The use of social media is replacing face-to-face interaction among many people in society. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Question

Bhargavee Sisodia

07 Oct 2024

A "Expressive Essay" is required for IELTS Writing Task 2. This indicates that a specific topic will be the focus of the essay, and you will be expected to discuss it, provide solutions, make arguments for and against it, and furthermore. Since there are no right or incorrect answers in this exercise, the student's perspective should ideally be neutral. On the contrary, the emphasis should be on using proper writing style and presenting logical ideas. Ensure that you address the question posed and do not stray from the subject matter. Your essay shouldn't be tough for the examiner to understand. 

Allotted Time: 40 minutes

Word Count: 250

IELTS Writing Assessment Criteria: 

IELTS Writing Tasks 1 and 2 are assessed according to these four distinct criteria discussed below:

• Task achievement: The criterion looks at your summary, the specifics you offer about the content and the precision with which you have highlighted the key points and examples. In writing task 1 you should not write less than 150 words and also in writing task 2 your word limit should not be less than 250 words. You will be penalized for writing fewer words.
• Coherence and Cohesion: This IELTS criterion assesses the appropriate use of cohesive devices (such as connectors and conjunctions), paragraph skills, and related word use. Additionally, the quantity of paragraphs is taken into account. Dividing your essay into fewer or more paragraphs might result in a poorer score.
• Lexical Resource: This criterion considers word construction, accurate spelling, appropriate collocation use, and the use of a suitable spread of vocabulary when allocating points. You must refrain from speaking informally and using improper words. 
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy: To score this criterion, you must employ a variety of grammatical structures and tenses to meet the requirements. You should also use proper punctuation and write your phrases carefully.  

IELTS Essay – different types of essays:

Opinion essay: Opinion essays are academic essays where students are required to provide reasons and supporting details(usually called “agree” or “disagree”) to convince the examiner by stating their opinions on a particular topic. 

• Advantages/Disadvantages Type: An advantage and disadvantage essay type is a two-part essay that requires you to outline every advantage and disadvantage of a certain item, event, or circumstance. 
• Problem and Solution Type: Here you are given a question that states an issue in a problem and solution essay format. In this instance, you should address the reasons behind a certain circumstance or occurrence and any remedies or safety measures to prevent similar issues.
• Discussion Type: In discussion essays, you are given a question with opposing viewpoints, and your task is to explain and provide evidence for each side of the discussion. Your personal opinion can only be shared upon demand.
• Balanced Opinion Type: In essays on balanced opinions, you are presented with a case in which you express some agreement with one side while remaining neutral toward the other. However, you must conclude the essay with a compelling argument supporting your position. 
• Two Questions or Direct Question Type: These kinds of essay questions may consist of a single statement followed by two distinct questions. You will be required to provide precise examples and justifications for each answer. 

IELTS Advantage/Disadvantage essay some useful tips: 

Many people assume advantage disadvantage essay is a discussion essay type since two types of discussion or viewpoints are discussed in the essay. But the keywords to simplify this kind of essay from others are Advantages, disadvantages, benefits, drawbacks, positive points and negative points.

When you are given an Advantage/Disadvantage type of essay, you are mainly presented with two types of questions. I will examine those two particular questions in the following paragraphs. 

What are the advantages and disadvantages? 

• You are promptly asked to list any advantages or disadvantages of a certain thing in this essay. Your opinion is not being desired in the question.
• Getting off-topic is the main concern individuals have regarding this kind of writing. This is usually caused by failing to give enough time to extensive thought and analysis of the topic in question.

Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? 

By the kind of question asked you can clearly understand that it is asking for your opinion. 

These kinds of questions are directed to you in a manner where they ask you whether the advantages are more than the disadvantages or the disadvantages are more than the advantages. You have to put forward your viewpoints in the essay alongside giving an opinion. So the line “I believe” or “In my opinion” should be stated clearly in the introduction of your essay.

You should also employ certain languages that are related to the advantages and disadvantages so that your essay portrays your opinion on the topic.

Now in the following paragraphs, I will discuss the structure of the advantages and disadvantages essay and also how to identify this kind of essay. 

IELTS writing task 2 topics: 

The use of social media is replacing face-to-face interaction among many people in society. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? 

Scrutinize the question to determine the kind of essay required before you begin writing. 

You must decide which category your IELTS writing problem 2 subjects belong to during your IELTS writing task. You must examine the instruction words to achieve it. 

When a question asks you to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of a scenario and provide your thoughts on it, you can be certain that it is an advantage and disadvantage question type.

The topic given to us is “The use of social media is replacing face-to-face interaction among many people in society. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?” To identify the type of essay you should focus on the question asked to you, which is clearly stated in the question “Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?”. So this essay falls under the advantage/disadvantage type where you need to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of a given subject or scenario. 

Structure of Advantage/Disadvantage essay: 

Let's now examine the potential responses to the above topic under the "Advantage and Disadvantage" category for IELTS writing band scores 6, 7, and 9. 

IELTS writing task 2 topics with answers:

Band 6

The use of social media is replacing face-to-face interaction among many people in society. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? 

A point of debate exists around the idea that a lot of people in society are substituting social media for face-to-face communication. The disadvantages, in my opinion, can outweigh the advantages. 

In the today society, social media is without a doubt the most necessary part of people's lives. Digital platforms make it easy for locals to link up with one another online wherever they are in the world. People, particularly teens and young adults, have found social media to be quite useful like Zoom, and Google Meet since it allow them to connect with other people without having to leave the comforts of their homes and learn new things both in school and in life. Many companies and employees find it easy to hold his meeting thanks to those programs.

Meanwhile, social networking has a long list of problems. Social media use combined with a lack of personal contact frequently leads to arguments and a decline in the level of relationships. To account for this, recipients may not understand or read the message poorly, breaking from the senders' original objectives. Direct chats or dialogues are the only way to solve such problems. Social media can therefore result in a decline in the quality of relationships.

In summary, the viewpoint has advantages and disadvantages, and I would say that the latter may outweigh the former.

Highlights: Bold highlights indicate potential cohesive devices or connecting words that were not appropriate. Word repetition and poor word choice and construction are indicated by italics and underlined highlights. Grammatical errors and missing articles are indicated by words in italics. Note that the word count is less than 250 words and the essay lacks a proper introduction and conclusion. 

IELTS writing task 2 topics with answers:

The use of social media is replacing face-to-face interaction among many people in society. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? 

Band 7

Many people nowadays think that social media has essentially replaced in-person interpersonal ties, which has resulted in an overall drop in communication skills. Although this development has certain distinct advantages, I think the negative aspects outweigh the benefits.

Social media's major benefit to the education sector is that it's enormously helpful. With the help of this option, teachers may now monitor their students and provide them with remarks on their work as needed. Social networks have the clear advantage of being able to transcend geographical boundaries, despite the distance. It means that people may easily communicate with their relatives who live abroad because of the reach of the Internet and platforms like Whatsapp, Facebook, and Instagram. One more advantage I would like to add is that it is a useful platform for getting news and information which is also free and helps keep you informed. 

However, using social media platform extensively might be harmful to an individual. Many people become addicted to social media after they first start using it because it attracts people quickly. People are using social interaction with one another to sense and be noticed by one another through their response to our inputs. Social media use restricts these responses to a like or a comment, which can lead to depression because of a person's wrong impression that he is not receiving enough attention. For example, the emergence of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter in the 2000s associated with an increase in depression rates in developed nations.

In conclusion, there is no denying social media's benefits in modern life. However, if we use these apps excessively, we carry the risk of missing out on a lot of experiences and skills that will come in beneficial later on.

Highlights: Bold highlights denote potential cohesive devices or connecting words that were not appropriate. Italicized words denote incorrect word choice, word construction, and word repetition. Grammar errors and missing articles are indicated in italics with highlighted highlights. Note that this essay has a better flow than the last one with suitable examples. 

IELTS writing task 2 topics with answers:

The use of social media is replacing face-to-face interaction among many people in society. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? 

Band 9

Many people nowadays think that social media has completely supplanted in-person interpersonal ties, which has resulted in a decline in communication skills. I contend that, despite some evident advantages, the drawbacks outweigh the advantages altogether. 

To begin with, networking has made it easier and faster for people to stay in touch with their loved ones no matter where in the globe they may choose to reside. For instance, the ability to communicate with their children who stay overseas has been made easy through the Internet and parents stay happy and relaxed knowing about the whereabouts of their children in a quick response. Second, it is now feasible to stay in touch with a lot of people, share images, exchange pleasantries, and stay up to date on news, all via apps like Facebook and Instagram.

Another advantage I would like to add which is very prevalent nowadays is that social media provides a forum for achieving fame and fortune through the creation of innovative posts or content. For example, several content creators in India rose to fame on Facebook and Instagram, among various social media platforms. 

Regardless of the benefits characterized above, social media has made communication less effective altogether where the millennials are the most affected. Nowadays, they choose to convey their thoughts and emotions to online friends over their relatives or genuine pals. They disengage from their loved ones and social circle as a result, and in the worst-case scenario, they may develop mental health issues.  Virtual phone calls can occasionally result in miscommunication if the internet connection is unstable or people are hesitant to understand each other's deepest thoughts.  Last but not least, I would like to point out that those with malicious intent, such as hackers or internet scammers, target social media networks to steal money or personal data which is a high potential danger of using social media daily. 

In brief, social media has lowered interactions between people although it has many benefits in today’s economy. To combat the growing impact of technology on youngsters parents should set reasonable usage limits for both themselves and their children's smartphones.

Highlights: In terms of flow, fluency, grammar, extensive vocabulary, connecting words, and sentence structure, this article is well-written and structured. 
Conclusion: 

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