IELTS Writing Task 2 Samples

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Essay 1

Essay Question

Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good members of society. Oth-
ers, however, believe that school is the place to learn this. Discuss both these views and give
your own opinion.

Sample Answer

A child’s education has never been about learning information and basic skills only. It has
always included teaching the next generation how to be good members of society. Therefore,
this cannot be the responsibility of the parents alone.

In order to be a good member of any society the individual must respect and obey the rules of
their community and share their values. Educating children to understand the need to obey rules
and respect others always begins in the home and is widely thought to be the responsibility of
parents. They will certainly be the first to help children learn what is important in life, how they
are expected to behave and what role they will play in their world.

However, learning to understand and share the value system of a whole society cannot be
achieved just in the home. Once a child goes to school, they are entering a wider commu-
nity where teachers and peers will have just as much influence as their parents do at home. At
school, children will experience working and living with people from a whole variety of back-
grounds from the wider society. This experience should teach them how to co-operate with
each other and how to contribute to the life of their community.

But to be a valuable member of any community is not like learning a simple skill. It is something
that an individual goes on learning throughout life and it is the responsibility of every member
of a society to take responsibility for helping the younger generation to become active and able
members of that society.

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Essay 2

Essay Question

Increasing the price of petrol is the best way to solve growing traffic and pollution problems.
To what extent do you agree or disagree? What other measures do you think might be effective?

Sample Answer

There is no doubt that traffic and pollution from vehicles have become huge problems, both
in cities and on motorways everywhere. Solving these problems is likely to need more than a
simple rise in the price of petrol.

While it is undeniable that private car use is one of the main causes of the increase in traffic and
pollution, higher fuel costs are unlikely to limit the number of drivers for long. As this policy
would also affect the cost of public transport, it would be very unpopular with everyone who
needs to travel on the roads. But there are various other measures that could be implemented
that would have a huge effect on these problems.

I think to tackle the problem of pollution, cleaner fuels need to be developed. The technology
is already available to produce electric cars that would be both quieter and cleaner to use. Per-
suading manufacturers and travelers to adopt this new technology would be a more effective
strategy for improving air quality, especially in cities.

However, traffic congestion will not be solved by changing the type of private vehicle people can
use. To do this, we need to improve the choice of public transport services available to travelers.
For example, if sufficient sky trains and underground train systems were built and effectively
maintained in our major cities, then traffic on the roads would be dramatically reduced. Long-
distance train and coach services should be made attractive and affordable alternatives to driving
your own car for long journeys.

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Essay 3 (Cambridge 9 Test 1)

Essay 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?

Sample Answer

Traditionally, children have begun studying foreign languages at secondary school, but intro-
ducing them too earlier is recommended by some educationalists. This policy has been adopted
by some educational authorities or individual schools, with both positive and negative outcomes.

The obvious argument in its favour is that young children pick up languages much more eas-
ily than teenagers. Their brains are still programmed to acquire their mother tongue, which
facilitates learning another language, and unlike adolescents, they are not inhibited by self-
consciousness.

The greater flexibility of the primary timetable allows for more frequent, shorter sessions and
for a play-centred approach, thus maintaining learners’ enthusiasm and progress. Their com-
mand of the language in later life will benefit from this early exposure, while learning other
languages subsequently will be easier for them. They may also gain a better understanding of
other cultures.

There are, however, some disadvantages. Primary school teachers are generalists, and may not
have the necessary language skills themselves. If specialists have to be brought in to deliver
these sessions, the flexibility referred to above is diminished. If primary language teaching is
not standardised, secondary schools could be faced with a great variety of levels in different
languages within their intake, resulting in a classroom experience which undoes the earlier
gains. There is no advantage if enthusiastic primary pupils become demotivated as soon as they
change schools. However, these issues can be addressed strategically within the policy adopted.

Anything which encourages language learning benefits society culturally and economically, and
early exposure to language learning contributes to this. Young children’s innate abilities should
be harnessed to make these benefits more achievable.

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Essay 4 (Cambridge 9 Test 3)

Essay Question

Some people say that the best way to improve public health is by increasing the number of
sports facilities. Others, however, say that this would have little effect on public health and that
other measures are required. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Sample Answer

A problem of modern societies is the declining level of health in the general population, with
conflicting views on how to tackle this worrying trend. One possible solution is to provide more
sports facilities to encourage a more active lifestyle.

Advocates of this believe that today’s sedentary lifestyle and stressful working conditions mean
that physical activity is no longer part of either our work or our leisure time. If there were easy-
to-reach local sports centres, we would be more likely to make exercise a regular part of our
lives, rather than just collapsing in front of a screen every evening. The variety of sports that
could be offered would cater for all ages, levels of fitness and interests: those with painful
memories of PE at school might be happier in the swimming pool than on the football pitch.

However, there may be better ways of tackling this problem. Interest in sport is not universal,
and additional facilities might attract the already fit, not those who most need them. Physical
activity could be encouraged relatively cheaply, for example by installing exercise equipment
in parks, as my local council has done. This has the added benefit that parents and children
often use them together just for fun, which develops a positive attitude to exercise at an early
age.

As well as physical activity, high tax penalties could be imposed on high-fat food products,
tobacco and alcohol, as excessive consumption of any of these contributes to poor health. Even
improving public transport would help: it takes longer to walk to the bus stop than the car.

In my opinion, focusing on sports facilities is too narrow an approach and would not have the
desired results. People should be encouraged not only to be more physically active but also to
adopt a healthier lifestyle in general.

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Essay 5 (Cambridge 10 Test 1)

Essay Question

It is important for children to learn the difference between right and wrong at an early age.
Punishment is necessary to help them learn this distinction. To what extent do you agree or
disagree with this opinion? What sort of punishment should parents and teachers be allowed to
use to teach good behaviour to children?

Sample Answer

One important stage in a child’s growth is certainly the development of a conscience, which is
linked to the ability to tell right from wrong. This skill comes with time and good parenting, and
my firm conviction is that punishment does not have much of a role to play in this. Therefore I
have to disagree almost entirely with the given statement.

To some extent, the question depends on the age of the child. To punish a very young child is
both wrong and foolish, as an infant will not understand what is happening or why he or she is
being punished. Once the age of reason is reached, however, a child can be rewarded for good
behaviour and discouraged from bad. This kind but firm approach will achieve more than harsh
punishments, which might entail many negative consequences unintended by the parents.

To help a child learn the difference between right and wrong, teachers and parents should firstly
provide good role modelling in their own behaviour. After that, if sanctions are needed, the
punishment should not be of a physical nature, as that merely sends the message that it is ac-
ceptable for larger people to hit smaller ones – an outcome which may well result in the child
starting to bully others. Nor should the punishment be in any way cruel.

Rather, teachers and parents can use a variety of methods to discipline their young charges, such
as detention, withdrawal of privileges, and time-out. Making the punishment fit the crime is
a useful notion, which would see children being made to pick up rubbish they have dropped,
clean up graffiti they have drawn, or apologize to someone they have hurt. In these ways,
responsibility is developed in the children, which leads to much better future behaviour than
does punishment.

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Essay 6 (Cambridge 10 Test 3)

Essay Question

Countries are becoming more and more similar because people are able to buy the same products
anywhere in the world. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

Sample Answer

It is said that countries are becoming similar to each other because of the global spread of the
same products, which are now available for purchase almost anywhere. I strongly believe that
this modern development is largely detrimental to culture and traditions worldwide.

A country’s history, language and ethos are all inextricably bound up in its manufactured arte-
facts. If the relentless advance of international brands into every corner of the world continues,
these bland packages might one day completely oust the traditional objects of a nation, which
would be a loss of richness and diversity in the world, as well as the sad disappearance of the
manifestations of a place’s character: What would a Japanese tea ceremony be without its spe-
cially crafted teapot, or a Fijian kava ritual without its bowl made from a certain type of tree
bark?

Let us not forget either that traditional products, whether these be medicines, cosmetics, toys,
clothes, utensils or food, provide employment for local people. The spread of multinational
products can often bring in its wake a loss of jobs, as people turn to buying the new brand,
perhaps thinking it more glamorous than the one they are used to. This eventually puts old-
school craftspeople out of work.

Finally, tourism numbers may also be affected, as travellers become disillusioned with finding
every place just the same as the one they visited previously. To see the same products in shops
the world over is boring, and does not impel visitors to open their wallets in the same way that
trinkets or souvenirs unique to the particular area do.

Some may argue that all people are entitled to have access to the same products, but I say that
local objects suit local conditions best, and that faceless uniformity worldwide is an unwelcome
and dreary prospect.