Parental guidance for adolescent decision making

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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES

In many countries, young people are granted certain privileges and responsibilities at the age
of sixteen. Clearly parents have a responsibility to both care for and prepare their children as
they approach this important milestone.
To what degree should parents intervene in the lives of their 14-15 year-old children?
As children grow up, decision-making is increasingly becoming favored and turns into a complicated
process. Even more importantly, it exerts a strong influence on their growth and maturity. Yet, most
fourteen to fifteen-year-old individuals, who put their toes into puberty - a sensitive stage of life, are
generally lack of knowledge and practical experience. In my humble knowledge, I would argue that
parents should exercise some control over their beloved children so as to lead them to a right way,
although there are a myriad of young people, in fact, having a yearning for independence and
exploration of adult world. Two primary reasons for this go as follows.
First and foremost, the physical environment, in which children these days are living, is far more
different from the one their predecessors witnessed. Globalization - the new worldwide trend solely
appearing at the end of the 20th century, has made a great contribution to human being’s comfort
and convenience; and likewise has brought with it some adverse effect. A particularly salient
example of the negative sides of this fashion is the ever-increasing petty crime rate as a
consequence of the significant rise in transient population coming from developing countries – a
social syndrome is unprecedented in modern times. Moreover, the Internet – an added incentive for
globalization – is being transformed into a fertile region for criminal offenses and behaviors, a vicious
domain of the pedophiles, hypocrites, and murders, and a Mecca for law-breakers. Clearly, it is an
inevitable fact that teenagers, who are at an impressionable age and building up their own values,
are easily affected by the deteriorating standards from the Net and the surrounding figures in mass
media. In this case, parents should have a duty to verify and manage the content of what their
children are surfing on the Net on a daily basis.
Another noticeable point is that young generation, going through their puberty, often switches to a
possible scenario, where they would confront with tangible and intangible obstacles and challenges.
A majority conceivably pursues higher education at domestic schools, whilst a minority is offered
scholarships or seeking precious opportunities to study abroad. No matter where their destinations
are, becoming accustomed to distinct characteristics of a specific culture of the adopted countries or
regions is one of the most worrying issue. For instance, the Easterners, deeply immersed in their
native culture through many years of being educated in their home schools, where families and
group work targets are superior, would find it difficult to plunge themselves into the western
education system, emphasizing on personal achievements regardless of the expense of group
goals. Therefore, parents who have already suffered and overcome the life with full of misery and
joy, can give these naive students useful advice on how to troubleshoot those issues closely related
to interpersonal skills and social communication disorders.
By way of conclusion, parents’ involvement with their malleable children’s private life in our society to
date is, to some extent, necessary to guarantee that their children are going on the right track and
safe from life temptation and potential risks. However, it is true that a strict parenting style may
shape individuals with low self-esteem, who behave worse than those whose parents are openly
permissive. For this reason, considering the youth’ s sensitivity, and combining communication and
freedom, rather than exercising considerable influence over their private life should be the best
choices.
------------------------------------------
It is widely believed that grown-up children should be granted particular responsibilities for making their own
decisions at the age of sixteen. I am on the belief that parents still have authorities on guiding their children at
DAVIDJ1902.BLOGSPOT.COM 1
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
that time as long as it is not too much intervening. I will outline two measures that can be done by parents for
guiding their children.
First of all, the most important area is safety. Children tend to do something based on what they like but
careless on its risks. Likewise, children are more curious than adults that they want to try anything. For
instance, in some developing countries like Indonesia, especially in village, many adolescents ride a motor
cycle before they are 15 years old and they do not require driving license. Commonly, they drive fast and do
not wear a helmet. This issue needs parents’ attention. Therefore, parents should give advice and necessary
information about the suitable time for them for riding a vehicle.
Another measure is financial management. In some regions, most teenagers depend on their parents for
money. It is my firm belief that guiding them on how to manage money from young age will be valuable for their
future. In addition, children could make a better decision on what their money should be spent with. For
example, parents should give particular amount of money regularly. They have to commit that there will be no
extra funding even though it is hard up. Therefore, children’s awareness will go up and the probability of getting
a part-time job is highly likely to happen.
Proper guidance from parents can build a better future for the children. Teenagers often lack the experience for
taking important decisions and the parents should always be friendly and supportive while guiding their
children.
In short, whilst young people are granted particular privileges at certain age, parents still have authorities for
controlling them but without too much intervening. Children still need guidance for their future wellbeing.
[ Written by - Nurul Izzah ]

…………………………………
As children grow up, they can be increasingly responsible for making their own decisions. However, until
a young person is ready to live independently, parents still have a responsibility for guiding their
children. In this essay, I will outline two main areas in which I believe parents should continue to
exercise some control over their adolescent children.
The most important area is safety. Learning to manage risk is clearly very important. However,
because children often have less experience of and therefore less awareness of adverse consequences,
they are not always able to take sensible precautions. Because, for example, they may never have been
robbed whilst outdoors at night, they may assume that this can never happen to them. Parents should,
therefore, intervene to help their children understand and manage risk. In the example above, they
could help their child arrange suitable transport.
Another area in which a degree of parental intervention is necessary is in considering long-term

interests. Young people sometimes have a tendency to prioritise short-term needs and wants over
longer-term goals. They may, for instance, choose to attend a sporting event or social occasion rather
than study for an exam that is weeks in the future. Parents can help their children by insisting that
certain responsibilities are met before privileges are granted. Children would not only be helped to
achieve their goals but would also learn how to manage their time.
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In summary, parents should allow their adolescent children a degree of autonomy but continue to
exercise some control. If they intervene with a view to helping their child learn to make good decisions
independently, they are likely to see the best outcome.
Teenagers at their 14 or 15 are the most controversial and unpredictable group. They are on the
threshold of adulthood and cannot wait to make their first step as an adult. If parents pose a tight
control over them, they could become more rebellious; if they are granted with too much freedom, they
could easily go astray. Therefore, it is crucial for parents to adopt an appropriate policy to the 14 or 15-
years-old children.
For on thing, those children should learn how to make decisions on their own. Teenagers at that age
have already familiarizes with the basic principles and knowledge in life. For example, they have been
educated that murder and stealing is against the law. therefore, if parents continue to keep their
children in the cradle, it would be detrimental to their further development and children would be less
independent.
For another, children at that age are full of curiosity. The outside world are so tempting that they can
easily lose their self-discipline. The violent movies, pornography, drugs and sex all pose a bad influence
on the children’s judgement. If parent do not give an effective and in time guide, the consequence could
be disastrous.
Another important change parents should make when their children turned 14 or 15 is to stop taking
responsibilities for their children, it is generally acceptable that if a child make a mistake at their early
age, it is all right fro the parent to take the responsibility for them, like compensate for the broken
window or apologize or the bullied children. Parents are doing this to set and example about how to
make amends for mistakes. However, when the children grow older, they should be responsible for their
one behavior so that they would learn their lessons.
In short, 14 to15-year-old children should be granted the right to make their own decision with the
proper guidance from parents. Also, 14 and 15 is the age when children learn to take responsibility of
their own behavior.
model essays
Content
01 Gender 3
02 Convenience foods 4
02 Convenience foods (B) 5
03 Examinations 6
04 Endangered species 7
04 Endangered species (B) 8
05 Languages 9
06 New technologies 10
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06 New technologies (B) 11
07 Money 12
08 Young people 13
08 Young people (B) 14
09 Older people 15
10 Celebrities 16
10 Celebrities (B) 17
11 Cars 18
12 Inequality and personal achievement 19
12 Inequality and personal achievement (B) 20
01 Gender
Women and men are commonly seen as having different strengths
and weakness. Is it right to exclude males or females from certain
professions because of their gender?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your
own knowledge or experience.
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 logging, 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 slightly
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 of the needs of young boys
and can serve as good role models for them.
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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 females to approach work in identical ways.
271 words
02 Convenience foods
Convenience foods will become increasingly prevalent and
eventually replace traditional foods and traditional methods of food
preparation.
To what extend do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
The increasing availability of convenience foods has been a significant
feature of modern life in many developed countries. Some people have
predicted that with advances in food technology, transitional foods and
transitional methods of food preparation will disappear. In this essay, I will
argue that this is unlikely to happen.
It is true that nowadays many people do not have enough time to cook and
that convenience foods present an attractive option. These foods have
improved significantly in terms of quality and availability and the range for
sale in the average supermarket is quite impressive. It is possible to find
even every very sophisticated ready-prepared microwavable meals.
However, the growing popularity of television cookery programmes, celebrity

chefs, and cook books suggest that people continue to value traditional ways
of preparing foods. Farmers market selling fresh, locally-produced food
continue to be the norm in many parts of the world. In fact, they are
growing in popularity in countries such as the UK, where they had virtually
disappeared from many cities. This may be partly because cooking with
basic, natural ingredients is cheaper than buying processed foods.
Moreover, traditional foods are an important aspect of culture and social life.
In many countries, traditional meals continue to be shared in regular family
gatherings. Important celebrations such as weddings, Christmas and Chinese
New Year are marked by traditionally prepared feasts.
In spite of the utility of convenience food, people are unlikely to abandon

practices that are economically sound and give them great pleasure. It is
hard to imagine a world in which people do not continue to enjoy traditional,
home-cooked meals at least some of the time.
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276 words
02 Convenience foods (B)
Convenience foods will become increasingly prevalent and

eventually replace traditional foods and traditional methods of food
preparation.
One of the most significant advances in civilisation is the development of

modern methods of food production and preparation. Convenience foods
have now become the norm in many societies. Although some people
idealise 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 likely
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 food. Nowadays,
people tend to live in ever smaller family 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.
268 words
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03 Examinations
Many people believe that formal ‘pen and paper’ examinations are
not the best method of assessing educational achievement.
What is your view of examinations?
Examinations are one of the most common methods of measuring learning
in education systems throughout the world. At virtually every stage of the
learning process, exams are used to verify that the learner is ready to move
on to the next stage. However, many people believe that the role of
examinations should be reconsidered.
There are clearly certain advantages to exams. They help to ensure fairness
by imposing the same condition on all exam candidates. They are also
relatively versatile; different types of exam questions, for example, multiple-
choice questions and essay tasks, can test different sorts of reasoning
ability. However, exams also have clear drawbacks. Test-wise candidates
can often perform well on exams without having good underlying knowledge
or skills. On the other hand, some test-takers perform poorly in exams
simply because of anxiety. Some teachers and learners focus only on those
aspects of the curriculum that are likely to be tested, thus narrowing the
educational experience for all.
A number of measures should be taken to address these concerns. Wherever

possible, exams should match the content and activities of the learning
environment. Exam tasks should be varied to give fair opportunities to
candidates with different types of skills. Other types of assessment should
also be considered; assignment writing, for example, to assess independent
learning and research skills, or group projects, to measure teamwork ability.
Exams clearly have a role to play in ensuring proper, objective assessment

of achievement. However, exams need to be carefully designed and
supplemented with other forms of assessment if they are to be truly useful
component of the educational system.
268 words
04 Endangered species
The importance of biodiversity is being more widely recognised as
increasing numbers of species come under threat.
What can be done to maintain biodiversity?
As natural resources come under increasing pressure, the list of endangered
plants and animal continues to grow. The causes are many: developments in
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agriculture, mining, forestry and transport. Some would argue that the loss
of biodiversity is a price we must pay for progress. In my view, however,
there is much that governments can and should do to protect the world’s
plants and animals.
Governments could promote greater understanding of plants and animals by

investing in research and preservation efforts of universities, zoos, and
botanical institutes. This may ensure the survival of individual species and
produce tangible benefits in the form of new medicines and products.
However, this strategy alone would do little to protect whole ecosystem that
are under threat.
An alternative strategy would be to protect natural habitats by expanding

nature reserves. This would have immediate positive consequences for those
areas by preserving delicate ecosystems. However, this strategy also has
limitations. It does not protect from phenomena such as acid rain and water
pollution, which can cross boundaries and affect large areas.
The most effective solution is to limit the damage at its source. Companies
that engage in practices that harm the environment should be required to
demonstrate that they have taken all reasonable efforts to minimise the
damage. Public contracts for roads and buildings should only be awarded to
firms that have a good environmental track record.
The strategies outlined above: preservation, protection and , above all

prevention, can do much to reverse the destruction that threatens the
world’s plans and animals. The aesthetic and practical benefits of doing so
are well worth the cost.
(266 words)
04 Endangered species (B)

The importance of biodiversity is being more widely recognised as
increasing numbers of species come under threat.
What can be done to maintain biodiversity?
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 reverse this trend.
One possible approach is to regulate agricultural and industrial activity so
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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
punchers and others who seek to benefit from their trade.
A more effective approach is to educate the public about the benefits to

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 sustainable way, they are more
likely to make the short-term sacrifices necessary to preserve aural habitats.
(253 words)
05 Languages
As languages such as English, Spanish and Mandarin become more
widely spoken, there is a fear that many minority languages may die
out. Some countries have taken steps to protect minority languages.
What is your view of this practice?
As the world becomes more integrated, the need for common means of
communication is becoming more pressing. Inevitably, speakers of minority
languages have been under pressure to speak the languages of more
dominate groups, both locally and globally. Some people argue that there is
nothing that can or should be done to stop this process. I would suggest that
the issue merits more careful consideration.
It is true that as the balance of power among groups of people throughout

history has shifted, languages have arisen, changed, and died out. Even
once widely-spoken languages, such as Latin, have disappeared. To some
extent, therefore, this process may be inevitable. However, there are
examples of communities that have managed to preserve and even revive
languages under threat. Irish and Scots Gaelic, for example, have been
preserved by government policy on education and broadcast media.
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There are, indeed, several benefits to preserving minority languages.

Retaining the language of a community often means that other forms of
culture are maintained: songs, literature and local traditions. These all
contribute to the richness and variety of human culture. Moreover, language
helps communities to remain cohesive and to have a strong sense of
identity. This can help people to be strong in adversity. Where this sense of
identity and cohesion has been lost, fox example among many indigenous
communities in North America, problems can follow: low self-esteem, lack of
confidence and loss of initiative.
In short, it is possible and in many cases, desirable, to make the effort to

preserve minority languages. This can have benefits both for the minority
speech community and for society as a whole in terms of cultural richness.
(277 words)
06 New technologies
New technologies and ways of buying and selling are transforming
the lives of consumers.
New technologies and in particular the Internet, are undoubtedly having a
major impact on the way goods and service are bought and sold. In many
countries, buying products online has become a mainstream activity. Now in
the UK, for example, roughly 12 percent of all retail trade is conducted
online. **While some maintain that the actual impact of the Internet on
shopping is negligible, I would argue that it is in fact quite significant for two
main reasons**.
The first main reason is that the development of online shopping has meant
that the market for goods available to the individual has grown
exponentially. It is possible to buy virtually anything from what has
effectively become a world-wide retail market: exotic foods, art works, rare
books, adventure holidays; the list is endless. **Products that were once
only available to those who lived in large cosmopolitan cities with a wide
variety of shop can now be bought by those living in small towns with few
local amenities**.
Another significant reason is that the buyer can have more control over the
process. Price comparison websites make it easier to find bargains. Shopping
can be done at any time of the day or night, and shoppers can browse for as
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long as they like without pressure from sales assistants. This means that
shoppers can potentially become astute and knowledgeable about the
products they are buying. Because of the greater competition invoked in
trading within a large market, sellers may have to improve the quality of
their products.
In short, experience suggests that online shopping has shifted the balance of
power in favour of the consumer. Consumers not only have wider access to
goods but also have greater access to information and more control over
how they shop.
(294 words)
06 New technologies (B)
New technologies and ways of buying and selling are transforming
the lives of consumers.
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 cannot evaluate
the quality of online products by handling them directly. Instead, they must
rely on sellers to describe goods accurately in words and/or pictures.
Mistakes can easily be made, leading goods or seek a refund. Products
bought online also normally need to be delivered by post. The convenience
of online shopping thus hinges impart 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 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.
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The continuing popularity of shopping in the transitional 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.
(265 words)
07 Money
Learning to manage money is one of the key aspects of adult life.
How in your view can individuals best learn to manage their money?
Learning to manage money is something that virtually everyone must do as
the ability to maintain a balance between income and expenditure is
essential for a stable life. In many developed countries, the availability of
easy credit and a wide variety of financial products have made the task of
managing one’s money more complex. In less affluent parts of the world,
lack of money or access to credit creates its own challenges. In this essay, I
will outline two ways in which people can learn to manage their money.
Learning by example is one important method. From their early years,

children can observe how their parents make financial decisions. They may
notice, for example, whether money is saved for costly purchases, or
whether purchases are brought on credit. Children can also see what kinds
of criteria parents use when choosing what to buy, for instance, whether
quality or quantity is more important. It is important, therefore, that parents
model sensible purchasing behaviour and explain what they are doing and
why. However, in many circumstances, this may not be sufficient.
Another important means of teaching people to manage money is through

education. When school children, for instance, learn arithmetic, they could
also be taught the basics of budgeting and how to recognise good value. For
adults, the Internet could be a good source of advice on how to save money.
Price comparison websites, for example, can be a good way of researching
what is available before making an expensive purchase.
The ability to manage money is often taken for granted. Because the
consequences of poor money management can be severe, it is worthwhile
taking steps to ensure people are as well-informed as possible.
(283 words)
08 Young people
In many countries, young people are granted certain privileges and
responsibilities at the age of sixteen. Clearly parents have
responsibility to both care for and prepare their children as they
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approach this important milestone.
To what degree should parents intervene in the lives of their 14-15
years-old children?
As children grow up, they can be increasingly responsible for making their
own decisions. However, until a young person is ready to live independently,
parents still have a responsibility for guiding their children. In this essay, I
will outline two main areas in which I believe parents should continue to
exercise some control over their adolescent children.
The most important area is safety. Learning to manage risk is clearly very
important. However, because children often have less experience of and
therefore less awareness of adverse consequences, they are not always able
to take sensible precautions. Because, for example, they may never have
been robbed whilst outdoors at night, they may assume that this can never
happen to them. Parents should, therefore, intervene to help their children
understand and manage risk. In the example above, they could help their
child arrange suitable transport.
Another area in which a degree of parental intervention is necessary is in

considering long-term interests. Young people sometimes have a tenancy to
prioritise short-term needs and wants over long-term goals. They may, for
instance, choose to attend a sporting event or social occasion rather than
study for an exam that is weeks in the future. Parents can help their children
by insisting that certain responsibilities are met before privileges are
granted. Children would not only be helped to achieve their goals but would
also learn how to manage their time.
In summary, parents should allow their adolescent children a degree of

autonomy but continue to exercise some control. if they intervene with a
view to helping their child learnt make good decisions independently, they
are likely to see the best outcome.
(277 words)
08 Young people (B)
In many countries, young people are granted certain privileges and
responsibilities at the age of sixteen. Clearly parents have
responsibility to both care for and prepare their children as they
approach this important milestone.
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To what degree should parents intervene in the lives of their 14-15
years-old children?
No two families are alike. Therefore, the degree of control that it is
appropriate for parents to exercise over their 14-15-year-old adolescent
children is likely to vary from family to family. In this essay, I will outline
three key variables that should be considered when attempting to make a
decision about what is suitable in a given context.
One variable is the family’s physical environment. Some environments

clearly pose more dangers than others. Parents in an inner-city area with
heavy traffic, a transient population and a high crime rate, for instance,
probably need to supervise their children more closely than parents in a
small rural community in which the residents know one-another.
Secondly, prevailing cultural norms are likely to be a factor. Some cultures,

in Asia and the Middle East, for example, value social cohesion, whereas
others, such as the US, tend towards individualism. One of the tasks of
parents is to teach their children to function within their society; thus the
degree of parental control will probably vary according to the type of society
in which children are expected to take part.
The third, and perhaps most important consideration, is the personalities of

the children involved. Children vary enormously in terms of traits such as
maturity, impulsiveness, conscientiousness, and so on. The degree of
parental control appropriate for one 14-15-year-old may not be at all
appropriate for another.
In short, it is not possible to make recommendations regarding the

supervision of adolescents that fit all contexts. The physical environment,
the cultural context, and the personalities of those involved should all be
considered.
(271 words)
09 Older people
Longer life spans and improvements in the health of older people
suggest that people over the age of sixty-five can continue to live
full and active lives.
In what ways can society benefit from the contribution that older
people can make?
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People today can expect to live a longer and healthier life than people in the
past. People often see retirement a time for relaxation and letting go of the
stresses of working life. However, many who reach retirement age are more
interested than ever in contributing actively to their communities. This
essay will outline two ways in which this interest can benefit society.
Becoming involved in schools is one of the ways in which the life experience
of the elderly can be made available to the community. Because families
now are often more mobile than in the past, many children do not have
regular contact with grandparents. Yet children are often fascinated by
stories of life in the past. Inviting local retired people into schools to speak
to children can help to maintain a vital link between past and present.
Another way in which society can benefit from a more active older
generation is by inviting older employees to remain in work part-time. Older
people may not want to or indeed be able to do a full day’s work; however,
their experience may continue to be valuable to their employers. A good
example of this can be seen in one scheme in the UK in which elder
employees remained in work as mentors for younger employees.
Schools and the workplace are just two of the areas in which those who have
reached retirement age can continue to contribute to their communities. As
life expectancy improves, the need to maintain an active and socially
meaningful life may also increase. Experience suggests that this trend can
have benefits for all, not just the elderly.
(273 words)
10 Celebrities
Many people believe that media coverage of celebrities is having a
negative effect on children.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
In the past, news about famous people may have been confined to gossip
columns in newspapers; these days it is not uncommon for celebrities to
feature as front page news. There is evidence that the public feels there is
too much news coverage of famous people. Not surprisingly, there is
concern about how this might be affecting people, and in particular children.
One of the possible negative consequences of the cult of celebrity is the

tendency to confuse fame and notoriety. Celebrity scandals are just as likely
to receive publicity as celebrity achievements. Indeed, some famous people
have received more attention for their misuse of drug and alcohol than for
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their successes on the stage or in sports. Children who crave attention may
come to see misbehaviour as normal.
The emphasis on individuals in the public eye may also be at the expense of
serious news coverage. Next to the superficial excitement of celebrity gossip,
news about serious events and issues that have a more profound effect on
people’s live may seem uninteresting. Children may be forming a very
distorted picture of how the world works.
The negative influence of celebrities on children can also be seen in

children’s career aspirations. These days, young people are much more
likely to see themselves as potential sports stars or entertainers. The
prevalence of these figures in the mass media may convey the impression
that such positions are plentiful. Children may be developing unrealistic
expectations that they too will become rich and famous.
In summary, the cult of celebrity may be affecting children in a number of

undeniable ways. It is important that children be taught to critically evaluate
what they see in the media so that they can form a more realistic view of
society, acceptable behaviour, and indeed themselves.
(298 words)
10 Celebrities (B)
Celebrities appear to play an increasingly prominent role in popular culture
today. It is difficult to open a newspaper or switch on the television without
encountering an item of celebrity gossip. Not surprisingly, there are
concerns about how this trend impacts on children, with some people
claiming that children are being corrupted. This essay will argue that these
fears are unnecessarily alarmist.
Firstly, some people maintain that children cannot distinguish between

notoriety and genuine fame. However, in my experience, children usually
admire footballers, singers and actors for their skill and achievements and
express disappointment when they misbehave. Moreover, historically famous
figures have also been flawed. In the past, many prominent political and
business leaders had links with the slave trade, for example. Yet they are
still presented to children as noteworthy individuals.
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
Another common fear is that children are being encouraged to pursue the
unrealistic goal of achieving celebrity status themselves instead of working
towards more socially useful occupations such as engineering, teaching or
nursing. In fact, children have always had unrealistic fantasies about what
they might do as adults, and these commonly reflect the preoccupations of
their society. In the 19th century, for example, British children often aspired
to being famous explorers. As children grow up, they learn to draw
inspiration from their heroes and heroines without emulating them literally.
In short, there is little about today’s celebrity culture that is fundamentally

more harmful than the types of celebrity children have encountered in the
past. Provided children are given appropriate guidance, they are unlikely to
be adversely affected.
(259 words)\
11 Cars
There is a good deal of evidence that increasing car use is
contributing to global warming and having other undesirable effects
on people’s health and well-being.
What can be done to discourage people from using their cars?
Mass car ownership clearly has a number of undesirable consequences for
people’s health and fitness as well as for the environment and community
life generally. Nevertheless, owing a car is still seen as a desirable option. In
fact, the number of cars in the world today is fast approaching one billion.
Although this trend may seem inexorable, there is much that can be done to
discourage unnecessary car use.
One possible approach is to make cars expensive to own and use, for
example, by taxing them at the point of purchase or annually through a road
tax. Certain types of car use, for instance short journeys within already
congested cities, can also be discouraged through road pricing schemes such
as that operating in London. However, these punitive measure alone are
unlikely to have a major impact unless alternative means of transport are
available.
Evidence suggests that where public transport options are plentiful,

convenient and reliable, people will use them. Inhabitants of cities such as
Paris, which have invested heavily in commuter rail networks, are more
likely to use public transport than people living in cities where such networks
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
have been allowed to deteriorate.
A less expensive and more environmentally sound option is to create a

network of cycle lanes and other facilities for cyclists, such as safe weather-
proof shelters for parking bicycles. This has the additional advantage of
encouraging people to keep fit whilst allowing them the flexibility of
autonomous travel. Cities in the Netherlands, which have relatively high
rates of cycling, have shown how this can work.
In brief, the trend towards rising car ownership and use need not be
inexorable. People can be encouraged to use other means of transport.
However, rhetoric alone is unlikely to bring about change. Investment in
practical alternatives is what is needed above all.
(302 words)
In recent years, there has been growing interest in the relationship
between inequality and personal achievement. Some people believe
that individuals can achieve more in more egalitarian societies.
Others believe that high levels of personal achievement are possible
only if individuals are free to succeed or fail according to their
individual merits.
What is your view of the relationship between equality and personal
success?
The issue of equality and achievement has occupied people throughout
history. Some argue that because people vary in terms of talent and
initiative, inequality is inevitable. The job of the government is to ensure
freedom for each person to achieve his or her personal best. Others believe
that because wealth and therefore opportunity tend to concentrate in the
hands of a few, the government must actively redistribute resources. While I
believe there is some truth in both views, the latter is likely to yield greater
life satisfaction for the majority.
Societies that are very unequal in terms of income and resources are often
credited with great achievements. The United States, for example, has many
successful individuals in business and science. Its universities, among the
world’s most expensive, rank among the top ten in the world and employ a
disproportionately large number of Nobel-prize winners. However, such con
tries also often produce many people without qualifications, and poor
prospects.
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
More egalitarian countries often achieve higher average rates of success.
Finland and Korea, for example, which invest heavily in free public education
for all, ten to rank high in international comparisons of literacy and
numeracy rates. Although such countries do not always produce many
internationally successful ‘superstars’, they tend to have a high proportion of
moderately successful people in terms of employment and income. More
importantly, they have lower rates of absolute deprivation and
underachievement.
In short, if we allow freedom for individuals to achieve their potential, some

inequality is inevitable. However, success usually generates wealth, which
can be passed from one generation to another resulting in inequality of
opportunity regardless of individual merit. It, therefore, makes sense for
society to level the playing field.
(284 words)
12 Inequality and personal achievement (B)
individual merits.
What is your view of the relationship between equality and personal
success?
Human beings have long struggled with the difficulty of ensuring both
freedom and fitness in society. Some people argue that a good society in
necessarily one that ensures equality for all. However, in my view, this is
neither feasible nor desirable in practice.
Firstly, it is difficult to define universal standards of achievement. For some,

achievement means material success, for others it may mean something
else: a simple but altruistic life, for example, Bill Gates and Mother Teresa
were very different but both achieved a great deal. Because people define
achievement in different ways, it is difficult to determine what equality or
opportunity might mean in practice.
Secondly, people differ in terms of their talents. Some people can make the
most of scanty resources; others do very little with inherited wealth or
educational opportunities. Many highly successful individuals have had little
of either in their early years, yet achieved a great deal. The relationship
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
between equality of opportunity and personal success is not straightforward.
Finally, it is not easy to ensure a level playing field without damaging the
incentive to do well. It is natural for parents to work hard in order to confer
advantages on their children: private schooling, for example. It is difficult to
see how equality of opportunity in education can be achieved without
capping the aspirations of those who work hard.
In short, while equality of opportunity is an attractive concept, attempting to

put this ideal into practice can do more harm than good. People are different
in terms of their values, talents and initiative. It is not possible to ensure
equality without distorting what makes people unique.
(273 words)
Some people believe that the range of technology available to
individuals today is increasing the gap between rich people and poor
people, while others say that technology has the opposite effect.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
People have different views about the impacts technology has on the rich
and the poor. I accept that technology could make rich people become even
wealthier or more powerful, I also believe that technology could help poor
people live better.
Like it or not, the gap between the haves and the have-nots is widening as a
result of technologies. Technology is becoming the driving force behind the
progression of our knowledge-based economy. Those who are able to
leverage technology smartly have the chances to make big fortunes quickly.
One preeminent example is Facebook, the most popular and successful
social networking website, which has made its founder Mark Zuckerberg a
young billionaire. However, the impoverished who are already in a weak
position are thrown behind technological waves. They neither have access to
the latest technologies nor have the know-how to make money by
technology. As a result, they cannot help but to find themselves falling into
deeper poverty.
On the other hand, technology could improve the quality of life of the poor.
Many people in poorer countries, who did not have normal telephones, now
have mobile phones, which greatly facilitate their daily lives. Also, the
Internet is spreading to all parts of the world. In the past, only people in
developed countries had access to world-class libraries, but now the Internet
gives everyone access to the same information. Finally, some technologies
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
help to bring down the costs of life, which allows poor households to save
extra money for education. This will lead to greater equality.
In conclusion, it seems to me that there are both positive and negative
effects of technologies. In my opinion, we should not blame technology for
the unfavourable disparity in our society because, essentially, technology
itself is neutral.
Band score: 8
Some people believe that children are given too much free time.
They feel that this time should be used to do more school work.
How do you think children should spend their free time?
Some people believe that children should concentrate more on academic
study during their spare time. In this way, they can get good grades and
stand a chance to outperform other peers. However, I believe that children
should better spend their free time on other meaningful activities other than
more school work.
To start with, children should be encouraged to mix with their peers and
take part inextracurricular activities, which is conducive to developing
their social and practical skills. These activities include but are not limited
to playing games, involving in group discussions, participating in DIY
club, etc. Through these activities, children can communicate and interact
with each other, and they could learn how to cooperate, manage
conflicts and compromise. These skills can be extremely useful for their
future life. However, spending free time on study subjects sometimes is
neither interesting nor effective. Actually, many precious adult
friendshipsgrow from childhood partners, and interactions among peers
provide much greater opportunity to foster such friendship than studying
alone can do.
Also, children should be given certain rights to choose to do whatever they
like. For example, if most children are quite interested in animals, then it
would be a good idea for parents to take them to visit the zoo. This
can satisfy their curiosity as well as promote their awareness of
protecting animals. Of course, there is nothing better than encouraging
children to spend their free time on their pastimes such as painting, playing
musical instruments as this can fully arouse their initiatives and develop
particular skills.
In conclusion, asking children to spend their free time to do more school
work contradicts their natural instincts and may lead to imbalanced
personal development. Instead, children should be given the freedom
to engage in activities which are irrelevant with academic study.
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Band score 8.5
02. The best way for government to solve the traffic congestion is to
provide free public transport 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To what
extend do you agree or disagree?
(20140109)
In many developed countries, private car use has caused significant traffic
congestion. Some people argue that overnight free public transport can
tackle this problem; however, I disapprove of this suggestion.
Public transport, such as buses and subways, has the limited ability to
transfer people when it is rush hour, so it is not likely to tackle traffic
congestion. Although the government could provide public transport 24
hours a day, the number of buses remains the same and these buses can
only transfer the same amount of people at the same time. People who fail
to catch a bus will choose to use their private cars again so there are still a
considerable amount of cars in the street. Therefore, traffic congestion may
remain a barrier to working adults’ commuting and continue to waste
people’s time and energy.
There are drawbacks of free public transport and an increase in unnecessary

travel is likely to be one of consequences. People may arrange more travel
because they do not have to spend money in buses or trains. Therefore, this
requires more buses or trains on duty; these buses may jam in the street,
which causes congestion. In addition, the overloaded road system also
requires more workers to do maintenance. This creates more pressure over
the management as well as individuals of public services and it may put
passengers at risk.
In conclusion, despite the convenience of free public transport, it has

drawbacks and it may fail to cope with traffic jam due to limited ability of
transport and extra pressure on the road system.
261 words
Essay topics: Longer life spans and improvements in the health of

elder people suggest that people over the age of 65 can continue to
live full and active lives. In what ways can society benefit from the
contribution that old people can make?
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
Submitted by evayap on Mon, 05/12/2014 - 11:56
There is voluminous articles about how young people is the driving force of
the society progress. Unfortunately, seldom so those articles focus on the
contribution of the elderly people. Pensioners, on the contrary, are often
considered as an unwelcome group that always require to the taken cared
of. However, contributions of the old tend to be easily neglected or
forgotten. Actually, our society benefits from the old people in various ways.
To begin with, the elderly people helps to preserve the traditional culture
and local customs. Facing the increasingly integrated world, the young
people has been assimilated by different cultures, in other words, they are
cultivated to become an international person. This is particularly true if we
take a look at the festivals. The western festivals, like Valentine’s Day and
Christmas Day, become prevalent among young people. However for the old
people, they still stick to the traditional Chinese festivals. Therefore, one
important role played by the old is to remind the youngsters of the tradition.
By this means, traditional culture and customs are kept from generation to
generation.
In addition, older people brings about cohesion and harmony to the society.
Two biggest threats of today’s world is terrorism and nuclear war, in which
the participants are all middle-aged people. It is true that young and middle-
aged group tend to go extreme and conduct radical behavior. However, the
elderly people, on the opposite, prefer to live peacefully after experiencing
ups and downs in life. Surveys have proven that villages where elderly
people are densely populated usually have a lower crime rate. Therefore,
senior citizens can help to alleviate the unstable factor in society.
To conclude, regarding the old people as a burden to society is a biased

view. As a matter of fact, society can benefit from the old group culturally
and politically.
As children grow up, they can be increasingly responsible for

making their own decisions. However, until a young
person is ready to live independently, parents still have a responsibility for
guiding their children. In this essay, I will
outline two main areas in which I believe parents should continue to exercise
some control over their adolescent
children.
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
The most important area is safety. Learning to manage risk is clearly very
important. However, because children
often have less experience of and therefore less awareness of adverse
consequences, they are not always able to take
sensible precautions. Because, for example, they may never have been
robbed whilst outdoors at night, they may
assume that this can never happen to them. Parents should, therefore,
intervene to help their children understand
and manage risk. In the example above, they could help their child arrange
suitable transport.
Another area in which a degree of parental intervention is necessary is in

considering long-term interests. Young
people sometimes have a tendency to prioritise short-term needs and wants
over longer-term goals. They may.
for instance, choose to attend a sporting event or social occasion rather than
study for an exam that is weeks in
the future. Parents can help their children by insisting that certain
responsibilities are met before privileges are
granted. Children would not only be helped to achieve their goals but would
also learn how to manage their time.
In summary, parents should allow their adolescent children a degree of

autonomy but continue to exercise some
control. If they intervene with a view to helping their child learn to make
good decisions independently, they are
likely to see the best outcome.
Essay topics: Many people believe that media coverage of celebrities

is having a negative effect on children. To what extent do you agree
or disagree with this opinion?
The dynamics of media have changed rampantly over the years. The media
coverage directly proportionates the individual life. Many people assert that
media coverage of celebrities is having a false effect on children. In my
perception, it is a true fact and same will be discussed in the following
paragraphs.
To begin with, from past few decades it has been seen that media industry is
growing at wild pace . The sheen of stars and glitterings of limelight change
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
the attitude of an individual. The celebrities live larger than life and
henceforth, their stories and controversies attract the children. There are
numerous negative impacts on the children. First and the foremost,
indulging in a bad activities such as drinking, smoking , consumption of
drugs , using faux language etcetera. The stars are characterizing their role
in the movies however, innocent children found all the negative stuff very
attractive and adopt them in real life. Moreover, in countries like India, the
celebrities are considered as incarnation of God and consequently, youth's
get influenced immensely. This might result in bad behaviour, scorn toward
parents and largely affect the studies. Media itself must understand the
seriousness of the issues. Sometimes the rumours of link ups and break ups
spread in the society as fire in jungle
Moving further, the stars are in limited relationship these days and the
casanova image attracts the individual immensely. Additionally, sometimes
celebrities commit severe crime such as rape etcetera. Media has to
understand that what they portray directly influence the individual
To recapitulate, I will emphasize that media should focus on the positives of

the celebrities rather than portraying the negatives just to grab more
viewers to the channel.
In the past, news about famous people may have been confined to gossip
columns in newspapers; these days it is not uncommon for celebrities to
feature as front page news. There is evidence that the public feels there is
too much news coverage of famous people. Not surprisingly, there is
concern about how this might be affecting people, and in particular children.
One of the possible negative consequences of the 'cult of celebrity' is

the tendency to confuse fame and notoriety. Celebrity scandals are just as
likely to receive publicity as celebrity achievements. Indeed, some famous
people have received more attention for their misuse of drugs and alcohol
than for their successes on the stage or in sports. Children who crave
attention may come to see misbehaviour as normal.
The emphasis on individuals in the public eye may also be at the
expense of serious news coverage. Next to the superficial excitement of
celebrity gossip, news about serious events and issues that have a more
profound effect on people's lives may seem uninteresting. Children may be
forming a very distorted picture of how the world works.
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
The negative influence of celebrities on children can also be seen in
children's career aspirations. These days, young people are much more likely
to see themselves as potential sports stars or entertainers. The prevalence
of these figures in the mass media may convey the impression that such
positions are plentiful. Children may be developing unrealistic expectations
that they too will become rich and famous.
In summary, the 'cult of celebrity' may be affecting children in a
number of undesirable ways. It is important that children be taught to
critically evaluate what they see in the media so that they can form a more
realistic view of society, acceptable behaviour, and indeed themselves.

Give reasons for your answer and give any relevant example or
experience you might have to support your answer.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answer:
Todays, more than ever, our children grow up in a world saturated with the
mass media. Most frequently, the media depict a world of celebrities in
which unhealthy behaviours such as drug addiction, smoking and drinking
heavily, and illicit sex affairs are exalted. Moreover, celebrities are
everywhere in the mass media and used to sell almost every product out
there. Certainly there are some role models for youngsters among today’s
celebrities to emulate; there are also many who provide a decidedly negative
influence. Teens who try to follow these celebrities may fall victim to several
negative matters.
To begin with, celebrities, generally, can earn much of money and public
know who they are. For instance, you are famous cricket player, what makes
up you to be renowned? It is your hard work, your perseverance, and your
effort. Celebrities manifest their abilities to shine in our life. By having a role
model in their lives, teens, thus, can sketch their path and follow their model
to success in life. Moreover, celebrities are always the stimulating character
for children. It is not so hard to collect celebrities’ information, no matter
their images, their activities or their personal life have been circulated in the
media. Youngsters can learn from their favourite celebrities’ experience that
the way they deal with life under any situation.
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
However, most of the children have access to several media, and are
susceptible to what they view. They are ductile to different messages in the
media due to their brains are still developing. It seems that those who spend
more time on media are more likely to interpret the real world in ways that
echo the recurrent messages in the media. It appears like every day there
are more and more glamorous exposures on the media of illicit activities of
celebrities. Children see their favourite celebrities doing drugs or drinking
alcohol, and partying, they think they should too. This conveys the message
in order to be cool or to have fun you have to need these substances. At this
point, I want to share my own experience that is I was started smoking with
the influence of Al Pacino watching his movie Scarface. It is seemed like
normal to me. So, this is how children may begin to think that it is not a big
deal, and this can induce serious problems leading to and including alcohol
or drug addiction and even several risk- taking behaviours.
After analyzing the both points of view, in my opinion, I lean on the fact that
media coverage of celebrities is capable enough of making children in
negative side. In this instance, as parents or mentors, we have to be aware
of what we allow our children to see and listen to. In addition, the media
ought to play positive role to build a sensible nation, because today’s child is
tomorrow’s citizen. Furthermore, celebrities need to change their bad habits
and should realize that they need to be more concerned with themselves,
particularly with their portrayal in the media.
http://www.writingacademia.com/ielts-essay/media-coverage-of-celebrities-
is-having-a-negative-effect-on-children/
Many people believe that media coverage of celebrities is having a negative

effect on children.
Today, celebrities appear to become a spotlight of the mass media. Almost half of
the news coverage on television and the Internet is devoted to the celebrity gossip.
Not surprisingly, many people are worried that this attention to the famous people
has an impact on them, especially on their children. This essay will compare both
negative and positive consequences of this effect on infants.
Fame is a great responsibility for public people as their admirers are very sensitive
to any acts of their idols. Celebrity scandals and gossips can quickly reach the public
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
which perceive it very negatively. This means that celebrities who received attention
for overuse of drugs or alcohol are likely to get public disgrace. Therefore, children
may see that this behavior is inexcusable.
On the other hand, too much news coverage to famous people seems to have a
negative influence on the choice of children of their future professions. As recent
surveys showed, inspired by the fame and wealth, children now prefer more to
become an actor/actress or a sports star than it was in the past. Many schools for
preparation of so-called stars and various advertisements about famous people may
mislead with the fact that this profession is highly required and easy reachable. This
may confuse children who should not choose their future job because of the
influence of the mass media, but from the basis of their own interests.
In conclusion, parents should be more worried about their children's attitudes to the
'cult of celebrity'. They should teach their children how to distinguish shortcoming
stars from truly talented ones and to put right priorities in life.
The amount of news relating to famous people we are exposed to nowaday

is surely excessive. Because of its prevalence, it is among those that are
believed to have potential bad impact on young children’s thoughts and
behaviour. In my point of view, how good or bad the impact is it depends on
many factors and this issue should be considered carefully.
Firstly, it has to be admitted that at present many famous people are well-
known for neither their talent nor their merit. What they have is not fame, it
is notoriety which is built on scandals. The more scandals they make the
more famous they are. As a consequence, this is one of those that lead to
wrong perception in children’s mind about life. They think that rebel is
freedom, wearing expensive clothes is trendy and fashionable. They have
not yet worked nor studied hard but still want to come in for a luxury life.
However, it is also necessary to look at the other sides of the coin. There still
have people who became famous for their feats or contribution to society.
Take scientists who won Nobel prize or poor students who gained great
achivements. They are the role model for young children imitate. success
stories of such people are source of inspiration for children, helping to build
their dream and ambition. They will want to stand up and make some
significant breakthroughs like their idols.
In brief, there are two sides to everything. Therefore, to not be judgemental,
great wisdom is required in all issues.
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
To begin with, almost everyone is attracted to famous people in different
ways; within a family a father may adore Lionel Messi while his daughter is
crazy about Lady Gaga, never wanting to miss any news about “the Fame
Monster”. To some extent, it is acceptable to glue to the TV box sometimes,
watching the star world, if doing so helps one handle the stress of school
work. Further, many celebrities can be a source of inspiration for the
children as they exemplify remarkable efforts in life and work. Finally,
celebrities have seemingly become a popular topic in children’s
conversations; failing to get updated can mean failing to mix with other
“guys.”
But the advantages as presented above sound trivial, compared with the
disadvantages. Everyone is given an equal share of time to spend per day; if
a child spends more watching news about celebrities, he or she will
inevitably/unavoidably spend less doing exercises and reading books. More
importantly, celebrities-related news is often packed with drugs, sex, other
bad habits, which hardly/barely does any good for the children. Last but not
least, as they watch stars squander money in what seems to be an easy life,
the immature souls can be lured to risk everything to do the same. The Idols
series provides a very interesting example of how young people with zero
singing talent are manipulated in such a puppet show. In this case,
reputation, or to be accurate, bad reputation will haunt them, possibly for
the rest of their lives.
Đầu tiên, hầu như ai cũng bị thu hút [be attracted to] bởi những người nổi
tiếng theo những cách khác nhau; ví dụ, trong một gia đình, bố có thể hâm
mộ [adore] Lionel Messi trong khi con gái lại phát điên [be crazy about] vì
Lady Gaga và không muốn bỏ lỡ [miss] bất cứ một thông tin nào về “ the
Fame Monster.” Ở một phạm vi nào đó, việc dán mắt vào tivi [glue to] và
xem thế giới các ngôi sao là việc có thể chấp nhận được nếu như việc đó
giúp bọn trẻ vượt qua sức ép bài vở [handle the stress of school work]. Hơn
nữa, nhiều ngôi sao có thể là một nguồn cảm hứng [a source of inspiration]
với trẻ em vì họ là tấm gương [exemplify] về những nỗ lực lớn trong cuộc
sống và sự nghiệp. Cuối cùng, các ngôi sao dường như đã trở thành một chủ
đề nói chuyện ưa thích của bọn nhỏ; nếu không cập nhật, chúng có thể sẽ
không hòa nhập [mix with] được với những bạn bè xung quanh.
Nhưng những mặt lợi vừa trình bày ở trên trở nên “chẳng là gì cả” [be/sound
trivial] nếu đặt bên cạnh những mặt bất lợi. Ai cũng chỉ có ngần ấy thời gian
để sử dụng mỗi ngày [be given an equal share of time]; nếu đứa trẻ dùng
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
nhiều thời gian hơn để xem tin tức về các ngôi sao, đương nhiên, chúng sẽ
có ít thời gian hơn để tập thể dục và đọc sách. Quan trọng hơn, các tin tức
liên quan đến ngôi sao [celebrities-related news] thường có đầy nội dung [be
packed with] về ma túy, tình dục, và những thói quen xấu khác – những thứ
không có gì tốt đẹp với bọn trẻ. Cuối cùng, nếu chúng nhìn những ngôi sao
“vung” tiền [squander money] trong một cuộc sống tưởng như là dễ dàng ấy
[what seems to be an easy life], những tâm hồn non nớt [immature souls]
này có thể bị hấp dẫn mà mạo hiểm mọi thứ để bắt chước. Series chương
trình Thần tượng âm nhạc là một ví dụ sinh động cho việc những người trẻ
hoàn toàn không có tài năng bị sử dụng/giật dây như những chú rối trong vở
kịch [be manipulated in a puppet show]. Trong trường hợp này, danh tiếng,
hay đúng hơn là, tai tiếng sẽ ám ảnh trẻ nhỏ [haunt sb] cho đến cuối cuộc
đời.
The twentieth-first century has witnessed a dramatic increase in media.

Today we can hardly fine a place across the world where people do not have
access to television, radio or newspapers which include much information
about famous people. It is disputable that it has brought a negative effect on
children in behaviors or lifestyles. From my point of view, celebrities’ news
has both advantages and disadvantages, but the pros side is stronger. There
are two reasons for my perspective on this. Firstly, one point is that
celebrities are an idol of many people. They have bright career, earn much
of money and public know who they are. For example, you are a film star,
what makes up you to be well-known? It is your talent, your effort and your
action. Celebrities make greatest efforts to show their own abilities to shine
in our life. Thus, by having an idol early in their lives, children can determine
their road and follow their idol to success in life. Another important point
is that famous people are the motivation for children. It is not difficult find
any information about celebrities, no matter how their personal life or their
activities and images have been posted in media. Children can learn
experiences from the way they deal with their life under any circumstances.
Although much information, announced by the press, is not exact at all,
some celebrities still control and keep their images in the eyes of us. These
skills are needed skills for everybody. After analyzing both points of view,
in my position I tend to think that the media coverage of celebrities is not
capable of making children in negative side. It depends on the type of news
and viewers so the press should select their information carefully
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
Nowadays celebrities are more famous for their glamour and wealth than for their
achievements, and this sets a bad example to young people.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
It is true that some celebrities are known for their glamorous lifestyles rather than for the
work they do. While I agree that these celebrities set a bad example for children, I
believe that other famous people act as positive role models.
On the one hand, many people do achieve fame without really working for it. They may
have inherited money from parents, married a famous or wealthy person, or they may
have appeared in gossip magazines or on a reality TV programme. A good example
would be Paris Hilton, who is rich and famous for the wrong reasons. She spends her
time attending parties and nightclubs, and her behaviour promotes the idea that
appearance, glamour and media profile are more important than hard work and good
character. The message to young people is that success can be achieved easily, and
that school work is not necessary.
On the other hand, there are at least as many celebrities whose accomplishments make
them excellent role models for young people. Actors, musicians and sports stars
become famous idols because they have worked hard and applied themselves to
develop real skills and abilities. They demonstrate great effort, determination and
ambition, which is required for someone who wants to be truly successful in their
chosen field. An example is the actor and martial artist Jackie Chan, who has become
world famous through years of practice and hard work. This kind of self-made celebrity
can inspire children to develop their talents through application and perseverance.
In conclusion, whereas there are many celebrities are famous for their glamour and wealth,
others are famous for their achievement, adolescents should follow those have real
accomplishment rather than those have not contributed positively to the society.
Essay topics: There is a good deal of evidence that increasing car use
is contributing to global warming and have another undesirable
effects on people's health and well-being. What can be done to
discourage people from using their cars?
In recent times, the number of cars running on the roads have increased
tremendously. Driving a car has become a stutus symbol and luxury item to
show-off, without realizing the side-effects contributing to global warming
and various health issues. There are various measures to control increasing
number of vehicles one the road, precipitating few of them below.
One of the ways to reduce cars on the road is to create awareness on the
pollution and chemicals exuded by vehicles, effecting environment and
health of general public. Volunteers from various communities, NGOs,
organisation and government officials should come together to propogate
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
worst effects of pollution on our surroundings and health. They can organize
information sessions, display banners on roads and streets demonstrating ill
effects and use media to educate people about it.
Another method to help reduce traffic and vehicles is "Car Pooling" while
travelling to offices. People can pool cars with their collegues or neighbours
by creating forums and displaying the car and need for car information.
Organizations can also contribute by propelling employees to use car pooling
and not bring their cars to offices.
Thirdly, according to my rumination, government should also invest in

developing seemless transportation systems in the cities to propell people to
use more of public transport and less of their personal cars.
Lastely, medical institutions should also create awareness about the benefits
of cycling which will descourage people to use car for short distant
destinations. And if celebrities can join hands with medical institutes to
create awareness on goodness of cycling then this will definitely change
people's mindset.
To conclude, I would like to say that there are various ways we can reduce
global warming and pollution to perpetuate our environment like creating
spreading knowledge on ill effects of pollution and goodness of being healthy
but unless each individual himself doesnt take initiatives, changes cannot be
restored.
Cars have changed from luxurious items to the household necessity with the
past 50 years. The exponential growth in cased brought in its wake various
side-effects. The ever-growing traffic congestion, the alarming rate at of
global warming and endless need for the gasoline, to name but a few,
compel both government and individuals to make a move.
The most advocated measure is to enhance the public transportation

system. For one things in improve the efficiency of bus, there should be an
exclusive but lane, In that case, buses are free form the traffic jam and
more people would choose bus as an alternative. For another, a sound
underground metro system could help to alleviate the burden of bus.
Subway, due to its efficiency and conveniency, are favored by most citizens.
However, taking into consideration the cost to construct metro system,
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
many government, especially government in less developed cities, are
reluctant to adopt this measure.
A less expensive but more practical way to tackle the issue is to limit the use
cars. To exemplify, cosmopolitans in China like Beijing and Shanghai have
enforced the policy the one household can only buy at most two cars. Also,
this rule is supplemented by limiting the usage of cars each week for each
family. It is required that a car will not be allowed to be driven on the road
in one specific day during the week. This policy has noticeably relieve the
traffic pressure since it comes into force.
In addition, a simpler way to discourage the public from using card is to

increase the gasoline price. With the price of gas soaring, many families
would stop driving cars to at least reduce the use of it. However, it is
worthwhile to mention that since the gas price is closely related to the
economic stableness, this measure should be adopted with caution.
In brief, to reduce the using of cars, government could provide citizens with
more alternatives and limit the usage of car at the same time. As long as
government takes appropriate measures, use of automobile could be less
problematic.
It is evident that the mass car ownership is associated with several environmental and
health issues, including global warming, lung cancer, and anxiety. Although the
convenience of possessing a car has made it almost an inexorable trend, there are
measures that governments can take to discourage unnecessary car use.
The first, and also the most effective measure could be to make it expensive to own and
use a car. This measure can be implemented by taxing heavily on initial car purchasing,
congested roads using, and petrol consuming. By doing so, people might start
considering reducing their car use, especially for the unnecessary trips. However, there
is a drawback of this approach that it is often the poorer residents will suffer from the
increased cost. The poor might have to cut some necessary trips because of the
financial burden, whereas the rich ones would be able to maintain their convenience
from car use. Therefore, this measure may be effective, but not fair to the poor.
Another way to discourage people from using their cars is to encourage them using
alternative transports, such as trains, buses, and bicycles. Evidence has shown that
cities, such as Tokyo and Paris, where better public transport systems are offered, car
use rates are lower and roads are less congested. People will only be most willing to
use public transports when they are almost or even more convenience than driving their
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
cars. Therefore, governments could invest more in infrastructure and transport system
design and construction in order to provide adequate and competitive alternatives.
To conclude, increasing the cost of having and using a car could be an effective way to
reduce car use; however, improving and encouraging public transport use could be the
better and more sustainable way to achieve this goal.
[ Written by - Huan ]
There is now a general agreement that pollution from cars has a negative
effect on people’s health. On obvious example is the increasing number of
respiratory diseases such as asthma and lung cancer. Excessive use of
personal cars has led to other problems as well, such as traffic congestions
and higher rate of road accidents. Although some people believe that cars
have brought man benefits to mankind, in my view, people should use their
cars less frequently. In this essay, I will outline three ways which people
could be encouraged to do so.
Restricting car use by passing new laws is one of the ways to reduce the
number of personal cars on the streets. Setting higher taxes for car owners
can also act as a deterrent. Limiting the number of hours that personal cars
can be used would encourage people to use public transportation. However,
governments may be criticized for exerting too much control over people by
taking such measures.
Another way to tackle this problem is to raise public awareness about the
negative consequences of suing cars. People who are very well-informed are
less likely to drive their own cars. Mass media can be very useful in this
regard. For example, some TV or radio programs can warn people about
health problems related to car pollution. In Vienna, for instance, most
citizens ride their bicycles around the city which indicates that they feel
responsible about their environment.
Providing alternative means of transportation may be the best way to
discourage car use. Increasing bus routes as well as lengthening the hours
of their service can be a viable option. Cycle lanes are also a suitable option
which can help reduce CO2 emission as well. Expanding subway and
monorail system, particularly in metropolitan cities, can encourage people to
use public transportation mainly because they are very reliable.
Car use which is one of the contributory factors of global warming is a major
problem which should be addressed. Informing people about its negative
impact, providing caring citizens with alternatives and taking punitive
measures should lessen the adverse effects of car pollution. (350 words)
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
In recent years, there has been a growing number of people using cars. This leads
to some serious consequences such as pollution, climate change, and deterioration
people's health and theses problems need our immediate attention. This question as
to how to discourage people from using their cars will be analyzed in this essay.
One feasible approach is that governments invest in building and developing public
infrastructure transportation networks. By improving the quality of service, reducing
cost, they can encourage commuters to use public transportation.
Moreover, another possible remedy would be to make the cars more expensive and
not easy to own. In particular, government can impose taxes such as property tax,
carbon tax, highway tax use for maintaining roads and bridges. With the increasing
in the cost of people's possession, they will change their habits by not using their
private cars and start using public .
The most effective solution would be to educate the commuters. Politicians can
make residents follow their examples by using some environmental vehicles, like
bicycles, or even walking. Furthermore, some public transportation companies
should be encouraged to advertise on mass media a service that is both cheap and
has a high frequency with cheap price and greater frequency. Importantly equal,
educational systems can teach children about the efficiency of using public transport
and point out the damage caused by the use of private vehicles. Hence, education
can generate the huge effect on a tremendous scale.
To put it briefly, it is obvious that the disadvantages of increasing car use causes
many adverse repercussion for our civilization. Therefore, I would like to emphasize
and reiterate that discouraging people using cars is inevitable. It is a necessary
action to protect our green planet and communities' health
vangiespen [Contributor] 1208

Sep 3, 2014 #2
The reasons that you present within the paper are quite common knowledge. So
there is no surprise there. I agree that the topic is quite common and has been
discussed to death over the past years in all forms of communication. However, that
did not reduce the importance of your observations and suggestions. I was specially
impressed with your suggestion that the politicians use alternative forms of
transportation in order to serve as examples to their constituents regarding the
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
matter of discouraging people from using cars. Some points of grammatical advice
though:
theses problems need our immediate attention.

they will change their habits by not using their private cars and start using public .
- ... public transportation.
The most effective solution would be to educate the commuters
- commuters about the environmental impact of continued car use.
Furthermore, some public transportation companies should be encouraged to advertise on
mass media a service that is both cheap and has a high frequency with cheap price and
greater frequency.
- ... public transport companies should be encouraged to develop cheaper methods
of transportation that will result in a faster,yet cheaper method of commuting
Importantly equal, educational systems can teach children about the efficiency of using
public transport and point out the damage caused by the use of private vehicles. Hence,
education can generate the huge effect on a tremendous scale.
- Educational systems should teach...
To put it briefly, it is obvious that the disadvantages of increasing car use causes many
adverse repercussion for our civilization. Therefore, I would like to emphasize and reiterate
that discouraging people using cars is inevitable. It is a necessary action to protect
our green planet and communities' health
- It is obvious... discouraging people from using cars is...
See if the essay will flow better for you with these suggestions. There is still room to
develop discussion points in all the paragraphs but I am not sure if you are limited by
a word count so let me just say that the points presented were quite well thought out
but in need of further development and supporting evidence.
swathi_12345 5
Sep 3, 2014 #3
Essay is clear and coherent. There are few grammatical errors which you might
need to work on. Some of them I am highlighting below. Hope this helps.
mass media - a service that

This sentence should be corrected - "that is both cheap and has a high
frequency with cheap price and greater frequency"
Importantly equal, education systems
Hence, education can generate the huge effect on a tremendous scale -> It is not
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
properly linked to your previous sentence, you can continue that sentence by saying
"which would help reduce .."
 What measures can governments take to discourage people from using their cars? -
IELTS [3] ✓
 [IELTS] Increased taxation on petrol and diesel fuel to discourage private cars? [12] ✓
 Some people suggest the non-essential use of aircraft like international travel should
discourage [3] ✓
 How do cars affect our life and what can we do to address the problems cars caused [3]
 Some people say the world would be a better place without private cars [4] ✓
Mass car ownership clearly has a number of undesirable consequences for

people's health and fitness as well as for the environment and community
life generally. Nevertheless, owning a car is still seen as a desirable option.
In fact, the number of cars in the world today is fast approaching one billion.
Although this trend may seem inexorable, there is much that can be done to
discourage unnecessary car use.
One possible approach is to make cars expensive to own and use, for
example, by taxing them at the point of purchase or annually through a road
tax. Certain types of car use, for instance short journeys within already
congested cities, can also be discouraged through road pricing schemes such
as that operating in London. However, these punitive measures alone are
unlikely to have a major impact unless alternative means of transport are
available.
Evidence suggests that where public transport options are plentiful,
convenient and reliable, people will use them. Inhabitants of cities such as
Paris, which have invested heavily in commuter rail networks, are more
likely to use public transport than people living in cities where such networks
have been allowed to deteriorate.
A less expensive and more environmentally sound option is to create

a network of cycle lanes and other facilities for cyclists, such as safe
weather-proof shelters for parking bicycles. This has the additional
advantage of encouraging people to keep fit whilst allowing them the
flexibility of autonomous travel. Cities in the Netherlands, which have
relatively high rates of cycling, have shown how this can work.
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
In brief, the trend towards rising car ownership and use need not be
inexorable. People can be encouraged to use other means of transport.
However, rhetoric alone is unlikely to bring about change. Investment in
practical alternatives is what is needed above all.
Question: There is a good deal of evidence that increasing car use is
contributing to global warming and having other undesirable effects on
people’s health and well-being.
Good Introduction
Rising global temperatures and human health and fitness issues are often
viewed as being caused by the expanding use of automobiles. It is agreed
that increasing use of motor vehicles is contributing to rising global
temperatures and certain health issues. Firstly, this essay will discuss the
production of greenhouse gases by vehicles and secondly, it will discuss
other toxic chemicals released by internal combustion engines.
Bad Introduction
Nowadays, cars are a very popular way of getting around. Day by day many
more people drive cars around but others feel that they cause global
warming. Global warming is one of the most serious issues in modern life.
They also affect people’s health and well-being which is also a serious issue.
As you can see the bad example talks about the topic very generally, copies
words and phrases from the question and doesn’t include a thesis statement
or outline statement.
If your introductions look something like this, don’t worry. Most of my

students write introductions a lot like this when they first start in my class
and the structure below always helps them fix any problems and write very
effective introductions.
Structure of a Good Introduction
If you use this structure you will not only score higher marks but you will
also save time in the exam. If you practice enough, introductions will
become easy and you will do them in just a few minutes. This will leave you
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
lots of time to focus on the main body paragraphs where you can pick up
lots of mark.
An IELTS writing task 2 opinion essay should have three sentences and
these three sentences should be:
Paraphrase question
Thesis statement
Outline statement
That’s it. Simple! Let’s look at each sentence in more detail.
Paraphrase Question
Paraphrasing means stating the question again, but with different words so
that it has the same meaning. We do this by using synonyms and flipping
the order of the sentences around.

Paraphrase: Rising global temperatures and human health and fitness issues
are often viewed as being caused by the expanding use of automobiles.
The synonyms I’ve used are:
Increasing- expanding
Car use- use of automobiles
Global warming- rising global temperatures
People’s health and well-being- human health and fitness
As you can see, I then switched the order of the sentence around.
I have therefore demonstrated to the examiner that I can paraphrase and

have a wide range of vocabulary. These are two of the things that the
examiner is specifically looking for and you will gain marks for including
them.
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
You should practice this with past paper questions.
Thesis Statement
This is the most important sentence in your essay. This is your main idea
and I often describe it to students as how you feel about the whole issue in
one sentence. It tells the examiner that you have understood the question
and will lead to a clear and coherent essay.
Let’s look at the thesis sentence from the previous example:
Thesis statement: It is agreed that increasing use of motor vehicles is

contributing to rising global temperatures and certain health issues.
It is always just one sentence long so you will have to practice summing up
your opinion in one sentence. It should also address the micro-keywords and
not the topic in general.
You should start your thesis statement with:
It is agreed that….. or it is disagreed that….. (Opinion essays)
The main cause(s) of this issue is….. (Causes and solutions)
The principal advantage(s) is (xxxxx) and the main disadvantage is

(xxxxxx). (Advantage and disadvantages).
For a discussion (of two points of view) essay you should state both points of
view clearly.
Let’s look at another example:
Some aspects of celebrity culture have a bad influence on young people.
To keep things simple, we have two options-
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
Agree that some aspects of celebrity culture have a bad influence on young
people.
Disagree that some aspects of celebrity culture have a bad influence on
young people.
My essay will argue that celebrity culture does have a bad influence and my
thesis statement will there be:
It is agreed that the some famous people’s lifestyles have a detrimental

effect on the youth of today.
I have stated my opinion in one sentence and used synonyms to make sure I
don’t just repeat the question.
Thesis statements are very important but only in question that ask you for
your opinion. Some IELTS questions do not ask you for your opinion and in
these cases you can leave it out.
Outline Statement
Now that you have paraphrased the question and told the examiner what
you think in your thesis sentence, you are now going to tell the examiner
what you will discuss in the main body paragraphs. In other words, you will
outline what the examiner will read in the rest of the essay. This should be
one sentence only.
Example:

Outline statement: Firstly, this essay will discuss the production of

greenhouse gases by vehicles and secondly, it will discuss other toxic
chemicals released by internal combustion engines.
So what I have done is just look at my main body paragraphs and wrote
about what they contain. You should have only one main idea per
paragraph. In this essay, I have only two main body paragraphs, so I only
need to say two things in the outline statement.
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
Main body paragraph 1- production of greenhouse gases by cars.
Main body paragraph 2- toxic chemical produced by car engines.
Again, your main body paragraphs should have only one main idea so it
should be easy to spot these and then write a sentence about them.
For advantages and disadvantages essays and problem and solution essays
you could write something like this:
Advantages and disadvantages: this essay will first discuss the (main
advantage(s)) followed by an analysis of the (main disadvantage(s)), and
finally will come to a reasoned conclusion.
Problem and Solution: This essay will analyse the principal problem(s) and
offer solutions to this issue, before coming to a reasoned conclusion.
Final Example
Question: Learning to manage money is one of the key aspects to adult life.
How in your view can individuals best learn to manage their money?
Good answer: One of the keys to adulthood is appreciating how to budget

your finances. It is clear that the best way someone can learn this, is by
managing money during childhood. Firstly, the essay will discuss the
importance of parental involvement during childhood and secondly, the
essay will look at the importance of having a part time job during childhood.
As you can see, the above introduction follows the structure I laid out above.
Next Steps
Do you need me to correct your essays and give you feedback on them?
Check out our essay correction service.
If you have any comments or questions please comment below or go to our

Facebook page.
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out more great IELTS stuff.
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
Writing Task 1
Writing Task 2
You are here: Home / Writing Task 2 / How to Write a Thesis Statement
How to Write a Thesis Statement
By Christopher Pell 14 Comments
This post will show you how to write a good thesis statement and how we
need to vary them according to which kind of question we are asked in the
IELTS writing test.
Thesis statement ielts
This post will look at:
what a thesis statement is;

how to identify the different question types;
how to write a thesis statement for each question.
What is a thesis statement?
Thesis- An idea put forward for consideration, especially one to be discussed

or analysed.
A thesis statement is the most important sentence in your IELTS writing task
2 answer. It is contained in the introduction and each introduction should
have one; along with a paraphrase of the question and an outline statement.
A thesis statement is your main idea and I often describe it to students as

how you feel about the whole issue in one sentence. It tells the examiner
that you have understood the question and will lead to a clearer; more
coherent essay.
Let’s look at an example of a thesis statement:

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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Thesis statement: It is agreed that increasing use of motor vehicles is

contributing to rising global temperatures and certain health issues.
As you can see, this sentence makes it absolutely clear to the examiner how
you feel about the question. The rest of your essay should support this
statement.
How do I know what to write?
The first thing we need to do is to identify which type of question it is and

look at the action words. For example, in the question below the action
words are ‘do you agree or disagree?’

We therefore need to tell the examiner clearly whether we agree or disagree

and this will influence our thesis statement.
Let’s look at other examples:
Computers are being used more and more in education.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own opinion.
Computers are being used more and more in education. Some people say
that this is a positive trend, while others argue that it is leading to negative
consequences.
Discuss both sides of this argument and then give your own opinion.
Students are becoming more and more reliant on computers.

What are some of the problems associated with reliance on computers, and
what are some of the possible solutions?
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
In each of the three questions above the main keywords are more or less
the same- education and computers. However, if we look at the action words
we can see that we are required to answer the three questions in very
different ways and this will affect our thesis statement.
The action words are:
What are some of the problems and what are some of the possible solutions?
It is therefore important to take some time to analyse the question and
establish what the question is actually asking us to do.
How do I write a thesis statement for each question?
Once we have established what the question wants us to do, we can now
think about our thesis statement. Below we will look at how to write a thesis
statement for four different kinds of question:
Opinion Question (Do you agree or Disagree)

Discussion Question (Discuss both points of view)
Advantages and Disadvantage
Problem and Solution.
You should remember that although IELTS writing part 2 questions normally
follow a standard format as above, they sometimes change and you should
be prepared for that.
Opinion Question
Some aspects of celebrity culture have a bad influence on young people.
We have three choices with this kind of question:
I agree
I disagree
I both agree and disagree
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
I tell my students to only choose options one or two. Choosing option three
will often lead to a confused and/or very long essay. If you have just one
opinion and you stick to this, it will lead to a clear and well argued essay.
You therefore have two choices.
I agree that some aspects of celebrity culture have a bad influence on young
people.
I disagree that some aspects of celebrity culture have a bad influence on
young people.
All of your thesis statements for this kind of question should start with:
It is agreed that…..
or
It is disagreed that…..
We should try to avoid using personal pronouns like ‘I’ and we therefore use
‘It is agreed that….’ instead.
Also remember that we should not copy the question as this is not allowed in
the IELTS writing test and instead we should paraphrase.
For example, ‘It is agreed that the some famous people’s lifestyles have a
detrimental effect on the youth of today.’
Second Example Opinion Question
Increasing the price of petrol is the best way to solve growing traffic and
pollution problems.
Thesis Statement: It is disagreed that the best way to resolve increasing

pollution and congestion problems is to raise the cost of fuel.
Discussion Question
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
Computers are being used more and more in education. Some people say
that this is a positive trend, while others argue that it is leading to negative
consequences.
For this kind of question we need to clearly state both sides of the argument
and state our own opinion.
We do this by simply paraphrasing the question; thus stating both sides, and
then giving our own opinion. Our own opinion will be just one side of the
argument.
Even if you favour both sides of the argument, just state one. Again, this
leads to a clearer answer.
Thesis statement: Some argue that schools and universities increasing use
of computers is a beneficial trend, while others are opposed to this view. It
is agreed that growing use of technology by educators is a positive
development.
As you can see, this student has clearly stated both sides of the argument
and stated which side of the argument she prefers.
Second Example Discussion Question
Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good
members of society. Others, however, believe that school is the best place
to learn this.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Thesis statement: Some argue that teachers should teach youngsters how to
be upstanding members of the community, whereas others feel this is the
role of the mother and father. It is agreed that this duty should be filled
primarily by parents.
Advantage and Disadvantages Question
Computers are being used more and more in education.
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IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
In this kind of question we need to clearly state what we think the main
advantage is and what the main disadvantage is.
Thesis Statement: The principal advantage is the amount of information

instantly available to students and the main disadvantage is the lack of
discipline and motivation provided by computers.
Second Advantage and Disadvantages Question
Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign
language at primary school rather than secondary school.
Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
Thesis statement: The principal advantage is that exposing children to

languages as early as possible leads to higher levels of proficiency later in
life and this outweighs the main disadvantage of young children being
overwhelmed by too many subjects.
Problem and Solution Question
Students are becoming more and more reliant on computers.
What are some of the problems associated with reliance on computers, and
what are some of the possible solutions?
Our thesis statement will need to state one main problem and one main
solution. Some teachers will advise you to state more than problem and
solution. There is nothing wrong with this, but I like my students to choose
two good ideas and develop these fully.
Thesis statement: The principal problem is students allowing machines to do

all the work for them without thinking for themselves and a possible solution
is to have stricter supervision from teachers and parents.
Cause and Solution Question
49
IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
In some countries the average weight of people is increasing and their levels
of health and fitness are decreasing.
What do you think are the causes of these problems and what measures
could be taken to solve them?
Thesis statement: The principal cause of this problem is peoples’ sedentary

lifestyles and a possible solution is to educate society about the dangers of
not keeping fit.
Next Steps
This is just a broad overview of thesis statements and it should be read in

conjunction with my article on how to write an effective introduction in order
to be fully understood.
It should be reiterated that although these are the four common question
that normally come up in the IELTS writing test, they sometimes do vary
and you should be ready to change your thesis statements and introductions
accordingly.
Here is Lisa Simpson with a summary.
what is a thesis statement ielts

individual merits.
What is your view of the relationship between equality and personal success?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or
experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Model Answer 1:
According to the Ecological Systems Theory, the environment that a person lives in has the most significant
influence on his/her personal development. Some argue that certain personal traits are closely associated with
a person’s achievement. However, I will argue in this essay that social equality is the key to an individual’s
success in general from two aspects: gender equality and education equality.
50
IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
The roles that women play in societies often vary significantly among different regions of the world. Societies,
that offer women more freedom in terms of educational and vocational choices, could possess more desirable
opportunities to facilitate women in pursuing their dreams and achieving their potentials. Women in Australia,
for example, where the equality between males and females is considerably advance, could be more likely to
achieve higher personal successes than women in Pakistan where females often remain inferior than males in
society.
Education equality is another effect that could largely influence on one’s accomplishment. As human society
develops, the ability of literacy and the access of modern technologies become increasingly important in
individuals’ personal development. Residents of regions where free fundamental education and better access
to technologies, such as internet and computers, are provided, could have increasing number of opportunities
to exercise their personal traits, thus, to succeed in the fields of their choices.
To conclude, an egalitarian society can facilitate more achievements among individuals. The gender and
education equalities are two fundamental ones that could ensure everyone in the society, both males and
females, to have the relatively equal opportunity to succeed.
[ Written by - Huan Ruan ]

Recently people have raised the issue of whether or not people have a
growing interest in the relationship between equality and personal
achievement. I feel that, not as a matter of equality, important factors that
lead to success in a person’s life are done so by individual merit, even being
in some cases free to fail. In my view, I believe that the former statement
above is true.
It is blatantly clear to me that individual merits always play a significant role
in evaluating success or failure. Individually speaking, each person must be
responsible for their own circumstances. I feel that egalitarianism can solely
create the essential conditions that must be needed for a successful life.
Naturally, this does not guarantee the same high standard of living for
everyone, nonetheless, to reach great achievements, people need to pursue
a plan and make continuous effort towards this success. I think the best
results are attainable for those who are thirsty for innovation and passionate
for excellence.
Oppositely, equality makes a significant contribution to the success of each
member in a particular society. But education has not been given sufficient
attention by law makers, causing schools to be severely underfunded in
Canada, allowing for an inequality to exist. Today’s compulsory education
ensures that everyone, whether or not they are rich or poor, have similar
opportunities in their pursuit of an education. However, in many cases I
think some individuals achieve more. Sexuality and cultural identity can also
51
IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
affect equality. Women can be at a disadvantage to learn in many parts of
the world compared to their male counterparts, and likewise, many cultures
face inequality due to a person’s ethnic background.
In conclusion, the relationship between personal success and society’s
equality remains controversial. Nevertheless, I believe that an egalitarian
society undoubtedly impacts the achievements any individual.
In my opinion, an egalitarian society is one in which everyone has the same rights and
the same opportunities. I completely agree that people can achieve more in this kind of
society.
Education is an important factor with regard to personal success in life. I believe that all
children should have access to free schooling, and higher education should be either
free or affordable for all those who chose to pursue a university degree. In a society
without free schooling or affordable higher education, only children and young adults
from wealthier families would have access to the best learning opportunities, and they
would therefore be better prepared for the job market. This kind of inequality would
ensure the success of some but harm the prospects of others.
I would argue that equal rights and opportunities are not in conflict with people’s
freedom to succeed or fail. In other words, equality does not mean that people lose their
motivation to succeed, or that they are not allowed to fail. On the contrary, I believe that
most people would feel more motivated to work hard and reach their potential if they
thought that they lived in a fair society. Those who did not make the same effort would
know that they had wasted their opportunity. Inequality, on the other hand, would be
more likely to demotivate people because they would know that the odds of success
were stacked in favour of those from privileged backgrounds.
In conclusion, it seems to me that there is a positive relationship between equality and
personal success.
(260 words) simon
-----------\
The issue of equality and achievement has occupied people throughout
history. Some argue that because people vary in terms of talent and
initiative, inequality is inevitable. The job of the government is to ensure
freedom for each person to achieve his or her personal best. Others believe
that because wealth and therefore opportunity tend to concentrate in the
hands of a few, the government must actively redistribute resources. While I
believe there is some truth in both views, the latter is likely to yield greater
life satisfaction for the majority.
Societies that are very unequal in terms of income and resources are
often credited with great achievements. The United States, for example, has
many successful individuals in business and science. Its universities, among
52
IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES
the world's most expensive, rank among the top ten in the world and employ
a disproportionately large number of Nobel-prize winners. However, such
countries also often produce many people without qualifications, and poor
prospects.
More egalitarian countries often achieve higher average rates of

success. Finland and Korea, for example, which invest heavily in free public
education for all, tend to rank high in international comparisons of literacy
and numeracy rates. Although such countries do not always produce many
internationally successful 'superstars', they tend to have a high proportion of
moderately successful people in terms of employment and income. More
importantly, they have lower rates of absolute deprivation and
underachievement.
In short, if we allow freedom for individuals to achieve their potential,
some inequality is inevitable. However, success usually generates wealth,
which can be passed from one generation to another resulting in inequality
of opportunity regardless of individual merit. It, therefore, makes sense for
society to level the playing field.

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1

IELTS ESSAY SAMPLES

[ Written by - Nurul Izzah ]

Another area in which a degree of parental intervention is necessary is in considering long-term

However, in the vast majority of situations, making occupations more open

However, the growing popularity of television cookery programmes, celebrity

In spite of the utility of convenience food, people are unlikely to abandon

02 Convenience foods (B)

Convenience foods will become increasingly prevalent and

One of the most significant advances in civilisation is the development of

A number of measures should be taken to address these concerns. Wherever

Exams clearly have a role to play in ensuring proper, objective assessment

Governments could promote greater understanding of plants and animals by

An alternative strategy would be to protect natural habitats by expanding

The strategies outlined above: preservation, protection and , above all

04 Endangered species (B)

One possible approach is to regulate agricultural and industrial activity so

An alternative approach would be to protect and expand nature reserves so

A more effective approach is to educate the public about the benefits to

It is true that as the balance of power among groups of people throughout

There are, indeed, several benefits to preserving minority languages.

In short, it is possible and in many cases, desirable, to make the effort to

Firstly, although online shopping appears to offer greater convenience, it is

Secondly, in spite of the promise of lower prices, Internet shopping seldom

For these reasons, Internet shopping is likely to remain a minority pursuit.

Learning by example is one important method. From their early years,

Another important means of teaching people to manage money is through

Another area in which a degree of parental intervention is necessary is in

In summary, parents should allow their adolescent children a degree of

One variable is the family’s physical environment. Some environments

Secondly, prevailing cultural norms are likely to be a factor. Some cultures,

The third, and perhaps most important consideration, is the personalities of

In short, it is not possible to make recommendations regarding the

One of the possible negative consequences of the cult of celebrity is the

The negative influence of celebrities on children can also be seen in

In summary, the cult of celebrity may be affecting children in a number of

Firstly, some people maintain that children cannot distinguish between

In short, there is little about today’s celebrity culture that is fundamentally

Evidence suggests that where public transport options are plentiful,

A less expensive and more environmentally sound option is to create a

In short, if we allow freedom for individuals to achieve their potential, some

Firstly, it is difficult to define universal standards of achievement. For some,

In short, while equality of opportunity is an attractive concept, attempting to

There are drawbacks of free public transport and an increase in unnecessary

In conclusion, despite the convenience of free public transport, it has

Essay topics: Longer life spans and improvements in the health of

To conclude, regarding the old people as a burden to society is a biased

As children grow up, they can be increasingly responsible for

Another area in which a degree of parental intervention is necessary is in

In summary, parents should allow their adolescent children a degree of

Essay topics: Many people believe that media coverage of celebrities

To recapitulate, I will emphasize that media should focus on the positives of

One of the possible negative consequences of the 'cult of celebrity' is

Many people believe that media coverage of celebrities is having a

Write at least 250 words.

Many people believe that media coverage of celebrities is having a negative

The amount of news relating to famous people we are exposed to nowaday

The twentieth-first century has witnessed a dramatic increase in media.

Thirdly, according to my rumination, government should also invest in

The most advocated measure is to enhance the public transportation

In addition, a simpler way to discourage the public from using card is to

vangiespen [Contributor] 1208

theses problems need our immediate attention.