TOPIC: People in big cities prefer to live alone or in small family units instead of large family groups. Do you think this is positive or negative trend?

It is true that urban citizens now tend to live individually or in nuclear families. Personally, I believe that this trend has many positive impacts on our lives, and thus should be advocated.

Living alone will give people freedom to do what they want without annoying other family members. In the modern world, the gaps between generations are gradually widening, so it would be a bad idea for several generations to live in the same house. For example, while the young prefer eating fast food for their convenience, their parents and grandparents would like the whole family to have traditional meals together. When it comes to entertaining demands, youngsters are apt to listen to various types of modern music, ranging from pop to rock, which can cause some disturbances to their elder family members.

Furthermore, living in nuclear families offers great benefits to all family members. Firstly, parents have more time to care for the family and thus better raise their children. For example, instead of spending time caring for a large family that is full of potential conflicts between family members, parents can focus on teaching children how to behave properly, or encouraging them to study. Secondly, fewer members means less household expenditure, and this will relieve some financial burdens on working adults. Then, money can be used to spend on better nutrition and facilities which can lead to a higher standard of living.

In conclusion, I firmly hold the view that living individually or in small family units has many benefits for all family members.

(257 words) 

TOPIC: As a part of education, students should spend a period of time living in another country to learn its language and culture. Do you agree or disagree?

Sample:

It is argued that students should experience overseas life to learn the language and culture of the host country. Personally, I would completely agree with this for the following reasons.

To begin with, living in a foreign nation is always advantageous to experience a different culture even for a short period of time. One day abroad is one day learnt. Hence, students living abroad usually have better and more thorough understanding of the outside world than those students who do not have these experiences; they also tend to have more open minds to differences in culture and so become more tolerant to other groups of people. Compared to those who learn the cultural values of foreign countries from books and media, students who have overseas living experience can have a broader perspective of the world we live in.

Furthermore, having first-hand exposure to the local language is the best way to learn it. The truth is, no matter how much students excel in foreign language courses, they do not usually master the language completely. For example, there are never enough English native speakers in schools to provide a real English speaking community, which may result in students knowing English very well in terms of grammar or reading, but speaking and dialogue comprehension is a big obstacle for them. In contrast, living in the foreign environment gradually improves the learner’s accent in speaking and allows them to learn collocations that native speakers normally use in daily conversations.

In conclusion, I firmly hold the view that living in another country for education purposes is advantageous both culture-wise and language-wise.

(267 words)

Women and man are commonly seen as having different strengths and weaknesses

Women and man are commonly seen as having different strengths and weaknesses. Is it right to exclude males or females from certain professions because of their gender?

Model answer:

There have always been differences in the types of work men and women have done. However. the trend in modern times has been for both men and women to have greater freedom of choice in terms of employment. Some people might say that there is no need to go further. However. in my view, wherever possible, gender equality should be encouraged. 

There may indeed be good arguments for allowing certain posts to remain predominantly male or female. 
Where all-male or all-female groups exist, there may be a need for related posts to be held by men and women respectively. Patients in all-female hospital wards, for example. would probably appreciate having female nurses to look after them. It could also be argued that certain jobs requiring a great deal of physical strength, coal mining or loggingI for example. should continue to be done mainly by men. 

However, in the vast majority of situations, making occupations more open to both genders has distinct 
advantages. Men and women can bring slightty different perspectives and approaches to a job. Female police officers, for example. may have a greater understanding of domestic violence and a better range of strategies for dealing with this problem. Male primary school teachers probably have a better understanding ofthe needs of young boys and can serve as good role models for them. 

The changes that result from allowing men into female-dominated occupations and vice versa may be subtle. 
but they are far-reaching. However, to benefit the most from this development, it is important not to expect 
males and fernates to appmach work in identical ways.

New technologies and ways of buying and selling are transforming to the lives of consumers

New technologies and ways of buying and selling are transforming to the lives of consumers. To what extend do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

My essay:

     The internet has undoubtedly changed the way people shop. In some countries, buying and selling products online has become commonplace. Enthusiasts claim that the internet offers consumers greater choice and flexibility. However, those who say that the internet is transforming the lives of consumers are going too far.

     Firstly, although online shopping appears to offer greater convenience, it is often rather risky and cumbersome in practice. Consumers can not evaluate the quality of online products by handing them directly. Instead, they must rely on sellers to describe goods accurately in word and/or pictures. Mistakes can easily be made, leading to the inconvenience of having to exchange goods or seek a refund. Products bought online also normally need to be delivered by post. The convenience of online shopping thus hinges in part on the efficiency of the postal service.

     Secondly, in spite of the promise of lower prices, internet shopping seldom offers substantial savings. A competitive marketplace ensures that large price differentials rapidly disappear as suppliers align themselves with one another. Also, the cost of postage is normally borne by the buyer. A product that appears to be a bargain on screen often turns out to be no cheaper than the same product bought in a shop. Not surprisingly, only one in ten purchases in the UK are made online.

     For these reasons, internet shopping is likely to remain a minority pursuit. The continuing popularity of shopping in the traditional way suggests that consumers continue to value its advantages: the opportunity to sample, compare and buy products in a real as opposed to a virtual space. 

Sample ielts writing #7

What can be done to maintain biodiversity?

The importance of biodiversity is being more widely recognized as increasing numbers of species come under threat.
What can be done to maintain biodiversity?

My essay:

     In recent years there has been growing awareness of the importance of preserving the world’s biological diversity. As increasing numbers of unique, and potentially useful, plants and animals come under threat, people are beginning to ask whether more can be done to reserve this trend.

     One possible approach is to regulate agricultural and industrial activity so that pollution and disruption to natural habitats is kept to a minimum. People argue that economic prosperity must be curtailed if it comes at the expense of the environment. However, businesses affected are unlikely to comply with such a strategy. It may even generate hostility to conservation efforts generally if the economic costs are perceived to be too high.

     An alternative approach would be to protect and expand nature reserves so that complete ecosystems can be kept intact. This would ensure that a minimum number of wild plants and animals would survive. However, although such places are indeed valuable, experience shows that it is difficult to protect rare plants and animals from exploitation. In fact, as some species, like the tiger, become rarer, the more valuable they become to poachers and others who seek to benefit from their trade.

     A more effective approach is to educate the public about the benefits of biodiversity. Money should be invested in the research and development of the world's biological resources. Once people understand that there are real benefits to exploiting natural resources in a sustainable way, they are more likely to make the short-term sacrifices necessary to preserve natural habitats.

Sample IELTS writing #6

Convenience foods replace traditional method of food preparation.

Convenience foods will become increasingly prevalent and eventually replace traditional method of food preparation.

To what extend do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

My essay:

     One of the most significant advances of civilization is the development of modern methods of food production and preparation. Convenience foods have now become the norm in many societies. Although some people idealize traditional cooking practices and believe they will prevail indefinitely, demographic trends suggest that this is unlikely to be the case. In fact, there are a number of reasons for believing that convenience foods are unlikely to grow in popularity.

     The first reason is the decline in family size and the increase in single-adult households. In more traditional societies, where families tended to be large, it made economic sense for one person to devote him/herself to time-consuming domestic tasks such as growing and preparing foods. Nowadays, people tend to live in ever smaller families units. If each family were to spend large amounts of time growing and processing food, this would be a poor use of society’s human resource.

     Another reason convenience foods are likely to become more popular is the increase in the number of adults, especially women with children, who work in full-time employment. In the UK, for example, working mothers significantly outnumber stay-at-home mothers. There is evidence that consumption of convenience foods rises with numbers of hours worked. As modern life increasingly demands that people are economically active, this trend is likely to continue.

     Although many people still value traditional foods and methods of cooking, the trend towards smaller, dual-income households suggests that convenience foods are likely to continue to grow in popularity and may very well eventually replace traditional methods of food production and preparation.

Sample IELTS writing #5

How to reduce stress (2)

How to reduce stress

     Stress is now a major problem in many countries around the world. However, we can reduce stress if we know its roots clearly.

     First of all, high pressure can lead to stress especially time pressure. Fortunately, better time management is often regarded to be the key dealing with time pressure. Time management include setting priorities which needs to be done firstly and setting real goals. In addition, better time management helps people to have more time to relax, which enhance their mood and health.

     Secondly, stress can came from low health. Solution to people in this case is taking more daily exercises which can make them feel better and release stress. However, if they have a vulnerable body, they should ask doctor before doing anything. Obviously, well-nourished body is better to cope with stress so we should eat a healthy diet and get away from caffeine, sugar, alcohol and nicotine.

     Thirdly, people may become stressed if they do not share their problems and keep these inside. Simply changing the viewpoint may help them to see it from a more positive way. Moreover, they should share their feelings with close friends. Their friends can encourage and help them more than they expected. In some case, if they cannot talk their friends, the best way they can do is smiling. Recent researches show that smile can reduce the stress considerably.

     There are many solutions for stress. However, people should choose the best way for themselves. They should start thinking in a positive way and enjoy their life from now.

Sample IELTS writing #4

Causes of stress

Model answer:

Nowadays, stress has become more widespread in our modern life. A day with 24 hours doesn’t seem to be enough time for our busy life. As a result of this, many people are suffering from stress and in this essay, I will describe three main causes of stress which are careers, relationships and health.

The first main cause is careers, known as work and study. Today, the more development does live have, the more pressure at work do people have to face. They have to choose being jobless or working under pressure of which both lead to stress. Moreover, many people don’t have a good time management skill, so they have to live under the difficulty off balancing work, study and relaxation. In brief, people who pay attention on their career may become victim of stress.

Secondly, having a relationship benefits humans but don’t you know that failure in relationship is a reason of stress. The relationships could be among family members, friends, and colleagues. For example, parents don’t have enough time to spend with their children; friends have no respect or feeling jealous with each other. As a consequence, they can’t come after that complicated relationships, and stress.

Lastly, people may stress because off bad health. Physical exercises are good for reducing tiredness and increasing health but they often ignore them or they don’t have enough time for them.

In summary, there have been more and more causes off stress. So the only thing we can do is find the good way to reduce stress as much as possible. We should think positively and enjoy our life instead of stress.

Sample IELTS writing #3

How to reduce stress.

My essay

     Stress is becoming widespread nowadays because of high work pressure and family problems. However, there are many ways to reduce and control stress efficiently.

     Firstly, whose stress is from works has to find their own way to get out of stuck. They may go to some classes that teach them how to reduce stress and their experts can give them some appropriate advice. After that, they can cope with their stress. In addition, they can use some drug to control stress, but the better way is adding some green ingredients to their meals. There are many researches showing that some kind of vegetables of fruits can make people have better feeling and lower stress. However, if their stress is too much and they cannot solve it, the best way is dealing with their manager to decrease the working time, change the work shift or find another jobs.

     Secondly, younger people suffering from stress should talk with family to find and solve their problems. If it comes from the relationships between their parents, their family have to change the way they interact with each other, then the root problems are solved. Besides, if their stress comes from studying, the best way to cut it down is talking to counselor at school. They can help student deal with exam stress and give some useful emotional support. Furthermore, they will announce the student’s family if the student have any serious issues.

     In conclusion, stress can be reduced by a lot of ways. But the most efficient way is not similar among people. Each people have to find the most suitable way for them.

Sample IELTS writing #2

The advantages and disavantages of fast food

My essay:

Nowadays, fast food is a part of our lives. Although it becomes more and more popular, it’s not mean that it has many benefits and less drawbacks.

No one can negate that fast food brings many problems to people’s heath. Fast food has too much lipids, a type of chemical substance that not good to people. The more fast food they eat, the more lipit they add to body, they will become overweight or obesity and feel hard to do some works or exercises. Eating too much fast food also lead to high cholesterol in their bloods and causes some serious disease, heart-shocking is an example. This disease happened when people’s heart did not have adequate blood to give to other cells.

In spite of its disadvantages, fast food still becomes popular because it has some benefit. People who don’t have time to prepare their meals like using fast food because it’s easy to buy and supply enough energy for a long day, besides, it has an interesting taste. In addition, fast food is cheap and safety so it a good choice for busy people in some case. Recent studies show that eat a little of fast food every months can make people healthier and improve the appetite. Recently, many kind of fast food contain salad and some other vegetable, so it can provide some vitamins and minerals people’s body.

Although fast food has a lot of disadvantages, people have to admit that it have some benefit and become very popular now and their challenger is reduce the drawbacks and increase the benefit of it.

Sample IELTS writing #1