Ms Nguyen Kieu Trinh

Advantages & Disadvantages

I. Essay structures
Types of essays
Without personal opinion

 What are the advantages and disadvantages …?

 Discuss the advantages and disadvantages

With personal opinion

 Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

 Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own opinion
 Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

Introduction
 Background sentence
 Thesis statement

Body paragraphs
Without personal opinion With personal opinion
Body 1. Benefits Body 1. Benefits/Drawbacks
Body 2. Drawbacks Body 2. Benefits/Drawbacks are greater

Conclusion: Restate the idea

II. Useful languages

Synonyms for Advantages and Disadvantages

 Advantages and disadvantages

 Benefits and drawbacks
 Upsides and downsides
 Pros and cons
 Strengths and weaknesses/shortcomings
 Positive and negative
 Welcome and unwelcome
 Favorable and unfavorable
 Desirable and undesirable
 Beneficial and detrimental

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 Ms Nguyen Kieu Trinh
Some possible advantages and disadvantages

Advantage Disadvantage
 Effective  Might not be very reasonable
 Efficient  Could be time-consuming/ Might not be time-
 Cost-effective, economical, reasonable efficient
 Time-efficient  Might not be very popular/ Might not be

 Popular favoured by the public

 Does not rely on/require many resources  May rely on/ require significant resources

 Easy to implement  Could be difficult to implement/ Might not be

easy to implement

Suggested structures for each type of essays

Without personal opinion

Introduction:
 Background sentence: It is true/clear/undeniable that …
 Thesis statement: This essay will examine the benefits and drawbacks of …

Body paragraphs
Topic sentences: State the advantages/disadvantages
 On the one hand, … offers various positive effects
 On the other hand, … has negative influence on …
 On the one hand, there are a variety of advantages of/to A
 To begin with, A is beneficial for a number of reasons.
 A can be seen as positive for a number of reasons.
 On the other hand, the trend/ option/ decision ….is disadvantageous to some extent.
 However, A is problematic for a number of reasons.
Supporting sentences: List the advantages + give explanation/ examples/ consequence/ alternative
 Firstly/Secondly,…
 The first/second one is …
 One of the outstanding benefits is …
 For example/ For instance/ Take A as an example
 Consequently/ As a result / As a consequence

Conclusion: Restate the ideas

 In conclusion/ To conclude, although … has certain disadvantages, it has positive impact on …
 In conclusion, although there are many advantages for …, this …also has some notable disadvantages.

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 Ms Nguyen Kieu Trinh
With personal opinion

Introduction:
Background sentence: It is true/clear/undeniable that…
Thesis statement: Benefits > drawbacks, drawbacks > benefits
 Although there are some drawbacks of … , I would argue that there are far more benefits.
 While I accept that … has positive/negative consequences, I believe that these are outweighed by the
advantages/disadvantages.

Body paragraphs
Body 1: State the advantages/disadvantages
Topic sentence:
 On the one hand, … brings many benefits/drawbacks
 On the one hand, there are a variety of advantages/ disadvantages of/to A
 To begin with, A is beneficial/ problematic for a number of reasons.
 A can be seen as positive/negative for a number of reasons.
Supporting sentences: List the advantages/disadvantages + give explanation/ examples/ consequence/ alternative
 Firstly/Secondly,…
 The first/second one is …
 One of the outstanding benefits/drawbacks is …
 For example/ For instance/ Take A as an example
 Consequently/ As a result / As a consequence

Body 2: Disadvantages/Advantages are greater

Topic sentence:
 However, I would argue that these benefits/drawbacks are outweighed by the drawbacks/benefits
 On the other hand, I would argue that A’s benefits are outweighed by its drawbacks.
 However, I strongly believe that A offers more benefits/drawbacks.
Supporting sentences: List the advantages/disadvantages + give explanation/ examples/ consequence/ alternative
 Firstly/Secondly,…
 The first/second one is …
 One of the outstanding benefits/drawbacks is …
 For example/ For instance/ Take A as an example
 Consequently/ As a result / As a consequence

Conclusion: Restate the ideas

 In conclusion/ To conclude, it seems to me that the potential dangers of … are more significant than
the possible benefits.
 In conclusion/ To conclude, I believe that the benefits/minus points of … are greater than the
drawbacks/plus points.

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 Ms Nguyen Kieu Trinh
III. Sample

Some people regard video games as harmless fun, or even as a useful educational tool. Others, however, believe that
videos games are having an adverse effect on the people who play them. In your opinion, do the drawbacks of video
games outweigh the benefits?

Many people, and children in particular, enjoy playing computer games. While I accept that these games can
sometimes have a positive effect on the user, I believe that they are more likely to have a harmful impact.

On the one hand, video games can be both entertaining and educational. Users, or gamers, are transported into virtual
worlds which are often more exciting and engaging than real-life pastimes. From an educational perspective, these
games encourage imagination and creativity, as well as concentration, logical thinking and problem solving, all of
which are useful skills outside the gaming context. Furthermore, it has been shown that computer simulation games
can improve usersǯ motor skills and help to prepare them for real-world tasks, such as flying a plane.

However, I would argue that these benefits are outweighed by the drawbacks. Gaming can be highly addictive because
users are constantly given scores, new targets and frequent rewards to keep them playing. Many children now spend
hours each day trying to progress through the levels of a game or to get a higher score than their friends. This type of
addiction can have effects ranging from lack of sleep to problems at school, when homework is sacrificed for a few
more hours on the computer or console. The rise in obesity in recent years has also been linked in part to the sedentary
lifestyle and lack of exercise that often accompany gaming addiction.

In conclusion, it seems to me that the potential dangers of video games are more significant than the possible benefits.