In the last few months, the topic of maternity leave was given in IELTS writing task 2. Maternity leave means paid leave given to women who are going to have a baby. They are paid during the months they do not work by the company they work for and can return to their position at the end of their paid leave.

Below are some ideas that you can use for this topic.

Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments box below.

Question: What are the advantages and disadvantages to maternity leave?

Advantages of Maternity Leave

• Women no longer need to choose between a career and having a family.
• Women will be able to enjoy time with their newborn baby without financial concerns.
• Parents will be better able to afford the necessary medical care for both mother and baby.
• Companies will be able to keep a good member of staff.

Disadvantages of Maternity Leave

• Small companies are not able to afford to pay women for maternity leave.
• Companies will need to find a temporary replacement for the work which might not be easy.
• When mothers return to work they will not be up-to-date with recent developments in the company.
• Maternity leave encourages women to continue working rather than staying at home to raise a child.

Can you think of more advantages and disadvantages?

Post your comments below.

Below you can find various introductions for this essay:

Some people think that the most important things in life are free and cannot be bought. To what extent do you agree?

Sample Introductions

Not everyone agrees whether the best things in life are available for free and that money cannot buy them. I believe that most basic human necessities in life require money to obtain them and only a few things are completely free.

While some people believe that the best things in life do not require money to be obtained, others disagree. In my opinion, happiness, family and health, which are the most important aspects of life, are completely free for all people.

Although there are people who consider that most good things in life are free for both rich and poor, other people believe this is not the case. I think that the things central to a good life need to be bought and only happiness can be attained without money.

People have different views about whether the best things in life can be obtained without money. In my opinion, the things that are crucial to human survival must be paid for, except happiness and health.

Comments

You can see the various options for background statements and different ways of expressing your views in the thesis statement.

A number of students reported this essay question in IELTS writing task 2. Many of you have asked me for ideas and tips about this essay. You can find step by step tips below. The essay below is called an Opinion Essay (however some teachers called it an “argumentative essay” or “agree/disagree essay”).

IELTS Essay Question

Some people think that the most important things in life are free and cannot be bought. To what extent do you agree?

Tips for this IELTS Essay

1. Please note that the wording of the essay is “important things” not “important services”. You need to pay close attention to the words used in the essay so that you don’t change the meaning.
2. You need to make a list of things that are important in life and are free:
   1. family
   2. health
   3. appreciation of nature
   4. love
   5. Each of the above cannot be bought using money – they are available to rich and poor alike.
3. This essay is not about WHY they are free. You need to be very clear what the aim of the question is. The question is “do you think the most important things are free or do you think the most important things are not free and must be bought.
4. You need to think of things that are not free and must be bought:
   1. food
   2. housing
   3. education
   4. health care
   5. clothes
   6. cars
   7. electricity
   8. these items must be bought using money. Rich people get better quality food, housing, education etc than poor people who sometimes can’t afford even the most basic human necessities.
5. Now you have brainstormed your ideas. What is your opinion? Do you think the best things in life are free? Or do you think the best things in life are not free?
6. Your opinion must be written clearly in the introduction and explained in the body paragraphs.
7. Your thesis statement:
   1. The thesis statement should be one sentence that presents your position (your opinion).
   2. You can start this sentence with : In my opinion or I think or I believe or something similar that shows YOUR own personal opinion. Don’t start it with “this essay”.
8. Model Introduction
   1. See a range of different introductions for this essay question: Model Introductions

IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Essays

You can find more tips, free videos and model essays on this page: IELTS Writing Task 2.