the arguments in favour of the main idea.
How to do it
In your first sentence you state that there are different ideas to support the main point. Then you
begin each sentence with “listing” words such as “Firstly”, “Secondly”. To see how to do this, look at
this paragraph:
There are several reasons why these innovations in agriculture can be said to positive. One is
that the world’s population has exploded within the past century and that traditional methods of
agriculture could not provide sufficient food for everyone. It can also be argued that we need more
efficient methods of farming because many countries in Asia and Africa suffer regular famine and
droughts and the people would starve if it was not for genetically modified crops that are drought
resistant. It should also not be forgotten that the quality of life of farmers has been improved by these
advances which are less labour intensive.
You should note that the key word here is “also” – a simple but effective way of listing ideas.

Understand the structure of the essay
One way to understand this essay is to see how it uses “structural” phrases. These are phrases that
you can borrow and use in your own essays on different topics. Use phrases like these and almost a
third of your essay is written before you reach the exam.
You should notice how each sentence of the essay begins with a phrase that tells the reader what
that sentence is about. This is excellent for coherence and cohesion. Each sentence links into the
next.
Introduction
There is some controversy about______________. While it is possible to claim
that______________ , my view is that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. In this essay, I
shall explain my point of view by analysing both sides of the argument.
Para 1
There are several reasons why ______________________. One is that
___________________________. It can also be argued that we ___________________. It should
also not be forgotten that___________________________________.
Para 2
Those who argue for _______________________________. Firstly, it is claimed that
___________________________________. Then, there are concerns about
______________________________.
Conclusion
While there are strong arguments on both sides of the case, my personal belief is that
______________________. I suggest that __________________________________.
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Sample IELTS refugees essay
 read the essay

Read the IELTS refugees essay
One of the major problems facing the world today is the growing number of refugees. The
developed nations in the world should tackle this problem by taking in more refugees. To what
extent do you agree with this opinion?
There is little doubt that the issue of refugees is a global problem. While it most immediately affects
developing nations, there is a strong argument that industrialised countries should help by allowing
higher levels of immigration. This is certainly not an easy issue though, because historically
immigration has caused as many problems as it solves.
The principal reason why developed nations should help is that we now live in a global village and it is
no longer possible to ignore what happens on the other side of the world. This is partly a moral issue
and partly because it is in the economic self-interest of industrialised nations to ensure that
developing nations continue to progress. A practical way of achieving this would be to accept more
immigration, particularly when it is caused by natural disasters or civil war.
I would argue, however, that this is not an open and shut case, as there is a negative side to mass
immigration. The multi-cultural experiments in Europe have not always succeeded and immigrants
have often suffered badly from racism and other prejudices. On a practical level, refugees are
sometimes better off receiving aid in their native land than begging on the streets in a country where
they cannot speak the language. Many so-called economic migrants end up returning to the country
of their birth.
My personal conclusion is that developed nations should agree to take in more refugees, but only in
restricted numbers and in extreme cases. I also believe that there needs to be a global effort to
provide aid to solve the problems that cause emigration. Prevention is as they say better than cure.

Close Me
Understanding the question
One of the major problems facing the world today is the growing number of refugees. The
developed nations in the world should tackle this problem by taking in more refugees. To what
extent do you agree with this opinion?
This is a proposal type question where you are given a proposed solution to a problem and asked
whether you agree with it or not. It is important to make sure that you write about the proposed
solution and you do not just talk about the problem. One sensible approach in this type of essay is to
look at both sides of the argument and then give your opinion. You can also provide your own
alternative solution as I do here.
Vocabulary issues
Before you start writing I suggest in the planning process you try and think of alternatives for words in
the question. Normally it is much easier to do this before you start writing than as you are writing.
Problem
This is one of those essays where you are asked to talk about a problem. The word is given to you in
the question so you need to be careful about repeating it too much. In this essay, I do repeat it, but I
also use different collocations as well as the close synonym “issue”.
 a global problem
 not an easy issue
 a moral issue
 solve the problems
 caused as many problems as it solves
Refugees
This is another word given in the question that you want to try and avoid overusing. Some of the
variants I use are:
 immigrant
 immigration/mass immigration
 economic migrants
 emigration
Developing countries etc
This is a tough one. You are going to need to talk about developing nations and countries in general
a lot. Again you want to try and look for some alternatives. The one I don’t use is “third world” as it is
slightly politically incorrect nowadays. Try some of these:
 developing nations
 industrialised countries/nations
 native land
 country of their birth
Ideas and essay structure
If you plan your vocab well, you should come up with plenty of ideas for this essay. The problem is
more likely to be what to leave out than to put in. My essay structure looks something like this
Introduction: rephrase the problem and mention the proposed solution. The state that it is an
argument with two sides to lead into a pro/con type essay
Content 1: Arguments in favour of accepting refugees = moral responsibility/global village/economic
self-interest. Use brief example of natural disasters
Content 2: Problems caused by immigration – prejudice and racism etc. Mention possibility of aid in
own countries
Conclusion: Yes and no! Up to a point it’s a good idea but there are difficulties (refer back to
introduction). Suggest alternative of aid (refer back to content 2). Easy.

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IELTS essay newspapers and books essay
 read the essay

Read the IELTS newspaper and books essay
Newspapers and books are outdated. Why do some people believe this? What is
your opinion?
As we move into the twenty- first century an increasing number of people are relying on new forms of
technology. A possible consequence of this is that traditional media such as books and newspapers
are not just less popular but are considered by some to be outdated. Personally, I disagree with this
point of view.
The principal reason why some people take this view is fairly clear in the case of newspapers. It is
generally much easier and quicker to discover what is happening in the world from the internet or the
television than from a newspaper. If you use Google or another search engine or simply switch on the
television, you can instantly get the latest news bulletin. A newspaper, by contrast, is out of date the
moment it is published because it contains yesterday’s news.
It is perhaps less obvious why books are said to be out of fashion. One possibility is that fewer people
choose to read for pleasure nowadays because they prefer the instant gratification and thrills of
modern technology. There is less effort involved in enjoying a 3D movie or playing a computer game
than in turning the pages of a book.
My own view and conclusion is that books and newspapers will never go completely out of fashion or
become redundant. The reason for this is that they serve basic human needs. I believe that people
will always want to read about the news and escape into the imaginary worlds of great novels.
However, books and newspapers may need to change to meet the new demands of twenty-first
century consumers. We can already see this happening with the arrival of the audio-book and the
various free newspaper internet sites. (292 words)

Close Me
Looking at the question
Newspapers and books are outdated. Why do some people believe this? What is your opinion?
This is a double question. Whatever else you do, make sure you answer both halves of the question
by giving your own opinion and explaining why other people believe this.
Essay structure
There are different ways to structure this essay. The way I have chosen is to write one paragraph
about newspapers and one about books and then use a slightly longer conclusion than usual for my
own views. In this form of essay, one natural technique is to use the conclusion in this way.
1. intro: modern technology partly to blame

2. newspapers: problem that they are yesterday’s news
3. books: problem that they are not instant gratification
4. conclusion: books and newspapers are not redundant but may need to change in the modern world
Another option would be to use one topic paragraph for “advantages” of books and newspapers and
one for their “disadvantages”.
The vocabulary
Topic vocabulary
You need vocabulary to talk about books and newspapers and other media. There is a great range to
choose from here. Some of the topic vocabulary I use in this essay is:
 great novels
 use Google or another search engine
 switch on the television
 the latest news bulletin
 read for pleasure
 enjoying a 3D movie
 in turning the pages of a book
Outdated and opinion vocabulary
If at all possible you do not want to repeat the vocabulary from the question too much. Here are some
options for you for “opinion” and “outdated”.
 people take this view

 are said to be
 My own view is
 become redundant
 out of date
 out of fashion
Learn to write this essay
For an exercise on how to write this essay sentence by sentence, try:
write an essay exercise

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IELTS fuel and the environment essay
 read the essay

Read the IELTS fuel and the environment essay
The best way to solve the world’s environmental problems is to increase the cost of fuel. To
what extent do you agree or disagree?
Most people would accept that one of the highest priorities today is to find a solution to the various
environmental problems facing mankind. It has been suggested that best way to achieve this is for
governments to raise the price of fuel. I am, however, not sure that this is necessarily the case.
One reason why this approach may not work is that there is not just one environmental problem the
world faces today. If governments did make fuel more expensive, it might well help reduce the
amount of carbon dioxide we produce and so slow down the rate of global warming and air pollution.
However, it would not help with other major problems such as intensive farming, overpopulation, the
hole in the ozone layer or water pollution. For these problems we need to find other solutions.
A second reason why this policy may not be the most appropriate is that it places the emphasis on
governmental policy and not individual responsibility. Ultimately, most environmental problems are
the result of the way we as individuals live our lives. If we wish to find a long-term and lasting solution
to them, we need to learn to live in a way that it is greener or kinder to the environment. What
governments need to do to make this happen is to ensure there is a global programme to educate
people of all ages about the environmental consequences to their actions.
In summary, I believe that increasing the level of taxation on fuel is at best a short-term solution to
only one environmental problem. If we wish to provide a home for our children’s children, education is
likely to be the key to making this happen. (283 words)

Close Me
Very often the key to writing a good IELTS essay is to read the question well. It is:
The best way to solve the world’s environmental problems is to increase the cost of fuel. To what
extent do you agree or disagree?
The best?
This is very strong language. It may be “a” way, but is it the best? The natural way to approach this
type of question with “most” or “best” in them is:
 discuss why it may be a good idea

 suggest another idea
 compare the two ideas
 decide which idea is best
This way you will certainly have enough to write.
To what extent
This means “how much”. If you get this type of question, in your conclusion you need to say one of:
 completely
 not at all
 something in between
Typically, the easy (and the academic) answer in a timed exam is to choose something in between.
To do this, you need to discuss the advantages and the disadvantages in the main body and then say
in your conclusion that there are both advantages and disadvantages.
The essay structure

The essay structure is:
intro: restate the question and outline that “the best” is too strong language
para 1: explain that there are many different environmental problems not affected by fuel increases
para 2: explain that education is a better solution in the long-term
conclusion: restate the introduction (best is too strong) and summarise the main point (education is
more effective)
Vocabulary
Problem
This is an area you need variety of language (see my post The language of problems). I suggest that
you note down some variations before you start writing. Here are some I use:
Increase the cost of fuel
Again, you want to try not to repeat the language of the question too much. Try these:
Environmental problems
There are a large range of possible environmental problems. The environmental language I use in
this essay is:

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IELTS salaries essay
 read the essay

Read the IELTS salaries essay
In many countries people working in sport and entertainment earn much more money than
professionals like doctors, nurses and teachers. Why do you think this happens in some
societies and do you consider it is good or bad?
It is undoubtedly true that there is often a major imbalance between the salaries of the professional
classes and celebrities from the worlds of sport and entertainment. At first sight, this seems unjust,
but on closer analysis it is easy to understand why it happens and see that it is almost inevitable.
It does often seem wrong that certain people should earn so much money when their only talent is to
entertain. While giving pleasure is important, people in the medical and educational professions have
far more important roles in society. For example, a surgeon can save your life in the operating theatre
and a teacher can prepare you for your career. Indeed, because both doctors and teachers are so
vital to any society, it would seem only right that they receive the largest financial rewards.
When, however, we look to see who earns the most, we discover that it is typically sports and
entertainment personalities. There are a variety of reasons why this should be. Firstly, we live in the
age of mass media: these people earn so much because they are national or even global stars and
get rewarded through endorsements and other sources of income. Secondly, these stars are unique
in a way doctors and teachers are not, often they can do what no one else can. Finally, sometimes
these stars may have short careers in comparison with other professions. For instance, while doctors
can work until they are 65, footballers normally retire in their early 30s.
I personally believe that in the ideal world someone’s income would relate to their value to society.
However, in the modern world, it is almost unavoidable the famous will have the highest incomes
because of their media exposure.
Practise using the essay language
Get a quick lesson on the essay structure

Close Me
Structure
This is a 4 paragraph essay with one content paragraph dealing with the opinion and the other
dealing with the reasons why it happens. The language of the conclusion also mirrors the
introduction.
Vocabulary points to note
One topic of this essay is salaries and it is important to use some varied vocabulary. Note these
variations
 salary
 income
 financial reward
It is also necessary to find different ways of saying “people working in sport and entertainment”. Note:
 sports and entertainment personalities

 stars
 footballers
Likewise, see how I vary the vocabulary for doctors and teachers, partly by using examples:
 surgeon
 operating theatre
 medical and educational professions

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IELTS unemployment essay
Read the IELTS unemployment essay
Unemployment is one of the most serious problems facing developed nations today. What are
the advantages and/or disadvantages of reducing the working week to thirty five hours?
It is unquestionable that rising unemployment is one of the most pressing issues in the industrial
world. One solution that has been put forward is to cut the working week to a maximum of 35 hours.
However, in my view this solution is rather controversial and other solutions need to be found.
It is fairly easy to understand the reasons why this proposal has been made. The reasoning is that if
workers are not allowed to work for more than 35 hours weekly, then employers will be forced to
engage more staff. There would be at least two advantages to this. Not only would unemployment be
reduced, but the working conditions of employees on very long shifts would also be significantly
improved. For example, a factory employing 300 manual workers doing 10 hours a day might employ
450 workers.
There is also, however, a strong argument not to implement this proposal. This argument is based on
economic competitiveness. If a company was forced to employ more workers to produce the same
amount of goods, then its wage bill would rise and its products might become more expensive and
less competitive compared to companies with longer working weeks. In this case, it is possible that
the company either might become insolvent or it would have to make some employees redundant. As
a result, the intended benefit to the personnel would not happen.
In summary, we can see that this is clearly a complex issue as there are significant advantages and
disadvantages to the proposal. My own personal view is that it would be better not to introduce the
shortened working week because it works only in theory and not in practice.
Now practise using the essay vocabulary

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IELTS museums essay
In this lesson you will find
 a sample IELTS essay on museums
 a vocabulary exercise to help you write the essay
The sample essay
Should museums and art galleries be free of charge for the general public, or should a charge,
even a voluntary charge, be levied for admittance? Discuss this issue, and give your opinion.
One very complex issue in today’s world is the funding of museums and art galleries. While there is
an argument that they should be free to the general public and funded by governments, I also believe
that there is also a case for saying that they should charge an entrance fee like other attractions.
Those who argue that museums should be free typically make one of two arguments. The first
argument is that institutions like museums are a public service and therefore there should be free
access to the man in the street. If, for example, there was a charge only the wealthy could afford to
enjoy works of art. The second, and related, argument is that if they did levy a charge fewer people
would go to museums. This would be serious as they are educational institutions and standards
would fall.
In contrast, there is only one major argument on the other side of the debate. This is that both
museums and art galleries need to charge an entrance fee if they are to survive in the modern world.
Governments do not have sufficient funds to subsidise all such institutions and there are other
priorities for public money. Therefore these galleries and museums need to charge their customers
not only to survive but to update their exhibitions and make new purchases. By way of illustration, the
Tate Modern in London could not have been founded without revenue from admissions.
My personal position is that there is no clear answer to this question as there are such strong
arguments on both sides. Perhaps it is possible for some museums and galleries to charge fees and
for others not to. It will depend on the situation of the individual museum or gallery.
Learn to write this essay

Some of the most important vocabulary for IELTS essays comes from the Academic Word List. I
suggest you try this exercise that shows you the words in this essay from the Academic Word List
Academic word list exercise

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Sample IELTS essay space exploration
 a sample IELTS essay on space exploration
 a vocabulary exercise on academic word list
Space exploration requires vast sums of money. Is the amount of money spent on space
research justifiable? Could the money be better spent?
There has always been considerable discussion about whether governments should spend tax
payers’ money on space research. In my view it is impossible to justify the amount of money spent on
such projects. Generally speaking, the main reason for this position is that there are several areas in
which the money could be invested better.
The first point to make is that politicians have a responsibility to spend public money on projects that
bring a benefit to the general public. This has not been the case with space research as most
developments have been limited to helping astronauts in space or have been very specialised. For
example, it is not of great value to the general public that we now have pens and biros that can write
upside down. This does not merit the huge amount of money spent.
The second point to make is that there are many much more urgent projects on Earth that require
investment. If governments spent less money on space research, then they would be able to help
solve some of these problems such as population control, elimination of diseases like cholera, global
warming and food shortages. It seems to me that all of these issues are more important because they
affect the lives of millions of ordinary people. An illustration of this is that the US government could
provide food for all the starving people in the world if they did not spend so much on NASA.
My conclusion is that politicians should not fund space research. The grounds for saying this are that
it is very costly and provides few real benefits. Furthermore, there are several more urgent issues that
need to be funded.
Learn to write the essay with an academic word list exercise
If I have helped you with these ideas and resources, please share them
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IELTS television essay
Read the IELTS television essay
Television has had a significant influence on the culture of many societies. To what extent
would you say that television has positively or negatively affected the cultural development of
your society?
It is unarguable that television has had a considerable impact and changed the world in which we live.
However, there is debate whether that change has been for the better or the worse, when we
consider cultural development. While there are certainly strong feelings on both sides of the argument
in western Europe, my own view is that television has had a largely positive influence on our society.
There are, however, several reasons why it can be argued that television has a negative effect on
cultural development. Perhaps the principle argument is the lowbrow nature of many programmes,
particularly sitcoms and soap operas. People who watch these programmes do not learn anything,
they are simply entertained. The other major argument is that because people watch so much
television, they no longer take part in more traditional forms of cultural entertainment. An example
here is how traditional dancing and music is becoming much less popular because people are staying
at home to watch the television.
On the other hand, there are a variety of ways in which cultural development has been assisted by
television. Here the major argument is that television has allowed the whole of society access to
cultural entertainment. For example, in the nineteenth century only a small proportion of people could
go to the ballet or the theatre. However, it is now possible for everyone to enjoy these on television. A
second positive effect is that on television we can learn more about other cultures and societies
because there are so many interesting documentaries about other countries.
My personal conclusion is that television is a largely positive influence. However, it is important that
we do not watch it too much and that we watch the right sort of programme. If we watch the wrong
sort of programme and watch too much television, we may become couch potatoes.

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IELTS curriculum essay
 a sample IELTS on school curriculum

 a vocabulary exercise from the Academic Word List to help you write it
Read the IELTS curriculum essay
Subjects such as Art, Sport and Music are being dropped from the school curriculum for
subjects such as Information Technology. Many people children suffer as a result of these
changes. To what extent would you support or reject the idea of moving these subjects from
school curriculum?
In recent times there has been much debate about which subjects should be included on the school
curriculum. One particular issue is whether the introduction of more modern subjects such as IT for
more traditional subjects such as art and music disadvantages the pupils. I believe that this is a
difficult question and different solutions need to be found for primary and secondary schools.
There is one major argument in favour of replacing art, music and sport on the curriculum with
subjects like IT. This is that the purpose of school is to prepare children for their working life after
school, so the subjects on the curriculum should be relevant to their potential careers. From this point
of view, IT is much relevant to schoolchildren as they need to be computer literate if they want to
survive in the workplace. For example, it is easy to see that word processing and programming skills
will impress employers more than the ability to run fast or draw well.
There are also, however, strong arguments for retaining the more traditional subjects as part of the
curriculum. One significant counter-argument is that the purpose of education is not just to prepare
children for later careers, but also to develop their all round “culture”. It is important that children leave
school with some knowledge of art, music and sport as all these are all help develop aspects of
young people’s personalities.
My own personal point of view is that there is merit in both sides of the debate and that all children
should study some IT, art music and sport at least at primary school. At secondary school, however,
children should be offered a choice between these subjects so that they can continue to study them if
they wish.
Academic Word List exercise
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IELTS houses and apartments essay
 read the essay

Read the IELTS houses and apartments essay
Some people prefer to live in a house, while others think that there are more advantages living
in an apartment.
Are there more advantages than disadvantages to living in a house rather than in an
apartment?
Many people nowadays face a difficult decision when they buy their own home. The question is
whether they should buy a house or an apartment. There would seem to be clear benefits and
drawbacks to both options.
Perhaps the major advantage of living in a house is the issue of privacy. Typically, there is more
opportunity for peace and quiet, if you live in a house. This is particularly the case if it is a detached
house. Other significant advantages are that houses are generally more spacious and on the whole
have gardens. This is especially important if there is a family so that the children can have a safe
environment to play in. If, however, you live in a tower block, then the children may have to play
outside on the pavement.
There are, of course, negative aspects to living in houses. The greatest of these is that they tend to
be more expensive to purchase and to maintain. Indeed, a large majority of people choose to live in
apartments because they cannot afford the mortgage to buy a house. Another possible problem is
that there are fewer houses in cities than the countryside. So if you like urban life, it may be
preferable to live in an apartment. A second reason to avoid living in a house is that there is a greater
sense of community to life in an apartment.
My conclusion would be that this is a well-balanced issue. There are probably an equal number of
pros and cons to making either choice. Ultimately, whether you decide to live in a cottage in the
countryside or a duplex in the city depends on your own personality, family and financial
circumstances.
(285 words)

Close Me
The question needs to be answered
Some people prefer to live in a house, while others think that there are more advantages living
in an apartment. Are there more advantages than disadvantages to living in a house rather
than in an apartment?
Note the question is “Are there more advantages…”. This means that it is not enough just to talk
about advantages and disadvantages generally, you have a specific question to answer.
Vocabulary problem – repetition

While the topic of the essay looks quite easy, there are a few vocabulary problems that need to be
faced. The question uses these words:
 advantages
 disadvantages
 house
 apartment
 prefer
If you are not careful, you will find yourself repeating these words a lot in your essay. Have a look at
some of the variations I offer you:
advantage and disadvantage
Tip: make sure you don’t repeat words from the question too often.
house and apartment
This one is not so easy. There aren’t so many choices and it is certainly better to repeat the correct
word “house” than to try something odd like “place of habitation”!
What I did do though was try and think of some related words or detail words. This helps not just to
vary my vocabulary, but to give me more ideas.
Tip: think of vocabulary before you

start to write, it will give you better language and better ideas.
prefer
This is another tricky one where you can find yourself repeating a word from the question without
realising it. In fact, there are lots of options here. Some of my choices include:
Tip: when you check your writing, check for repetition. It’s normally easy to see and correct. You may
never recognise your grammar mistakes.
Grammar
I have deliberately kept my sentence structure very simple here. The one complex structure I do use is “if”. Note how
often I use it to develop my points or to give examples. It is a very useful structure.
Read more: IELTS essay: houses and apartments http://www.dcielts.com/ielts-essays/sample-ielts-essay-

houses-and-apartments/#ixzz3crGuWm9h
IELTS arts and sciences essay
 read the essay

Read the IELTS arts and sciences essay
There is no doubt that the quality of our lives in the 21st century has been greatly improved by
various scientific and technological advances. Despite this, the arts and humanities too still have
much to teach us about ourselves and life in general.
One area in which we can learn from the arts is that concepts such as beauty matter in and of
themselves, whereas in the world of science and technology the only true measure is whether
something works or not. This is a limited view of the world and the arts differ in that they offer us an
alternative and more spiritual outlook. For example, if we listen to Mozart we can learn about
harmony and joy through the medium of music or if even we read an author like PG Wodehouse we
learn about the value of humour. These essential aspects of life are absent from the clinical world of
science and technology.
The other way in which artists can teach us more about life is that enjoying art encourages the habit
of self-reflection. If you walk into an art gallery, attend a concert or even just stay in to read a book,
you will almost certainly begin to think about your inner values. For me, this is a invaluable lesson in
life because if we begin to reflect about ourselves, we begin not just to become more human, but also
consider the lives of others too.
So while science and technology may have made our physical lives more comfortable in the 21st
century. It remains true that the arts and humanities are still absolutely necessary for ordinary people
as they promote a more spiritual and reflective view of life that is essential to our humanity.

Close Me
Analysing the question
Advances in science and technology have made great changes to lives of ordinary people, but
artists such as musicians, painters and writers are still highly valued. What can the arts tell us
about life that science and technology cannot?
notes
This is a question that asks you a direct question: What can the arts tell us about life that science and
technology cannot? Make sure you offer a direct answer to that question.
1. It is not enough to write about the value of the arts. You have not answered the question. You need to
writ about the things that the arts offer that science and technology do not.
2. Note the wording of “the arts”. This is not the same as “art”. “The arts” include painting, music and
writing etc”
3. There is no doubt that the quality of our lives in the 21st century has been greatly improved by various
scientific and technological advances. Despite this, the arts and humanities too still have much to teach us
about ourselves and life in general.
Problem area
This is quite a “philosophical” question. If you try and give a very philosophical answer, you may write
very complex English and so make more mistakes. I suggest:
1. keep your ideas clear and simple

2. use plenty of examples to explain your ideas: examples are easy to write and you should get to use
some varied topic vocabulary. In my sample essay, I get to use phrases such as “attend a concert”, “art
gallery”, “author” and “stay in to read”. This is the clear and simple type of topic vocabulary you should aim to
include in all your essays.
Essay structure
I have chosen a simple structure.
Introduction
 Highlight the task
 Suggest there are two ways the arts have something different to teach us
Topic 1
 Point in topic sentence: concepts such as beauty come from the arts
 Explain: sciences limited to practicality
 Example: Mozart shows us harmony
 Re-explain: sciences do not show us this
Topic 2
 Point in topic sentence: arts make us think about ourselves
 Explain with art gallery example
 Re-explain how this makes us think about others too
Conclusion
 Reflect introduction: science makes us comfortable but the arts teach us about spiritual aspects (topic
1) and reflection (topic 2)

More model IELTS essays
Read more: IELTS arts and sciences essay | http://www.dcielts.com/ielts-essays/sample-essay-arts-and-

sciences/#ixzz3crGyEjK9
Sample IELTS overpopulation essay
 read the essay

Read the IELTS overpopulation essay
One of the most pressing problems facing the world today is overpopulation. What policies do
you believe governments should adopt to address the causes and effects of this problem?
There is no doubt that the massive increase in the worldʼs population in the last 100 years has
created a crisis. In order to find a solution to this crisis, politicians need to deal with not only the
immediate problems, but also the long-term causes if they want to rescue humanity. Finding the right
policies is not an easy task as it is a complex problem.
The first step is to recognise what the consequences of overpopulation are. Only by doing this can we
find an appropriate solution. Perhaps its most important effect is the increased rate at which we are
consuming the Earthʼs resources such as oil. To combat this, governments need to do more research
on alternative and renewable energy supplies so that we do not use up all the oil reserves. Another
negative effect of overpopulation is how some countries suffer from a lack of basic necessities such
as food. Here, an answer could be greater international co-operation so that countries with a food
surplus donate what they do not need to the less fortunate countries.
It is not quite so easy to decide how governments should deal with the causes of overpopulation. The
Chinese have adopted legislation that requires parents to pay a special tax if they have more than
one child. I doubt, however, whether this solution is realistic in other countries. Another option would
be to improve levels of sex education by explaining the difficulties caused by having too many
children.Promoting contraception though may be problematic in many regions on cultural and
religious grounds.
In conclusion, while it may be possible to find ways to address some of the consequences of
overpopulation by international co-operation, it is harder to find policies to deal with its causes. It
might be that the only way forward is for different countries to adopt policies that work within their
particular culture.

Close Me
Understanding the IELTS overpopulation essay question
What does this essay ask you to write about?
1. overpopulation
2. the causes of overpopulation
3. the causes and effects of overpopulation
4. policies to deal with the causes and effects of overpopulation
It is of course 4. If you try 1,2 or 3 you will lose heavily. This is an easy mistake to make and many,
many candidates will do just that.
The importance of the introduction

If you want to avoid the mistake of not answering the question, you need to get the introduction right. What
you must do is identify all the following:
1. causes of overpopulation
2. effects of overpopulation
3. the policies to deal with causes and effects of overpopulation
If you can do that, the essay you write will almost certainly be on task. You have set the “programme” for the
rest of the essay.
Suggestion
As a training exercise try and use these words from the question and write the introduction yourself
 policy
 overpopulation
 cause
 effect
If you do that, you are almost certainly on task. You may then look at my essay to see if you can find
words/phrases to replace those words because in the ideal world you don’t want to repeat the language of
the question too much.
Structure of the essay

This time I am only going to highlight the all-important topic sentences. I want you to see the
structure. The sentences
 come early in the paragraph

 are short
 are clear
You should also see that these sentences relate directly to the task of the question. If yours don’t, you may
well go off task. Or be marked as not making the task response: “visible enough”.
INTRODUCTION
The first step is to recognise what the consequences of overpopulation are. Only by doing this
can we find an appropriate solution. Perhaps its most important effect is the increased rate at which
we are consuming the Earth’s resources such as oil. To combat this, governments need to do more
research on alternative and renewable energy supplies so that we do not use up all the oil reserves.
Another negative effect of overpopulation is how some countries suffer from a lack of basic
necessities such as food. Here, an answer could be greater international co-operation so that
countries with a food surplus donate what they do not need to the less fortunate countries.
It is not quite so easy to decide how governments should deal with the causes of
overpopulation. The Chinese have adopted legislation that requires parents to pay a special tax if
they have more than one child. I doubt, however, whether this solution is realistic in other countries.
Another option would be to improve levels of sex education by explaining the difficulties caused by
having too many children.Promoting contraception though may be problematic in many regions on
cultural and religious grounds.
In conclusion, while it may be possible to find ways to address some of the consequences of
overpopulation by international co-operation, it is harder to find policies to deal with its causes. It
might be that the only way forward is for different countries to adopt policies that work within their
particular culture.

More model IELTS essays
Read more: Sample IELTS overpopulation essay | http://www.dcielts.com/ielts-essays/model-essay-

overpopulation/#ixzz3crH5ZTg9
IELTS technology and education essay
 read the essay

Read the IELTS technology and education essay
In the past lectures were the traditional method of teaching large numbers of students.
Nowadays new technology is increasingly being used to teach students. What are the
advantages and disadvantages of this new approach?
As we move into the twenty-first century, technology is affecting many different areas of life and
education is no exception. Indeed, in some institutions traditional forms of education have been
revolutionised by new technology to the extent that the lecture is no longer the main method of
delivery. While there are a variety of benefits to this new approach, there are also
significant drawbacks.
Perhaps the greatest bonus of the introduction of technology is the flexibility it offers. This is evident
in two different ways. Firstly, it is now no longer essential for students to be present in the lecture
theatre for their courses. This means that part-time courses for adults who are in employment
and distance learning courses for people in other countries are now much more practical. Another
area of flexibility is of course that the lecturer and tutor are able to use Moodles, interactive
whiteboards and other tools to deliver their courses in a more stimulating way to large numbers of
students.
Not everything, however, about the introduction of this new technology into education is positive. One
major problem is that not all students are comfortable with using technology, even if they are part of
the digital native generation. This is a serious issue as they may suffer from their lack of technological
skills. Another related issue is that education is a human activity and it works best with as much
human interaction as possible. Impersonal technology cannot replace the human contact found in
traditional face-to-face tutorials and seminars.
As we have seen, there are major benefits to the introduction of technology into education, not least
because it enables modern forms of education such as distance learning courses. This is balanced,
however, by the fact that it can be too impersonal for some and disadvantages others for their lack of
technological skills.

Close Me
The question
advantages and disadvantages of this new approach?
This is an advatages/disadvantages style essay and it is important that you remember to discuss both
sides of the question. The natural way to do this is to have one content paragraph for “pro” and one
for “con”.
Vocabulary
Before I start writing, I try and think of some useful vocabulary. This should help me get some ideas
for the essay:
advantages/disadvantages: benefit, drawback, bonus, positive, problem, issue, disadvantage (the

verb)
university education: institutions, lecture theatre, part-time course, distance learning, tutorials and
seminars
technology in education: Moodles, interactive whiteboards, technological skills, digital native
advantages and disadvantages of this new approach.
education is no exception. Indeed, in some institutions traditional forms of education have been
revolutionised by new technology to the extent that the lecture is no longer the main method of
delivery. While there are a variety of benefits to this new approach, there are also
significant drawbacks.
in two different ways. Firstly, it is now no longer essential for students to be present in the lecture
theatre for their courses. This means that part-time courses for adults who are in employment
and distance learning courses for people in other countries are now much more practical. Another
area of flexibility is of course that the lecturer and tutor are able to use Moodles, interactive
whiteboards and other tools to deliver their courses in a more stimulating way to large numbers of
students.
Not everything, however, about the introduction of this new technology into education is positive. One
major problem is that not all students are comfortable with using technology, even if they are part of
skills. Another related issue is that education is a human activity and it works best with as much
human interaction as possible. Impersonal technology cannot replace the human contact found in
traditional face-to-face tutorials and seminars.
because it enables modern forms of education such as distance learning courses. This is balanced,
however, by the fact that it can be too impersonal for some and disadvantages others for their lack of
technological skills.
Structure
Introduction: identify the topic and task, then state my position – balanced
Content para 1: I have one major idea that it is positive because of “flexibility” and give two examples
of this: distance courses and stimulating students.
Content para 2: Again, the major idea is simple: it is a bad thing sometimes. I then give two reasons
for this: not all students like technology and traditional methods work better at tutorial level.
Conclusion: Reflect the the idea that it is a balanced argument. Benefit is it allows distance learning
(para 1); drawback is that it is impersonal (para 2).
Coherence and cohesion – think about how you start paragraphs
and sentences
Part of the challenge of this essay is that you may have too many ideas and it becomes slightly
incoherent. See how I have managed this by the structure of my essay. In particular note
1. how I use the beginnings of paragraphs to state the main ideas: these are very simple ideas and
contain few details. These ideas link back to the introduction and link forward to the rest of the paragraph
2. how I then use the beginnings of sentences to link back to the main idea. I do this by using language
like “One major problem.
The basic pattern is “There are two ideas”. “This is the first idea” and “This is the second idea”. It is simple, yet
effective. The key to making this work is to think about how you start your paragraphs and sentences.
advantages and disadvantages of this new approach.
education is no exception. [statement of topic] Indeed, in some institutions traditional forms of
education have been revolutionised by new technology to the extent that the lecture is no longer the
main method of delivery [identification of task]. While there are a variety of benefits to this new
approach, there are also significant drawbacks.[statement of balanced position]
in two different ways. [Main idea – flexibility is an advantage in two ways]Firstly, [coherence phrase
linking to “two different ways]it is now no longer essential for students to be present in the lecture
theatre for their courses. This means that part-time courses for adults who are in employment and
distance learning courses for people in other countries are now much more practical. Another area of
flexibility[second main reason for flexibility] is of course that the lecturer and tutor are able to use
Moodles, interactive whiteboards and other tools to deliver their courses in a more stimulating way to
large numbers of students.
Not everything, however, about the introduction of this new technology into education is positive.
[Main idea – not everything good]One major problem[coherence phrase showing there is more than
one problem] is that not all students are comfortable with using technology, even if they are part of
skills. Another related issue is [second coherence phrase linking back to “One major problem”]that
education is a human activity and it works best with as much human interaction as possible.
Impersonal technology cannot replace the human contact found in traditional face-to-face tutorials
and seminars.
because it enables modern forms of education such as distance learning courses [coherence link
back to para 1]. This is balanced [refer back to introduction], however, by the fact that it can be too
impersonal for some and disadvantages others for their lack of technological skills [coherence link
back to para 2].

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Model IELTS salary essay

The IELTS salary essay

Understand the essay structure

Introduction: identify the question and set out main idea

The first point is…

other factors such as job satisfaction and work environment are just as important.

 read the essay

Practise using the essay vocabulary

Other ideas include:

 sporting legacy for future generations (stadia and arenas)

 build the arenas

 read the essay

Practise writing the essay

Step 1 – getting ideas to write the essay – ask yourself questions

numbers of advertisements: Ask yourself what different types of advertising do you know? TV

Each paragraph is about one main idea only

The main ideas are simple ideas – normally found in the question

It is not easy to decide how to regulate advertising.

Others ideas are supporting ideas that explain or give examples

 read the essay

Practise using the essay vocabulary

There are a number of different reasons why…

Another point that can be made is…

A second reason why…

There is also the idea that…

The next argument is…

See an example of how it works

“there is probably no one”

“This is particularly the case”

“often continuous assessment can allow teachers to”

“may be fairer in some contexts”

“a possible compromise would be”

See more notes on the vocabulary

traditional exams/formal testing/exam pressure

I also use some precise educational vocabulary:

educational systems/some subjects like design and technology/academic

Other phrases to note include:

vital life skills/later careers/work under pressure

Get more sample essays

 read the essay

Practise using the essay vocabulary

The open question

The closed question

Making your answer coherent

Grammar and vocabulary

 See my lesson on futures to get some ideas for grammar

Get more model essay lessons

Read more: IELTS computer technology essay | http://www.dcielts.com/ielts-essays/computers-the-

 read the essay

Practise using the essay vocabulary

The closed question

Making your answer coherent

Grammar and vocabulary

 See my lesson on futures to get some ideas for grammar

Get more model essay lessons

Read more: IELTS computer technology essay | http://www.dcielts.com/ielts-essays/computers-the-

 read the essay

Practise writing the essay

Read and understand the question – finding the vocabulary you

What has caused this? What solutions can you suggest?

 Problem/solution vocabulary: the question asks you to discuss a problem.

1. Changing the word itself

how this problem may be resolved