IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer Band 9

The IELTS writing task 2 sample answer below has examiner comments and is band score 9. The topic of social media is common and this IELTS essay question was reported in the IELTS test. Check the model essay and then read the comments.

Many people believe that social networking sites (such as Facebook) have had a huge negative impact on both individuals and society.

To what extent do you agree?

Social networking sites, for instance Facebook, are thought by some to have had a detrimental effect on individual people as well as society and local communities. However, while I believe that such sites are mainly beneficial to the individual, I agree that they have had a damaging effect on local communities.

With regards to individuals, the impact that online social media has had on each individual person has clear advantages. Firstly, people from different countries are brought together through such sites as Facebook whereas before the development of technology and social networking sites, people rarely had the chance to meet or communicate with anyone outside of their immediate circle or community. Secondly, Facebook also has social groups which offer individuals a chance to meet and participate in discussions with people who share common interests.

On the other hand, the effect that Facebook and other social networking sites have had on societies and local communities can only be seen as negative. Rather than individual people taking part in their local community, they are instead choosing to take more interest in people online. Consequently, the people within local communities are no longer forming close or supportive relationships. Furthermore, society as a whole is becoming increasingly disjointed and fragmented as people spend more time online with people they have never met face to face and who they are unlikely to ever meet in the future.

To conclude, although social networking sites have brought individuals closer together, they have not had the same effect on society or local communities. Local communities should do more to try and involve local people in local activities  in order to promote the future of community life.

Comments: This essay shows you the organisation of ideas into paragraphs and also how a clear answer is given in the thesis statement in the introduction and then supported and explained in full throughout the essay. You will also see paraphrasing for advantage / disadvantage language which can be useful for you in other essays. Furthermore, the word length of this essay is typical for anyone aiming for band score 6, 7 or above. Words 280

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Comments

  1. Chibudom says

    I know Liz doesn’t do review. But I would appreciate if other students like me could review my essay.

    Some parents buy their children a large number of toys to play with. What are the advantages and disadvantages for the child of having a large number of toys?

    Many a parent make a large purchase of toys for their kids to harness or play with, in my unequivocal stance, this notion provides advantages such as more leisure activities for kids, however poor academic performance, and reduced inter personal relationship are undeniable disadvantages. This essay will further examine the pragmatic advantages and disadvantages of this view.

    To begin, owning a myriad of toys provide a lot of benefits to kids. However the leading advantage of this notion is the creation of a fun leisure activity for kids. Kids with a lot of toys tend to have more fun in comparison to their counterparts who own only a handful of playing materials or games. In addition to having a fun filled leisure time they possess a variety of toys, games, and playing materials, which makes the kids more entertained. A notable example would be the research paper by a renowned psychologist Mr. John Ata which reported that 92% of kids with a large number of toys have more fun during leisure hours compared to kids with less toys.

    It is equally important to mention that some drawbacks are associated with this phenomenon. A substantial drawback is that it affects the academic results of children. It is a prominent fact that kids that own a variety of toys spend a lot more hours playing, and this exceeds the recommended daily leisure time of 2 hours. Furthermore, this has a negative impact on their academics, and learning ability. In 2022 an academic paper released by China recorded that 100% of kids with a lot of toys have difficulties learning.
    Also, poor interpersonal relationship is a notable downside to this notion, because of the extra hours spent playing with games kids have little to no time interacting with individuals of the same age range. In most cases children in this situation prefer to spend more time at home playing, than interacting, socializing, and building social relationships with their pairs.

    In conclusion, a fun packed leisure time is a phenomenal advantage of this view. However poor academic results, and lack of communication skills are undeniable disadvantages. Therefore, parents or guardians should maximize the benefits, and manage the drawbacks effectively to create a balance.

  2. Social networking sites, for instance, Facebook, have had a big detrimental effect on individual people and communities. While social media is beneficial in some ways, I believe that the negative impacts go beyond the advantages.
    With regards to individuals, the presence of Facebook can lead to scamming. So many people become victims in recent times. Scammers take other user’s photos on Facebook easily and then use these photos for crime. Additionally, Facebook is often deemed to be dangerous due to adolescent kidnappings being burgeoning. The criminals pretend to be someone else to attract teenagers to meet and kidnap them. Furthermore, establishing relationships through social media inclines to be full of pretentious. Users often polish their image, social status, and even profile pictures which may lead to fake relationships as well.
    Undesirable outcomes are happening badly in society owing to social network usage. People tend to gather with their communities online, instead of attending physical gatherings. It is not a good attitude because people tend to be indifferent to their intermediate community. Moreover, the intermediate cycle is essential to make people grow into well-rounded human beings. People live in real life, and for this reason, involving in such real communities is considerable as a means to help themselves fulfill their natural traits as social beings. Likewise, people are more likely to have stronger bonds in real communities instead of online.
    To conclude, social media sites have had a huge unfavorable result both for individuals and communities starting from crimes and faking identities to forming apathetic individuals.

    • Eledu Chibudom says

      The question of whether social media or networking platforms (Facebook) created a myriad of societal and individual problems is a subject of ongoing debate, while many a person argue against this view; in my unequivocal stance, I strongly support this notion. This essay will provide further examination on my nuance opinion.

      To begin, since the inception of social media they have been a paradigm shift from the traditional social networking to a technological form of communication, and this phenomenon has developed a plethora of drawbacks. Firstly, the harnessing of social networks has promoted crimes in the society; individuals use these platforms as a tool to facilitate crime. A popular crime as a result of social networking is internet scamming, also known as catfishing. In continuation, individuals can claim the identity of others, and use this to swindle, deceive, and steal from innocent victims. Furthermore, a notable example is the prominent scam that occurred in 2012 in Nigeria; a set of fraudulent individuals claimed the identity of an airport owner (Mr David Orma) and sold an airport to a company, thereby defrauding the company of $5,000,000.

      It is equally important to mention that the detriments of social networking on a smaller scale affects individuals. The use of Facebook by individuals for communication has significantly reduced interpersonal relationships. People no longer have physical social gatherings, discussions, meetings and relationships. In some cases, parent to child relationship has been ruined, because of the use of Facebook. A report from a renowned journalist illustrates that since the introduction of Facebook 88% of parents no longer have a good relationship with their kids, this is because people tend to communicate more over the internet.

      In conclusion, high crime rate, and lack of interpersonal communication are undeniable drawbacks of social networking. However, people who desire to use Facebook should manage its drawbacks efficiently, while maximizing its potential benefits.

  3. Hi Liz,
    i hope you doing well.
    if i want to write the introduction as a balanced opinion, can i write it like the following?

    “social networking sites, for instance Facebook, are thought by some people to have had a harmful effect on individual people as well as local community. However, while I believe that such cites are beneficial for individuals and Society, I agree that they have a rather damaging effect on them”

    and then BP1 discuss the benefits of social media and BP2 discuss the negative effect of them.

    • My main question is why you are writing about “cities” in your thesis statement. This essay isn’t about cities, it’s about social media. Also, the word “society” does not have a capital letter. Both of these mistakes will negatively impact your score. About the approach, your essay is only 290 words long (that is the usual max), you don’t have time to write pros and cons of both social media on individuals and social media on society. Lastly, you have turned an Opinion Essay into an Adv/Disad essay or a Discussion Essay. Present a clear position on social media for individuals and social media on society than is clear position for each. For example, you think it is positive for both, you think it is negative for both or you think one if positive and one is negative – all three options are clear opinions for an IELTS Opinion Essay.

      • Hi Liz, please go through my writing and make corrections 🙏

        It is believed by majority of people that social networking sites such as Facebook has a detrimental effect on individual as well as the society.However, while social media have a positive impact on individual, I personally agree that it is of more damaging especially to the society.

        Firstly, regarding the positive impact it has on individuals, social networking provide a means of communication between people that are far away from each other especially does from different countries; it also provide a means for people to advertise their products and businesses to help them make income and become popular sometimes.

        On the other hand, it brings a lot of damages to the community and society at large because of the way people are now occupied with social networking the tend to give a nonchalant attitude to something important especially when it comes to adolescence there is no more respect or positive contribution to the development of their community as all they are interested in is going online most of their times. People now give value to what they do online more than their real-life. furthermore, most individual become engaged in competition with their peer group and this result to them doing some unspeakable things, hurting people in order to make money and show off and increasing rate of fake life. As a result of this, community and society is fast becoming disjointed, people now prefer to make friends online with people they have never met before than the ones they see face to face.

        To conclude, although social networking have bring a lot of people together it has done otherwise to the community and society at large. The society should find should find a solution to that by bringing people locally together and engaging them on activities that will bring them together. That way people meet and interact physically other than always going online.

        • I don’t offer a feedback service. However, I will say you need to go back to my model essays and learn the proper balance and length of paragraphs. Having a long conclusion is a waste of time and won’t help your score. Having body paragraphs that are not equal in length will lower your score. This is the main writing task 2 page on my website: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

          • length also matters?…some expertise say that if examiner easily understand your thoughts then he or she will give you good band score even your essay length will be short or long

            • Ideas are only marked as to whether they are relevant and well explained. One idea is not a higher band score than other as long as it is relevant and well explained. So, any teacher telling you that one idea is a higher band score than another has not understood the marking criteria probably because they weren’t trained as an examiner.

  4. Recent research has shown that the usage percentage of social networking sites has been considerably increasing for a decade. Given that, the majority of the population believes such networking sites as Facebook have a catastrophic effect on not only individuals but also society. I, personally, find positive impacts on individuals; however, for the community, it is a total disaster.
    To begin with the impact on individuals, there are significant benefits that can not be avoided. The most useful point which is special just to the internet is the fact that there are no issues about the location for being able to communicate. You can talk to anybody, whenever and wherever you want no matter how many kilometers you have between your locations. This leads you to have the possibility for talking about numerous topics without any restrictions from your common interests to scientific researchs. As a result, for making new friends and thus for socializing, social networking sites are the best opportunities that should not be missed.
    Yet, the presence of some advantages individually does not eliminate side effects on society. If people start to socialize by only making use of social media like Facebook and Instagram, whole the society begins to crack due to people not seeing each other in real life. Society’s existence is thanks to the people taking part in group activities, working under collaborative circumstances, and spending a considerable amount of time together. But the more prevalent social networking usage becomes, the fewer people can stand seeing each other.
    In conclusion, social networking sites are advantageous places for mostly socializing individually, yet, there are more serious side effects exceeding the positive points. So, people should pay more attention to having relationships with the community so that, the term ‘society’ won’t disappear.

  5. Mahabubur Rahman says

    Anyone (especially, Dear Liz), who is an expert might evaluate my essay with proper feedback.

    You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
    Write about the following topic.
    It is now possible for scientists and tourists to travel to remote natural environments, such as the South Pole.
    What are the advantages and disadvantages of this development?
    Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
    You should write at least 250 words.

    In recent years, Travelling to remote areas becoming more popular with scientists and tourists for convenient scientific developments. There are noticeable positive outcomes with drawbacks both in the natural environment and the living species.

    First of all, In the last decades, scientific innovation and progress in different sectors resulted in more easily accessible transportation to rural areas which are far from the downtowns. For scientific analysis, a large number of researchers making crowd those areas for new scientific analysis for different parameters. For instance, exploring the fossils in those areas to get ideas about the ancestors of these specific regions. Secondly, While adventurous people always visit new ancient remote areas to satisfy their minds by knowing the unknown places more practically rather than watching TV programs. Finally, places always developing with tourists friendly facilities and increasing the revenue in national funds for these eco-friendly activities, particularly, excessive new-comer spending their money for various purposes including hotel room facilities, meals, and souvenirs. Which positively impacts the world economy and the living standards of local people providing them with more working opportunities.

    Whereas, there are many negative aspects to these easily accessible traveling opportunities. Both scientific purpose and tourism activities directly impacting on the local environment and the existing species as well as the local community’s lifestyle. The regional species, particularly, those migrating to a quieter and more natural environment lead a normal life without the disturbance of human economy-boosting activities. Furthermore, many old species have been extinct and right now existing species are almost endangered to extinction from those remote areas. Another concern is almost rising at an alarming rate, certainly environmental pollution. People visiting those places, dumping their wastes here and there, and destroying the eco-system, including plastic materials, those regional environments resulted in different challenging problems for the natives.

    In conclusion, the advancement of scientific research facile transportation to even remote areas, like the South Pole, for scientists and tourists with positive and negative impacts on the environment. Corresponding authorities should regulate these activities with proper concern without affecting nature and the species in a specific region.

    • Please read this page: https://ieltsliz.com/how-many-words-ielts-writing/ and then read all tips on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/. If you need detailed tutorials about writing an essay specifically for IELTS for a high score, go to my online store: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/. You should be aiming for accuracy with grammar and vocabulary – don’t aim to impress and never take risks. Aim for error free sentences.

    • arpana says

      Hi please let know how my writing has come along?

      In today’s day and age, it has become far more accessible to reach remote areas for scientists and tourists. There are noticeably positive outcomes with drawbacks both in natural environment and the living species.

      In ancient times, scientists or tourists would have difficulty in reaching such destinations such as the south pole. But today with scientific developments and studying the natural environment it has become a joy to travel. There are many advantages for scientists and tourists who want to travel for research purposes or adventure. Firstly, for instance, scientists can research fossils in those areas to get in-depth knowledge about the ancestorial landscape. Secondly, tourists, adventure enthusiasts especially travel to explore the wild life, natural beauty of the region, get a breath of fresh air, newness etc.

      Whereas, there are many negative aspects as well. Both incoming of scientists and tourists to remote areas has an effect on the local livelihood. The reason for this is that due to the inhabitation of ancestorial species, they are used to a certain lifestyle, the peace and quiet.
      And when unknown people start coming in, it disrupts their day to day lifestyle. They lead a normal life without the disturbance of human economy-boosting activities. Hence, people visiting these places, dumping their wastes here and there, and destroying the eco-system results in different challenging problems for the natives.

      In conclusion, with the advancements of scientific research and development for researches and tourists to travel to such remote areas will always have its positive and negative impact on the environment. Corresponding authorities should regulate these movements with proper concern and not affect the nature and species of this specific region.

  6. saadman rahman says

    It is assumed by many people that social media is creating a detrimental effect on both individuals and society. However, a healthy percentage of people are getting benefitted by its proper usage and implementations in social life although a specific group of people might be using social sites, for instance Facebook in an adverse way which is creating a negative impact in our social community and locality.

    To begin with, social media like Facebook has created a drastic change in people’s communication through internet all over the world. Website like this has brought people from all countries around the world in a single tent for communication. Though the communication is initially virtual but soon people are getting to know each other which is serving the purpose of meeting in real life with their loved ones or with their families. Aside of it, some of the other advantages that social media is impacting in our daily life such as; creating business opportunities, helping us to know about the current world information and news updated, creating awareness among people about social norms and duties. The main fruitful thing that can be described as is social media in letting us to know about other people’s culture, norms and activities etc.

    On the other side, as we have discussed so many positive sides of social media it has some detrimental sides too that is enhancing some real-life problems in our society and local community. As the main purpose of social media was to connect people but now a days it is seen that this tool is being misused by some of the people for creating fake profiles and pretending to be someone else as a result people on the other side of the screen might be outplayed with a fake emotion. Also, among young generations the dependency and the usage of social media is way too time consuming which is creating a mental distortion gradually. Adding with that, the utmost negative impact that is creating real life problems is vague news and its spread. As a result, people gets more confused in their decision making whom to support and whom to deny. Beside of that, Scammers trading with money, Negative content are threat to our future generation and also for us.

    In conclusion I want to agree with the fact that although social media is helping us in many ways in our social life but it has an immense effect in our cultural diversity to get provoked as long if we don’t use it properly. As long as some specific policies and regulations are maintained for its usage, I think that the damage is limited to rare and special cases.

  7. Buddhika says

    Please correct me if I’m wrong.

    It’s believed by many people that social networking sites have led to serious detrimental effects on both individual people as well as society and local communities. However, there are numerous beneficial effects of using such sites for the individual and some of the adverse outcomes for the society and local communities.

    With regard to the individual persons, the usage of social media sites has given the opportunity to identify the people with the common interests, who are miles away, which was not available before the development of such websites. Besides, It has been easier to establish a face to face connection within seconds with our loved ones, even when they are far away from us.

    On the other hand, the continuous usage of social meadia might end up with a dependent behavior, which results in the separation of societal and family bonds. Other than that, believing the facts on online as it is might lead to serious family issues too.

    In my conclusion, although the social networking sites keep the individuals closer together, it has a number of considerable negative impacts on society and local communities. Therefore, it is our responsibility to use those sites for he betterment of overselves.

    • Rahul kaindal says

      You write : use those sites for he betterment of
      Overselves

      Mistakes: ourselves and you write he in place of the

  8. Utkarsh V says

    Hi Liz,
    Thank you so much for all your time, guidance and help. Really appreciate the content you keep on posting. Have been following your posts since 2019, got 9 in listening, 7.5 overall then. I am planning to write again for GT

    here is my response: 274 words

    A few individuals believe that cellphones are a bane for kids, whereas others don’t believe in the same. In my opinion, though cellphones are now an indispensable part of any urban human and has multiple benefits, their demerits do exist and those make it more harmful than helpful to children.

    Though one can still be in quandary about the ill-effects of cellphones on adults, their impact has been far more detrimental for kids. These devices operate entirely on wireless radiations, and there has been an exponential rise in such radiation. As children’s brain is in development stage, and their skull is still fragile; damages from such radiations can be fatal. Additionally, prolonged exposure to phone’s display is quite detrimental for eyesight and sleep cycle. Moreover, new cellphones (smartphones) can host a lot of social-media applications. As children are growing, so do their hormonal changes, they are more inquisitive about such digital platforms. Though there are age-restriction on these sites, those are easily bypassed by them. Things get sinister when some spoilt peers introduce others to pornographic content which has been known to biologically alter hormonal and psychological patterns in kids.

    Though, despite above, phones do offer some benefits such as means of instant communication, exchange of notes, access to free and global online resources, most of these benefits are also available on personal laptops or institute’s kiosks. In case of dire needs, students can access these resources on such kiosks, where students can be prohibited from accessing social or adult content.
    Hence, though cellphones are now an indispensable part of human life, owing to their detrimental impacts, children should refrain using those.

  9. While many believe that social networking sites impacting both the society and the individual in negative manner, I argue that its certainly impacting social life negatively however, it has positive impact on individuals.
    With innovation of technology and reach to smart phones by common people has increased the number of people using social networking sites significantly in recent years. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and many more became basic needs of people. This revolution in technology has brought many benefits to people. Now people to people interaction have increased and it has no boundaries. They can easily talk to other people who are located at different part of the globe. Distance, time zone, boarders doesn’t matter anymore. This interaction helps them to enhance their knowledge, grow their business and much more. People can create any type social cause over these social media platforms and get other people’s support from world-wide.
    While this improvement in technology has benefitted the individuals, it has some drawbacks on society. For example, now people spend more time on these types of platforms rather than spending time in society or social activities. Face to face interaction is minimized, which certainly brings gap in local social group. Many old, aged people are not able to cope with technology and find it very difficult to interact with other people.
    In conclusion, As with any other invention, technology also has some drawbacks, however if people make smart choices they can surely get rid of these drawbacks and get maximum benefit of this technology revolution in the form of social networking sites.

  10. caydden says

    Today, advancements in technology have brought forth tons of electronic devices that serve to increase the quality of one’s life. Accompanying this would be the surge in social networking sites for people to communicate using these devices. However, many believe social networking platforms have affected society and its people in a negative way. In my opinion, though the presence of social networks has invited several benefits into our lives, I agree that the adverse effects of social media are noticeable. Hence, one has to regulate his or her usage of social media in order to enjoy the advantages without the disadvantages. To begin, social networking sites has allowed many to communicate with their loved ones despite being separated by long distances. With the help of social media, we are able to converse with the ones we miss via text messages, audio messages or even video calls without the trouble of traveling hours to meet them. Besides that, the widening of our social circle has been made easier as a result of sites such as Facebook and Twitter, allowing us to acquaint ourselves with strangers which can be achieved with just a few taps on the screens of our smartphones. By utilizing the above advantages brought to us by social networking sites, a myriad of time can be conserved. However, social media is not without flaws. By allowing people to communicate without meeting up or seeing each other in real life, social media has transformed society into an introverted one, one that resists any sort of physical communication if it can be done online. When people are accustomed to chatting with one another online, it is without a doubt that their social skills will degrade significantly as they no longer have ’emojis’ to express their feelings. Ultimately, we are left with a society that is fragmented in real life and only operable in the virtual world. In conclusion, social networking sites has allowed us to connect with the people we love who are far away from us and thus save us plenty of time in the process. Despite the merits, our society is no longer filled with outgoing people, but those who are lacking in social skills and refuse physical communication, hence resulting in a broken society. Therefore, it is our own responsibility to not be overly reliant on social networking sites to obtain the results that were intended for us in the first place.

  11. Ali Maaz says

    It is undeniable fact that learning a foreign language is more popular now a days. Although some people might consider that it is batter for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school. On the other hand some people might believe that learning a foreign language at secondary school is beneficial , but I believe that learning a foreign language at primary school is extremely beneficial not only because child’s brain is analogous to be empty hard disk that can be uploaded more quickly at this age . Small kids memories the talent, and it is considered that learning a new accent required a strong memory.

    This essay will explore who these factors make this development a positive one.

    Their are multiple benefits of this development . Firstly one of the major advantage of this development is that they have more space in their mind because their minds are empty they have more ability too gain knowledge and learning a new accent is not too be much difficult for childrens. For example, my younger brother learning a foreign language in his primary school and he almost have done this. Thus,this benefit can almost handedly make this development positive.

    Secondly, another major benefit linked with this development is that children have strong memory and it is considered that accent can be learn be a strong memory. All the talent is begin from childhood. For instance, my older sister have a talent of swing clothes and she learned from her childhood. Hence, this benefit can clearly over shadow any disadvantage.

    To conclude, I believe that this development is an overall positive development interm of these advantages

  12. Social media ever since its inception has taken the world by storm. It is not uncommon to find a person with a social media account even in the remotest of the areas. Such has been its profound impact that most of the top brands these days use social media for its promotion. Some of us opine that these social networking sites are impacting the individual as well as the society at large. I agree that these networking sites are useful in crisis times but mostly feel that these sites are doing more harm than good for the following two reasons.
    First of all, decision making in this generation is severely impaired due to influence of social media sites. People these days are compelled to base their opinion on sources which can be hardly termed as fool proof due to its abundance. This information is butter fed into an individual mind in a implicit way, before the person recognising it. Take for instance, the way political campaigns are being run these days only with an aim to drive their own agenda, projecting their view which will be beneficial to them. True, a mature person can still see through these filters, but the same cannot be guaranteed for teen minds, who form the majority of the users for these applications. Their nascent minds will be damaged beyond repair, ultimately affecting the society’s future of which they are a part of.
    Second of all, fake ad campaigns claiming money for self-motives have increased manifold with advent of social media sites. The major issue concerning these campaigns is that even genuine contributions are going into wrong hands; what does it mean is that when the real person is in need of help, he hardly gets it. The above issue is becoming a huge predicament for those people in need. Generous people who come forward to help are forced to think twice. Non-availability of help for those who require it even with the abundance of donors is a bane for the society for which social media sites are one of the prime reasons.
    There are some good things arising out of these sites, like blood donors availability, communication for help during natural calamities etc. In the times of disaster, they play a very handy role in helping the deserved. But that said, they require internet connection to work, which might not always be the case, especially in the time of crisis.
    To conclude, these social media sites help us in some ways subjected to some limitations like network connectivity. Considering this and the negative impacts it brings to the table, like influencing young immature minds, providing platform for fake ad-campaigns I mostly opine that these are mostly harming the individual as well as a society.

  13. Adam Z, says

    Social networking site (such as Facebook) is believed by many people to have negative effect for both individual and society. However, while I believe there is negative impacts, these effects are small compared to benefit the site offers.
    Firstly, some people that think about negative effect are just looking at small cases in their surroundings. For example, they see that the youth is addicted to social media such Facebook. They cannot stop checking and looking at site’s newsfeed. However, this is just because the people they observed are them who does not have ability to manage priority and time. Meanwhile, compared to those small amount of sample, it’s observed that in adult and working environment people are not addicted to the media. Hence, if an individual could manage their priority and time, the negative impacts should be nothing.
    Secondly, in this modern era, information is gold. That means whoever has the information will have more advantage in life than who does not. Social media is the major factor for information transfer. In a blink of eye, wherever and whenever we are, we could send and get information to other people. Not only that, the most critical value of social media is it can influence many people, society, and even a country, because everyone could present his opinion and argument and then persuade others.

    In the end, although social media can ruin life of an individual, the positive impacts its offer are greater than negative effects. People who have a problem in time and priority management, should be taught how to manage it.

  14. Alaa Abdallah says

    It is thought by many people that some social media websites affect the individuals, and the society, in a negative impact. I agree that social networking websites such as Facebook and Youtube can distract some people while others can benefit from them.

    People who use social media intensively will be distracted from doing their daily tasks. A lot of people spend most of their time on Facebook, Youtube and other applications watching videos, putting likes and posting comments, at the end of the day they discover that they lost most of their day doing nothing. For instance, I am addicted to the online pages on Facebook and I was always buying a lot of things from those pages. While I was preparing for the IELTS exam, I realized that I am wasting my time and I have to do something to stop this. I deleted the applications that distracted me and I became more focused on my studies. When each individual is affected like the way that I got, the society will face a distracted generation in the future. This is why such social networks have sometimes a negative impact on individuals and society.

    On the other hand, social networking websites can help people in achieving their tasks. A lot of websites and applications provide an easy way to communicate and giving assistance. Since Facebook is a universal application, a lot of people use it, thus, it is easy to make connection with others and looking for a teacher or an information using it. For example, a student can find a lot of resources on the websites to look for an information. It is easier to the students to use social media websites rather than leaving their home and wasting time on looking for someone to help, nowadays, this can be done by just searching on the websites. This will save more time and each individual can achieve more in their day which leads to a productive society. That’s why social networks are important to individuals and in turn to the society.

    To conclude, although networks distracted some individuals from achieving their tasks that happens due to the addiction that they got, other individuals can take the advantage of these websites and use them correctly. This will be reflected on the whole society.

  15. Darioush says

    Hello Mrs Liz, please evaluate my essay.
    It has been considered by some individuals that harmfulness of social media such as Facebook have hit not only people but communities as well. In my standpoint, social media has negative and positive impacts, both. However, its positive impacts outweigh its negative effects on people and societies.
    first of all, at this age, technology has been evolving rapidly that even mankind have been able to invent internet and by using internet they have been capable of making social media platforms to connect people all over the world. social network such as Facebook is an application that made it possible for us to get connected with friends and families no matter where we live. Besides, this application has made us able to share our knowledge and our photos and many more to the characters all around the globe.
    Nevertheless, despite having countless advantages, social networks do have negative impacts as well. Frequently usages of social media can cause addiction. In addition, it will cause us fail in real life while we are busy watching others life styles.
    Instead of learning and gaining knowledge, most of our young generation tend to scroll on social media a lot and waste their crucial time. At the end they will be facing difficulties in real life.
    in conclusion, spending and allocating a limited time for using social media is not only good but beneficial. However, wasting most of our time on it will cause negative impacts.

  16. Precious says

    Many individuals think that social networking sites, for instance Facebook, have had damaging effect on individuals as well as local communities and societies. For this essay, I will discuss why disagree that social networking sites have damaging effect on individuals and agree that these sites have damaging effect on the societies.
    Social networking sites have less adverse effect on individuals. Firstly, it has been seen that a major way people meet new people and make new friends are from these platforms. An individual can be in Nigeria and meet a new person from Australia via Facebook. Having a close relationship by keeping close communication daily on this platform, these two can eventually become life partners. Secondly, it has been reported from a research done by Frank Idowu in 2019, that most people become aware and participate in seminars, workshops and meetings on social networking sites. This has helped reduce the stress of physical meetings.
    Social networking sites have detrimental effect on the local communities. In a world of technology, most people advertise their business majorly through social media platforms. Firstly, a survey carried out by Seyi Makinde, a student of University of Ibadan reported that most people in Ibadan buy most of the things they need from online stores. This in turn has affected the sales of physical stores in Ibadan. Secondly, I strongly agree that social networking sites are of detrimental effects to the societies because most people spend more time meeting new friends online than building relationships with those in their local communities.
    In conclusion, social networking sites are of great benefit for an individual to meet new friends and build a career network. However, they have detrimental effect on communal relationships.

  17. Saifeddin says

    It is thought by many people that social networking sites and applications have a detrimental effect on people as well as society. While I agree that there could be some harmful effects of using these sites, I believe that the negative impact can occur only when there is an addiction to the usage of these apps. Otherwise, they are mainly beneficial to the individual.
    People tend to consider social networking sites as a negative development for many different reasons. Firstly, when people spend excessive time on these types of sites, meeting with new people, Without real interaction in the real world, they might find it hard to differentiate between reality and illusion. In other words, people usually try to show their perfect aspects on these sites; thus, it will be difficult to know a person’s real and moral behaviour through online chatting. Secondly, spending too much time could lead to a low academic performance for young students or low productivity for adults. Consequently, this will have a damaging effect on society.
    On the other hand, such networking sites have brought numerous advantages to humans, and these adverse effects can only be present when there is an addiction to these types of sites. One possible benefit of these sites is that they help people to communicate easily no matter what is the distance or barrier and without any restrictions. Owing to this, the world is considered a small village, and people can keep up with their friends and relatives all around the earth. Another positive aspect of these apps is that they help introverted people to socialize better, particularly when a person is shy to meet face to face.
    In conclusion, while social networking sites have negatively affected both individuals and the community, I believe that overall, these sites brought many advantages to humans and society, and the damage is only limited to rare and special cases.

  18. Sheral Nand says

    The introduction of social media has made life so much less complicated for mankind. However, a group of people believe that social networking sites does more harm then good to an individual and the community. I completely disagree with this notion and in this essay i will discuss why i disgree

    To begin with, prior to the introduction of modern technology people used to communicate with there family, friends or loved one through letters and landline phone calls. This method of communication was not only expensive but also very time consuming, however with the luxury of social media such as facebook, twitter, instagram people can easily interact with there loved ones by making video calls, whereby they can see them even being miles away and simply sending them a message which they will receive instantly. It also has the feature whereby people can post pictures and update there closed one about there daily lifesFurthermore, social networking sites can also be very informative in many ways such as keeping us updated with the daily news around the world, the latest trend in clothes, life hacks and also about our health and wellbeings. This helps us to stay on par with the rest of the world.

    On the contrary, the negative impacts of social media can be that many people have started to spend more time on these social media app rather than going out and meeting people in there community. Instead They choose to interact woth people online whom they have neber met befire or may probably never meet in the future. It has also reduced the amount of time people spend outdoors to indulge in physical activities as they are constantly stuck to there phone or computer browsing through social media. This as a result has taken a toll at people health with introduction of non communicable disease like heartattck and diabetes

    To conclude, the benefits of social media outweighs the the drawbacks as it not only helps us to keep in touch with people who live far but also keeps us updated with whats trending around the globe

  19. Nedjmeeddine says

    Social media websites have suffered great criticism, as many people believe that such platforms shown to be have great negative effects, i totally agree with this notion since they’re perceived to be addictive and linked to high rates of depression among teenagers.

    Despite the popularity of social media sites, famous platforms such as Facebook and Instagram been proved to cause addiction, designed in a way to keep users hooked, more and more people of all ages are spending long hours liking each other’s pictures, texting, and doing whatever, causing dopamine spikes in their minds, making it harder to find motivation to accomplish something through the day and as a result end up neglecting other aspects of life.

    Another huge negative impact is the role such sites play in highlighting differences in lifestyle, causing envy among young people and creating the favorable conditions in which hate speech can be normalized, promoting bullying and as a result, rising depression rates among teenager. A clear example of the effect social media has on the youth is a case that made controversy in the USA, a story of a young teenager that took his friend to court, bullied by him on Facebook, the teenager’s friend tried to push him to suicide recommending it a solution for his mental problems causing him greater deal of pain and worsening his depression.

    To conclude, the purpose of social media sites was to improve people’s lives bringing them closer, out of charge, offering a better alternative to paid cellular communication, However, ironically, the effect these platforms had was worser than we thought causing individuals and society more bad than good.

  20. Nedjmeeddine says

    In order to minimize the pressure health care sector is ought to deal with due to rising numbers of health problems related to obesity, some people think that adding physical exercise sessions to school curriculums is the most efficient approach. In my view, making students physically active isn’t the key to solving this overweight pandemic, as I think, having good eating habits is more important.

    On one hand, adding sport lessons to children can be of great help because it will improve their overall heath making them more fit as they grow by spreading a culture of body care that will insure a healthier future for the coming generations. Furthermore, pushing kids to practice different sports will optimize their mind to muscle connection making it easier for them to engage and excel in any type of physical activities in comparison with their none active peers, therefore, rising their chances of maintaining an active lifestyle.

    On the other hand, doing sports and being active without a proper diet can have a reverse effect on one person’s health, making him vulnerable to injuries, increasing the risk of heart attacks and causing him sleeping disorders. In addition to that, the myth that physical exercise is the best way to lose weight has been debunked by recent studies proving that diet is the most scientifically effective way to lose extra fat by minimizing the caloric intake.

    In conclusion, it is obvious that physical exercise is crucial to have and maintain a healthy body, however, when it comes to losing fat, it been proven to be less effective in contrast with a proper calories restricted diet.

  21. Miss yasmin badgujar says

    According to people, Using social media as facebook causing negative impact not only on individuals but community also. I agree that it has some drawback for society but i can see some of the advantage for individuals as well.
    In one hand, If i talk about a person using network site,So it’s not only giving opportunity to find friends globally but also giving idea of variety of culture uses by each state or nation . People are getting each other’s rituals and languages without even meeting them in person or visiting their hometown. That’s how social networking is an advantage for everyone to know everyone and their traditions online.
    In other hand, Community have one disadvantage that they may miss their son’s or daughter’s presence during meal time or while walking outside alone when they are busy in facebook in knowing someone or finding something interesting. These days youth specially try to search any mate outside home mostly in social media so that they can share their feeling or experience to them instead of sharing to any family member, so may be it’s our mistake that we are not that much friendly with our children that they are making friends outside to share it. We are loosing their faith hence it’s our responsibility to gain it again then only this problem can be solved.
    In each society and family, there should be freedom for their children as a result they will feel comfortable in home because of friendly atmosphere and will start spending time with parents as well. They will let their parents know about the friends and culture which they have known through facebook so that community get to know plus points of using it.

  22. Youmna says

    Social media has tremendously impacted our daily life in several ways. Some argue that social media disadvantages outweigh its advantages and builds a lazy unproductive generation. In my opinion, social networking facilitate communication between people; however, cyber bullying is the most dangerous negative impact of social media.

    Nowadays, almost everyone is on a social media platform such as Facebook, Instagram and twitter. Many use these platforms to communicate with their pairs, friends and family members on regular basis since it is cheap, convenient and has different options such as voice or video calls. Moreover, people can post and share content and news on the social media apps. Furthermore, many businesses use the platforms to reach out customers and advertise about their products and services.

    On the other hand, social media can be a dangerous tool in the hands of bullies and aggressive persons. Sadly, some use social media platforms to blackmail others or bully them which has a negative impact on one’s mental health specially teenagers. Also, many models and social media influencers use beauty filters that shows a completely unrealistic skin and body image burdening young females with distorted body image and body shaming which I believe is a dangerous impact on their personality development and mental health.

    In conclusion, social media can be used to bring people closer and share news and daily life events. However, it can be a dangerous environment where someone might get cyber bullied or body shammed. I believe that social media has both negative and positive impacts depending on the way we use it and the content we get exposed to.

  23. Thank you Liz for the excellent material you have on your website. I scored an overall 8.5 (L 9, R 9, W 7 and S 8) and I would like to attribute a part my score to your helpful tips, YouTube videos and sample tests on this site which allowed me to better understand how to answer. Even though one might feel very confident being a regular English speaker, there is a proper method to cracking IELTS.

    Really appreciate the stuff you have generously shared, and for free. God bless!

    • It’s great to see your scores – very well done you!! You clearly nailed IELTS 🙂

  24. Lica Salvador says

    Majority believe that there are alarming disadvantages to the use of social networking sites. I am in complete agreeance to this statement as there have been numerous negative effects on individuals and society.
    The use of social media has led to the rise in depression. As people post their eventful memories in social media, a lot of people have been feeling discontentment in their own lives. Constant comparison is made and consequently, they start to question whether they’re living their best life.
    Another effect of using social media to individuals is the quality of face to face interactions. Most people choose to talk through social applications on their phones rather than meet with each other in person. Humans are social beings, thus the fall in the quality of personal interactions affect one’s well-being.
    In addition, society is also affected as many use social media to spread false news. Caution must now be practiced whenever a news article is presented as there is a probability that it is untrue. People are now wary and unbelieving. There is a growing distrust in the community due to countless attempts to fool society with lies. An example could be the false news spreading on social media during election time – this is critical as society might elect an official based on untrue words.
    Also, through social sites, online bullying has become more rampant. It takes little to no effort to target someone with disrespectful words and comments anonymously. This can be seen everyday as people post baseless hate comments.
    In conclusion, it cannot be denied that social networking sites has a lot of disadvantages in both society and individuals. People should practice using such platforms with caution and make sure that their mental health can handle it.

  25. tahira qalander says

    Nowadays, with the rise of streaming services and high prevalence of gadgets people spends significant amount of time on social media. However, this eventually possesses some negative effects on individual as well as on society. Therefore, I strongly agree with this statement that these sites have strong damaging effects.
    Firstly, it becomes fashion everywhere of using mobile phones and spending much time on social networking sites. People prefer to chat with other person who lives far away or to whom they do not know. These acts drain some devastating effects on their social life. For example, people prefer to talk to people who lives at distances but ignores the immediate relationships that deserves to have their time most like parents and grandparents. This acts would eventually affects the society also. Secondly, their health may also compromise as they refrain themselves from physical activities and sitting on gadgets for long hours. For instance individual may suffer from diabetes due to less physical activity and may be through heart issues.
    On the other hand, social networking may be useful for societies like individuals may get connected with the love ones whom they cannot meet physically and it becomes the blessings to get connected with them through these sites. Furthermore, by getting connected with different people one can increase his knowledge about different cultures and their way of living. In this advanced technological era it is important to get in touch with worldly activities to enhance the standards of living.
    To conclude, although there are many pros of using social networking sites but their cons outweighed it. To my point of view if someone is being neglecting by his family members in spite of living under one shelter then its benefits of social interactions does not matters.

  26. Nowadays, technology becomes one of the most significant ways people can connect and interact with each other. However, the majority of people think that social networking, for instance, Facebook, has an enormous bad effect on both individuals and society. I strongly agree that social networking has a negative side at the same time, also it has a positive impact, whereas it influences personal and community on both sides.

    First and foremost, 100,000,000 people use the internet on different sites. For example, Facebook has a huge number of followers like to utilize, and connect through it such as chatting, sending pictures, meeting new friends from different areas around the world, learning, and interacting with people who speak various languages and have different cultures. Furthermore, stealing private information via Facebook becomes nervous for a lot of people clearly, mention in BBC news that more than 500,000 people around the world had stolen their Bank account, with an intelligent method, even though Facebook is still at the top of apps that people prefer to share and connect.

    On the other hand, the new generation especially spends more time on the internet and social networking. Indeed, it affects a family relationship, lack of connection and discussion between them, and no gain of information, less about knowledge, and skills and hobbies will disappear from our society. Because with this ability, and activity the community will grow and develop. Hence, the consequence will have a negative impact. Of course, Facebook has plenty of information, document, picture, and charts, that show how other countries improve. For that reason, Facebook can share information that lets people read and see images about the countries, culture, and society, so it will help to attract tourists to come, and the economy will rapidly increase.

    To summarize, social networking has benefits and drawbacks on both sides, such as individual and community.

  27. Naman Arora says

    Most people feel that Social Media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have had a very negative effect on both the people and society. I’m of the opinion this isn’t accurate, and the below essay will explain why.

    Social media has rapidly become the most preferred option of communication. It has worked as an effective method to connect with people no matter how far they are from each other. Twitter has given this generation a power that was never available, the ability to spread a message to millions of people at the click of a button.

    Social media has enhanced people-to-people connections between enemy nations as well. If you see the activities of someone else from a different geography, you realise that the people there are not so different. For instance, through social media, I realised that many people in Pakistan love the actor, Shah Rukh Khan as much as my family does. Furthermore, there are countless other stories of how these platforms have helped people find lost ones, get blood donors, and financial donors under challenging times.

    Though admittedly, like most tools, social media can have a harmful use if in the wrong hands. Also, the echo chamber created by the algorithm of social media has led to the growth of fascist ideologies worldwide. Though I don’t believe the websites are to blame, the user is the culprit.

    In conclusion, I believe social media, if regulated to an extent, is a boon to society. Its growth should not be discouraged.

  28. Raj Maharajwala says

    Social Media has grown immensely in the last 10 years and had become an integral part of our life. Owing to its popularity, a lot of people had made their midset that Social Media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and many more had a detrimental effect on individuals as well as society. I concur, that it is affecting the lives of teenagers, kids, and even older people, along with also harmed our diverse society.

    Primarily, Social media is affecting Society in broader aspects, people are spending long hours just strolling on these Social Networking Sites without taking any valuable aspect to improve themself. As a consequence, people are not able to gain the essential social behavior and proving nothing among their community. Instead, they are wasting their time, on these sites, blindly following an influencer which they would rarely meet in their whole life. For instance, there are many kids which are highly influenced in gaming, following the influencer on these sites. These kids have changed their way of living by spending most of their time playing computer or mobile games rather than involving in some physical sports, which is highly affecting their education, health as well as they lack most of the social skills, which indeed affecting the society, especially the one with local communities.

    Moreover, the dramatic increase in the demand for Social media had created a way for fraudsters, to spread their curated news easily on the daily basis, following certain sophisticated tactics they tend to gain people’s beliefs and make it so much appealing that they tend to believe or form opinion related to whatever they have seen on this sites. As a result, false or misleading information presented as news is spreading more and more, which may affect individuals and also society. To illustrate, there was a celebrity Ranbir Kapoor, on which the fake allegation of dealing with drugs was put on, by the trend on Twitter, people had started creating their opinion, which had a huge impact on his professional and personal life. Later on, After investigation, it was cleared that the news which was spread was entirely false. As stated, these sites had highly affected our society and our beliefs.

    In conclusion, Social media is growing at a high pace, and with technological advancement, it will continue to thrive in the future as well, but had a huge deteriorating impact on our society and our own life. To mitigate such an impact, it’s highly difficult and challenging. Fraud news on these sites is spreading almost daily, people are wasting a lot of time perpetually strolling on this platform, affecting their own life, causing them not involved in social activities in their society.

  29. Thank you Liz for your free tips

  30. Mary O. Adesanya says

    Thanks for this powerful site, Liz!

    I read through the whole page, and your responses are of great assistance. I feel confident to seat for the test.

    Thank you so much, Liz. I wish you a speedy recovery.

    • Good luck with your test 🙂

      • Gurpreet Singh says

        Hi Liz , it’s Guri I have been following you for last 2 to 3 years,,,I always watch your videos on youtube even on your own website, ,,I want to ask why did you stop to post videos on youtube regarding IELTS,, since last 5 years ,,,, do you provide online IELTS course ,,,kindly let me know please ,,
        Sincerely
        Gurpreet Singh
        From India 🇮🇳

        • Hi Gurpreet, I stopped making videos because my health crashed in 2015 and I’ve been struggling since then. Each time I start recovering, I get sick again. It’s a long slow battle. But I hope next year will bring me better luck. This website contains all my free lessons and tips for each part of the test. But I also have some Advanced Writing Task 2 Lessons and two e-books relating to Writing Task 2: an ideas for topics e-book and a grammar e-book. You can find them in my store: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/. Once I’m better, I’ll start making more videos for my store and my Youtube channel 🙂

          • Charlie Si says

            Hi Liz, I started watching your videos a month ago for IELTS, and I learnt a lot from your clear and informative presentations. Then I purchased the writing task 2 pack about 10 days ago – my best decision forever! I will have the IELTS test (academic) tomorrow which I aim at 7 in each category for accreditation as a medical professional in Australia. Whether I got the score or not, I will keep doing the practice to improve my English.
            Get well soon!
            Kind regards,
            Charlie

          • Khush Cheema says

            Helooo mam

            I pray to god that u recover as soon as possible because every ielts beginner needs your help and assistance .

            Get well soon

          • Kiruthika Rajan says

            Hi Liz,

            Kindly take care of your health.

          • Shivaji says

            Hi Liz,

            Get well soon !
            We are keen to see you again on your Youtube channel

          • Srini Reddy says

            Hello Liz,
            Get well soon dear…

            I learnt a lot from your YouTube channel and I am confident enough to attend the exam.

            Thanks 😊
            Srini Reddy
            India

          • Kiranjit Kaur says

            get well soon Liz .
            a lot of wishes and love from India.

          • I wish you quick recovery

          • Chiny says

            oo, pls get well soonest Liz you have been an inspiration honestly, you make Ielts look so easy

          • Fareeha says

            Hey Liz,
            How are you now? Still no new videos or uploads.
            Are you alright?

            • Thanks for asking. My illness is long-term. It’ll take time before I can make videos – I’m still not well enough.

  31. jason brody says

    It is considered by many that social media sites have had a bad impact on individual people as well as the society and community. Though such sites provide considerable benefits, I too believe that the negative impact outweighs them in various angles.

    On one hand, Social media websites like Facebook,Youtube and Instagram bring people together and help them communicate by a few clicks on a website. Before the development of such sites, people rarely meet with anyone outside of their community or country. Additionally Facebook also has social groups where users can act promptly during any emergencies such as natural disasters or social awareness campaigns and contribute to such programs in various ways.

    On the other hand , It is clear that based on online activities there are many individuals easily being targeted by online scammers for serious traps such as sensitive data fraud and love scams. Additionally youngsters spend most of their time being active on Facebook and they are unlikely to spend time with their family or community cycle they live in. This leads to a broken society around the individual and soon the individual can be distanced from community and easily be fallen into depression or may feel helpless incase of being victimised by a scammer. Furthermore individuals face serious health issues such as back pain,migraine and spinal injuries due to long hours on social sites which ultimately form an unhealthy community.

    Finally, in my view, Spending time on social media should be limited and undercontrolled by individuals in order to maintain a good mental as well as physical health. Over use of such sites will definitely lead to unrecoverable impact not only on individuals but also on the community cycle around them. Individuals should be extra cautious on usage of such sites to continue forming a healthy environment.

    303 words

  32. Have you started essay marking services which was suppose to start in oct. 2020?

  33. Oyinkan says

    hi Liz,
    Please is this a good answer to give for this advertisement question?

    Some people say that advertising encourages us to buy things that we really do not need. Others say that advertisements tell us about new products that may improve our lives.
    Which viewpoint do you agree with?

    Generally, people believe that publicity gives us the courage to purchase things we are not in need of, while others think that publicity gives a broader view about new products that may be of high signigicant to our lives. I strongly agree with both views as publicity gives us the courage to purchase items we dont need and also a information on items that are beneficial to us. This essay will give an in-sight to the points.

    Advertisement gives us the courage to purchase things that are not essencial. For example, I saw a smart watch on aliexpress earlier this week which has almost all the features and applications an android phone has. This really got my attention and without further exitation, i purchased the smart watch online. Thinking about it few hours later, i honestly do not see the need for the smart watch. Furthermore, publicity of products are everywhere we can imagine like in the newspaper, social media, different websites, television and on the radio. A friend once said, we humans are mostly driven by what we hear which leads us to make that immediate decision occasionally. Although, some promotions of product and services totally discourages some people from purchasing it due to errors or wrong information released.

    Publicity give an in-sight of new products that are beneficial to our lives. For instance, some products like the advanced portable blood pressure machine newly produced is not easily accesible in our physical stores. This is because it is still on high demand and its to be pre ordered for if needed urgently. This gives people the doubt of purchasing such product blindly as there is no complete assurance to the specifications with just words of mouth. But with the new advertisement released on the benefits of this product, there is a broader knowledge of the importance of the product.

    In my opinion, i strongly agree that people are driven to purchase some irrelivant items and also an in-depth knowledge is given on the benefits of some products that are beneficial to our lives. This can mostly be achieved through publicity.

    In conclusion, publicity does not only encourages us to purchase irrelevant items, it also gives a broader view of how important some products are to our lives.

  34. Based on social facts, many are into social networking which has been believed by most people, has enormous significant negative effect for both personal and in the society. I completely agree that social media has a big impact to individuals and in the community.

    Many people are fond of using the internet especially the social networking like Facebook, Twitter and etc. They have spent most of their time handling their mobiles and computer just to have connection to other people and this one made sense to them. Primarily, the negative effect of over usage of the streaming and social networking is not being productive in a usual day. Apart from that, many individual has a feeling of envious towards other people which is not good in personal development.

    Another point to consider is that many false-beliefs and intrigues are affecting the individual. Nowadays, many untruthful related issues are being brought up in the internet and it does not contribute to our interpersonal skills instead, hence it gives negative values. These controversial would not help us to become a better person. In other hand, our society is also affected by these social networking by increasing the rate of people who are no longer engaged in interpersonal relationship. They prefer to use Facebook or other media to communicate thus, personal interaction is no longer observed.

    On the contrary, Social networking has benefit to us as an individual. It provides us a good communication line to other people by sharing common thoughts and interests and to keep each other close immediately.

    To conclude, social networking has an imperative impact in totality to individual and society but negative impact is more evident with regards to individual personality and behavior as whereas what it brings to the community.

    Can you please evaluate Ms. Liz Thank you

  35. Jonalyn Morales says

    Based on social facts, many are into social networking which has been believed by most people, has enormous significant negative effect for both personal and in the society. I completely agree that social media has a big impact to individuals and in the community.
    Many people are fond of using the internet especially the social networking like Facebook, Twitter and etc. They have spent most of their time handling their mobiles and computer just to have connection to other people and this one made sense to them. Primarily, the negative effect of over usage of the streaming and social networking is not being productive in a usual day. Apart from that, many individual has a feeling of envious towards other people which is not good in personal development.
    Another point to consider is that many false-beliefs and intrigues are affecting the individual. Nowadays, many untruthful related issues are being brought up in the internet and it does not contribute to our interpersonal skills instead, hence it gives negative values. These controversial would not help us to become a better person. In other hand, our society is also affected by these social networking by increasing the rate of people who are no longer engaged in interpersonal relationship. They prefer to use Facebook or other media to communicate thus, personal interaction is no longer observed.
    On the contrary, Social networking has benefit to us as an individual. It provides us a good communication line to other people by sharing common thoughts and interests and to keep each other close immediately.
    To conclude, social networking has an imperative impact in totality to individual and society but negative impact is more evident with regards to individual personality and behavior as whereas what it brings to the community.

    Can you please evaluate my writing skills and content. Thank you Ms. Liz

  36. Shweta Pagedar says

    Please check my introduction:
    Social networking websites like Facebook, Instagram, etc. are thought to have affected individuals and society and local communities alike. While I agree that social media has had some clear advantages for an individual person, there’s also a downside in that they’ve made a dent on solidarity among people of the society.

  37. Jeevitha K says

    Social networks is crucial in this modern age and everyone is getting adapted to this trend irrespective of the ages. More number of people have a understanding that using social network platform will definitely lead to some disadvantages on people and environment. However, I entirely believe that they contribute aspects that are helpful to the individuals and improves the society.

    Majority of people have a flawed understanding over social networking sites, for instance, instagram, whatsapp, facebook are some applications where one can communicate to another only through internet which is not safe. People believe that it might lead to addiction which later cause health issues in terms of stress. According to a research from the Harvard university, there is a increasing number of people aged between 8-25 are facing serious health problems due tot he reason of using many networking sites constantly.

    Conversely, there are some beneficials in using the networking applications in order to improve education. For example, owing tot he COVID situation, most of the teaching method are changed virtually, where one can learn easily by staying at home. Society on the other hand receive benefits. Recent in Tamil Nadu a protest named “Jallikattu” gone viral and reason behind was because of Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and many such social networking applications which payed a way to throw light on the States’s culture and tradition in order to conduct the jallikattu event.

    To recapituate, social networkings can have both negative and positive effect. Meanwhile, it is in the hands of the individual to make it better and useful. In my opinion, I strongly agree that these network sites enable us to explore more and bring in true colours of Nations’s development.

  38. jasdeep says

    if somebody can evaluate my essay that would be great help
    A few masses of people reckon that social sites are detrimental for society and human, while other masses believes they are beneficial in their own good ways. I personally agree that these sites are leaving various negative impact on surrounding.
    Talking about the benefits of social networks including Facebook, Instagram, Linkdin, first and foremost benefit is ; connection to people worldwide.in earlier times, people used to use postcards, letters and telegrams to send their messages to different countries but today with the help of these sites messages can be sent worldwide with the flick of a finger. Secondly, these sites are major platform for marketing and business as well. For example, we can display our ideas and products on such sites ; which will be helpful in raising money on individual levels. Finally, it helps the students to follow different pages on social media, where a pupil can find guidance to their career and can find solution to their daily base study problems.
    on the other hand, the major disadvantage of these sites is the cutting off of people from the society. People, nowadays, like to spent their time more on entertainment sites; as a result , people are getting detached from their near ones. They don’t have time for their partner and parents’ feelings. Because of this, society is facing major crisis in maintaining healthy relationships. other major drawback of these sites is its worst effect on health i.e. people are becoming more prone to diseases day by day. For example, obesity, high blood pressure and other chronic diseases.
    Overall, it can be said that people should use sites only when needed and they should spent major time involved in physical activities . In this way their life will lead to happy and fruitful life i.e. free of diseases.

    • Jasdeep, please use punctuation marks cautiously. You must start every sentence with capital letter. Your points are all good, need to be arranged in a better manner though.

  39. Many people believe that the social networking platforms has drastically affected the individuals and as well as the whole society. However, others believe that these platforms have benefited us as well in many ways. This essay will enlighten both these aspects of social network platforms and I personally favours the former view i.e. it has overall put a negative impact on our personal and social life.

    There is no doubt that such platforms has completely broken the distance barriers. it gives us the leverage to connect and communicate with people globally and share the cultural and social values with each other. We are just one click away from any person across the globe and can seamlessly communicate with anyone and anywhere either using text or voice call or video call facility. Also, such platforms especially Facebook are also being used for advertisements thus people are growing their businesses. Also, these platforms keeps us in regular touch of our friends by seeing their events and posts online and appreciate them.

    Now, the reason why these platforms have a negative effect is the over indulgence by people into them. People of all walks of life are using them in so excess that they have dramatically affected and changed their life style completely. Today, most people prefers communicating online rather than in person because of the ease provided by technology. It may have removed the distance barriers but created a big social gap between people. Due to this, many people and even the children are suffering from mental health problems.

    In conclusion, Social networking platforms are very good and have many benefits if used wisely. However, these platforms have created a void in our social life and created a emotional and social barrier barrier between people.

  40. The world is now a global village..This has been made achievable by the introduction of social sites such as Facebook. Some people have seen this development as rather detrimental to individuals and the society as a whole. Most are of the opinion that, this is addictive and destroys community bonding. However, on the other hand, some people and me inclusive believe it has brought a lot more benefits such as bringing people from far closer and has provided opportunities for most communities.

    Sites such as Facebook , when used over and over again, it builds up our cognitive function to always be logged in to it. Research has proven that individuals spend most of their day glued to their mobile phones while on these sites. With regards to this productive time is being lost which would have been used to do other meaningful activities. Furthermore, as more people indilge on online sites, interpersonal communication gradually becomes diminished.when looked upon from a community level, less and less persons get to be involved with one another further making division and weakening community bonding.
    Despite all these, others have embraced this positively. A strong reason for this is it has broken the distance between people living in different countries and continents.with Facebook you can place and video call and see an oversees relative or friend within seconds.This has overcome the traditional letter writing which took months to be delivered and tarried information. At a community level, projects such as clean water provision, electricity and schools have been successfully carried out by non governmental organisations when this were put up on Facebook as challenges within some communities. This has added to infrastructural development and reduction in diseases.
    To conclude, despite some drawbacks the Internet age has brought, I believe its advantages are enormous and surpasses it cons.

  41. It is been believed by a large section of society that social media sites have been negatively impacting both individuals and society. In my opinion, I agree that social networking sites have negative repercussions on the people and its society as it impacts individual and hence society overall development
    One of the reasons to consider the opinion of many people that social networking sites have a downside impact on individuals is that with the emerge of these sites, people have disconnected themselves from the real world, while have reduced focus on physical health, social bonds and emotional quotients. Physical and mental health is very important for one’s growth. The downfall of these important parameters not only affect the self-development of individuals but also influence society’s health and unity, which in turn reshapes the individual in a vicious circle.

    Another point to consider is that spending more time on sites like FB, Google, etc leads to spending less time on constructive work such as research etc, which in turn, holds the overall productivity of society. In other words, the development of a nation depends on people’s effectiveness and efficiency. Spending time on such sites reduces the possibility to utilize more time on greater innovations and discoveries, thereafter, causing the defeat of society’s future advancement and evolution.

    In conclusion, people spending time on social networking sites increases the risk of depleting their actual capability, aptitude and skills, and hence rusting their progressive thinking, impacting not only their self-evolution but also impacting the nation’s social and economic progression.

  42. To some people, social media networking sites such as Facebook are perceived to have negative impacts on both individuals and society. I agree that networking sites can be utilized for positive causes like information sharing and to reach people instantly. However, there are also some drawbacks derived from social media such as catfishing and fraud. Besides, social media addiction is becoming more prominent in recent years.

    Networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were made to help society to be more connected in a short time manner. It does help us to reach our relatives who live abroad faster. It can also be the platform to share our thought and our lifestyle. With social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, we can share what we are doing currently and post it on our profile. Furthermore, networking sites can be a source of Informations, from seeking a place to stay on vacation to more academic-related information like the value of Pythagoras, from the information-sharing platform given in the networking sites. For the bigger picture, we see that networking sites have eased us to sell information that benefits businesses and corporations to execute strategy effectively, which further boosts the economy. We can see from the above discussion that Networking sites have multiple benefits.

    However, with the rising of networking sites as our way of life when it comes to searching for information or simply just sharing, there are some disadvantages of networking sites. With the ability to chat virtually, there are lots of people who stole others’ identities for numerous reasons. This is called catfishing. This is maybe harmless but people who are fooled by them maybe feel betrayed and hurt. Furthermore, the ability to freely access information can be a backlash, with the acts of fraud such as phishing becoming more striking recently. Social media addiction is also a notable problem nowadays. Children prefer to stay on their roof browsing the internet instead of going outside with their friends, Forming the new generation to become mature faster than previous generations. We see evidence that children in the current generation, generation Z to develop emotions such as stress and depression before they even reach puberty.

    In conclusion, networking sites benefit ourselves and society for the efficiency to be connected with others and to be exposed to abundant sources of information. Nevertheless, networking sites can cause several disadvantages and therefore there should be strict regulations to regulate the networking sites.

  43. prashant says

    Please reply with your suggestions. Thanks

    Social networking sites, such as Facebook, are believed to have a really bad impact on individuals by some people and they also think it has a worse effect on society. In my opinion, I agree with the problems that are associated with the use of social platforms to an individual and society.

    As the growth of social platforms has increased among the individuals, they started to become less responsive in terms of interacting directly with others which causes a bad impact on their overall lifestyle. With this, everyone likes to check statuses of others on social media rather having a one-on-one conversation with the other person which results in lack of social and interpersonal skills in individuals.

    Individuals deeply indulged in social-media platforms while using public transport are becoming a victim in various road accidents which is not only an unpleasant situation for them but for their family too. This describes, that these networking sites have a severe effect on families who are associated with a user of social media.

    On the other hand, people who opt to use social platforms for more time than intended are unaware of the societal problems that are arising in their surrounding. They undoubtedly believe in every news which they see on social media and forgets about the implications it can have on their society. With this, no one cares much about society and what message it brings to all of us.

    In conclusion, networking sites had a really ill effect on individuals who interact with these sites on a regular basis and this contributes to other problems that are related to society.

    • Thanks for sharing, but I don’t offer feedback on writing. Hopefully someone else will drop you a review.

  44. Nadia Ali says

    Social networking sites have changed the way our society communicates. While there have been many positive outcomes of it such as increased connectivity, sharing new ideas and understandings of different cultures, there have been some major drawbacks as well which have led many people to question their contribution to the society.

    One of the main disadvantages of social media is that it affects the mental health of individuals. Youth in particular, are quite vulnerable to fall into the trap of believing the false reality on social media. They may also be susceptible to live their lives for the approval of others, which may result in them to have less overall life satisfaction. Many people often find themselves depressed by the constant competition on the social media and superficial connections that exist virtually, leaving them no time or energy to establish deep connections, which may prove very detrimental to their mental health.

    In recent times, we have seen Social media sites having the power to change public opinion, which is very dangerous in some ways. Since the revenue model of these sites are advertisement driven, big powerful corporations can spend a lot of money on these sites to shift public opinion favourably towards them. It also limits competition in certain segments as small businesses are unable to capture user’s attention.

    Like everything that exist, social media has advantages and disadvantages, In my opinion, to provide a fair balance, there needs to be education around its usage and some regulations which does not allow individual or corporations to abuse the platforms for their benefits.

  45. Hi Liz,

    In this Link – https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-agree-disagree-essay-sample-answer/,
    you have mentioned that for opinion essays, we should be writing one opinion only through out the essay.
    But in this page , I could see that both sides of the arguments were discussed.
    I’m confused. Could you please clarify.

    • I think you are getting confused about one opinion and a one-sided opinion. These are not the same thing. When you have an Opinion Essay, you can choose your opinion. It will either be a one-sided opinion when you agree 100% with one side or it will be a specific opinion (balabced view), when you don’t agree fully with either side and you present your own specific view. Once you decide your opinion, you present it in the introduction. From that point on, you can’t change your opinion. Your essay must follow the opinion you have given in the introduction. So, you choose your opinion and stick to it. Please get my Advanced Lessons to get proper training: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

  46. Mohammed Afsal Koya says

    May God bless you to get well soon Liz.

  47. Prashanth says

    Get well soon Liz…..

  48. Vanitha says

    Get well soon Liz.

  49. mohamad adeeb says

    a good many people believing that social media is affecting adversely on males and females in many communities. However, In my opinion, it also causes some serious health problems if we use it too much per day.
    Nowadays, social media took an essential role in our life and I admit that it takes most of the time for a good majority of people, despite that it can help u communicate with others worldwide it also made a huge gap between society relations, for example, if you are missing someone and want to see him, probably you would call him via video instead of seeing him in some place or in his or her house because we used to visit each other in the past, check if we need anything, he may be in the hospital and need someone to cheer him, support him to recover and tell him that we are here for them.

    In addition, even family nights have now vanished, we just sit with each other without talking, just surfing the internet instead of playing some game or share any problem that we are struggling with, even the emotions now are electronics not honest one from deep of our hearts, so this would adversely affect our life and make it meaningless.

    to sum up, social media is a need to handle our life, but too much of using it will back in a negative way that affect our health and habits.

  50. Arslan Zaidi says

    I just read the comments section and found out that you have been suffering from some disease for a long time. It is a shocking news for me. I have learnt a lot from you and consider you one of the most respected teachers of mine. What happened Liz??? How are you now?? I hope that you are getting better day by day and get fully recovered very soon 🙁

    • Thanks for your concern. I’m still sick and there are times when I struggle a lot. But I do have hope that I will get better. Hopefully next year will see some improvement. Meanwhile, I try to keep this website going and keep posting lessons and tips. Hope you are staying safe at this time.

      • BEST Wishes!! Get well Soon!!

        • Thanks. I appreciate it.

          • Vishal Pandya says

            Hi, I am waiting to write my IELTS in two hours. While revising concepts from your website, I just realised about your health. I pray to almighty for your speedy recovery. 🙂 Please take care.
            You are the best!!!

            • Thanks. I’m so sorry I didn’t see this message before so I could have wished you luck. However, I do hope your test went well !!

          • Mrinmayee says

            Thank you so much Liz for all your sessions and inputs. I scored 8887 LRSW in General test, had my speaking today and will be appearing tomorrow for the rest, this time academic. Take care get well soon. You have been a great support to me.

            • Good luck!

              • Shreya Kapoor says

                Hey Liz,
                I have not known you personally but you are one of the teachers I have the highest regard for. I am appearing for my IELTS soon and I have checked out many IELTS videos on youtube but by far your 4-5 years old youtube videos are still the best. Everything is explained so well that I can’t thank you enough. I saw that your youtube channel videos were posted in 2014 and was confused why being such a nice teacher, you haven’t uploaded any video recently. So to see that and to learn more I landed up to your website and then on the comments. I am really sorry to hear that you are suffering from a health issue for a long time. I am sure you will get well pretty soon considering the 1.4 million + student community which you have built must be wishing you well.

                • Thanks for your message. Yes, I’m still sick. My recovery has been hit many times by bad luck. But I am still hopeful. Your positive message is encouraging 🙂

      • get well soon..lots of blessings and best wishes from me ..

      • Take Care Liz!

      • Hi Liz

        I hope to get well soon.

        Salem,,

      • bhanu reddy says

        I’m sorry to know that, I hope you recover soon and get back to normal.

      • JEEVNI SANSHA says

        your blog contains better content ,wish to see you active again.GET WELL SOON LIZ.

  51. Felix Almeida says

    Hello Liz,

    I am from India, and I have received so much help from your free videos and lessons.

    Praying for your speedy recovery. I am sure you will be fit and fine soon.

    Felix.

  52. Biju John says

    If prayers do miracle, then Ms.Liz, you got many around the world, yours students, we are earnestly appealing to God, a speedy recovery for you.We can’t lose our dear teacher.

    Common Liz.. Me and my wife not yet done our Ielts yet.

    • Thank you for your best wishes. My health is improving slowly but I still need to rest a lot. Hopefully I will have better news at the end of the year. Meanwhile, I work part time on this website and will keep it open and post free lessons regularly.

  53. Olaleye says

    Wish you a quick recovery and may you be fit than ever. Please stay safe our dear Liz.

  54. May you recover soon Liz. You will be as just you are before sick. Keep strong, everything will be okay 🙂

  55. Mustak mohsin says

    In Bangladesh, its spread that you has been suffering dangerous illness. Is it true or Fals?

  56. Hi Liz,
    I am confused, question asked, to what extent do you agree but you mentioned both positive and negative sides. Are we supposed to take only one side in such essays or both?

    • You can take a one sided approach or a balanced approach (partial agreement).

  57. Hi Liz,
    I do like your web: It s organized, concise, and helpful. Keep on producing valuable posts as you have done.
    Appreciate you from Indonesia

  58. Umair says

    Social networking sites such as Facebook considered having had a detrimental effect on both individuals as well as society. In my opinion, I disagree with the above-mentioned statement because the pros outweigh the cons by far. Social networking sites are not only used to communicate but also used as an effective mode of establishing or run businesses.
    Researchers said that the social networking sites in the 21st century are considered as “MONEY MAKING MACHINE”. Social networking sites are used as a tool for sole traders, entrepreneurs, businesses to sell and advertise their products and to target the specific segment of the society. They have had used these sites as a platform to launch their products and get instant feedback from end-users. For example facebook banner ad.
    Social networking sites connected people and friends despite the fact where they lived. In my opinion, it has had a positively impact on people’s lives because they are linked and known every activity for their beloved ones. Social networking makes the world a global village; you just click on one button and share your thoughts, emotions, and pictures with your friends and family. In the past, people had no connection except writing letters and waited almost 2 to 3 weeks for a response but now you just instantly made a video and audio call for free is it not amazing?
    To conclude, social networking sites have had a positive impact on individuals because they are connected and share their experience which is helpful for the young lads. Furthermore, it has had also used for creating job opportunities, advertise products, and know what are the needs of consumers.

  59. Hi Liz,
    Can we give our opinion in the introduction and then in the conclusion too?

    • You introduce your opinion in the introduction and then conclude it in the conclusion.

  60. Hi Liz, What do you think about this?

    Social media sites have become extensively popular around the world and majority of the population argue that such kind of sites to have ill effect on everyone. In my opinion, I disagree with this statement because I believe the pros outweigh the cons by far. It has had enormous amount of benefits such as creating job and wealth opportunity as well as has allowed many to connect with friends across the globe.

    Research shows that social media is seen as the 21st century ‘money making machine’ whereby many sole traders, entrepreneurs and big business can use this kind of platforms to advertise and promote their products or services. Business are able to use it as a trading platform to sell. Because many people use such sites, it’s easier to reach target consumers for example through Facebook banner ad. In addition, it has also enabled startups to get instant feedback on their products.

    On the other hand, it is used as a main platform for communication among many. Not only do social sites allow you to share pictures and videos but also enable you to make ordinary and video calls. Furthermore, you can share you day to day experience with friends and family in a form of short clips. For example, if there was no Snapchat, how would I have been able to share videos instantaneously?

    To conclude, social sites have plenty of benefits and has positively contributed to the society and businesses over the years. I believe that it has empowered us to use it for a range of purposes and also has allowed businesses to trade.

  61. Rinny says

    Thanks Liz for always helping.
    Kindly help with corrections.

    It is argued that social networking sites like Facebook have had a harmful effect on individuals and local communities. This essay agrees that Facebook has advantages while it also has a dangerous impact on the public.

    Thanks in advance

    • The instructions ask for your own opinion. I need to use “I” or “my” to express a personal opinion.

  62. Rincy says

    Liz, it is not wrong if I use I MUST SAY and IN MY OPINION in body paragraphs. Iam really confused what to do, while in opinion essay such as dou you agree or disagree case

    • It is actually vital to use those words if you are asked for your own opinion. I don’t put up model essays onto my site that are not safe to learn from.

    • Jatinder says

      Hi Liz , could you please help me with the. structure of agree and disagree statement as well as opinion essay .I’m confused about it .as my tutor told that I have make 3 body paragraph 2 with whom I agree and one for another side ?

      • An “agree disagree essay” and an “opinion essay” are 100% the same thing. The instructions are a paraphrase and the essay type the same.

  63. Krishnanantha Kitnasamy says

    Hi Liz, I have come across below discussion essay question;
    “Today’s teenagers have more stressful life than previous generations”. Discuss this view and give your opinion

    Can I have an opinion such as ” Even though current generation is facing stressful life, it is lesser than the struggles faced by earlier generation”?

    If I can have such an opinion, my essay body should explain about the stress life of current generation or earlier generation? Kindly advice. Thanks in advance.

    • Your thesis statement is fine, but make sure you use “I believe” or “in my opinion” to make your own personal view clear. Your essay would then explain your view: a) why you think the current generation is facing a stressful life b) why you think it is less than the struggles faced by earlier generations.

  64. Agyeman says

    Thanks to you Liz. Please hear me out.

    Please with opinion essays, can you write a point from outside the given QUESTION?

    For example; the question asks ” To what extent do you think laws will ensure people recycle more at their homes”

    My opinion – (After paraphrasing my introduction)” Although education plays a key role in increasing recycling, I agree laws will enforce the need for recycling more in our homes”

    the point i introduced here is EDUCATION.
    Is it okay to write that?

    • This is an opinion essay about solutions. This means you give your opinion about the solution offered and whether it will actually solve the problem. Your answer would be that you agree it is a useful solution, but there is a better solution for this problem. That is fine. However, your thesis statement is written incorrectly. The clauses are the wrong way around and therefore don’t match the question. You should have written: Although laws to enforce recycling would have an impact, a better measure would be to raise more awareness of the benefits of recycling through education”.
      It is essential that you grasp the order of the clauses.

  65. Ravneek says

    Hi Liz, i have prepared writing task 2. Can you please evaluate my essay. Thank you in advance
    Many people think that every individual is responsible for their happiness, but some people believe there are other external factors that influence us. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

    Undoubtedly, pleasure is a state of mind for which every person itself is accountable whereas, some schools of thought hold the notion that other materialistic things are responsible to give happiness to the individual. My crumb of writing will shed the light on both views in the subsequent paragraphs.
    To commence with, firstly the individual itself is responsible to make himself satisfied in his day to day life in various ways. To substantiate, every person has control on his postive and negative emotions. Thus, to being postive bring a feeling of joy. However the way of getting satisfaction is vary from person to person . For instance some folks feel happy by spending some quality of time with their kiths and kins while other feel better by giving time to themselves as by doing yoga, meditation gives inner peace to them.
    On the flip side, others believe that the feeling of happiness comes due to the presence of external factors. Owing to this, having luxurious house, car and highly paid job give them good feeling. To elaborate, this is true that the materialistic things make life far more comfortable and easy. For illustration, the people who have good job earned more so they can afford better living facilities which leads happiness in them. Due to the wealth and other factors they are like pleased as punch.

    To encapsulate, it can be concluded that both elements play an indispensable role to give pleasure in life. But I think inner peace is essential to keep our mind healthy and happy rather than focusing on external factors.

  66. Marjorie says

    According to some people, social networking sites have had a detrimental impact on individuals and society as a role. I agree with this to a greater extent.

    The first negative effect that overrides the rest is its addictiveness. This is very destructive both academically and mentally. A vast number of millennials cannot go on for long periods of time without checking their social media. This results in poor grades and when grades are poor, little to none can be done to achieve academic success. The other frustrating this about social media is how people zone out in the middle of conversations at functions because a notification just popped up on their smartphone. They have become so addicted that they cannot put away their phones for a few hours just so they can connect with others.

    Another undesirable effect is how it puts pressure on individuals and society to live up to certain standards. Social media accommodates both genuine and fake people. The latter tends to post content of their supposed achievements. This can result in a follower feeling like they have failed at life. The result spans from mild to severe depression which can ultimately lead to suicide. Misdemeanours and hard core crime can also result as members of society try to gain possessions in order to live up to high standards.

    In conclusion, social media really poses a great harm to people and the society as it is a causative agent of academic stagnation, various forms of crime and an early demise.

  67. yosra majdoub says

    Thank you for this essay.
    I’m a little bit confused!!!
    In this essay you agree that social networking sites have had a damaging effect on local community. In the first paragraph you talked about the benefit and in the second paragraph you talked about negative effect.
    My question is, why didn’t you write 2 supportative ideas instead of writing in the first paragraph about benefit and in the second paragraph about negative effect like you did in the essay of “the growing number of overweight people”.
    THANK YOU

    • Look more carefully at the thesis statement which explains the position taken in this essay:
      However, while I believe that such sites are mainly beneficial to the individual, I agree that they have had a damaging effect on local communities.

      • Sukanta says

        Which one you agreed isn’t clearly understood

        • I believe that such sites are mainly beneficial to the individual
          I agree that they have had a damaging effect on local communities
          In the question, there are two issues – one is individual and one is society. I have given my opinion of each.

  68. Varma says

    Dear Liz,
    I have prepared Writing Task-2 answer. Please go through given below details give feedback. Thanks in advance.

    Writing Task-2
    Topic: In some countries a few people earn extremely high salaries. Some people think that is good for a country, while others believe that the government should control salaries and limit the amount people can earn. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

    Few countries , one sector of people are earning huge wages. These type of scale of earnings is better for specific country development. On the other side argument government should reconsider to reduce wages and optimize earning in the form of money and income. As per my opinion, government should redefine policy about higher wages and develop who are earning low earning wages.

    Firstly, While getting higher income people are adopt to luxury life, unnecessary expenses such as cars, building excessively. For those type of comfortable life , will some pros and cons for their health and lifestyle. If you forgot about diet and physical fitness automatically health problems will raise. Sometime those utilities will save time, speed, accuracy and security for their works. Modern life style competition, comparison, comfort factors are much influence to earning huge income.

    On the other side of the people are completely deny and compliance about higher wages which are most practical issues rich going to be rich again, neglecting economical poor and below poverty line peoples, low earning money wagers, mostly staying in downtowns. As many Economist and financial analysts also suggesting government rethink about all sector people and redefine policy and adjust according to manage all sectors of the people.

    Many countries are economically depends on agricultural, food and beverage sectors and daily wage people are best examples of low income getting sector. Need to provide low interest bank loans and subsidies for them will help to their respective field development. Very few sectors will get huge income such as Information Technology, Service sectors, Business, Tourism sectors are getting higher revenues.

    To summarize, government provide some benefits and redefine policies who are getting low income sectors also focus on development and lowering taxes and develop agricultural , food production, consumer goods and equally mange higher revenue sectors focus on country economy should maintain sustainable.

  69. Varma says

    Hi Liz, I have prepared Writing Task-2 answer. Please go through given below and give feedback. Thanks in advance.

    Writing Task- 2
    Task : Art is considered an essential part of all cultures throughout the world. However, these days fewer and fewer people appreciate art and turn their focus to science, technology and business. Why do you think that is? What could be done to encourage more people to take interest in the arts?

    Art is an important factor which is more impact on specific traditionally and culturally connected any part of the world. On the other hand some people argues technology and scientific innovations , new businesses mostly prefer choosing as profession for their future. According to ancestors art is legacy and enormous relationship has been developing between countries and all over the world.
    In every tradition and communities expression about their cultural and life style express in the form of pictorial representation using different colours. Those are easy to understand anyone rather than any language.
    Everybody thinking one picture will explain thousand words. According to historical cultural and start their house constructions and their life style which can be represents and express their views in the form of arts and paintings. Each country need to maintain and protected their historical ways of lives, foods, jewellery and usage of things stored, which archaeology department found and stored in the form of arts and galleries along with in museums.
    Many people perception choose profession of artist is less scope of earning money, delay, less interest about arts. However, if seriously focus on best ways choose arts will give better opportunities not only in domestic possible in internationally.
    On the other side, human tendency need to growth faster along with technology evaluations, new innovative scientific research effectively utilize technology. Similarly , searching more opportunities finding in the business sectors to develop start-up economical growth and development their career prospective. If seriously thinking that all science and technology developed from legacy from ancestors. For example, many discoveries such as telephone, Telegram, and based on bird flying aeroplane , various new advanced scientific evidences discovered earlier.
    To summarize, government and electronic media should encourage arts as mandatory subject in academics encourage artists, provide awareness programs such as exhibitions and develop museums , historical events, handicrafts , communicate to the people.

    • Kanwarbir Singh says

      Liz don’t do proofreading for free.

      • I don’t offer any proof reading service – not even for money. My health prevents me offering more services.

  70. Hi
    This is my first time am practicing IELTS writing task 2. Please evaluate my essay.
    Some people prefer to raise children in the cities while others believe that children should be raised in the countryside.
    Ans: Children’s upbringing is an important issue for every parent as lifestyle changing this becomes a debatable issue in society. Some would like to take care of their children in a pollution-free and healthy environment in the village far from cities. While others are in favor of raising them in an environment with modern amenities and infrastructure. In this essay, both views will be discussed, although in my view it is optimal to raise a kid in the city.
    As a matter of fact, the city environment has plenty of advantages and opportunities for future generations. They have easy access to all the technology for their study with extra co-curricular activities. In other words, children can do much apart from their studies, they can participate in cultural events organized in various parts of cities to get in touch with their tradition. They can go to museums, libraries that are highly technology-driven which can help children in their studies. In addition, there is more choice for parents to find the best-suited institution for their children according to children’s passion and interests. Another key point, cities have numerous job opportunities for children once they complete their higher studies. They do not have to move further for job searches.
    In the same fashion, the village lifestyle for raising children has its own supremacy. In this case, it provides children a clearer and pollution-free environment in comparison to cities. By the same token, a clean environment is best for children’s health and keeps a better immunity system prone to other health issues associated with aging. The most compelling evidence for the village life is less traffic that leads parents to worry less for their children about being hit by vehicles. Apart from these advantages, village life has its own limitations such as the education system. In the village, there are a limited number of schools and higher studies opportunities for children. Ultimately, once they have completed their secondary education, the only option left to move to cities for better institutions. Their access to modern technology like the internet is limited. They have hardly any exposure to the outside world.
    In the end, certainly, the countryside lifestyle has benefits related to health for bringing children, but we are living in the 21st century for that we have to live accordingly and need to adapt to the city’s lifestyles.

  71. Hi, Liz
    I did a practice on writing part 2 and I want to know your thought about it.

    Question:
    The qualities and skills that a person requires to become successful in today’s world cannot be learned at a university or other academic institutions. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

    In the modern world, success is determined through wealth and social status of an individual. However, the qualities and skills can be achieved in various aspects of life, not just in university or other academic institutions. Although schools may provide the fundamental academic teachings, the best avenues for learning the most important qualities and skills in life to be successful are not limited to them.

    Primarily, success is defined as attaining prosperity and fame in today’s world. In order to succeed, one must have certain abilities such as critical thinking, logical reasoning, leadership, and problem solving. In the schools today, they mainly focus on the systems that can enhance the capabilities of a student through various teaching materials according to their strength under those abilities. However, the presented idea is only limited to a portion that a person must possess so as to reach a successful life. In this regard, the knowledge that we acquire in an educational establishment does benefit an individual, though the setting must not be restricted to schools alone.

    On the other hand, there are certain traits that we must own, apart from the academics. Towards the victory of success, knowing how to build up socialization, to negotiate, to manage money, and to have the proper behavioral skills which are trained outside the schools, occupy an essential part. This is well-demonstrated in South Korea where an actress named Mi-hee Oh, made one’s mark as a successful celebrity, even if she was not able to graduate a university. Therefore, certain qualities in achieving success come from different facets which are not found in a university and academic institutions.

    In conclusion, the abilities that an individual requires to become successful in the present world cannot be completely accomplished at a university or other academic institutions. As a matter of fact, there are significant qualities reached from without the schools that we must possess, with the aim of gaining success. Hence, balancing of both the qualities may lead to the successful life in the world today.

    Thank you.

  72. taimoor says

    Waste management is a big concern today, especially when more than 7.5 billion people produce a massive amount of garbage each day. The cause behind rising pollution is lack of recycling efforts and our throwaway habits are responsible for an unmanageable amount of rubbish production. Government need to take strict actions to control this issue.

    To begin with, the world population has crossed 7.5 billion and it’s only natural that an increasing population produces more rubbish than ever before. Moreover, these days every product is packaged before it is sold. It is so widespread a trend that common products like bananas and apples are packed individually just to make them look attractive to the consumers. Use of plastic, polythene and many other nondisposable materials make the situation worse as they are not biodegradable. Increasing use of plastic and polythene and its adverse effects on the environment is a global concern. As a consequence, we are producing more waste and threatening our environment. Sadly, our consumerism and throwaway habits are making the situation graver as we like to have all the latest products and discard old ones easily.

    Government can reduce the growing amount of waste in several ways. First of all, government needs to introduce strict laws regarding the use of plastic and polythene. Large companies like coca cola and Pepsi needs to find alternative ways to sell their products. This single measure can reduce waste production to a certain extend. Moreover, government should run awareness campaigns to educate people about the negative consequences of plastic and its usages

    To conclude, an ever increasing population and their consumerism habit primarily produce a huge amount of debris every day and it has already become a global concern. It is hope that government would take effective measures to control it to reduce environmental damage.

  73. Vivek says

    Hi Liz,
    Greetings and I have watched all your videos and those are really helpful.
    Please I need your feedback on this. I have IELTS after 3 weeks and want to be sure whether I am not making same mistakes.

    Social networking sites such as Facebook are said to have detrimental effect at the individual level as well as to our society. However, I believe that these social networking platforms have positive effect on the individuals but negative effect on the society. This essay will discuss both the opinions below.

    To begin with, I believe that the social networking websites imparts good and positive impact on the individuals. Firstly, these websites can help to communicate easily through chat or direct messages with other people in any part of the world. Whereas, in earlier days it used to take days and weeks to send letters to other and hence, it was difficult to communicate. Secondly, these websites offer educational stuff like videos which students can benefit from. Moreover, housewives can also benefit by following their favorite chefs and can see and learn various recipes.

    Nevertheless, these social networking sites have much long term and negative impact on the society. As people spend more and more time on these sites, they do less social interaction with other people like their families and friends. Consequently, if they spent less time with other people, then they feel isolated from the society and get mental stress. In addition to that, sometimes inappropriate contents are posted on these sites. Young people especially children get easily encouraged and indulged in doing crimes.

    In conclusion, I agree that the social networking sites have good and positive impact on the individuals but negative impact on our society. Regulations should be put in place so that these websites are appropriately utilized for the benefit of both individuals and society as whole.

  74. Saman says

    Hello dear Liz
    Your wonderful smile on your beautiful face is the first attractive point in this blog!
    Anyway, thank you for your thorough explanations and tuturials, they are so useful for me so far.
    Now, is this combination is correct:
    ” rarely do the people have chance to…”

    • The use of “the” with the word “people” depends on various factors. Otherwise, the phrase is correct. However, try to avoid learning phrases for use in your IELTS essay. When you do that, they are often used unnaturally and do not impress the examiner.

  75. Hi Liz,
    I have watched your advanced tutorial for the opinion essay. And I am just kind of unsure about the disagree introduction. Should I mention all the reasons in my thesis statement why I disagree with this statement? Below is my introduction, could you please have a look and give me some advice? I would appreciate it.

    Fees for analyzing and treating diseases are considered very expensive, so it is argued by some that prevention should be implemented rather than cure. From my perspective, not all diseases can be prevented, and therefore, I completely disagree with this statement, treatment is necessary in order to cure patients.

    • Is this the essay question:
      “Prevention is better than cure.” Out of a country’s health budget, a large proportion should be diverted from treatment to spending on health education and preventative measures. To what extent do you agree?

    • Nupur says

      Hi Liz, Please evaluate my essay and suggest where need improvement so that accordingly i can subscribe to your course.

      Some people believe that that the government is wasting money on arts and that this money could be better spent somewhere else.
      To what extent do you agree?
      The notion of spending government’s budget on arts is not much appreciated because some people opine that this money can be well utilized on other public services. However, this essay disagrees with this statement because arts promotes cultural heritage and produce creative thinkers.
      To begin with, India is a land of diverse cultures and traditions. India is well known recognized for its varied forms of arts and as a result of which, it has been attracting many visitors since prehistoric times and thus, helps in introducing Indian culture all across the globe. For example, a famous dance in Punjab called bhangra, festival of vibrant colors called holi, ancient sculptures and paintings in caves and temples all across the nation and many more are a spot of attraction for many tourists. Thus, funding in arts is quite important to maintain the existence of cultural heritage.
      Moving further, arts is considered as an incredible thing in developing creativity power of an individual. Imaginative qualities are being inculcated in human beings at a primary and secondary level of school and as a result of which, students becomes more creative in their teenage times and produce excellent ideas later in their professional life. For instance, now a days, fortune five hundred companies look for leaders who have extra ordinary creative and innovative skills along with main required skills, who can think out of the box and produce creative ideas to boost financial status of a company and these qualities are being developed at school level only via arts as subject in school’s curriculum. So, funding in arts is indispensable.
      To conclude, investing money on arts is equally important as investing money on other services because arts plays significant role in identifying nation’s ancient times and also helps produce creative minds.

  76. Hi Liz,
    I have been following your website, book and advanced lessons which are really useful for IELTS taker. The advanced writing lessons are stated clearly and explained in details, but I got little bit confusion in opinion essay. I feel one-sided opinion essay is easier than balance approach, but I found using balance approach and two main body paragraphs rather than applying one-side opinion and two body paragraphs in many essays of your website. Can you please tell me about the situations using both approaches and paragraphs ?

    • I explained in the video that the number of paragraphs is based on the number of ideas you have. Two ideas = two body paragraphs. Three ideas = three body paragraphs. No more than three and no less than two. The approach you choose is up to you. They are all worth the same. But some essay questions are easier with a one sided approach and some with a balanced view. It depends on the question and it depends on your opinion.

      • Dear Liz,

        In many places, new homes are needed,but only space available for them is in the countryside. Some people believe it is more important to protect the countryside and not to build new homes there. What is your opinion about this.
        I found this question in one of the Cambridge test.
        My doubt is in deciding ideas.
        For example can I disagree in my opinion with two reasons constructing new houses will affect the environment( para 1) and distrubs their people life ( para 2)
        Or should say why people do not want new building at countryside ( para 1)
        Para 2 – why I feel it should be allowed or not allowed.
        Am confused now. Could you please clear my doubt. Thanks you so much

        • You can’t ignore one issue. A one sided approach is you believe A and you do not believe B. Your whole essay would explain why A and not B. A partial agreement is written when it depends on specific factors: ie in developing countries or developed countries.

  77. Matin Parto says

    Hey liz,
    I winder how I can get access to your grammar
    e-book, since I live in Iran, and according to the sanctions I cannot do online shopping from overseas sites. May you guide me in that.
    Thanks in advance 🙏🏻

  78. Navneet kaur says

    Hii mam, i have one doubt that is ,does using personal pronouns affect writing band score?

    • This is an aspect of grammar that I cover in my new Grammar E-book which is coming out on May 5th. Get that when it’s ready.

  79. Maya Agnesia Wie Lawa says

    Hi Liz, i am maya, i really have a hard time every time i am doing the opinion essay. I learnt form my tutor that we have to answer the question in the introduction. I think it will be easy to answer agree or disagree, disadvantage or advantage, in the introduction. However, i am so confused to put the answer of the opinion essay in the introduction paragraph. Do i really need to put the answer in the paragraph or i can answer it later in the next paragraphs? Thank you.

    • You would have to write an example essay question with an example introduction for me to understand more fully what you mean.

  80. Aayan sharma says

    Hiii Liz…..

    I have one doubt as my trainer has advised me not to use ‘WH’ family like what, why, when etcetera in IELTS writing and according to her these words are not allowed to write in formal IELTS writing but still I am not convinced, so i need an expert feedback over this if you could help me.

    • This is 100% not true. It is completely fine to use “what / when / why / where” etc in an IELTS essay. It is generally recommended not to write questions in your essay because your aim is to present statements which answer questions, not raise questions. So, we wouldn’t use those words to write questions. However, we would use the “WH” words to write noun clauses or any other type of clauses:
      The reason why people should recycle is because …
      People should go on holiday when it is …..
      These sentences are 100% acceptable for IELTS and in fact are considered complex grammar features because they are clauses or noun clauses. This means they would actually boost your score.
      My new Grammar E-book which will be released in early May will not only explain this, but also help you create noun clauses and other types of clauses. It’s a great e-book which will really help you develop your English level and IELTS score 🙂

  81. Elisa Lazzaron says

    Dear Liz,
    My name is Elisa and I have been following and reading all your IELTS tips. Thanks so much, it is extremely useful! However, studying and writing a bit more, I have found myself a bit in doubt about an opinion verb essay question. “Nowadays some buildings such as offices and schools are open-space design instead of separate rooms. Why is it so? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?. Looking at all the opinion essay Online, I cannot find a similar one; this requires you not only to give your opinion (positive or negative), but also to state the reasons behind this new approach. Therefore, I don’t know how to write the intro. Is it better to start with “In my opinion, despite this/it might be seen as a smart way to reduce costs within a company or a school, an open-space environment represents a detrimental and under-productive solution”. OR “This essay will outline some possible reasons why open-plan offices are getting more and more popular in today’s world and it will explain why this approach has a detrimental and counter-productive effect on both workers and students”.

    I hope it was clear enough.
    Thanks so much for your help,
    Elisa

    • This is usually called a “Direct Questions Essay”. Each teacher gives essays slightly different names and categorises essay differently. This requires you to give the causes and also say if it is positive or negative. As with all essays in IELTS, you start with a background statement. The thesis statement, which follows, will provide the direct answers to the questions without details. Details go in the body paragraphs.

  82. Hi Liz, I noticed that “I believe that/I agree that” is written only in the introduction, is it okay? I thought it wasn’t enough for an opinion essay in which I am explicitly asked to give my personal opinion. Thank you in advance!

    • “I believe” makes it very clear it is your belief. In my opinion / I think / it is my opinion that = all fine.

      • Mahrukh says

        Hi liz, My tutor taught you should not write “have had” . it might be caught by the examiner …. what is ur opinion?

        • Unfortunately, I don’t really understand your comment. Are you saying that your tutor told you there is a rule in IELTS that says you can’t use the “present perfect” tense = “have had”?? This is 100% not true at all.

  83. Sudhakar says

    Hi Liz,

    If the question asks – “To what extent do you agree”, Can i Completely disagree with the statement?

    Thanks.

  84. JOHN AYUBA says

    Hey Liz; I wrote a test yesterday where I had to state the entent to which I agreed that the positives of an opinion is more than its negatives. I remember using words like “overshadow” and “override”to show my support for the positive opinion. Should I be worried I didn’t state if I completely or strongly believe?

  85. cheryl sammat says

    Hi Liz! thanks for the helpful page!
    here is my question.

    one of my students concluded each of the body paragraphs by restating his topic sentence. although this seemed to have wrapped up each paragraph, i thought that the repetition of the idea is not good for the essay.

    what is your opinion on this?

    • This is very common. Some teachers train students to do this. It isn’t necessary at all and too much repetition is not a good thing. IELTS essays are not long and it is a waste of a sentence to repeat the main point in that way when the student could instead use that sentence to strength their point and develop the idea further which is what the examiner is actually looking for.

  86. Nirmala says

    Hi Liz mam,
    To what extent you agree?like this type of essays, is it mandatory to always write agreee side of the statement

    • The instructions are just asking for your opinion. This means the whole essay presents and explains your opinion on the issue or issues given. If you don’t agree with the statement, then you don’t agree and you explain why.

  87. My task 2 today
    Disussing both view that Should young ones listen to advice from older ones or to criticize when they do wrong (Paraphrased)

    is it okay to start with “children of today are the heritage of tomorrow’?
    thanks

    • You want to ask me if you should learn a phrase / memorise a phrase in order to impress the examiner? My answer – never do that. It doesn’t impress the examiner and doesn’t help your score.

  88. Speilberg says

    Hi Liz! Thanks a lot for the work you are doing for all IELTS takers! I’ve taken your advanced lesson and am grateful for such incredible content!!!
    There’s one question I’d like to ask, do we need an outline sentence after our thesis statement? Because in your tutorials you never mention about an outline statement.
    Also, concerning examples, do ew have to put an example in every body paragraph?
    Looking forward to hearing from you!!!
    Thanks in advance!!!

    • No. This isn’t an academic essay for university. It is a simple straight forward essay for IELTS. You do not need to paraphrase instructions – the examiner knows what the task is. I’m glad my Advanced Lessons were useful 🙂

  89. Sehrish says

    Dear Liz,
    You particularly mentioned “facebook” as an example as said in the question.
    Can we mention other sites such as YouTube & Instagram as an example and explain them as well or just stick to the example stated in the question??

    • I definitely would not ignore the example given in the question. However, it is fine to add more examples such as those you have stated.

  90. Harsh says

    Hello Liz,

    I always assumed IELTS as a test that evaluates ability and expertise of any individual to communicate in english effectively rather than fancy vocabulary. However, after going through lots of videos and free advices online I ended up believing that I will need to upgrade my vocab if I want to score decent.
    All the tips and advices shared by you are very helpful, it presents the real picture of what is expected from any IELTS taker if they want a good score.
    I am more confident than earlier i was, thanks to you.

    My IELTS test is scheduled for 17th August. Will definitely share my test taking experience and results over here as well.

    🙂
    Harsh

  91. Yuti Shah says

    Is it ok if I underline some words in my essay to highlight them to examiner?

    • You should not do that. The examiner does not need you to highlight words. IELTS examiners are trained professionals and are trained to assess language.

  92. Undoubtedly,the vogue of studying abroad has reached on the top slot thesedays owing to acquire new knowledge and experiences.while the are some drawbacks of this trend,i personally reckon that its benefits are far higher.

    Hello mam, could u check this introduction of task 2 (nowadays,mostly students like to study abroad. discuss advantages and disadvantages of this.)

    • The word “vogue” is not suitable for the topic of education. “Reach the top slot” is informal and not suitable for formal IELTS essays. Your aim should NEVER be to impress. Your aim is to be accurate and appropriate at all times to avoid errors. More errors = lower band score.

    • And I think that the word “reckon” is informal.
      Just use THINK

  93. Vahagn says

    Hey Liz

    Can we use ‘the author of this essay’ instead of I?

    • No, you can’t. You need to use “I” or “my” for a personal opinion. When you are asked “Do you think men and women should be in the armed forces” in a formal interview, would you say “the speaker of these words believes…” = no, you wouldn’t. There are many false rules and ridiculous things being said about IELTS online. There are no tricks in IELTS. If you need to give your opinion, be clear and direct: I believe or In my opinion. It is not only fine to do that it is vital to do that.

  94. Hi Liz, please I need a little clarification on d difference between these two types of essay questions ‘do you agree or disagree’ and ‘to what extent do you agree or disagree’. I’d really appreciate your response.

  95. Manish Kukreti says

    Will we get more score if using advanced vocab while writing instead of simple words like ranacid instead of rotten .

    • It is not about using “advanced vocabulary”, it is about using appropriate vocabulary. If you use “advanced vocabulary” when it is unnecessary, the only thing you are showing the examiner is that you cannot choose words appropriately and that will lower your score. Aim for accuracy in English, do not aim to impress.

  96. Bharath reddy says

    You are writing to much elaborate. Come straight to the point.

  97. Angel says

    Hi Liz,
    In a question asking: buying household appliances ( TV , Cooker) have increased in many countries. Is this a positive or negative development?
    Does this outline sound good?
    Intr.: state general idea, rephrase the question, and say although it has negatives but I believe it is positive
    Body 1: talk about negatives: pollution of environment by manufacturing these appliances + decrease in cultural values (ie: not cooking big meals + not playing together)
    Body 2: talk about positives: cost effective entertainment + time saving (ie: personally prefer this so I get have more time with my family)
    Conclusion: summarize above and emphasize on the phenomenon being positive

    What do you think?
    Thanks

    • If you believe it has positives, it also means you do not think there are negative points. This isn’t a discussion essay. If you want to mention both sides, put that as your opinion: “In my opinion, while these appliances may cause environmental problems, they are extremely beneficial for time saving or as entertainment.” – now you have quantified your view.
      Also don’t give examples about you or your family. Keep it all formal. Your experience is about your experience of the world – People like to spend time with their families.
      Hope those points help.

  98. BHAVYATA says

    hi liz,
    I referred to ur advanced lessons they r very useful
    Please guide me for a silly thing repetively asked , but i em still unclear.

    Doing an enjoyable activity with a child can develop better skills and more creativity than reading.To what extend do u agree or disagree.

    My query is if i write i agree with the view should by paragraphs be like this:
    1)BP1: Y i agree child learns better through enjoyable activity
    2)BP2: Y reading is not good way of teaching

    Em much confused in this X rather than Y type question approach
    regards,
    Bhavya

    • Exactly right 🙂 When you have two issues in the question, you must address both. If you agree with X, it also means you don’t agree with Y. Then your body paragraphs explains those two aspects of your opinion.
      A balanced opinion would be X is good for younger children who need to learn motor skills, social skills and develop creativity, whereas Y is essential for older children.

      • Bhavyata Panchal says

        Liz,
        Love u a lot
        U made the day
        Thanks liz
        God bless u, get well soon

  99. Julia Bewsher says

    Hi Liz,

    Thanks so much for helping us with the precise structure of the essay. However,I am little bit confused about the score band of this example as it doesn’t provide examples to your pints in paragraphs.Could you please elaborate on this?I have seen few videos on you tube and general structure of single opinion paragraph contains: point,explanation and example.

    Many thansk

    Julia

    • You will find that many teachers like to teach formulas. This means they choose a fixed content for paragraphs and teach it to their students. It is easy to teach and easy to learn. But it isn’t flexible. Those formula are not rules for IELTS – they are teaching methods created by teachers. I prefer to teach flexibility because the people who benefit from my lessons are high level candidates who need that flexibility.

  100. Hi Liz, thank you for the great essay.

    For this question, is it OK to have a balanced opinion, such as:

    “Although I accept that social networks negatively affect individuals and society, I would argued that they bring more benefits to users and communities as a whole.”

    Then body paragraph 1 I’ll write about the negative impacts on BOTH individuals and society. Body paragraph 2 will be about the benefits, again, on BOTH individuals and society?

    Could you please adivse?

    Thank you.

    • It is confusing and will also be very lengthy to write – so not really a good strategy. Remember success in IELTS is often down to the choices you make. Aim for simplicity in your approach at all times.

  101. shehbaz says

    Will there be no marks deduction for not using any conditional or question sentences in your essay?

    • IELTS examiner does not deduct marks. The score for grammar is based on range and accuracy. You can’t force a type of grammar into your essay unnaturally. As long as you use a good range and you aim for accuracy, you will be fine.

  102. Sancia Norman Dsouza says

    Hi ,

    Can you be more clear on general sections writing Task 2
    how many paragraphs are expected?

    Regards,
    Sancia

  103. Hi Liz,

    thank you once again for your marvellous website!

    Would you please comment if I got it right:
    As far as I see, the model essay above was written in response to “To what extent do you agree” question, but the structure rather is similar to “do adv-s outweigh disadv-s”.
    (First you speak about one side and then give more support for the ideas you agree to.)

    • An essay of this type asks for your opinion. You decide your own opinion. The opinion given above is a quantified, specific view point.
      “while I believe that such sites are mainly beneficial to the individual, I agree that they have had a damaging effect on local communities.”
      The body paragraphs explain the view point.

  104. Md. Nizam Uddin says

    Mam,
    would you mind to let us know when will we get E-BOOK. for writing task-2.
    waiting for that

  105. Sandeep says

    Hello Liz,

    Thank you is literally a small word for all the things you are doing fo pr helping students in IELTS.
    Can you please share a link or any other source where we can find some band 9 writing samples.

    Thank you,
    Sandeep

  106. Hello, Liz
    My name is Alice. I got band 7.5~8.5 for all the other subtests which are not bad but with my writing, I got 5.5 and I was really wondering why that would have happened. I avoided contractions and informal language and kept the word limit. Few grammar errors might happen in my essays but I don’t believe that is what’s causing me to have such a low score compared to the other scores I got. Could you suggest me what possibly would have caused the situation and tell me the dos and don’ts, please? I’m just..lost. I had no idea my writing score would betray me like that.

    • The IELTS writing score is not based only on English language. There are specific requirement that IELTS have set and you need to know what they are and how to do it all properly. Go to the RED BAR at the top of this website and visit the main pages for writing task 1 and writing task 2. On those pages, you will find a link to band score tips and requirements. You can also purchase Advanced Writing Task 2 lessons through the RED BAR.

      • Peace says

        Hello Liz,

        I tried to pay for your writing tips and I was asked for my location. Does it mean I will be sent a hardcopy of your material? If yes, please how long will it take, because my exam is in less than 2weeks. Also, can I please get it sent to my mail rather than where I stay. Thank you.

        • The country will decide the currency. The videos are streamed online and the documents downloaded. An automatic email is sent once payment is complete with the access link to the video lesson. Make sure you enter the correct email address and spell it correctly.

  107. Hi liz,
    In the last sentence on the conclusion of your essay, you wrote “local communities should do more to try and involve local people in local activity…..”.
    Is it ok to give a solution at the end of the conclusion which is not discussed in body paragraphs ?
    Thanks a lot for your efforts to help us…

    • Having a final comment in the conclusion is optional. It is not a requirement. You certainly should not offer a new solution in any essay about solutions. Likewise, you would not add a final opinion in the conclusion of an opinion essay. You need to be careful about using final comments in a conclusion.

  108. adnan qadir says

    liz you look so cute while teaching in lecture.I fall in love with you while listen your lectures.

  109. Rini Skaria says

    Hi ma,am,
    Thankyou for your informative preparation tips. I had a query ma’am. Is it okay to use it’s instead of it is?

  110. nishreen says

    Hi Liz,
    Thank you for this essay
    my opinion for this essay was that facebook is detrimental, so i have so many reasons for this, such as living in a virtual world, ostentatious life style, spread of wrong information, addiction to facebook. Can i put all this into my essay? would it be too much?
    what if i use two body paragraphs to explain these points and use a 3rd body paragraph to talk about the beneficial aspects?
    thank you.

    • If you think facebook is detrimental that counts as one main idea which you explain in one body paragraph. IELTS writing is not about having lots and lots of ideas that you enjoy writing about. It is about selecting only the key ideas, discarding other ideas and organising them logically. Keep control of your essay at all times. More ideas does not mean a higher score.

  111. Harsh Talati says

    Hello,

    I wanted to know whether we can use ”contractions” in writing tests?
    I read in one of the resources that they must not be used. Need clarification on this!

    Thanks in advance.

    PS. The content is really effective. I would highly recommend this in my network.

  112. Hello liz,
    I got my ielts result and my writing score is less.. I just have a doubt in the introduction part.
    Some parents buy their children a large number of toys to play with. What are the advantages and disadvantages for the child of having a large number of toys ?
    This is the introduction I wrote
    Nowadays most of the parents spend their money to get more number of toys to their children. Toys develop children brain activity and their skills. However it would lead to addiction of technology devices and don’t enjoy time spending with other energetic and enthusiastic outdoor games.
    Is my introduction correct for the question?? Or what I should change for getting band 7 ?
    Thanks in advance

    • Your technique is 100% fine. Your English language is the problem. There are so many errors in this that getting a band 7 would be very difficult. In fact, it would be almost impossible with this level of English and this many mistakes.

  113. Hi Liz.
    Is it wise to write an interrogative sentence as an example to an idea or a supporting idea? For example, something like, “How often do we meet people who are such good communicators online but fail badly to express and communicate in person? “.
    Or does this violate the technique of being formal in essay writing?

    • Your aim is to present supporting points and main ideas, not to open up questions for discussion.

  114. Hi, Liz
    I am taking your advanced lesson of Opinion Essay. For balanced approach, you mentioned that it does not mean sitting on the fence and discussion both sides. For a topic like “Some think xxx is more important than yyy. To want extend do you agree?” Can I write that I disagree, because I consider xxx is equally important as yyy. Then I have two balanced body paragraph discussing both sides.
    Is this an acceptable approach?
    Thank you in advance and looking forward your reply.

    • That is sitting on the fence. In which case is XXX important and in which case is YYY important. Be specific. Quantify you view.

  115. Exceed to word limit . more than 350 words I think

  116. Hello
    Thank you for all materials they are so useful and I love your webpage !!!
    Liz I can see that there are some essay questions which are asked as “what is your opinion” & some of them ” Do you agree”; I wonder if their written structure is the same or should it be a bit different ?
    Thank you for your answer in advance!

    • It’s exactly the same. IELTS like to paraphrase instructions. The meaning and aims are 100% the same.

  117. Shailendra Khandewale says

    After considering all the above points we can conclude that,……
    is it a good way to conclude the essay ?

    • You are marked on your own personal use of English, not your memory. EAch sentence must be uniquely written by yourself in the exam room. That is a learned phrase and not your own English. Don’t try to cheat the test. Don’t memorise phrases or sentences. You can learn ideas, you can learn grammar and you can learn words, but not phrases or sentences.

      • cdcdcd says

        that is quite confused . Sorry for asking but if i try to remember the linking words , structure things like (not only … but also…) or ( furthermore , if clause 1,2,3 , despite of , in spite ,.. ) , is that ok? what is the different between learning phrases and grammar ‘s structure ?

        • Memorised language in IELTS refers to people learning whole sentences word for word or even whole paragraphs. These are people who want to use other people’s English in their English language test. This is not accepted by IELTS. You need to learn expressions and grammar which you then use to create your own sentences in the test. However, be careful of learning too many phrases and only use them when they are appropriate to use. They should only form one part of the sentence you create. As for grammar, you learn linking words and clauses to help you create your own sentences in the test. This is not memorised word for word, it is a way to create unique sentences. I hope that helps you understand.

  118. farideh says

    Hi teacher

    Thank you for your perfect site.

  119. There is NO difference at all. They are paraphrased instructions for the same essay.

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