Contents

1: Agree disagree essays.......................................................................................................... 2

2: Outweigh essays...................................................................................................................4

3: Two-question essay (standard)............................................................................................ 5

4: Two-question essay (opinion).............................................................................................. 6

5: Advantage, Disadvantage and Opinion essays.....................................................................7

6: Both Sides and Opinion essays.............................................................................................8

1
1: Agree disagree essays

Many people believe working from home is better than going

to an office.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?

1. Give our own opinion

2. Two main ideas is enough

+ saves time…commuting
+ higher productivity…fewer distractions

STEPS TO PLAN THE ESSAY

1. Paraphrase key words [change word; the word form, the order of words]
work house more efficient travelling
Many people feel working from their house instead of in an office environment is
better

2. Identify the type of essay

3. Brainstorm ideas
+ convenient…choose the time you work
+ eliminate travel
- distractions
- communication

4. structure

Introduction
saves time
higher productivity
conclusion

2
MODEL ANSWER:

Many people believe working from home is better than going

to an office.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?

1. Saves time
2. increases our productivity

Many people prefer working from their house or apartment instead of an office. I totally
agree that it is better to work from home because it saves time and increases productivity.

The main reason I support working from home is that it leads to saving time. In particular, it
eliminates the need for a daily commute to an office, which saves most people many hours
per week. For example, due to covid lockdowns, I am now working from home and I save at
least ten hours each week that would otherwise be spent travelling. I also save time on
dressing and grooming myself for work as I can dress more casually when I work from home
unlike when I go to an office and need to put on a suit and tie.

Furthermore, working from one’s residence can also lead to higher productivity. This is
because it eliminates the distractions that come with working in an office environment like
noise, and colleagues interrupting. For instance, since I started working from home, I no
longer get distracted by my co-workers chatting or stopping by my desk to ask me
unnecessary questions and this enables me to not only get more done but also have higher
quality outcomes on my projects.

In conclusion, I completely believe that working from home is better. This is because it saves
time traveling to and from an office and leads to higher levels of efficiency. Therefore,
employers should try to offer their workers this option whenever possible.

[the last sentence is for band 8 writers and can be left out]

HOMEWORK TASK 1:

Many people say that cooking and eating at home is better for the individual and the
family than eating out in restaurants.

Do you agree or disagree?

3
2: Outweigh essays
Currently, many people are working from home instead of
going to an office.

Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of

working from home?

+ Saves time
+ higher productivity
- communication is more difficult

Presently, a significant number of people are opting to work remotely from home rather than
commuting to an office setting. I believe the merits of this surpass the drawbacks.

The main benefit of working from home is that it saves time. In particular, it eliminates the
need for a daily commute to an office. For example, due to covid lockdowns, I am now
working from home and I save over two hours per day by not having to commute to my
office. This extra time can be used for other things, such as spending more time with family,
exercising, or even taking on a new hobby.

Furthermore, working from one’s residence can also lead to higher productivity. This is
because it eliminates the distractions that come with working in an office environment like
noise, and colleagues interrupting. For example, since I started working from home, I no
longer get interrupted by my co-workers chatting or stopping by my desk to ask me
unnecessary questions.

However, a drawback is that it is harder to communicate with colleagues. This is due to not
meeting face-to-face and having to communicate online. This can lead to less effective
communication and even misunderstanding of co-workers’ real intentions. To illustrate, it can
be difficult to know someone’s true feelings without seeing their body language.

In conclusion, I believe the benefits of working from home exceed the downsides. This is
because the merits of being able to avoid the daily commute to the office and to be more
focused on work surpass the difficulty of interacting with others. Furthermore, technology
is emerging to assist with communicating more effectively from home such as
videoconferencing and the metaverse.

[the last sentence is for band 8 writers and can be left out]

HOMEWORK TASK 2:

Some museums and art galleries charge admission fees, while others have free
entry.
Do you think the advantages of free admission outweigh the disadvantages?

4
3: Two question essay (standard)
Due to advances in technology, working from home has
become more popular.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working from

home.

Home-based work has become prevalent due to developments in technology. This essay
discusses the merits and drawbacks of this phenomenon.

There are two main benefits of working from home. The first of these is that this work mode
is more flexible. If someone works from home, they can make their own schedule unlike
being tied to office hours in a traditional job. For instance, I work online building websites
and often work at night because I find this is the best time I can concentrate. Furthermore, it
saves a lot of time. The reason for this is that less time is wasted in traffic to go to an office.
Therefore, there is more time for non-work activities.

However, there are also drawbacks to this. The most significant is that it can be difficult to be
motivated. This is because no boss is looking over the workers’ shoulders. For example, I
often find I waste a lot of time surfing around the Internet because nobody can see I am doing
this. Another limitation is communication between colleagues is more challenging. This is
due to not meeting face-to-face and having to communicate online. This can lead to less
effective communication and even misunderstanding of co-workers’ real intentions

In conclusion, the advantages of working from home are that there are fewer distractions and
it saves time. The disadvantages are that it often leads to lower levels of motivation and
difficulties in communication.

HOMEWORK TASK 3:

Nowadays many people choose to be self-employed, rather than work for a company or
organisation.

Why might this be the case?

What could be the disadvantages of being self-employed?

5
4: Two question essay (opinion)
Working from home is becoming more popular.

What are the reasons?

Do you think this is a positive or negative trend?

Home-based work has become increasingly prevalent. This essay discusses the causes of this
trend and explains why I believe it is a beneficial development.

There are two main reasons why more people are choosing to work from their homes. First,
working from one’s residence leads to higher productivity. This is because it eliminates the
distractions that come with working in an office. For instance, when working from home, I do
not get distracted by my co-workers stopping by my desk to ask me unnecessary questions.
Furthermore, it saves a lot of time. The reason for this is that less time is wasted in traffic to
go to an office. Therefore, there is more time for non-work activities.

I believe this is a positive phenomenon. The most significant benefit is that it creates a better
work-life balance. By enabling people to choose when to work and take a break it is easier to
fit work around other commitments. This can be particularly useful for people with children
or other caregiving responsibilities. Another benefit is that it is better for the environment.
Eliminating the need to commute reduces pollution and the consumption of fossil fuels.

In conclusion, the motives for more people working remotely are due to them being able to
work more productively and avoid the daily commute to the office. I think this has a positive
impact as it helps people balance their work and other commitments better and it is more
environmentally friendly.

HOMEWORK TASK 4:

Some people feel that entertainers such as film stars, pop musicians, or sports stars are
paid too much money.

Do you agree or disagree?

Which other types of jobs should be highly paid?

6
5: Advantage, Disadvantage, and Opinion essays
Due to advances in technology, working from home has
become more popular.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working from

home and give your own opinion about it.

Home-based work is more prevalent due to developments in technology. This essay discusses
the merits and drawbacks of this phenomenon and explains why I believe that the advantages
are greater.

There are two main benefits of home-based work. First, working from one’s residence leads
to higher productivity. This is because it eliminates the distractions that come with working
in an office. For instance, when working from home, I do not get distracted by my co-
workers stopping by my desk to ask me unnecessary questions. Furthermore, it saves time.
This is due to not wasting time in traffic to go to an office.

However, there are also drawbacks to this. The most significant is that it can be difficult to be
motivated. This is because no boss is monitoring employees. For example, when working
from home I often waste a lot of time surfing the Internet because my boss cannot see me.
Another limitation is communication between colleagues is more challenging. This is due to
not meeting face-to-face and having to communicate online. This can lead to less effective
communication and even misunderstanding of co-workers’ real intentions.

In conclusion, I believe there are merits and drawbacks of home-based work. However,
overall, I think that the advantages of employees being more productive and avoiding the
daily commute to the office outweigh the disadvantages of them sometimes lacking
motivation and not being able to meet with their co-workers, in person as easily.
Furthermore, I feel that motivation can be enhanced with appropriate scheduling and
goal setting.
[the last sentence is for band 8 writers]

HOMEWORK TASK 5:

In some countries, some school leavers choose to work or travel for a year between
finishing secondary school and attending university.

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

6: Both Sides and Opinion essays

Many people believe working from home is better than going to an office.
7
 Others believe it is better to work in an office environment.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion about it.

Some people prefer to work from their house, while others feel working in an office is better.
This essay discusses both sides of this argument and explains why I believe home-based work
is better.

Many believe it is more beneficial to work from their own home. First, working from one’s
residence leads to higher productivity. This is because it eliminates the distractions that come
with working in an office. For instance, when working from home, I do not get distracted by
my co-workers stopping by my desk to ask me unnecessary questions. Furthermore, a lot of
time can be saved. This results from not wasting time in traffic to go to an office.

However, others feel that is better to work from an office. The most significant reason is that
it can be easier to be motivated. When bosses directly watch over their staff, they are more
likely to stay on task. This is due to fear of losing favour with one’s supervisor. Another
reason is that it is easier to communicate with colleagues. This results from being able to
easily meet face-to-face and this can be more effective than having to rely on online
communication.

In conclusion, I believe both sides of the argument have merits. However, overall, I think that
the advantages of being more productive and avoiding the daily commute to the office
outweigh the disadvantage of sometimes lacking motivation and not being able to meet with
co-workers, in person as easily. Furthermore, in my opinion, motivation can be enhanced
with appropriate scheduling and goal setting.

[the last sentence is for band 8 writers]

HOMEWORK TASK 6:

Some people say that advertising is extremely successful at persuading us to buy things.
Other people think that advertising is so common that we no longer pay attention to it.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

8
VIDEOS
1. grading criteria: https://youtu.be/iCAkGFe30_g
2. essay task analysis: https://youtu.be/griu7FUp-Oc
3. planning your IELTS essay: https://youtu.be/YK5G-YXwFT4
4. different types of IELTS essays: https://youtu.be/KssFP1YVG_o
5. opinion essays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXe6FyP6T_Q
6. both sides and opinion essays: https://youtu.be/PC5DJQnc3Fw
7. two-question essays: https://youtu.be/ukfqAqca7fU

Useful Links

eBook for Essays

Complete writing eBook

Join my online writing course:

Send me your writing: