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IELTS Task 2 Question Types: Positive Negative Development

by Dave | Understanding Task 2 Writing | 3 Comments

IELTS Task 2 Question Types: Positive Negative Development

I have collected here a variety of positive or negative development question task types from the real IELTS test.

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In many countries nowadays, consumers can go to a supermarket and buy food produced all over the world.

Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

Read my essay here.

Nowadays, there is more and more competition for getting into university.

Is this a positive or negative development?

In many societies, there is a growing emphasis on individualism, with people prioritizing their personal goals and desires over collective interests.

Is this is a positive or negative development?

My full EBook (including past EBooks) is available here.

Around the world, rural people are moving to cities and urban areas, so populations in the countryside are decreasing .

Fossil fuels are the main source of energy around the world today. In some countries, the use of alternative sources of energy is replacing fossil fuels. 

Today, many people use the internet and smartphones to transfer money to friends, family, and businesses.

Nowadays, an increasing number of people with health problems are using alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting their normal doctor.

Many cities are now turning parks and farmland into new housing developments.

Many supermarkets are selling more and more products that are imported from other countries instead of selling food that is locally sourced.

What are the reasons for this?

Many people put their personal information online (address, telephone number, and so on) for purposes such as signing up for social networks or online banking.

Read my sample answer here.

Nowadays some older people choose to live in retirement communities and centers with other people, rather than living with their adult children.

Film stars and celebrities often share their views on public matters that have little to do with their profession.

Some countries import a large amount of food from other parts of the world.

To what extent is this a postive or negative trend?

Many people nowadays tend to marry and have children in their thirties rather than at a younger age.

Some countries invest in specialized sports facilities for top athletes but not for the average people.

The number of people who are interested in and wearing fashionable clothes is increasing.

Many local languages today are dying out due to the rise of languages like English.

Due to television and the internet it is easier today for a large number of people to become famous.

More and more people today are becoming overly dependent on the internet and phones.

Nowadays more tasks at home and work are being performed by robots.

Is this a negative or positive development?

Nowadays because of digital technology it is possible for not only studios but also individuals to produce their own films.

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Positive or Negative Development IELTS Model Essay: Structure, Common Questions, Sample Answers 

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  • Updated on  
  • Jan 5, 2024

positive or negative development ielts model essay

The IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 includes the challenging “positive or negative development” essay. Such questions pose a unique challenge for test takers, demanding they analyse a given topic’s negative or positive implications and articulate a clear stance. Students must demonstrate both critical thinking and linguistic prowess, judging whether the topic presents positive or negative implications overall. That said, read the entire article to learn more about the positive or negative development of IELTS model essays . 

This Blog Includes:

Frequently asked ielts ‘positive or negative development’ questions in ielts essay , positive or negative development essay structure , best tips for ielts positive or negative development essays, ielts positive or negative development essay sample model answer.

Success in IELTS Writing Task 2’s Positive/Negative Development essays transcends mere English proficiency. Beyond grammatical accuracy and stylistic flair, these essays demand insightful evaluation, discerning judgement, and the courage to advocate a stance. 

Such essays require students to showcase their linguistic mastery, critical thinking and analytical prowess. While the intriguing nature of these prompts entices many, they can simultaneously pose a significant challenge for others. To excel, one must move beyond superficial analysis and embrace a multi-faceted approach. 

For students tackling the IELTS exam , familiarity with frequently encountered positive/negative development prompts proves highly advantageous. This preparedness offers a twofold benefit: it grants valuable insight into potential test topics and empowers you to hone your essay-writing skills for optimal scoring.

By acquainting yourself with these recurring themes, you gain a solid foundation upon which to build your analytical and argumentative skills. You can anticipate the types of scenarios and challenges you might face, allowing you to pre-emptively develop effective solution-oriented approaches and articulate well-reasoned stances. Here are some of the most commonly asked Positive or Negative Development questions in IELTS Essay.   

  • The government has transformed numerous parks and playgrounds into residential complexes. Is this a positive or negative development?
  • Today, children tend to devote more time scrolling through their social media handles rather than spending time with family. Is this a positive or negative development?
  • Nowadays, singers use auto-tune to refine their songs. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?
  • Many supermarkets are selling more and more products that are imported from other countries instead of selling food that is locally sourced. What are the reasons for this? Is this a positive or negative development?
  • Today, the younger generation believes in changing their jobs every once in a while rather than sticking to one company. Is this a positive or negative development?
  • Many people put their personal information online (address, telephone number, and so on) for purposes such as signing up for social media or online banking. Is this a positive or negative development?
  • Today, cigarette smoking has become the new norm among youngsters. To what extent is this a positive or negative trend?

While the initial prospect of attempting a Positive/Negative Development essay in IELTS Writing Task 2 might appear challenging to some, thorough preparation and strategic study can transform it into a manageable, even achievable, task. By equipping yourself with knowledge of the essay structure and familiarising yourself with sample questions, you can approach this essay type with confidence and significantly improve your chances of success. 

Here is the basic structure of a Positive/Negative Development Essay. Adhere to the following structure whenever attempting such essays in IELTS writing task 2. 

Introduction

You must paraphrase your topic into a coherent and concise sentence in your introduction. Once done paraphrasing the questions, take a clear stance on what you think. Give your viewpoint and never take a moderate position. Taking neutral stances in such essays can lead to a loss of scores. 

Main Body Paragraph 1

Provide a solid explanation of your viewpoint in the body paragraph 1. Take a clear stance on your opinion. Provide examples and anecdotes to add weight to your content. Brevity can be your ally in such essays. To put it simply, be as concise and articulate as possible. Meandering through the topic will only result in a waste of time and energy. 

Main Body Paragraph 2

Try explaining your argument with the help of more in-depth insights. Use examples to add gravitas to your voice. A good hold in vocabulary can help you land better scores in such essays. Ensure to use a diverse array of words to make your essay more impactful. The final sentence of your body paragraph 2 can add to your previous developments. 

In the end, conclude your essay by summarising your viewpoint and the major justifications.  

Here are the best tips for writing Positive or Negative Development Essays in IELTS Writing Task 2: 

  • A thorough understanding of the topic lies at the very heart of crafting a successful Positive/Negative Development essay in IELTS Writing Task 2. Yet, overlooking this crucial step is a common misstep among test takers. Unfortunately, attempting to write without fully comprehending and evaluating the issue will inevitably lead to incoherent responses and muddled stances.
  • When tackling a Positive/Negative Development essay in IELTS Writing Task 2, test takers must comprehensively evaluate both the potential benefits and drawbacks of the given topic, not simply focusing on one aspect while neglecting the other.
  • Providing examples can help you add weight and gravitas to your answers. You can add examples that are anecdotal to make your essay more readable and relatable.
  • Clarity and conviction are hallmarks of a successful Positive/Negative Development essay in IELTS Writing Task 2. While presenting a balanced analysis of both sides is crucial, your essay hinges on adopting a distinct viewpoint and consistently advocating for it throughout. This unwavering stance demonstrates intellectual confidence and persuasiveness to the examiner.

Refer to the sample essay answers below to learn how to tackle IELTS Positive or Negative Development essays in IELTS writing task 2. 

Question 1:  Some children spend hours every day on smartphones. Why is this the case? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

Ans: Ans- In recent years, the usage of smartphones among children has increased significantly. Many children spend hours daily on smartphones, engaging in various activities like social media, gaming, and streaming videos. There are several reasons why this trend is gaining momentum, and opinions are divided on whether this development is positive or negative. In this essay, I will discuss the reasons behind the increasing usage of smartphones among children and present my view on how this is a negative development.

One reason for children’s excessive use of smartphones is the increased availability and affordability of these devices. With technological advancement, smartphones have become cheaper and more accessible, and children are more likely to have access to them. Moreover, the popularity of social media platforms among children, such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, has contributed to this trend. Children need to stay connected with their friends and peers, which leads them to spend more time on these platforms. Another reason for the growing usage of smartphones among children is the convenience factor. Smartphones provide an easy and quick way to access information, communicate, and entertain oneself. Children find it easier to use a smartphone to research or get information on a topic than to go through books or other sources. Similarly, smartphones provide a quick and convenient way to communicate with friends and family.

In my view, the excessive usage of smartphones among children is a negative development. Spending hours every day on a smartphone can adversely affect children’s physical and mental health. Excessive usage of smartphones can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, increasing the risk of obesity and other health-related issues. Moreover, the blue light emitted by the screens of smartphones can cause eye strain and headaches. Apart from the physical health effects, excessive usage of smartphones can also hurt the mental health of children. Children spending hours on smartphones daily are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Social media platforms can contribute to this by exposing children to cyberbullying and negative comments.

In conclusion, the increasing usage of smartphones among children is a concerning trend. While smartphones offer many benefits, like easy access to information and communication, excessive usage can adversely affect children’s physical and mental health. It is crucial to limit the usage of smartphones and encourage children to engage in other physical and social activities. Parents and caregivers must be aware of the harmful effects of excessive smartphone usage and take steps to protect their children’s well-being.

Question 2: In some countries today, children are taught from a young age that competition is important and that winning is everything. Is this a positive or a negative development?

Ans: In contemporary societies, children are often instructed that competition is paramount and that winning is the ultimate goal. I firmly believe that this trend is detrimental as it imposes significant pressure on children, fosters unethical behaviour, impedes the development of crucial social skills, and instils a pervasive sense of failure in students.

The persistent emphasis on winning can result in elevated levels of stress and anxiety, significantly affecting a child’s mental health. Children may find themselves overwhelmed by the continual pressure to outperform their peers, leading to burnout and a diminished interest in learning. Furthermore, this emphasis on winning may contribute to a decline in ethical behaviour, as children might resort to dishonest means such as cheating to achieve victory. This not only diminishes the principles of fair play but also poses risks to their future development.

Moreover, this approach can contribute to a deficiency in empathy and understanding among students. They may become so self-centred that they neglect to consider the feelings of others, creating a barrier to the development of their social skills and impeding the cultivation of emotional intelligence. In addition to this, an excessive focus on winning can instil a fear of failure. A child may become so apprehensive about losing that they refrain from taking risks or trying new things, thereby constraining their potential for personal growth and development.

In conclusion, while competition can have some benefits, the current trend of teaching children that winning is everything is a negative development. We must foster a more balanced approach, where children are taught the value of effort, learning, and personal growth rather than focusing solely on victory.

That was a wrap on the topic of IELTS Positive or Negative Development  Essays. Having said that, we hope the blog has covered all your major queries about the topic. If you still have any questions or have any suggestions, drop them in the box below.

Ans. Positive or Negative Development essays are segmented into different components such as the introduction, main body paragraph 1, main body paragraph 2 and conclusion. 

Ans. Individuals must intricately evaluate their topic before attempting such essays. When tackling a Positive/Negative Development essay in IELTS Writing Task 2, test takers must comprehensively evaluate both the potential benefits and drawbacks of the given topic, not simply focusing on one aspect while neglecting the other. Furthermore, one must provide examples to add weight to their argument. 

Ans. The scoring range of IELTS writing is 0-9. 

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Shubham Das has been working as an educational content writer for the past two years and has a background in filmmaking & screenplay/ teleplay writing. He is fascinated by the human psyche, literature and cinema.

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How to Write a Positive or Negative Development IELTS Essay

Posted by David S. Wills | Nov 22, 2021 | IELTS Tips , Writing | 0

How to Write a Positive or Negative Development IELTS Essay

In task 2 of the IELTS writing test, you could be asked to write a positive or negative development essay . This article will explain how to analyse the question, plan your answer, and then write an essay that can score you at least band 7.

What is a Positive or Negative Development IELTS Essay?

There are different kinds of question in task 2 of the IELTS writing test, but one of them will give you a statement and then say something like “Is this a positive or negative development?” In a sense, then, it is a form of opinion essay.

Here is an example:

Today, more people are waiting until their thirties to get married and have children. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

This kind of question is quite simple because you are given a development (that more people now wait to have children) and you must decide whether that is positive or negative . There is nothing tricky about this.

Still, it is worth mentioning a few things because people often make mistakes with this sort of question:

  • This is not a discussion essay , so you do not have to give a balanced answer
  • If you say “this is a very negative development,” then don’t explain the positives
  • Once you have given your answer, you should try to justify your perspective

positive negative development essay

Analysing the Question

Let’s consider the above question a little more closely. You must decide whether it is a positive or negative development that people now wait until their thirties to get married and have children. Thus, we can essentially have three possible answers:

  • It is a positive development.
  • It is a negative development.
  • It is neither wholly positive nor negative.

I strongly recommend that you choose an approach that allows you to develop your answers clearly and convincingly. By that, I mean you should decide to give the answer that allows you to present good ideas and then justify them. Take a minute or two to figure this out before you begin properly planning and writing your essay.

For example:

It is a positive developmentIt is a negative development
Supporting ideasPeople can enjoy freedom in their younger years
They will become more mature before settling down
There could be medical problems
Children will grow up with older parents

When you look at these ideas, which ones do you think would be the easiest to develop? There is no correct answer here – it is totally up to you .

Remember that for a good score in Task Response and Coherence and Cohesion , you must develop your ideas and sequence them logically. Thus, choose carefully at this stage.

If you have trouble generating ideas , then you can research different topics in preparation for your essay by looking online. For example, here we are discussing having babies at an older age, so we might look for news articles and then take ideas and vocabulary from there. Here is an article from Forbes about why millennial women are waiting longer to have children. Here is one from The Guardian about waiting until you’re in your fifties! Remember: Good writers read a lot.

positive or negative development

How to Structure a Positive or Negative Development IELTS Essay

There is no perfect way to structure an IELTS essay, but there are good ways and bad ways. I strongly recommend writing four paragraphs and making sure that each paragraph has a single focus. For a positive/negative development essay, it would be a good idea to pick two main arguments in support of your view, then provide them as the focus of each body paragraph.

Positive developmentNegative developmentNeither wholly positive nor negative
IntroductionExplain your positionExplain your positionExplain your position
Body paragraph #1Main reason why it is positiveMain reason why it is negativeDiscuss positives
Body paragraph #2Secondary reason why it is positiveSecondary reason why it is negativeDiscuss negatives
ConclusionSummarise your positionSummarise your positionExplain why it cannot be said to be entirely one or the other

That’s pretty simple, right?

Mistakes that people make here include:

  • Putting too many ideas into each paragraph
  • Feeling that they have to give balance
  • Providing an unclear position

The best approach to IELTS is keeping things simple. I cannot stress enough that overcomplicating an issue is a bad idea . Thus, using the above structures is a really effective way to produce a great essay that is capable of achieving at least band 7.

Keep in mind that approach #3 (neither wholly positive nor negative) is naturally going to be a little more complicated than the others. If you are not confident in your ability to structure an essay, you might want to avoid this one.

Personally, I feel that this issue is not purely positive or negative, so I would choose the third option. Here is my sample answer.

Sample Band 9 Answer

While in previous generations it was normal for people to get married and start a family at a very young age, nowadays people tend to wait until they are in their thirties. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this development, and so this essay will explain why it is neither a wholly positive nor negative trend.

Traditionally, people would get married and settle down at a very young age because life expectancies were short and there were also few other options available to most people. Nowadays, with people expected to live into their seventies or eighties, it is reasonable to wait until later to get married and have children. This allows people to develop more prior to starting a serious relationship or embarking on the journey of parenthood. They can gain an education, see the world, find out more about themselves, and even have the sort of fun experiences that are difficult in the midst of parental responsibility.

However, it could also be argued that people are naturally inclined to settle down earlier. The human body has evolved over millions of years to reproduce at an early age and, when people try to have children later, it often ends in failure or even with birth defects. Therefore, perhaps it is more reasonable to settle down and do this at an earlier age, and then the parents can enjoy more freedom once their children have grown up and left home. In terms of love, people who meet later might also feel a sense of regret that they did not share their younger years as this is a special time when life can be more eventful and passionate.

In conclusion, there are both advantages and disadvantages to settling down early, and it is really just a personal choice that will suit different people in different ways.

Notes on the Answer

You may look at this and think, “But that’s an advantages and disadvantages essay …” Well, it certainly looks like it because I have used the phrase “advantages and disadvantages” twice! However, I have made it clear that it is about the positive vs negative issue and that my position is that it cannot be said to be either of them.

For me, this allows an in-depth discussion that gives nuance and allows me to show my critical thinking skills to the examiner. One thing to avoid, though, is cramming too many ideas into each paragraph, which can be a big problem with balanced essays like this.

Another Sample Essay

Ok, let’s take another look so that we can get an idea of how to give a straightforward answer.

Here’s the question:

Nowadays, more people are choosing to socialise online rather than face to face. Is this a positive or negative development?

And here’s my answer:

In the twenty-first century, the internet is changing the way that people socialise. Where we used to talk face-to-face, now we tend to use different types of technology to communicate. This essay will argue that it is a positive development.

The first reason why this is positive is that humans have always adapted in order to communicate more efficiently. In fact, our ability to communicate well has led us to be the most sophisticated and powerful animal on the planet. We have developed thousands of complex languages, then learned to write them down, and in the last few hundred years we have discovered printing and telephones. Now that we have the internet, our communication skills are becoming even greater as a species, and it is hard to see why that could be a negative development.

Furthermore, the internet has allowed people from all over the world to interact with each other. Rather than speak only with our immediate friends and family, or our social or national group, we can now speak with people from anywhere, and the communication is instant. This allows us to break down traditional cultural barriers and will hopefully lead to a worldwide decline in prejudice and hatred. This is an unprecedented development in world history, and one that I think is going to make largely positive changes for all humankind.

In conclusion, the switch from face-to-face to online communication is not a negative development in human history; instead, it allows us to communicate better and interact with other people from different backgrounds.

My position was clear throughout the essay, which is really important. I started by using this easy phrase:

  • This essay will argue that it is a positive development.

I then transitioned nicely into the next paragraph by saying:

  • The first reason why this is positive is that…

I built up my argument convincingly throughout that paragraph, then switched to my second argument with:

  • Furthermore…

Again, that paragraph built up a nice argument, and this time is reached a sort of summary sentence:

  • This is an unprecedented development in world history, and one that I think is going to make largely positive changes for all humankind.

That led naturally into the conclusion, which reaffirmed my position.

About The Author

David S. Wills

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.

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Model answers to Negative / Positive Development IELTS essay questions in 2021!

Your IELTS task 2 can require you to answer a "negative/positive development" question.

You will need to discuss whether something is a positive or negative trend and provide reasons to support your answer.

You may also be interested in this tutorial explaining the different IELTS Task 2 essay structures .

In this tutorial we will:

  • answer a recent IELTS essay question seen in the exam
  • look at how to generate ideas for task 2
  • show you how to plan and organize your ideas to build coherent paragraphs that score high for task response AND cohesion and coherence.

Plan – the prewriting stage

Analyze the question – make sure you totally understand what you are supposed to answer. Understand the essay types, whether it is argumentative or descriptive and then decide the approach to it.

Do you want to give an objective one sided opinion?

Or do you want to give a balanced view of opinions?

Plan the structure of the essay - a good IELTS writing essay will ideally have three parts : Introduction, Body Paragraph, Conclusion. The body paragraphs will have at least two arguments. The main drawback of any IELTS writing task is a lack of proper structure. A model essay will always have a defined form.

Jot down some keywords that you will include in the answer.

Nowadays many students are participating in international exchange trips. Is this a positive or a negative development?

Determine your position

The “or” in the IELTS writing question leads some people to think that you MUST choose one side or the other, but it is completely fine to in fact to 100% agree, 100% disagree or partially agree, as long as you are on the topic.

Position:   

Brainstorm for ideas – aim for at least one well-developed idea for each paragraph.

Paragraph 1 central idea

The first paragraph should introduce the topic and your stand on the topic. Keep it clear and concise.

International exchanges are not just travel but educational for students.

Paragraph 2 is the main body of the essay. It highlights the central idea. Argue for or against the statement or give a balanced view. Discuss the reasons that support your standpoints.

International exchanges provide opportunities students might otherwise not have.

Brainstorm for support for your ideas. Support can be an example, further explanation, a definition, or any statement explaining  why  or  how  your main idea is true. A support or an additional comment increases the credibility of your argument.

Support:  Students learn a variety of necessary skills while navigating daily life in a new country. 

Writing 

Introduction

Start by rephrasing the prompt. Make sure that you are writing all the sides of the topic that the prompt addresses. 

State your position. If you partially agree you can use a “while” statement:  While it is true students can learn a good deal about another culture on these trips, I believe that on the whole this is a negative trend as they are little more than extended vacations.

You can also start with an observation, for example, "In recent years, it has been observed that students from many countries are interested in international exchange trips". Your introduction should be 3 or 4 sentences. Do not discuss the details in the introduction – save these for your body paragraphs.

Example introduction:

In our increasingly global world, great attention is being paid to students' ability to interact with other cultures and be interculturally aware. This has brought about a trend in international exchange programs for students where students from one country spend a period in another country studying. I believe that these exchange programs are wonderful growth opportunities for students and should be encouraged fully.

The body paragraphs consist of the main part of the essay where the development of arguments take place.

Start with a topic sentence that introduces the central idea of the paragraph.

The opportunity to study in a foreign country is undoubtedly a rich educational experience.  

Introduce your first main idea.

Despite being away from home, they allow students to continue their course of study. 

Follow this with support.

This lets them enjoy a foreign culture while not falling behind on their coursework.

Develop this with further support or an additional main idea and support.

Students gain more than merely academic education, however. They develop intercultural competences honed through daily interactions with people from a different culture.

Create a summary statement that is essentially a rephrasing of your topic sentence. Begin this with Therefore, thus, or Consequently.

Thus, international exchanges can be mind-expanding experiences for students. 

The body paragraphs must have a detailed discussion on the topic, for instance - negative development or positive development of the trend of international exchange trip.

Task achievement

Essays that score well on task response answer the question directly and develop the topic fully. A Band 9 answer leaves no further questions for the reader. It is a clear answer with optimum usage of vocabulary.

Support is critical to a good Task Achievement score. The better supported your ideas are, the better your TA score will be. A good way to check if you have supported well is to ask the question why and/or how after each idea.

If there is an answer to why/how, then you should try to incorporate that into your answer. Sometimes you may need more than one sentence to build a relevant comment.

Students gain more than merely academic education, however. They develop intercultural competences honed through daily interactions with people from a different culture. (HOW?) Each of these interactions, whether with professors, classmates, shopkeepers, or taxi drivers, must consider different societal norms, beliefs and customs. Learning to successfully navigate these scenarios in a foreign setting teaches young people how to problem solve, respect differences and arms them with skills they can transfer to people from different backgrounds.

Coherence and cohesion

Any high scoring IELTS writing task is filled with a logical flow and precision. Arrange your paragraphs logically. While some some might want to write their strongest points in the first argument, other people might leave it for the last.

When writing task 2, it is best to leave your strongest arguments for last. If you are discussing both sides of an issue, save the side you support more till just before your conclusion.

On the other hand, if you are discussing one side only, leave your stronger point, better arguments for last as well. This gives them weight and lets them stay in the mind of the reader better. 

If you discuss only one side, for instance, the negative effects of foreign exchange trip for students, ensure that you write enough arguments to establish why it is a negative trend. Your focus should be on the negative development essay in that case. Do not give many points highlighting the positive trend and create a confusing impact.

Hence, do not overlap the arguments. Remember, maintaining clarity is key to for an IELTS writing test.

Lexical resource

An IELTS writing task will test you on your use of English words. A model essay will have a wide range of vocabulary. Try to avoid repeating the same vocabulary. For example, instead of 'student' use 'undergraduate' or 'learner' occasionally. In this essay, even 'young person' is appropriate. Instead of exchange trip, use study abroad, education abroad or international exchange. In other words, use synonyms to portray your knowledge of words but avoid using jargons.

While topic vocabulary and key words are appreciated, points are scored for the surrounding language you use, like uncommon lexical items.  

Navigate 

Interculturally aware

Another way to demonstrate a good range of vocabulary to is to use 'linking devices'. Linking devices help to connect or contrast different ideas in a paragraph. Use words like

For instance

Furthermore

In addition to

Linking devices help in structuring the answer, especially if it is a one body paragraph. It gives more compactness and enhances readability.

When you study online, try picking up relevant words and maintain a vocabulary list. Different websites (for example, the British Council website) will have different stock of words.

Grammatical range and accuracy

The writing test requires you to showcase your knowledge of grammar. For example:

Participles

Participles can take on various functions in English. Below are some examples.

Students learn a variety of skills while navigating daily life in a new country. 

Thus, international exchanges can be mind-expanding experiences for students.  

Learning to successfully navigate these scenarios in a foreign setting teaches young people how to problem solve, respect differences and arms them with skills they can transfer to people from different backgrounds.

Familiarize yourself with the different ways these can be used.

Phrasal verbs are a great way to play with grammar and vocabulary and demonstrate your hold over the language. Phrasal verb is the combination of two or more words to form a single meaning - for example: a verb and an adverb or preposition.

Examples of phrasal verbs in a sentence would be as follows:

Students want to check out different options on the college website and test them before finally choosing one

Without proper research, students sometimes end up choosing unnecessary courses and waste their time

Sometimes students around the world chip in to help an underprivileged learner.

Not just students, but more people from different sections of the society need to come forward in the fight to right to education for all.

While the introduction builds the momentum of the essay question, the conclusion needs to be powerful to create an impact. Unlike the body paragraph, it is necessary to keep make the concluding paragraph extremely brief – two sentences should be enough.

Start by restating your position. Leave your reader with a general, thought-provoking statement.

Example:  

Education abroad in the form of student exchanges provides endless opportunities for students to learn not only academics and culture but also about themselves and the world they interact with. In our ever-increasing global world, such knowledge is invaluable.  

The conclusion paragraph is also a great space to include some good variations of words. You can use phrases like "In my opinion" or "People prefer" or "Recent comments and observations about the topic is evidence of..." You can build your own opinion and state it or write an universal comment. While many students prefer to write their own opinion, on the other hand, it might sound like you are starting another new argument. So be careful when you state your opinion, keep it simple and reinstate the point that that your were trying to make instead of writing a new point altogether.

The essay question carries a high percentage of marks so it is crucial for the test candidates to score well. Write daily! Practice daily! Do not be nervous! Remember - Perseverance is the key to success! Good luck with IELTS writing task 2 !

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How to Answer “Positive or Negative Development” IELTS Essay Questions

Introduction: Navigating the Nuances of Development in IELTS Writing Task 2The IELTS exam, particularly the Writing Task 2 essay, evaluates your ability to analyze complex issues and present your arguments coherently. One common question type …

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Written by: IELTS Mentor

Published on: June 24, 2024

Social Media Impact

Introduction: Navigating the Nuances of Development in IELTS Writing Task 2 The IELTS exam, particularly the Writing Task 2 essay, evaluates your ability to analyze complex issues and present your arguments coherently. One common question type asks you to assess whether something is a “positive or negative development.” This can be challenging, as it requires a nuanced understanding of the topic and the ability to construct a balanced argument. This article will provide you with a comprehensive guide on how to effectively answer “positive or negative development” IELTS essay questions, equipping you with the skills and strategies to excel in your exam. Understanding the Task: Deconstructing the “Positive or Negative Development” Essay

These essays typically present a trend, invention, or societal shift, requiring you to determine whether its overall impact is beneficial or detrimental. Key to success is remembering that there’s rarely a purely “positive” or “negative” development. Your essay must acknowledge both sides of the argument while ultimately leaning towards a well-supported stance.

Common Question Structures:

  • “Some people believe that [development] is a positive trend, while others argue that it is negative. Discuss both views and give your opinion.”
  • “Do the advantages of [development] outweigh the disadvantages?”
  • “Is [development] a positive or negative development for society? Support your answer with relevant examples.”

Mastering the Approach: A Step-by-Step Guide

Analyze the Question: Carefully read the prompt, underlining key words and phrases. Identify the specific development you’re asked to assess.

Brainstorm Ideas: Draw a table with two columns: “Positive” and “Negative.” Jot down potential benefits and drawbacks associated with the development.

Formulate Your Thesis: Based on your brainstorming, decide whether you believe the development is generally positive or negative. Your thesis statement should clearly state your position.

Structure Your Essay: A typical structure includes:

  • Introduction: Briefly introduce the topic and state your thesis statement.
  • Body Paragraph 1: Present the main arguments for the side you DISAGREE with. Refute these points with counter-arguments.
  • Body Paragraph 2: Present the main arguments supporting your position. Provide strong evidence and examples.
  • Conclusion: Summarize your main points and restate your opinion in a clear and concise manner.

Illustrative Example: The Impact of Social Media

Question: “Some people argue that social media has had a negative impact on society. Others believe it has been a positive development. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.”

Brainstorming:

Positive Negative
Increased connectivity Cyberbullying
Access to information Spread of misinformation
Platform for social change Privacy concerns

Thesis Statement: While social media has undeniably created challenges, its overall impact on society has been largely positive, fostering connectivity, information sharing, and global movements for change.

Social Media Impact

Tips for Success:

  • Provide Evidence: Support your claims with examples, statistics, or historical events to make your arguments more convincing.
  • Use Transition Words: Connect your ideas smoothly using transition words like “however,” “furthermore,” “on the other hand,” etc.
  • Maintain a Formal Tone: Avoid colloquialisms, contractions, or overly emotional language. Stick to a formal and objective style.
  • Proofread Carefully: Grammatical and spelling errors can lower your score. Allocate time to thoroughly proofread your work.

Conclusion: Achieving Clarity and Confidence

Answering “positive or negative development” IELTS essay questions effectively requires a structured approach, critical thinking, and the ability to present a balanced yet persuasive argument. By following the strategies outlined in this guide and practicing regularly, you can approach these questions with confidence and improve your chances of achieving your desired IELTS score.

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Mastering the IELTS Opinion Essay: A Comprehensive Guide

Unlocking the mystery: who is lucy and why did she choose journalism (ielts speaking guide).

 IELTS Academic Writing Task 2: Positive or negative development essay – Structure and template

  • IELTS Academic Writing Task 2: Positive or negative development essay – Structure and template

A few years ago a new question was added to IELTS Essay task: - Is this a positive or negative development?

It is very similar to Agree / Disagree Essay.

For example:

Some universities now offer their courses on the Internet so that people can study online. Is this a positive or negative development?

positive negative development essay

Here is a simple structure for this type of essay

1) IF YOU THINK IT IS A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT

1§ Introduction (2 SENTENCES): Paraphrase the Task + My Opinion: positive development

2§ Why is it positive? + Explanation + Example

3§ Why is it positive? + Explanation + Example OR result

4§ On the other hand, + Why negative? + Explanation + Example OR result

5§ Conclusion: sum up + My Opinion: positive development (2 SENTENCES)

2) IF YOU THINK IT IS A NEGATIVE DEVELOPMENT

1§ Introduction (2 SENTENCES): Paraphrase the Task + My Opinion: negative development

2§ Why is it negative?+ Explanation + Example

3§ Why is it negative? + Explanation + Example OR result

4§ On the other hand, + Why is it positive?+ Explanation + Example OR result

5§ Conclusion: sum up + My Opinion: negative development (2 SENTENCES)

4§ You can skip the opposite point of view part but your essay will look better if you write about it. This way it comes out as a balanced answer.

Bonus: IELTS Punctuation PDF Guide Everything you want to know to have correct punctuation in your IELTS Writing for 7.0-9.0 Score (31 pages, .PDF)

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write positive or negative development essay

How to Write A Negative or Positive Development Essay

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Development essays are an integral part of the IELTS exam, and their importance cannot be overstated. These essays require candidates to analyse a given topic and discuss its positive or negative impact on society, providing relevant examples and reasons to support their stance.

The ability to write compelling development essays showcases a candidate’s critical thinking skills, ability to express ideas coherently, and grasp of academic writing conventions.

One key reason why development essays are crucial in the IELTS exam is that they test a candidate’s depth of understanding of various social issues. By dissecting a given topic, candidates are required to delve into the complexities surrounding it and develop well-rounded arguments supported by evidence. This not only displays their knowledge but also highlights their analytical abilities. Moreover, these essays enable candidates to exhibit their creative thinking skills as they come up with innovative solutions or suggestions for further development or improvement.

Understanding the Task: Analysing the Prompt

Understanding your task at hand when writing an effective negative or positive development essay for IELTS is of vital importance, including understanding its prompt. Analysing it provides not only your topic for writing an essay on development issues but also specific requirements that must be included within it.

Analyzing a prompt helps you identify key elements to include in your essay and ensures you stay focused throughout. Breaking complex ideas down into more manageable portions makes structuring and organizing thoughts much simpler; additionally, it can indicate whether taking an ideological stand on an issue or simply providing balanced views is required.

Making time to carefully consider your prompt can make an enormous difference to the quality of your essay. By doing this, you are better equipped to comprehend exactly what the question requires of you and tailor your response appropriately. Furthermore, paying close attention to all aspects of the prompt will ensure your response covers every necessary point while offering both negative and positive developments equally in its analysis.

Structure and Organization: Introduction, Body, Conclusion

When it comes to writing an essay, whether it is for the IELTS exam or any other academic purpose, having a clear and well-structured organization is crucial. This ensures that your ideas are presented logically and that your arguments flow smoothly throughout the essay. The traditional structure of an essay consists of three main parts: the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

The introduction is where you engage your readers and provide them with a brief overview of what they can expect from your essay. It should grab their attention and clearly state your thesis or main argument. Consider starting with a thought-provoking question or an intriguing anecdote to captivate your readers right from the beginning.

In the body paragraphs, you will expand on each point you made in the introduction. Each paragraph should focus on one main idea or argument and provide supporting evidence or examples to strengthen your claims. Make sure to use clear topic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph to guide your readers through your essay’s flow.

Finally, in the conclusion, you summarise all of your key points and restate your thesis differently. This section allows you to leave a lasting impression on your readers by providing them with a thoughtful reflection or emphasising the importance of what you have discussed throughout the essay.

Supporting Ideas: Providing Examples and Evidence

When writing an essay, supporting your ideas with examples and evidence is crucial to persuade your reader and strengthen your argument. By providing real-life examples, you make your points more relatable and believable. For example, if you are discussing the negative effects of social media on mental health, you can cite studies that have shown a link between excessive social media use and increased rates of anxiety and depression. These concrete examples not only support your argument but also show that you have done thorough research on the topic.

In addition to using examples, incorporating evidence into your essay further reinforces the validity of your claims. This can include statistics, quotes from experts or professionals in the field, or findings from reputable academic sources. For instance, if you are arguing for increased government funding in education, presenting statistics that reveal a positive correlation between educational investment and improved student outcomes will help bolster your case. Evidence not only adds credibility to your argument but also demonstrates that you have comprehensive knowledge about the subject matter.

Overall, by including supporting examples and evidence in your essay writing—whether it be a positive or negative development essay for IELTS or any other type of essay—you can make more compelling arguments and leave a lasting impact on the reader. Using these tools effectively allows you to engage with different perspectives while solidifying your position with well-researched facts.

Language and Vocabulary: Using Appropriate Terminology

Using appropriate terminology is crucial to any writing task, including essays. It adds credibility to your arguments and demonstrates your understanding of the topic at hand. In the context of a negative or positive development essay in IELTS, using the right language and vocabulary can help you effectively convey the pros and cons of a particular situation.

To discuss negative developments, it is important to select words that express dissatisfaction or criticism without sounding too harsh or biased. Instead of using extreme adjectives like disastrous or terrible, opt for more objective terms such as challenging or problematic. Similarly, when discussing positive developments, try to strike a balance between enthusiasm and objectivity. Instead of exaggerating with phrases like incredible, consider alternatives like promising or noteworthy.

Moreover, to create a persuasive argument in your essay, it is essential to employ specific terminology related to the topic under discussion. Whether you are writing about technological advancements, environmental issues, social trends, or economic changes, using specialized vocabulary will enhance your analysis and provide depth to your arguments. For instance, if you are analyzing advancements in renewable energy technology as a positive development, incorporating terms such as photovoltaic cells and wind turbines will demonstrate your knowledge of the subject matter.

Balancing Positive and Negative Points

When writing an essay, it is important to strike a balance between positive and negative points. This not only shows the ability to critically think but also adds credibility to the argument. By acknowledging both sides of a development, it strengthens the overall impact of the essay.

Including positive points in an essay helps create a well-rounded view of the topic. Positive aspects can provide evidence that supports the argument and highlights any potential benefits. This gives readers a more comprehensive understanding and allows them to weigh both sides before concluding.

On the other hand, including negative points demonstrates objectivity and critical thinking skills. It shows that one has considered all angles of the development and is capable of providing a balanced analysis. The inclusion of negative points also helps avoid bias or one-sided arguments, giving readers confidence in the writer’s reliability.

Balancing positive and negative points is essential in writing because it promotes fairness and transparency. Writers can avoid having their personal opinions or agendas too heavily influence them by taking both sides into account. This approach ensures that all relevant information is presented accurately, allowing readers to make informed judgements based on facts rather than biased perspectives.

In conclusion, writing a negative or positive development essay requires careful planning and consideration of the main points. It is crucial to provide a clear thesis statement in the introduction, outlining whether the overall trend presented in the essay is positive or negative. Throughout the body paragraphs, each point should be supported with relevant examples and evidence to strengthen the argument.

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positive negative development essay

TASK TWO MODEL ESSAY: POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE

This type of essay question describes a change and asks the test-taker to write about whether the change (development) is good or bad.

In this model essay, a strong position in favour of the development is expressed. Usually, it is easier (for this question type) to choose a more definite position.

Remember, the golden rule of high IELTS grades is ‘develop every idea’. In this essay, only two main ideas are expressed (body paragraph 1 and 2) because it is better to use a few ideas but develop them fully than to list ideas and quickly move on to the next one.

Remember, all the model essays shown on this website follow structures that can be learned and practised by taking the writing courses available. There is no better way to learn how to write high-scoring IELTS essays.

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Countries are becoming more and more similar because people are able to buy the same products anywhere in the world

Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

Give reasons for your answers and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words

Model essay

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positive negative development essay

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Positive or Negative Development Essay: IELTS Writing Task 2

14 August, 2024

Positive or Negative Development Essay

Are you ready for Task 2 of the IELTS Writing Exam? Would you like to write a good essay to help you pass the test? Setting the tone and capturing the reviewer's attention in IELTS Writing Task 2 consists of an essay that ideally should be compelling and gripping. On the other hand, a lot of students must comprehend how to write an introduction for IELTS Writing Task 2 to start with. If you fall into such a category, you should read this blog.

We have covered how to write a strong essay in this blog by focusing on a specific topic, “Positive or negative development”, to help you ace the writing section and obtain a good band score.

Positive or Negative Development Essay: sample answer 1

Positive or negative development essay: sample answer 2, tips to score well in ielts writing task 2.

Industrialisation has seen a massive uproar in the past few years. Industrialisation came to India in the 1850s, and it was slow at first, but then, in the later years, industries saw a boom on the Indian lands. Let’s look at industrialisation's positive and negative aspects on Indian land.

The impact of industrialisation in India started during colonial rule. This can further be divided into two parts: during colonial rule and after independence. When industrialisation was introduced in India, the country required it and was very open to changes, but things changed as time progressed. The Indian subcontinent could fulfil all the requirements needed to have industries. Initially, it was a great prospect, but then it started deteriorating.

Even though the government was relieved of a lot of responsibilities due to the privatisation of industries and working became smooth, the worst effect was on the common people and the environment. With the privatisation of industries, the competition in the market increased, and common people had to adhere to it. On the other hand, let us not forget about the environment and how building these industries has caused harm to the environment. As the five requisites to industrialisation, the environment has been damaged the most. With the rise of industries, demand increased, and the demand for raw materials increased. The increase in demand for raw materials had an adverse effect on the environment. Pollution increased along with the increase in the number of buildings, which led to an increase in diseases and more issues.

In a nutshell, although the onset of industries in India was beneficial for the people, it severely deteriorated the environment to the extent that the government now has to take conscious measures to subdue the construction work and instruct the industries to keep the environment in mind while going on with the daily work. Therefore, it is essential to maintain an equilibrium alongside the environment so that both humans and the environment can benefit from each other.

The democratisation of the film business has brought more opportunities and concerns about the medium's direction. In my view, this is mostly a good thing, as it allows a greater range of socioeconomic views to be heard in the media.

The main reason why film purists are against the digital revolution is that it lowers the standard of filmmaking. One significant example of this was the period around 2000 when digital films emerged and started replacing analogue films. The first complaints from viewers were that films made on film seemed more polished and that films made digitally had a cheap, soap opera-like look. The number of amateur films has increased dramatically as digital cinema has expanded beyond studios looking to cut costs. This often leads to movies with shoddy acting, poor writing, and generally low production values.

Notwithstanding the acknowledged disadvantages listed above, digital film has given voice to the less fortunate, who are typically filmmakers of colour and lower socioeconomic levels. There are several examples of students filming videos digitally, uploading them to YouTube, and having them go popular on the internet. A great number of these new perspectives originate from beyond Hollywood's predominantly white, male, heterosexual homogeneity. These short films are increasingly likely to feature LGBT themes and ethnic minorities from all over the world. The most striking evidence is as easy as drawing a comparison between the vast array of films currently accessible and the major motion movies made fifty years ago. These platforms have also allowed the creators to create more content for every genre of people. This helps them cater to needs that people are often afraid to talk about with others.

In summary, new ideas target marginalised populations more than makeup for quality flaws. Studios need to realise this and relinquish part of their control over a field that is always growing.

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Here are some tips that would help you improve your writing skills when attempting the IELTS writing task 2; some of those tips are as follows-

Structure your essay into three parts: the introduction, main body, and conclusion.

The introductory paragraph should be catchy and attract the reader to read further, all while introducing the topic to be discussed further.

The next step is the main body, which again should be clear and precise. The main body is for expressing your thoughts and ideas with utmost clarity. 

Be specific about your point of view on the topic and use a wide range of vocabulary and literary sources. 

Lastly, when concluding your essay, make sure you are giving an overview of your point of view and then presenting the general idea.

To conclude, IELTS writing task 2 is an integral part of the exam's writing section. In this section, make sure you use the correct words and vocabulary and properly frame the paragraphs. Make sure that you read the essay once you have completed it; it eradicates the chances of mistakes and will help you secure a better score overall. 

We hope the above information about IELTS Writing Task 2 helped you understand the task better. However, you can contact Prepare IELTS Exam (PI) expert counsellors for further guidance. Our team of education experts is dedicated to providing you with the best guidance in the IELTS exam . You can get a one-on-one counselling session online via our platform. Contact us at [email protected] or call us at +91 9773398388 .

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Positive or Negative Development Essay: IELTS Writing Task 2

Updated on Jul 02, 2024, 09:03

There are two writing tasks for the IELTS: Task 1 and Task 2. Task 1, for academic and general training, asks you to describe charts or graphs in around 150 words within 20 minutes. You'll get a topic like "Positive or Negative Development" in Task 2, which takes about 40 minutes, where you'll share it if you agree or disagree.

In this page, we'll explore positive or negative type essays in detail. 

On This Page

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1. Positive or Negative Development Essay: How to Answer

The opening of your essay should be about the topic and what will be in the essay's main body. Write whatever you feel about the topic, like your viewpoint and try to give examples that support your point of view.

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2. Positive or Negative Development Essay: Sample Answer

Practice with our samples for positive or negative development essay types.

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Positive or Negative Development Essay: How to Answer

Introduction.

  • The opening of your essay should be about the topic and what will be in the essay's main body.
  • Write whatever you feel about the topic, like your viewpoint and try to give examples that support your point of view.

Example: “ The rise of smartphones has undoubtedly changed our lives in a world driven by technology. I believe this development has led to many positive changes that have changed communication and accessibility.”  

Main Part (Body of the Essay)

Paragraph 1.

  • Your main thought should be expressed in your topic line at the beginning of this paragraph. 
  • Make sure you're as precise and thorough as you can be. 
  • It would be better if you were more specific about your point of view. Do not change your major idea; continue developing your previous idea. 

Example: “ First, mobile phones have made communication instantaneous and global. People worldwide can communicate easily through video calls and Instant Messaging, foster ties and bridge cultural gaps using only a couple of taps.”

Paragraph 2  

  • This sentence has a distinct subject line, like the last one. 
  • Before expanding into the following sentences, start your demonstration quickly. 
  • You're capable of using incredibly powerful words. The higher your score, the more specific and in-depth you can be. 
  • There may be some further development in the last sentence. Don't say anything new about the main idea.

Example: “ But there is a downside to that convenience. The constant connectivity can lead to addiction and negatively impact mental health. Increased stress and disturbed sleep patterns have been linked to excessive screen time.”

Conclusion   

  • At the beginning of your conclusion, talk about your overall point of view on the topic and then give a general idea.
  • At last, conclude your essay with the outcome of the topic.

Example:  “At last, it is important to acknowledge the potential drawbacks, such as the impact on mental well-being, while the invention of smartphones has undoubtedly enhanced our lives through instant communication. To exploit the benefits of these technological developments, a balance must be struck between positive and negative aspects.”

Positive or Negative Development Essay: Sample Answer

Good and bad changes of technology.

Technology has improved our lives, but it also comes with its problems. Let's just take care of the two sides.   

It's good that technology allows us to talk to our friends and family, even if they're far away. Apps and websites make it easy to stay in touch. In addition, doctors are using new technology to provide more effective treatments, and people have a longer life expectancy.  

But there's also a problem here. Some people are using social media to bully, while others worry about their data. Also, machines do jobs, and some people don't have jobs, and money isn't fair to everyone. Because of phones and computers, we talk less face-to-face, making it harder for us to make friends.

Well, there are good and evil sides to technology. We need to be careful about the problems while still enjoying the good things it brings. We're supposed to ensure that we all benefit from technology, and that it doesn't worsen our lives.  

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Q. Can I use bullet points or numbered lists in my essays?

Ans.   No, using bullet points or numbered lists in your IELTS essays is not a good idea. Candidates are required to express their ideas in well-structured paragraphs and sentences in the IELTS Writing Test. In research writing, bullet points or lists are not deemed appropriate. Concentrate on developing coherent and consistent paragraphs to communicate your views and arguments effectively.

Q. How do you turn negative into positive answers?

Ans.   Focus on recasting the situation or emphasising a constructive aspect to make your negative answer positive. Let us find a silver lining or an opportunity for growth and express our optimism. Shift the narrative to solutions or positive results rather than dwell on the downside. This approach does not merely preserve a positive tone but also demonstrates resilience and foresight.

Q. What is not allowed in IELTS writing?

Ans.   You can't do certain things in IELTS writing, e.g., use casual language, slang or text abbreviations. Due to the requirement of a factual description or summary, candidates should refrain from submitting their views on Task 1. It is also not permitted to write in bullet points or numbered lists; rather, the essays must be written with consistent paragraphs. Finally, candidates shall not use erasers or corrective fluids in the test; all mistakes should be carefully accounted for.

Q. What type of questions are asked in the IELTS writing task?

Ans.  In the IELTS writing task, you will be asked to write two tasks, they are as follows:

 1 Task 1: Candidates may be asked to describe visual information, for example, graphs, charts, diagrams or explanations of the process, as part of their educational IELTS. Candidates must usually write a letter responding to the situation when they take general training IELTS. 

2. Task 2: Responding to a specific question or statement, candidates must write an essay. They must speak their minds, talk about problems or resolve them.

Q. What are the rules of IELTS writing?

Ans.   The rules of IELTS writing include that each task is to be carried out in accordance with special instructions. In the first task, you have to give a clear overview and support it with appropriate details, while in Task 2, a clear position needs to be given on that subject and examples. In addition, effective management of your time using complete sentences and paragraphs, complying with word count requirements and maintaining a clear expression while avoiding spelling or grammar errors are necessary.

Q. How many tasks are there in the IELTS Writing section?

Ans.   Two tasks are assigned to the IELTS writing section: Task 1 and Task 2. Candidates must provide a description of visual information, e.g. graphs, charts or diagrams, within Task 1. Task 2 involves writing an essay on a topic or responding to a prompt. Each task is assessed separately and contributes to the final writing band score, with tasks 1 and 2 also contributing. For Task 2, the score is given more weight and 20 minutes are allocated to test takers for Task 1 and 40 minutes for Task 2, respectively. To complete both tasks within the specified time frame, it is necessary to manage their duration effectively.

Q. Are there specific word count requirements in task 1 and task 2?

Ans.   Yes, there are specific word count requirements for IELTS Writing Task 1 and Task 2. You are advised to write at least 150 words in Task 1, while a minimum word count of 250 is recommended for Task 2. Compliance with these guidelines is of great importance as it can significantly reduce the number of words, which could result in penalties and affect your overall score.

Q. Do IELTS Writing topics repeat?

Ans.   The exact topics of IELTS writing are not always repeated, but themes and general topics are often repeated. A candidate's ability to deal with a range of common and relevant topics is assessed in the IELTS examination. It is, therefore, possible to encounter similar themes, but the specific questions and tasks will differ. It is better to familiarise yourself with various topics and practice writing on different subjects in preparation for the exam.

Q. How is the writing section scored in IELTS?

Ans.  The IELTS Writing section is assessed according to four criteria: the achievement of an appropriate task, coherence and cohesion for organising logical ideas with their coherent devices, Lexical resources for vocabulary usage, and grammatical range and accuracy, which demonstrate a variety of sentence structures that have only minor mistakes. The average of each criterion's scores shall be assigned to a band score between 0 and 9, determining the overall Writing Band Score.

Q. How can I improve my IELTS writing section?

Ans.   Practice regularly and address feedback to enhance the IELTS Writing section. Know the various types of tasks, examine model essays to learn about structure and language use, and improve your vocabulary. Pay particular attention to time management during practice to simulate the exam conditions. Lastly, you need feedback from teachers or peers to identify areas for improvement and improve your writing skills.

Q. What is the highest score in IELTS writing?

Ans.   The highest score on the IELTS writing test is 9. Each of the four criteria—Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource (Vocabulary), and Grammatical Range and Accuracy—is scored on a scale of 0 to 9. The overall Writing band score shall be determined using an average for each criterion. The attainment of the 9 band score is an excellent achievement in demonstrating a high level of English language skills and minimal mistakes in writing.

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Examples of such essays:

In some cities, the government has tried to reduce traffic. For instance, they imposed a congestion tax during rush hours. Do you think this development is positive or negative?

Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) are the main sources in many countries, but in some countries the use of alternative sources of energy (wind energy and solar energy) are encouraged. To what extent do you think it is a positive or negative development?

Nowadays young people are admiring media and sports stars, even though they do not set a good example. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

Positive Negative Development – is one of the opinion essays like Agree/Disagree Like Agree/Disagree – the student has 2 options.

positive negative development essay

Let’s take the one of the examples we discussed earlier and discuss how to attempt these essays.

positive negative development essay

Completely One-Sided Essay

Writing the introduction – 2 sentences.

Sentence1: Paraphrase the topic It is commonly observed that the youth of today admire and follow celebrities like media and sports stars despite them not acting as good role models. Sentence 2: Write your opinion. First, think of your points. How Negative

  • When youth see celebrities involved in bad habits alcohol or drugs either in real life or on the big screen/TV, they also feel like trying it.
  • Impossible standards of beauty like zero figure. It lowers the confidence of youth and many of them go through eating disorders
  • Overspending, as they feel like buying expensive products like the latest fashions, clothes promoted by celebrities. Might also lead to crime as youth sometimes commit small crimes like thefts and stealing to obtain such products.

No positive points, all negative – one-sided Opinion : I strongly believe that this is a negative development. Complete Introduction: It is commonly observed that the youth of today admire and follow celebrities like media and sports stars despite them not acting as good role models. I strongly believe that this is a negative development.

Writing the Body Paragraphs

Step 1: Write 3 body paragraphs with each paragraph representing different points. Para 1: Point 1 Para 2: Point 2 Para 3: Point 3 and 4 Step 2: Begin Para 1 with a sentence telling the examiner that you are discussing the negatives. Step 3: Use connectors between each point. For example, in this case For point 1: Firstly, For point 2: The second negative is that For point 3: Finally,

Body Paragraph 1: Media and sports stars have a lot of negative effects on youth. Firstly, celebrities are often portrayed drinking or smoking in advertisements, TV shows and movies. Some stars post pictures of themselves partying and drinking on social media platforms. This normalizes and glamorizes behavior like smoking, binge drinking and illicit drug use, making youth feel that it’s appropriate to do the same. Experimenting with drugs and alcohol affects their health, behavior and grades. Body Paragraph 2: Secondly, some celebrities create impossible standards of beauty, as a result of which more and more young adults feel less confident and more dissatisfied with their looks. Teenagers are at a phase of their life where they undergo massive changes physically, mentally, and emotionally. As celebrities are becoming thinner and thinner, the self-confidence of their fans is lost, and they suffer from body displeasure. This causes young fans to strive to be unhealthily thin and stop eating altogether, which may prove fatal at times. Body Paragraph 3: Finally, sometimes celebrities ignore the public interest while endorsing the latest fashions and products. Thus, in a way, they promote trends that might be harmful to youth and society. For example, many celebrities promote sugary drinks or fast foods, even though they themselves don’t consume them. Sometimes, they promote costly fashions and gadgets and teenagers force their parents to buy these products. Some teens or youth also resort to petty crimes like stealing just to acquire these products and consequently destroy their whole life.

Step 1: Repeat your opinion, using different words. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that the increasing influence of celebrities on youth has several adverse consequences for them as well as the society.

positive negative development essay

Having negatives but overall positive (Partial Essay)

Sentence 1: Paraphrase the topic It is irrefutable that most of the countries depend on fossil fuels for energy generation, but it is also true that many countries are shifting towards renewable sources like wind, solar and tidal energy. Sentence 2: Write your opinion. First, think of your points.

How Positive

  • Renewable last forever, fossils overuse.
  • Non-polluting
  • Decrease imports as can be produced locally
  • Less maintenance or operation costs.

How Negative

  • High upfront cost
  • Not as reliable- For example- Solar not at night

Opinion : Although there are few drawbacks of renewable energy, I believe the lowering dependence on fossil fuels is a positive development. Complete Introduction: It is irrefutable that most of the countries depend on fossil fuels for energy generation, but it is also true that many countries are shifting towards renewable sources like wind, solar and tidal energy. Although there are few drawbacks of renewable energy, I believe the lowering dependence on fossil fuels is a positive development.

Step 1: Write 3 body paragraphs with each paragraph representing different points. 2 Paragraphs: Main side – Positive 1 Paragraph: Opposite side – Negative The order doesn’t matter. Para 1: Point 1 & 2 (Positive) Para 2: Point 3 & 4 (Negative) Para 3: Point 1 & 2 (Negative) Step 2: Begin Para 1 with a sentence telling the examiner that you are discussing the positives. Begin Para 3 with a sentence telling the examiner that you are discussing the negatives. Step 3: Use connectors between each point. For example, in this case For point 1: Firstly, For point 2: The second positive is that For point 3: In addition For point 4: Finally, Step 4: Use connector – like However, On the other hand when the tone changes from Positive to Negative – So beginning of Para 3 Step 5: Use connectors to connect negative points For point 1: The main drawback For point 2: Another drawback

Body Paragraph 1: Firstly, alternate sources are renewable, while conventional sources like coal and oil are non-renewable. Fossils take millions of years to make and countries are using them at an alarming rate. This means that if people continue using them at the same rate, there will be nothing left for our future generations. The second advantage is that these non-conventional sources do not pollute the environment. It is well known that fossil fuels are a major contributor to greenhouse gases and consequently global warming. Body Paragraph 2: In addition, renewable energy sources reduce dependence on foreign energy imports as they can be produced locally. Thus, these sources can not only increase energy independence but also save valuable foreign exchange. Finally, these sources require less maintenance because they have fewer movable parts as compared to conventional energy sources. Body Paragraph 3: On the other hand, there are also a few drawbacks of renewable energy. The main drawback is the high upfront cost, which is considerably higher than conventional energy sources. Another major issue with them is that they are not as reliable as fossil fuel-based energy generation as they depend upon wind speed and hours of sunshine, which varies from day to day and season to season.

Step 1: Repeat your opinion, using different words. Summing up, despite the problems associated with renewable energy, I consider the shift towards it to be beneficial on the whole.

positive negative development essay

More examples of discuss essays can be found here

Makkar ielts academic essay book can be purchase here, 6 thoughts on “positive negative development essay”.

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Honestly saying this is a good format and easy to understand 😃👍

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can we write all positive ideas in two paragraphs?ie.,(pos idea 1+pos idea 2)–paragraph 1 pos idea 3+pos idea 4)–paragraph 3 conclusion

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Thank you so much for all the efforts that you have putted in this essay.and also you made it very easy to understand . i would say it was incredible overall.

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Nice teaching

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I feel that they are very much helpful…watched the essay writing process of few more other educators but your method is the best & easy.It is helping me to write an essay with ease rather than frightening as I would earlier.Now I’m interested in writing more &more essays.Thank you very much mam…

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Absolutely helpful. The structure to write different essays is clearly outlined with techniques and tips. Thanks, Makkar mam!!

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Advanced Task 2 IELTS Essay Practice – Positive or Negative development essay

By ielts-jonathan.com on 28 July 2021 0

What are good methods for Writing an IELTS Essay

Good teachers will not only ask IELTS students to write essays, they will also try to check whether the level and knowledge of vocabulary and grammar awareness is adequate to produce an IELTS Band 6, 7 or 8 essay.

Using tests to check IELTS vocabulary and grammar.

A very good way that teachers can check how much a candidate can produce is by construction awareness tests like the following examples.

This test looks at producing a positive or negative development IELTS essay.

A further advantage is students can gain a good understanding of organisation, sentence structure and language choices suitable for IELTS academic writing as well as an enhanced awareness of topic ideas.

This is far better than the passive activity of reading and reviewing essays themselves , a technique often suggested by teachers of IELTS.

Instructions

Writing is a creative process and there is no one way to write an essay but you can use these Band 9 IELTS essays to help you develop good writing.

  • Read and complete the essay.
  • Once you have completed, check the answers .
  • Reset the essay to the beginning and see how much and how quickly you can now complete the modal writing.

Writing an IELTS positive or negative development essay

⇒ Link to next essay  

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I’m Jonathan

I’ve taught IELTS and University English in more than a dozen universities and schools around the world.

I’m a parent, traveller and passionate about language teaching and helping students achieve their dreams.

Whilst living in Austria or working in Asia, I run IELTS courses to help students get to where they want to be.

If you are serious about IELTS, connect with me to see how I can help you.

positive negative development essay

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IELTS Writing Task 2 – How To Write A Positive-Negative Essay

21-page PDF download will tell you how to write a positive/negative essay for IELTS Writing Task 2.

How To Write An IELTS Positive Or Negative Essay

Ielts positive/negative essay sample: music.

Take a look at the sample answer.

IELTS Positive/Negative Essay Sample: Economics

Ielts positive/negative essay sample: technology, ielts positive/negative essay sample: fashion.

Many people prefer to spend money and not save it. What are the reasons? Is this a positive or negative development?

Related Posts

Ielts positive/negative essay sample 4 – fashion, ielts discussion essay sample 7 – government, leave a comment cancel reply.

IELTS Preparation

IELTS Writing Task 2  Positive or Negative Development: Sample Answer

Watch the video on IELTS Writing Task 2: Positive or Negative Development. 

Requirements

The task requires you to give your opinion in response to a statement. There are 2 possible positions that are advisable to take which you should state clearly in your introduction and expand in your body paragraphs.

Position A. The situation is completely/totally positive (or negative). In other words, 100% positive or negative.

Position B. The positives and negatives are equally important. In other words, you chose both are equally valid. 50 - 50.

If you take the position of “partly” or “mostly” positive or negative, it becomes more difficult to write since you will need to give more reasons for one side than the other and your answer will be unbalanced.

Always chose position A or B .

IELTS Positive Negative Development

Sample Answer

IELTS Writing Positive Negative Development

The advances in technology have provided a lot of workers with the option of doing their jobs remotely rather than in a traditional workplace. This essay will discuss the reasons why this trend has equal positive and negative effects. 

The main benefit of remote working is the flexibility it affords the employee in terms of working hours. Traditionally work hours are fixed, usually from 9 to 5, which means employees are severely restricted in the time they can devote to essential non-work activities. For instance, if an employee needs to have medical treatment such as dental work, they invariably can only schedule it during work time. Consequently, it is at the discretion of the employer whether they can leave the workplace and if their salary will be deducted during this time. Working from home, however, means that workers can schedule time for non-work activities as they do not have to adhere to rigid working hours.

The major drawbacks of working from home are domestic distractions and the absence of camaraderie. Employees who have young families, for example, often get distracted by the demands of taking care of their children and even though they employ babysitters and have family members to assist them, they cannot stop themselves from getting involved. Additionally, research amongst office workers who work remotely has identified isolation from colleagues as their greatest challenge. These workers miss the human contact and the friendly office atmosphere where they can bond with their co-workers. 

To conclude, the major upside of working from one’s own home is the flexible hours whereas, the downsides include feelings of isolation and the challenge of keeping focused on work because of their domestic environment. 

Sample: Positive or Negative Development. PDF

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Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? IELTS Essay

“advantages outweigh the disadvantages?” is a common IELTS essay question in writing task 2 which many people struggle with. Below is an sample essay question to practice this type of essay and also some tips to help you.

What is an IELTS Advantages Outweigh Disadvantages Essay?

Take a look at the two essays below:

In recent years, more and more people are choosing to read e-books rather than paper books. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

The essay question asks a direct question to you which is a question of choice. Whenever you are asked for choose something, you know it requires an opinion. This type of advantage disadvantage essay is very different to the normal advantage essay:

The development of tourism contributed to English becoming the most prominent language in the world. Some people think this will lead to English becoming the only language to be spoken globally. What are the advantages and disadvantages to having one language in the world?

As you see, Essay 2 only asks you to present the advantages and the disadvantages rather than choose between them. This is the most typical type of essay question and you can find tips about it on this page: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES ESSAY.

So, Essay 1 is the advantages outweigh disadvantages essay type and it is different. Read below to learn tips for tackling it.

Tips for IELTS Outweigh Essay Questions

To answer this type of IELTS essay question you must:

  • Brainstorm ideas supporting both sides first.
  • do you think the advantages or the disadvantages are most important? Which one?
  • you can use the word “outweigh” in your introduction if you want
  • or you can simply explain if there are more advantages and less disadvantages or vice versa
  • avoid formulaic statements for your thesis statement – this means don’t use a memorised phrase.
  • don’t write “this essay will…” this isn’t how you write your own opinion. You must use words such as “In my opinion” or “I think”.
  • Body paragraphs should cover both advantages and disadvantages whilst at the same time making it very clear which one is more important. This isn’t an advantages AND disadvantages essay – it is about presenting and arguing your opinion.
  • Make sure your support points in the body paragraphs are 100% relevant and don’t stray off topic.
  • Re-state your opinion in the conclusion using different language
  • The “outweigh” essay question is not exactly the same as the Advantages and Disadvantages essay question. Don’t turn it into a discuss without any clear opinion or you will get a low score for Task Response.

MODEL ESSAY FOR IELTS ADVS OUTWEIGH DISADVS 

An increasing number of people are using e-books as a reading tool, such as a kindle, instead of traditional paper books. I believe there are significant benefits to using e-books over paper books with only a few minor drawbacks.

E-books have enormous advantages over the paper book mainly because of the vast number of books that an e-book device, namely a kindle, can contain. Kindles are able to contain thousands of books which you can categorise and organise on a device that is lighter than a tablet. For people who are travelling or those who want easy access to multiple books, these devices are perfect. Furthermore, e-books can be purchased with the click of a button giving instant access to the book without having to wait for delivery. 

On the other hand, there is a downside to choosing an e-book over a paper book. The main issue is that it can be hard to find books on specialist subjects in electronic form. Many specialist and old books are only available as a paper book and can only be found in libraries. Another point to consider is that e-books are yet another device which people are glued to and that does have an impact on eye sight and health in general. It has long been known that people spend too much time on their devices and therefore reading a paper book might actually be preferable from time to time.

In conclusion, I think e-books have brought numerous gains to people’s lives through accessibility and convenience that truly benefit people’s lives, but there are disadvantages that should not be ignored.

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Hey Liz, How is your health. I did another essay can you please check it out If you have time.

It is often believed that change is more beneficial in comparison to avoiding or being stagnant. In my opinion, I think change brings about more benefits than harm to people.

Although there are some drawbacks mentioned below, the positives that change brings in one’s life is far substantial than the negatives. Firstly, change helps one to evolve and bring about positive changes in his or her life, through different experiences that would occur due to changes in their environment. For instance, a person who struggles with social anxiety can evolve and through further interaction and experience can be more confidant and charismatic. Secondly, Change can also lead major characteristic development, one can nurture more patient, strength and other great characteristic trait through change happening in his environment.

Admittedly, there are a few drawbacks that change can bring along. One such drawback is how unexpected changes can bring worry and anxiety to people, and can put them in much vulnerable position then they are already in. For example a sudden shift in their financial circumstance may lead to instability, putting one through immense stress. Another problem that might occur is how unstable and unpredictable changes can build one character for worse, a person facing setback after setback due to some unforeseen changes can lose all hope and diverge to a path of wrong doing or negative behaviour (from which there is no turning back)

In conclusion, the positive development and an opportunity to improve oneself which changes bring along outweighs some drawbacks it carries.

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Task Response is 25% of your marks and that is all about how you address the direct issues in the essay question and fulfil the instructions. You haven’t provided the essay question or the precise instructions.

My bad, here is the question: It is often considered that change is more beneficial to people than trying to avoid it and have everything remain the same. Do you think the advantages of change outweigh the disadvantages?

Now I can understand the essay. The main issue with this essay is that you have not convinced me at all about your opinion that change is more beneficial than not. Your arguments for the disadvantages of change are much stronger. You also haven’t repeated your opinion in the body paragraph of the side that you support making your opinion almost insignificant to this essay. 1) the advantages of change – A) change in the workplace (whether wanted or unwanted) can lead people to take on new jobs and develop new skills which opens up new avenues for future opportunities and careers B) change can make life interesting rather than stagnant bring new life, experiences and new people C) it can help people become more adaptable and dynamic which is particularly important in this ever changing modern world 2) if you agree that change is the most important thing, then you must have strong arguments for it and express your view again when writing that body paragraph. Then you must restate your position in the conclusion. 3) Don’t use brackets in writing task 2, use clauses. Otherwise, you’ve got a strong structure and good signposting which are essential in a good essay.

thanks liz I will make the necessary changes can I keep the same points for advantages, I will affirm my opinion in body paragraph 1 and will keep the rest same does that work liz.

Hopefully, it should work fine.

thanks for your feedback. Through your blog post and advance courses I have had visible improvement in writing. Still I am very nervous about writing as I will be writing my ielts this November

You’ve got plenty of time. Make sure to improve your grammar during that time to remove any errors from your writing because all errors lower your score. And work on ideas for topics. Good luck!

(I was trying to write it in the original thread but I think it reached its max limit)liz, I mostly make errors in subject verb agreement but I am not able to realise that I have made a mistake and yeah I am practicing reading and writing every day and I am aiming to get band 7 or more in writing.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you 🙂

thank you so much 🥺🥺

hi liz can you please look into it Increasing number of people now prefer e-books over traditional books to get their reading needs covered. In my opinion, I think that the benefits of carrying e-book far outweighs that of a normal book.

On the one hand carrying an ebook has a lot of benefits whose magnitude far surpasses some drawbacks mentioned below. Firstly, one does not have to worry about carrying heavy books around as all of their favourite books can be found in one device with just a simple click ready to be read. Due to the ability to download books on the go, one can take along as many books as one wants to a trip or work. With battery generally lasting about a week, one does not have to worry about charging. Secondly, the books available to download are far cheaper upto 20 times than a paperback version, only an initial investment is required to get an e-book reader even that can be avoided if one is comfortable to use a mobile device as an e-book reader.

Admittedly, there are some minor drawbacks when using an ebook. One problem that might occur is eye strain due to excessive exposure to screen, this can be overcome by using an e-book reader which comes with an e-ink display rather than using a mobile phone. Another problem that is quite common with e-book readers is how they can easily lose interest from a book and would never complete it, due to a variety of option available to them. Lastly, holding an actual book while reading forms a kind of connection with the reader and results in an outflow of dopamine which makes the reader happy.

In conclusion, the option and versatility an e-book provides while been cheaper than an actual book, clearly outweighs some disadvantages it caries.

Although my website does not offer a feedback service, I do have time for a quick comment. You’ve got very clear structure and a very clear opinion. Well done. But be careful with wording. This isn’t about “carrying” an e-book. This is about using an e-book. Sometimes when you paraphrase incorrectly or have poor word choice, it can really affect the whole essay and confuse the reader – for this reason, you must never paraphrase unless you are 100% sure. It is better to repeat a word, than have a point become irrelevant.

Hi liz, after going through your videos I have approach this question in both way Health services are a basic necessity. However, private companies have made them quite costly for ordinary individuals. 1) state the adv and disadvantages of private healthcare 2) do the advantages of private healthcare outweigh the disadvantages?

Services related to health such a hospitals are a basic necessity for any person, but private companies have made it quite expensive for poor and middle income families and individuals. Private Hospitals certainly provide better healthcare and advance treatments, but there are also some drawbacks to be considered.

On the one hand, privatisation of health care facilities surely result in certain benefits. One can get world class treatment from private hospitals as they spend a ton of money on research, which helps them develop new treatments and methods to tackle life threatening health related issues. Another reason that privatisation of hospital can be advantageous is the luxury amenities they can provide to the customer, like hospital room comparable to hotel and resort, delicious meals and even some kind of recreational activities to not get bored.

On the other hand there are obvious downside privatisation of healthcare can cause to middle income families. Firstly, private healthcare centres can be extremely costly, when compared to public hospitals. Many have to take huge loans to get admitted into private hospitals due to the unavailability of a good public hospital, which leads one to be in debt. Secondly, private hospitals can overcharge their customers for even the most basic service they provide, a service whose actual cost should be around 50 dollars can be overcharged upto 100 times that amount by a private hospital . Lastly, private healthcare centres goal is to generate revenue as they are a for profit business, unlike government hospitals whose Moto is to save an individual as they are funded by the government.

In conclusion, while private hospitals have their upsides, the high cost and motivation to keep money a priority over life can be concerning. ————————————————————————————— Services related to health, such as hospitals, are a basic necessity for any person. However, private companies have made healthcare quite expensive for poor and middle-income families and individuals. In my opinion, I think that the privatization of the healthcare system brings about more harm than good.

Admittedly, there are some basic advantages to the private healthcare system. Firstly, they can provide better treatment compared to an underfunded public hospital. They offer state-of-the-art treatment and employ capable health professionals to attend to patients. This ensures faster diagnosis and treatment. Another additional benefit is the level of comfort private hospitals can provide, such as comfortable rooms and private attendants. However, all these experiences are only available to those who can afford them.

Nevertheless, despite the advantages mentioned above, I believe the disadvantages of the private healthcare system greatly outweigh the advantages. One significant disadvantage is the cost of accessing a private healthcare center. Someone who barely makes ends meet cannot afford to go to a private hospital and receive the desired treatment. Due to the lack of public health infrastructure in some countries, this often forces individuals to take out loans and fall into debt. Another issue is that private hospitals can overcharge for even the simplest treatments. A simple treatment that should cost around $50 can be charged at up to 100 times that amount. The last obvious issue is the intention of private hospitals, which is to earn money as they are for-profit organizations. One cannot expect to receive treatment from a private hospital if one cannot pay, whereas a public hospital provides care for free.

In conclusion, the overcharging by private healthcare providers far outweighs the additional benefits they offer.

Although my website isn’t aimed at giving feedback on writing, I will make a few comments. On the whole, you have nailed the IELTS skills needed for a strong writing task 2 essay. Both essays take the right approach and clearly fulfil the tasks given for a high score. A few points to note: 1) language – avoid anything too informal such as ” a ton of money” – it would be better to write “private hospitals have large financial resources which allow them to invest heavily on research…” 2) linking words – avoiding using “like” instead of “for example”. “like” as a linking word is informal and only suitable for the speaking test. This is a small error, but all errors should be avoided. 3) Your last point of the disadvantages of private hospitals isn’t strong. Whether it runs as a business or not doesn’t really show a downside. It would have been better to state that due to the cost of private health care some people actually cannot afford life saving treatment, such as for cancer, which can lead to unnecessary death. 4)grammar – ” there are obvious downside privatisation of healthcare can cause to middle income families” – this should be “there are obvious downsides to the privatisation of healthcare which can cause problems for middle income families”. Pay close attention to lengthy sentences and try to avoid errors. Also, it might have been better if you hadn’t only talked about middle income families but also people living on the poverty line. While middle income people might incur debt, people on the poverty line are likely to die because they simply cannot afford any treatment. 5) be careful letting one body paragraph getting longer than another. With the essays above, it is fine. But if the difference in length becomes greater, it could affect your score for Task Response.

Good job with your essays!!

Thanks for such a detail feedback, I am facing difficulty in getting the subject, verb, agreement right. I did revise the concept but whenever I write an essay there are always some mistakes related to it.

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I have never seen a band 9 sample for such question. But, I attempted to follow your instructions and took as an example your band 9 essays, particular advantage and disadvantage type (though you recommended not doing it).

It is important for people to take risks, both in their professional lives and their personal lives.

Do you think the advantages of taking risks outweigh the disadvantages?

Some people believe that taking risks is key for professional and personal growth. While there are, indeed, potential drawbacks to daring actions such as endangering one’s health, causing conflicts with loved ones, or making misguided work decisions, there are still numerous rewards in risk-taking, including leaving one’s comfort zone, improving the quality of life, and achieving career satisfaction.

On the one hand, adventurous behavior can create life-threatening situations. Take, for example, the act of jumping off a cliff, which can be fraught with serious consequences for one’s physical health or even result in disability. Moreover, risk-taking may cause conflicts within the family, as loved ones might feel neglected regarding their thoughts and feelings. Additionally, overconfidence in one’s actions can lead to misguided work decisions, ultimately damaging one’s reputation.

On the other hand, risk-taking can lead to significant life changes and career rewards. In other words, taking the chance to leave one’s comfort zone and finding energy and confidence within oneself can open the door to new experiences and opportunities, build self-confidence and resilience, and ultimately lead to a better lifestyle. Another reason that taking risks can be advantageous is that it can contribute to achieving career goals. With all the motivation and energy dedicated to trying new career opportunities, one could pave the way to professional success.

In conclusion, while there are drawbacks to taking risks, numerous opportunities would be missed, potentially leading to life dissatisfaction and depression. Overcoming fears and finding a middle ground with loved ones is important to trying out new opportunities, taking risks, to achieving life goals.

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Taking risks, whether in one’s professional or personal life, is often viewed as a crucial element for growth and success. While some may argue that risks can lead to potential failures or setbacks, I believe that the advantages of taking risks outweigh the disadvantages, as they create opportunities for learning, growth, and achievement.

In professional life, taking risks can open doors to new opportunities and career advancements. Many successful entrepreneurs and business leaders attribute their achievements to the calculated risks they took. For instance, starting a new business, changing career paths, or investing in innovative ideas often requires a level of uncertainty, but the potential rewards—such as financial gain, professional fulfillment, and personal satisfaction—can be significant. Moreover, without taking risks, individuals may stagnate in their careers, missing out on the chance to improve their skills or achieve higher goals.

In personal life, taking risks is equally important. People who step outside their comfort zones, such as moving to a new city, trying new hobbies, or building new relationships, often experience personal growth. These experiences can lead to increased confidence, resilience, and adaptability, qualities that are essential for facing life’s challenges. While there is always the chance of failure or disappointment, the lessons learned from taking risks in personal life often lead to long-term benefits.

On the downside, taking risks can sometimes result in failure or loss. In professional settings, a business venture might fail, or a risky career move could backfire, leading to financial instability. Similarly, in personal life, risks such as relocating to a new place or entering a new relationship might cause emotional or social difficulties. However, these setbacks are often temporary, and the experience gained from taking risks can still contribute to personal and professional growth.

In conclusion, while there are potential disadvantages to taking risks, such as failure or setbacks, the advantages—such as new opportunities, personal development, and professional growth—far outweigh the downsides. In my opinion, taking risks is essential for achieving success and realizing one’s full potential.

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Hello Liz, thank you for these resources. I attempted the essay below

Nowadays, more people prefer to read e-books than the traditional paper books. In my opinion, I believe that the advantages of e-books far outweigh whatever disadvantages there may be. Firstly, e-books are weightless. In the world we live in today, most people have mobile devices such as phones and tablets with them most of the time which they can use to access their electronic books wherever they are without the need to take anything else with them. This is particularly useful when travelling as the space that would have been occupied by hard copy books can be used for something more important. Secondly, e-books are advantageous in that they can be shared with friends and loved ones that are miles apart. They also possess the benefit in that if available online, they can be accessed by people far away, even in other countries. This is especially beneficial to students in developing countries who may not be able to access hard copies of newer edition textbooks, however, if these textbooks are available online, they can simply be download on mobile devices. The third and perhaps the most important advantage of e-books is the conservation of trees. Traditional books are made of paper, which is derived from trees. Thousands, if not millions of trees have to be cut down yearly for the purpose of producing paper for books. This practice has contributed to climate change and harmed our environment. Moreover, these trees that are felled were once homes to abundant wildlife such as birds, snakes, frogs etc. which end up being displaced or killed. A few disadvantages of e-books is that they are limited to only those who have mobile devices and access to the internet. Also, the prolonged screen time can be damaging to the eyes especially when the print is small and the text is bulky. In conclusion, e-books are easily accessed at the click of a button on mobile devices, do not take up extra space in bags or luggage, can be easily shared to loved ones and friends, and have a wider coverage in terms of accessibility. Moreover, they preserve our planet by reducing deforestation. I strongly believe that the advantages of using e-books far outweigh their disadvantages.

Thank you Liz!

Go to the main section for writing task 2 on my website and learn about paragraphing. Also have a look at the model essays and how they are written. The model essays are there to learn from.

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In the future, all cars, buses and trucks will be driverless. The only people travelling inside these vehicles will be passengers. Do you think the advantages of driverless vehicles outweigh the disadvantages? The artificial intelligence technology may produce passenger vehicles in the near future that don’t require any drivers. There are a few negative aspects of this development like loss of jobs for drivers or dependency of humans on machines but from my perspective, the merits surpass the demerits because this advancement will lead to less smoother traffic, ease in travel and lesser accidents. The details of my argument are explained below. Traffic without drivers will cause complete follow up of rules resulting in peace on roads and also create easy journey. The drivers are ultimately humans who can make unintentional mistakes while driving. For instance, if a person is stressed out, his driving might be affected. However, the computers are error free and will follow the instructions installed in them making the driving flawless. In addition, driverless transport system will ensure less accidents securing the life of people and eliminating destruction of vehicles. As the computer operated vehicles will obey the commands inserted in them, the chances of mistakes on roads are diminished. This point cannot be neglected that these new cars and buses will drastically affect the job opportunities for drivers and also produce a sense of dependency in human population upon the technology. However, there may be other jobs to fill in for the drivers related to the new established system. Hence, such transport system will provide a great control over accidents resulting in security of life and assets. To sum up, in my opinion, driverless vehicles will be an exceptional addition to the world for better traffic system and easy journey for the people. Moreover, it will be best in terms of saving lives due to negligible chance of accidents. This advancement will thus flourish a wonderful and prosperous world.

Just a quick comment, try to keep your introduction shorter. You don’t get any extra points for having a long introduction and it wastes a lot of time writing it. Just state your position and don’t give details. All details are for the body paragraphs. It is the body paragraphs that will give you the high score. Review my model answer to see how I do it.

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I have always been a sensory person and always appreciated the feel of a paperback on my hand and loved the new-book scent. Be that as it may, it is my conviction that I gain more by obtaining digital copies as opposed to indulging my senses.

First and the most important in this time of financial uncertainty, e-books are more economical than their paperback counterpart. As far as pricing is concerned, digital prices are up to twenty five percent cheaper than physical copies. Sometimes, edition updates are included in the pricing. This is not something that can be done with physical copies. Even with minimal changes in a physical book, a new edition would be released, rendering your owned copy non-current.

This inadvertently decreases your carbon foot print and even if you are not an avid environment advocate, every little thing that is an attempt to go paperless matters. This means no more bulky text books that you have to carry around. Although, I have to say that you may need to keep your devices charged, pay for internet services and and in some cases, buy cloud storage to hold your massive library in one place. After all, you are bringing all your books and making it accessible so that it can be shared across all other devices that you own.

This leads me to the accessibility aspect of the e-books. Gone are the days that you will forget, or worse, lose a book that is worth hundreds of dollars. There were times when an entire collection would be destroyed by a natural calamity. Well, no more. You no longer need to travel and bring five paperbacks and take space from your carry-on. You can even pull an all-nighter when the lights are turned-off, next to your snoring spouse, with the convenience of your e-book app from your mobile device. The draw back is the increasing eye strain brought about by increased screen time from e-book reading.

E-books are by far one of the gifts of this digital age that keeps on giving because it gave us an access to knowledge that we can carry anywhere and possibly connect with anything if we have the means and connection to do so. I strongly believe that the advantages far outweighs the disadvantages so much that I am more than willing to give-up the new-book scent, which is, by the way, saying a lot.

If you are preparing for the IELTS test, it is essential that you understand the way to write an essay for IELTS. It is not the same as any other essay. It has specific requirements which you must learn. This includes length of paragraphs, content, language, linking words, style etc. If you fail to learn this, you will struggle to get a high score even if your English is strong because you will struggle with Task Response and Coherence & Cohesion, which together count for 50% of your marks. See all my free model essays to learn the right way. Notice every detail of the essays: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/ . And consider my advanced lessons in my store which explain precisely how you should write your essay: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

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In current era, the majority of the folks are preferring to read the e-book instead of the paper books around the world. Although, due to the reading on the screens can cause the problems in the eye-sight. I believe that the benefits are far more than the drawbacks because reading the books using laptops, mobiles or tables can be dynamic, and this is the more portable way.

The online reading is dynamic in nature due to the various reasons. Firstly, it contains the sitelinks that can be open in the browser. Secondly, the reader can navigate automatically to any part of the book either by using the index or other bookmarks. Lastly, e-books comes with the sound, one can read listen the part of book in spite of reading. The survey held online also suggest the same reason that more people are inclining toward the electronic edition of books due to its dynamic nature.

Moreover, the books are portable. These days due to the efficient storage systems, the books can be stored in the hard drives and can be taken with someone at any place. In addition to this, the e-books are instantly available in the marketplace. For instance, normally the publisher first publish the online version.

However, the reading of the e-books can also cause some problems as well. The major problems caused by continuously looking at the differenct types of screen can create the vision problems. Thus, a reader cannot read continously read the e-book. For example, the medical report published at University of health, that eye problems are rising due to the online reading.

In conclusion, although the reading caused the certain health problems such as eye vision problem, overall the e-books are more dynamic, can be taken with someone at any place, bought earlier from any part of the world. For these reasons I believe that the advanatages can outweigh the disadvantages.

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Even after scrolling through the whole comments and replys, still didn’t find clearification for my doubt. Dear Liz, thanks for this wonderful site. I trust your health is improving ma. This is my doubt. For the adv outweighs disadv question; even if in my opinion I choose adv, am to write about both the adv and disadv and state clearly the adv as my opinion. Then for the to what extent do u agree or disagree/ what do u think type of eassy question, Iam to write only about one side of the opinion I choose through out the intro, body paragraphs and conclusion. Am I right?..Pls I need clarification

When it says “outweigh” it means which is more and which is less. So, if you think the advantages are more, you also think that the disadvantages are less. Understanding this key concept will help you structure your essay.

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Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

What types of question is?

Teachers give essay types different names. I call this one example of a direct question essay. It is specifically asking you if you think there are more advantage with less disadvantages or whether you think there are less advantages with more disadvantages – you need to choose one.

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“Do you think advantages OUTWEIGH disadvantages”

Is it an advantages and disadvantages essay type OR an opinion essay type? According to some videos, it will be an opinion essay type but according to you, it is an advantages and disadvantages essay type. Which is correct?

Teachers give names to essay types because it helps with classification. Each teacher is different. I classify adv/disadv essays as two kinds. 1) what are the advantages and disadvantages of X” – this type of essay requires you to present both sides. 2) “do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages” – this requires you to choose which is more important and that means you must present your opinion. An actual opinion essay is one where you are given an opinion in a statement by IELTS and are asked to decide if you agree or not. By classifying and teaching in this way, people are usually clearer as to what their aims are. So, don’t get confused with names of essays. You only need to understand what your task is and what your aims are.

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Hello Liz, hope all is well.

Please let me know if I understood this; In the 2nd kind “Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages” one needs to give the opinion on advantage is more important or a disadvantage, although one needs to discuss both of them.

Thank you so much for your time and effort 🙂 Kind Regards!

I want you to think more about the instructions and what the task is. 1) do you think the advantages are more and the disadvantages are less? 2) do you think the disadvantages are more important and the advantages are less important? Now choose which approach you take. As you see, each approach contains both advantages and disadvantages but with an opinion behind them.

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In recent years, more and more people are choosing to read e-books rather than paper books. Do the advantage outweigh disadvantag? Recently, the majority of people prefer to read e-books instead of paper books. Although there are disadvantages, but in my opinion advantage of reading e-books outweigh disadvantage because of its convenient and availability for acquiring knowledge. To initiate the benefits of reading electronic books, firstly, reading electronic books are more convenient and portable, now days, due to technological advancement, everything is available anywhere and anytime, and people do not carry any paper-based documents with them. Therefore, we can easily access and read electronic books anywhere. For example, we have access and can read electronic books during a trip like inside a train, airplane, and car or even while we are walking on the beach or relaxing in a park we can access our desired book and start reading it, there is no need to carry a paper base books while going far away from home. This resulting acquiring knowledge easily.

On the other hand, there are also downsides for reading electronic books, as it can cause eyes problems due to light of screen. By looking for a long duration of time on a laptop or smartphone screen our eyes, get tired and light hurts, which it can cause serious problems, like losing sight, headache and other problems. For instance, if I look for more than 6 hours a day continuously at my phone or laptop screen, I will get severe headache that even I will be unable to open my eyes. Another disadvantage is that it does not give the feeling of reading a book like the one paper-based and we are not getting the knowledge the way we get from paper books, because by using a laptop or mobile, we somehow lose concentration while reading and we are not able to focus.

To conclude, besides the downsides of reading electronic books, the benefits are more than the disadvantages because it is accessible and convenient to read anywhere and anytime.

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An increasing number of people prefer reading e-books over paper-based books. In my opinion, the advantages of reading on electronic devices instead of paper materials outweigh the disadvantages. I will explore through it the following essay.

To start with, e-book has its convenience in terms of accessibility, taking notes and understanding the content. If I were to buy paper books, I would physically go and get it from a store. On the other hand, we can easily make an access to e-book, getting heled by the internet. Furthermore, e-book helps people to get information and take notes faster. As an illustration, paper-based textbooks are replaced by digital materials in many lectures and courses in the present days, because it is easier and faster to get information we need and write down the contents.

Nevertheless, attention tends to drift while we are reading on digital devices such as phones, laptops. and tablets. There are many latent distractions in the devices, making people lose their focus. For instance, our attention can wander, ending up browsing through our social media account or checking up emails. Although there are concentration issues with e-book, this can be handled by turning off notifications or activate ‘Do not disturb mode’ in our digital devices.

In conclusion, there are more advantages in reading e-book compared to paper book due to high easier access and faster in collecting information and organizing it. Moreover, there are ways to stay focused on the content even if we are using electronic devices to read them.

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In the last few years, a growing number of people prefer reading e-books instead of paper-based books. In my opinion, there are more advantages of reading e-books rather than paper books. Also, it is much more convenient. Even though e-books are the new trending form of reading, there are some things that may cause trouble for some who use this method. For example, one disadvantage can be that reading on a computer through a screen can be tiring, the long exposure of light hurts the eyes of the reader. It also can lead to eyesight loss in the long run if precautions are not taken. Other negative side of e-books is that it doesn´t give the same feeling as holding a book, some may even say that they cannot feel connected to the story and that it takes more to concentrate. Despite of this, there are several benefits of e-books. The most relevant for me is convenience. For instance, you can download a book or purchase it from an online store and save it in any device you want. In this way, you can take any book you want everywhere you go instead of having to choose for only one because carrying multiple paper books would be too heavy and would take a lot of space. In addition, e-books cost significantly less than buying paper books. This is because paper books have to be printed while e-books are just an online document. Another important advantage is that e-books are more environmentally friendly than paper books, in this way we are helping the environment by saving tons of trees that are taken down annually in order to use it for printing purposes. In conclusion, e-books advantages outweigh the disadvantages in numerous ways such as convenience for the reader, variety, costs, and it also helps the environment. We should all move to more sustainable ways of doing what we love the most like reading.

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Some people think that everyone has a right to access a university education and that the government should make it free for all students, regardless of their financial situation. To what extend do you agree or disagree? A section of society believes that all people have the opportunity to get a higher education at academic institutes, besides the government needs to provide a free tuition fee to every student, regardless of their financial status. In my opinion, I strongly disagree with this statement, and the details with suitable examples will discuss in the following passage. Embark, the main drawbacks of getting free tuition fees at university for everyone will pave an unclearness of education and no vacancy for jobs. This is because, if the country – authority give access to pursue fee less education to everyone there will be overpopulate of students at collages, and this will create a demand in collages behalf of admission seats, shortage of professors and lack of class rooms. These will affect the education quality of other students by getting poor education. Take for example, countries in middle east, their government provides free collage studies for every people, but it creates huge flaws, that their university do not have enough teaching facility for everyone due to over strength, as a consequence they acquired a low-level degree and most of them were in backlogs. In addition, come up with free higher studies to every individual by the government will cause huge economic crisis in the country. This is happening because, the budget allotted for the country’s development will mostly be spent on universities and colleges for higher studies, that makes them to rise the price and tax in other commodities and facility. For instance, in India the government have provides a free education to all students, that their major money was spent on education makes them to increases the prices of other public amenities like rise in ticket price of public transport, rise in GST in grocery price and also rate of electrical bill in order to compensate the budget allotted. That negatively impacts the people in economic wise. To recapitulate, overpopulate of students due to free education makes them to acquire an unqualified degree, further the economic of country in struggle because to balance the finance allotted to universities for plenty of pupil. That illustrates it is not possible to provide fees less collage to everyone.

Please check my writing task 2

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New technologies have changed the way children spend their free time. Do you think the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages? It is commonly found that, latest technology development has paved a great shift in the way how children spend their leisure time. This essay will demonstrate with relevant support that the drawbacks of this trend out shadow the benefits. PLEASE CHECK MY INTRODUCTION

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Many an individual is ambivalent about whether the digital mode of reading holds more precedence over the conventional way of acquiring knowledge. This essay will demonstrate with relevant support that the benefits of electronic books definitely out shadow the associated drawbacks since there is a wide variety of knowledge available readily online than in printed books.

To initiate the benefits of using the digital mode of learning for most individuals, in the current era of modernization. firstly, it is irrefutable that most modern people are becoming conscientious about the perseverance of the environment. Since paper books involve chopping down trees, thus, fewer people prefer taking knowledge from them and choosing electronic types of equipment. Take Kindle, for example, which is widely used by young readers to acquire knowledge. This volume has resulted in lowering the use of wood to make papers in many developed nations.

Another benefit that makes people prefer more of reading more digitally is the cost and maintenance involved. For some, paper books may be good for concentration, it cannot be denied that the same can be there while reading from a device where information is extended along with audio and visuals at a less cost. For example, most of the reading material online does have free referral links to certain video clips which broaden the horizons of knowledge for creative learners. Moreover, electronic media does not require costly maintenance charges to keep them in good condition for long since the downloaded books can be accessed and stored digitally anywhere.

To conclude, it is evident from the aforementioned information that there are compelling reasons for many echelons to reap benefits from reading electronic books, ranging from saving the environment to being cost-effective. It appears that paying an extra amount to own electronic reading devices would surely benefit the readers in the long run.

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I think you were supposed to have a body paragraph for the opposing side

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In this present world, technology has made our lives faster and easier. Due to improvements in technologies, nowdays a number of people prefer to read books on their mobile phones and laptops rather than choosing physical books. I personally in favour of e-books and Strongly believe that its benefits overpower the drawbacks and in my next few paragraphs, i will discuss about this view.

To Start with, the main advantage of using e books is that we can carry any kind of book conveniently in our smart phones and tablets. In order to read articles or magazines, we do not have to purchase it physically if we may use e-books. For instance, ‘kindle’ a platform provided by Amazon company is famous for its ebook collections. It provides various kind of books with amazing features which can enhance the reading experience. It gives opportunity to Store more than thousand books without lack of any storage and it is not possible for us to store these numbers of book at home.

In addition, there are few more advantages of electronic media. Firstly, we can access it at any time without depending on its availability in shops. Secondly, many applications provide amazing features which can help reader to enjoy the process of reading.And last but not least, we can get a chance to read books without any cost. Various website provide access to free e-books which are not possible to read in shops.

On the other hand, there are few downgrades of e-books. First of all, it will cause serious eyes damages if we use them in long run Constantly without taking breaks. Moreover, Hardware is the most common problem, because of small screens of mobiles, reader has to concentrate more and this will Sometimes result in headache. Further more due to many unethical behaviours it will lead to problems such as piracy of content, which is not good for anyone who is related to making process of book.

In Conclusion, i personally think that it will alway depend on us that how we use the things for our self. If we use the e-books in appropriate manner then its merits are very much as compared to demerits.

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Hello teacher Liz, thanks for these excellent materials

Is it ok to write the weaker paragraph, shorter that another one in this type of essay, and spend most of our time writing about what outweigh the other side?

Your main points are supposed to be equally developed. This means body paragraphs are of equal length.

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If I am asked that “Do the benefits of this situation outweigh the demerits?”, should I mention my opinion? But if I am asked, “Do you think the benefits of this situation outweigh the demerits?”, I have to mention my opinion such as I think the benefits of this situation outweigh the demerits.

I will wait for your precious feedback.

With regards, Shahparan Islam

If you are asked – Is pizza healthy or unhealthy? Or do the benefits of eating fast food outweigh the health concerns? Are these questions asking your opinion? Yes, they are. When you are asked to choose or are asked to present your position – these are questions that require a clear opinion.

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Im taking this saturday my third IELTS academic test (still dont improve writting above 6). And I have found your page very useful!

I have a question: For the type of advantages and disadvantages and outweigh… is it good to end the introduction with something like “…this has brought many benefits but has also created a number of problems” or should I really need to state my opinion on deciding wether there are more advantages than disadvantages? And should I tell which ones in the introduction?

Thank you so much for your response!

I suggest you learn how to write such an essay completely rather than a typed tip. This is about knowing precisely how to write each paragraph. Go to my store, get a lesson and if it’s useful, get more: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

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At present, the number of people is getting more use to reading e-books than paper based books. The e-books have more advantages than paper-based books and one of the main advantage is that we can have any book from all over the world which is just one click away, and it can be done with the help of internet.

As said earlier, electronic book has its own advantages since we need to go physically to buy it or purchase it online and this process takes time and money, while for e-book we can save our time and money because free e-books are also available online, these reduces the efforts involved physically. The mobile phones have the ability to save the e-book and after downloading it from the internet it can be read offline also in train, buses and anywhere you want. These mobile phones are pocket friendly so for instance when your travelling and your bored so you have to go online, download the novel e-book or any book of your choice and enjoy reading it.

In-case of paper based books, it won’t affect your eyes health because in e-book you will be constantly staring at the screen of mobile phone or laptop or computer so this can affect your eyes as you read for long hours. This can be avoided by limiting permissible amount of time to read the e-book. However, the traditional books will a physical space while e-book don’t need it but still many people of older age will prefer the real books over the digital books.

In my opinion, e-books has outweigh advantage when compared to real books as the efforts involved to get an e-book is less and also you can have books from globally. Nevertheless, elderly people will choose paper books because it feels more appealing to them.

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Today people spend most of their time working which results in the shortened time for pastime activities. In my opinion, this has more disadvantages than benefits because some people who work long hours can suddenly die from work-related health problems while others can feel guilty for neglecting their family. One of the main advantages of working long hours is a career-related success. Many career-minded people seek promotion and for which, they need to show that they are working very hard by sacrificing their time for hobbies and other activities. This, indeed, could be effective if a person wants to climb a career ladder and reach his or her professional goal. It is common that professionals who stay very late at work can suddenly die from a serious work-related illness. One evident example is that in Japan, men work 16 hours a day in the office and according to one study, many Japanese men die from a heart attack before they retire. Moreover, if a person holds a managerial job which means he was stressed most of his time at work, then it is most likely that he won’t reach his 50s and die as a result of a heart-related illness. Working long hours imply that there will be little time left for family. This can be saddening for workers who miss the most precious time of their growing child. As an illustration, in the US only, many working mothers feel very guilty when leaving their child at daycare from the age zero. Furthermore, these mothers are expected to work as much as regular people who don’t have children. In conclusion, there are a number of advantages and disadvantages to spending a lot of time at work, however, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages because working long hours can be fatal for some, as well as can be a source of guilt for others who would prefer to spend more time with family.

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Nowadays, modern technologies by meaning of gadgets make our life more comfortable. E-book is one of them. I support the point of view when benefits outweigh downsides. There is number of advantages of using e-book. For example, it is quite light thus there is no necessity to take a heavy book everywhere. Especially it is convenient when you are going to a holiday or a business trip. Second profit is e-books are cheaper than paper books. For instance, usually e-books are half or even more cheaper than traditional books. There is no need to buy many real books when it is easy to download e-books thus it is cost-effective and do not take a place for shore them afterwards. Last but not least important plus of e-books is a safety for eye-sight. Specific e-ink do not disturb eyes and do not allow them to get tired as fast as printed books. Additionally, it is simple to regulate a level of light for enjoyable reading. Meanwhile there are also some drawbacks. Plenty of people can not read e-books because they do not feel the real book so this fact hinders them to percept the book and its content from an aesthetic point of view. What is more some people believe that e-books effect on a well-memorizing that’s why the prefer reading traditional books. To conclude, the role of electronic devices will be growing and they provide more freedom. Clearly advantages of e-books outweigh disadvantages. Nevertheless, a plenty of people still choose paper books.

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The pros and cons of information technology is a hot topic in every discussion nowadays. With the day to day advancement in the field, people are now able to work and get settled in any place they wish to. Another key factor which supports this development is the improvement of transportation facilities across the globe. This is in fact a positive trend. To begin with, there are plenty of facilities and online platforms which are designed solely to connect people worldwide. This improved communication systems will nullify the feeling of homesickness and missing loved ones to a lot extent. To name a few, whatsapp, duo etc provides videoconferencing facilities for unlimited time. Similarly, even if there is an emergency of some sort, there are plenty of transportation facilities that can be used. For instance, if a person has to travel overseas due to demise of a loved one, he or she can immediately book a flight without any further delay. Besides, many previously unknown places can now be accessed via different transportation means. This has led to development of all faces in those places which resulted in more people choosing to migrate to those countries. As an impact of the development of the Arabian countries, people during 1960’s fled the place in search of jobs and many of them choose to settle there. To conclude, the improvement in communication and transportation facilities is giving people freedom to choose any place to live and work. The advantages of this development therefore definitely outweigh the disadvantages.

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E-books are slowly becoming popular among the younger generation day-by-day as compared to the option of paper books. In my opinion, the benefits of using e-books definitely outweighs the drawbacks of using a physical book.

There are a lot of advantages to using an e-book instead of a paper book, for example, e-books are easier to store as they don’t need any physical space and thus, they have a longer shelf life as compared to paper books. Being in digital format, e-books can be easily carried on any electronic device and can also be accessed conveniently from internet. This also includes sharing it with your loved ones.

There is one more particular benefit, which a paper book can never have and that is features like adjusting the font and brightness of an e-book according to readers comfort or quickly looking for the meaning of any word from dictionary just by tapping on it. Last, but not least, using e-books saves a lot of trees by reducing the demand for paper, thereby contributing to a healthier environment.

Despite of having so many benefits over a physical copy, e-books are not for everyone. For older generations, physical books will always be a preference. To some, the look and feel of a physical book is more appealing than an e-book. Some people also have a hobby of collecting books as a memory. Additionally, physical books can be personalized by making hand-made markings on them or signing them for fans.

As evident from above, clearly the benefits of digital books outweigh the disadvantages of using paper books. Nevertheless, paper books will always be prevalent in future for a particular set of people based on their preference.

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It is true that people in the recent times prefer to read books on electronic gadgets such as laptops and mobiles instead of paper books. Although I accept there are some drawbacks of this trend, I believe that there are far more benefits. In my view, reading of e-books has some negative impacts on individuals’ health. Firstly, continuous studying of books from electronic equipments has bad impacts on reader’s eyes. Rays emitted from screens make the eye sight weak, and as a result, people need to use spectacles while learning. For instance, medical survey conducted by Indian health department reveals that most cases of low vision in the people are due to long time reading of electronic books. Secondly, digital books distract readers while learning as there are a variety of commercials reflect on the screen which not only divert learner ‘mind but also waste their quality time. However, I would argue that negative impacts are outweighed by positive effects. Reading e-books are cost effective as compared to paper books. One can download a range of digital books from internet, and read them. To illustrate, electronic books are available on different websites, there are various digital books available on one subject written by different authors, which sometimes are very expensive in form of paper books. Moreover, individuals can use digital books on mobiles which made them handy,and they can utilize their free time to go through their favorite subjects and novels at any time. In conclusion, it seems to me that positives of reading e-book are far more significant than the negatives

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A government’s role is only to provide defense capability and urban infrastructures, such as roads, water, and power. All other services, such as education, health, and social security, should be provided by private groups or individuals in the community. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is true that protecting national security and maintaining the inviolate territory from other countries as well as furnishing the essential facilities including water and energy are an authority’s responsibility. I, however, completely agree with those who believe that the government should also supply the fields, namely curriculum, the healthcare, and the community welfare system, instead of organizations, individuals in the society.

To begin with, obviously, a state’s role is the macroscopic management, including enacting feasible policies and investing the national budget in the areas that initially serve benefits of the public. The education system that plays an important role in paving the way for the development of a country, would reap certain benefits of such policies, especially the government assists to build new schools and pays the wage for teachers, and forecast the manpower demand of the community. Some studies showed that associations tend to allocate their capital for the services such as vocational schools and language centers rather than for the science-related occupations because of the shorter payback on their investment and the lower the risks. Therefore, letting these companies provide the curriculum, is likely to create more disadvantages than the advantages.

In addition, perhaps, it seems to me that the idea, allowing individuals and personal organizations supply the health and social security area may be impossible for this service requires the great fund with a long-term period and the huge human resources.

Besides, the unequal competitive and exclusiveness also might stem from companies owning the health care and welfare field. In recent researches indicated that the expense of basic medical examination, the expenditure for insurance packages, and the price of medicine in some developed countries in which there are a variety of hospitals operated by private associations are higher than those in developing nations. Consequently, a number of poor cannot afford to pay the medical consultation and treatment expenses, which means the distance among strata in the society could be widened, the community, thus, would fail to thrive.

In conclusion, the concept that organizations and individuals furnishing the social services, education area, and the health-related and welfare filed in particular, is taken into consideration. However, I concur that the government should shoulder this mission.

Try to aim for 300 words or under rather than over 360 words. You won’t get a higher score because your essay is longer. In fact, you open yourself up to more errors and more possibility of a less focused essay. Also ensure that body paragraphs are equally developed.

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is the ” do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages” the same as ” discuss the advantages and the disadvantages” ? and thankyou in advance

The discuss instructions ask you to present both. The “outweigh” instructions are asking you to evaluate – too choose. The latter requires an opinion, the former does not.

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In last few years, many people have started preferring e-books over paper books. In my opinion, I think there are more advantages of choosing e-books compared to any drawbacks it may cause. Admittedly, there are some minor disadvantages of using e-books. Firstly, reading books on electronic devices for long hours may affect eyes and as a result, it may cause fatigue or lead to weak eye sights. Normally, people like to complete their books as soon as they start reading them, and focusing on a screen for an extended period of time can put a strain on their eyes. For example, one recent research has found that two in ten people who regularly read on mobile devices wear eyeglasses. Secondly, since mobile phones and tablets have limited battery capacity, they can only be used for a certain number of hours, and as soon as the battery runs out, they need to be recharged in order to be used again. This can be frustrating for those who read books on portable devices while travelling if there is no charging facility nearby. Nevertheless, despite the disadvantages above, I think people can benefit more from choosing e-books to read. One of the major advantages of using electronic books is the instant access to an online library that contains millions of books, which can be downloaded to electronic devices such as mobile phones in a matter of few minutes. As many people in today’s societies lead a busy life, they hardly get time for themselves, and going to a store to buy books can be time consuming and inefficient, given their busy schedules. Therefore, the majority of them find downloading e-books from the internet convenient. Another benefit of choosing e-books over paper ones is that they do not cover extra space or add additional weight especially when travelling. Generally, a plethora of adults like to read three to four books during travelling long distances and carrying several books around can be tiring and difficult to manage. In contrast, having multiple books in a single portable device will not only save space but it will considerably be easy to manage. In conclusion, time savings in buying e-books online and convenience while travelling far outweighs any of the drawbacks that may result from using digital books.

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Really great essay. I like it. Great. I found new ideas for my essays. It is really useful. Thanks.

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Learning a second language is becoming increasingly prevalent among schoolchildren. Some argue that this process should take place at primary school rather than secondary school. In my opinion, the benefits of introducing language lessons at primary education institutions far outweigh the drawbacks.

It is admittedly true that schoolchildren already have many subjects that need to study when starting their education at school. This is because there are some more important classes, which broaden children’s horizon and help with their development. For example, learning mathematics at an early age may help students with their intellectual growth and improve their problem-solving skills. If a language class was incorporated into the curriculum, pupils might not be able to spend enough time learning essential subjects. As this example shows, adding extra lessons at primary school might be undesirable for a child’s development and growth.

However, I believe that there are many advantages of learning a foreign language at an early age. The reason is that children often possess incredible linguistic and learning skills. In addition, children are proven to have better memory than adults by numerous studies. To illustrate this, unlike many educational institutions, a Danish primary school introduced English lessons for its students. Because they possessed the ability to speak English and have a higher proficiency of the language, pupils that graduated from this school were more likely to secure a job offer in the future than those from other educational institutions. Thus, learning a second language should not be postponed until secondary education because the knowledge of a foreign language can improve a child’s future career prospects significantly.

In conclusion, it is certainly true that adding extra lessons, such as language classes, can take away time that could be spend on other essential subjects. However, in my opinion, the advantages of learning a foreign language far outweigh the disadvantages. This is because studying a second language as early as possible can increase the chance of employment in the future.

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wow perfect essay! i bet you scored 9

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Over the past few years, more people prefer to read e-books over paper books. In my opinion, this scenario has more demerits than advantages. Excessive indulgence in reading e-books can have detrimental effect on health, and it also reduces Social interaction.

Spending multiple hours reading e-books over electronic devices such as Computers, Mobile phone or Tablets can cause adverse effect on health. The radiation emitted from these devices puts our eyes at immense stress, and it could damage or weaken our vision. Futhermore, incorrect reading posture may create tension at shoulder muscles causing headaches and neck pains. For instance, many individuals spend most of their time over computers either for their work reading emails or e-documents, online materials suffer from above mentioned issues at very early age. Secondly, excessive reading of e-books causes individuals to develop addiction to electronic gadgets and in-turn they tend to aloof themselves from others. Since they spend considerable amount of time over their devices, they develop a feeling of insecurity. Finally, ebooks are difficult to read and comprehend compared to hardcopy. With e-books, we cannot highlight or make notes of any important sections.

Of course, people who choose to read e-book save time in purchasing the book. E-books are cheap and easily available compared to paper books. Most of the e-books can be readily purchased from publisher’s website or any online bookstores. We can have access to e-copy within few minutes of our online purchase. To add, e-books are also cheap since there are no printing and distribution cost. To illustrate, my uncle gifted me a hard copy of famous book “Rich Dad Poor Dad” that costed $24.99. The online version of same book costs $8.99. However, cost and time to acquire the book is not the deciding factors. People who chose paper books have more ease to read them without affecting their health and social relations.

To conclude, there are many negative impacts on people’s health and life, who prefer to read more e-books. We should include more paper books in our reading habits to help mitigate the side-effects.

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A growing number of humans have been preferring to read e-books instead of paper books for the past few years. While reading books online have many advantages, it will have some drawbacks as well.

One evident benefit that online books offer is that it saves a lot of time and effort. This means that going into a bookshop and search for the books is always time consuming and doesn’t guarantee the book’s availability. For example, a close relative of mine is a university research student and has completed his past assignments with the help of online books, blogs, and forums. Besides, another plus point is that a substantial amount of space can be saved by storing the books electronically in laptops and in mobile devices Of course, the shelves occupies a lot of space and maintaining the book shelf is also difficult. It is also flexible to carry a mobile to a remote location rather than carrying a paper book.

On the other hand, reading online books can cause health issues. By continuously reading a lengthy book online, the rays emitting from the mobile or laptop can cause harm to human eye. In addition, laptops and mobiles requires continuous charging. Reading rhythm is broken if a mobile device is discharged. Online books has caused a profound impact on the libraries. Aptitude towards libraries has almost come to an end and a majority of people prefer to search their required material on the internet. However, we cannot rule out this fact that we may still find some older people around us who loves to sit in the libraries and read newspapers.

In conclusion, as the Social Media has emerged as a strong alternative to Paper Media within the past decade and it is making its root stronger every day, it is most likely that future will become paper less and Online Culture will predominate.

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Brother its a well written essay with a good combination of vocabulary and grammar. I got very useful ideas from it but problem is in conclusion you have not mentioned yours point of view regarding advantages or disadvantages. You have just enclosed it by telling future of the world . I thing it would be better if you add your suggestion also with it.

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‘A growing number of humans’ well, it doesn’t seem right to start that in the essay.(in my opinion) However,your essay is great.

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Hi Liz! I am confused about the grammer rule of this sentence. Could you please correct me if I am wrong? For instance: ‘’A wide range of people say that…’’ if I use ‘a wide range of ‘ structure, do I need to use verb+s or the just the verb is okay? I mean which one is correct? -A wide range of people say that.. -A wide range of people sayS that.. thank you so much!

When you use such a quantifier after a plural noun, the verb will be third person plural – a large number of people say … – a great number of people say …. – a wide range of people say …

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Hi liz, when we face this type of advantage/disadvantage task (do the advantages outweigh the dis advantages?) could we bring two reasons for opposite stance in main paragraph 1 and two reasons for our stance in main paragraph 2 and mention that the advantages/disadvantages behind our stance are more important or vital so they outweigh the opposite side? In other words, is it wrong to mention same number of advantages/disadvantages for our stance and the opposite stance in this type of question?

Thanks in advance, Saman

It’s completely fine to do that.

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Hy Liz Please write a model essay on this type too It will be helpful Thanks in Advance❤

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Hi liz, this is Smruthi from kochi, India. Am giving test on 26th this month.

These days, increasingly people prefer to use electronic books instead of printed books, for reading. In my opinion, this tendency has more advantages when compared to the disadvantages.

Decline of the print media, is a serious disadvantage related to the reduced usage of paper books. Hence, this would result in the closure of libraries, which has been one the most significant part of human life during many phases. Libraries, contain precious and valuable records of numerous domains such as, historical, cultural, religious, scientific, literary, mathematical and so on, which would be lost if not used and managed properly.

However, there are several advantages for the growing trend of reading and studying through e-books rather than the paper books. Firstly, it is the most convenient method of reading as electronic books are easy to carry while travelling and do not have much weight which are some of the highlights of this advanced technology. Secondly, easy access to any topics under the earth at any time with the help of internet and the inexpensive purchase of any books online, are some other advantages of great paramount. Any books to be read can be downloaded within seconds and also be shared among friends, which is a great positivity about the new trend among people. Apart from that, it is not required to carry heavy books like the earlier days, specially which is an inconvenience while travelling, and whole content of a book may be viewed in a small device such as, the mobile or the tablet.

In conclusion, it is the advantages that outweigh the disadvantages when the growing trend of reading e-books, instead of printed books, is taken into consideration. In my opinion, eventhough reduced access to libraries might lead to decline of the print media, but the advanced technology is highly advantegous that it has become the current trend among many.

Please somebody comment on this.. Liz, cud u pls advice how much i wud get for this writing

Sorry I do not comment on writing and I don’t offer a marking service.

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This is awesome , very useful thanks

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Hi Liz, Thank you for supporting us with IELT. I purchased your advanced lessons. they are of great benefit for me. they open my eyes on very critical points. I have one question so far and hope you find the time and patience to answer it. Regarding the adv outweigh disadvantages alternative model. your sample mentions in the first paragraph ‘despite the drawbacks below I believe the benefits from children doing work experience are extremely useful for their future. in the second paragraph, you write about the few drawbacks that might appear. However, my question is, when we agree the adv outweigh the disadvantages can we organise our essay as follows, ??? Introduction with a clear opinion that adv outweigh the disadvantages Body paragraph one discuss some drawbacks that might appear, ‘ Admittedly, there are some drawbacks’ Body paragraph two, with the advantages ‘ despite the drawbacks above I believe the benefits are extremely useful’ Conclusion. As if we reverse the two paragraphs. Thank you very much for your extreme efforts in helping us. I did the test many times in the past my last attempt was L7 R8 S8 W6 still trying to improve my writing and looking forward to hearing your valuable advice. Thanks,

It’s up to you how you organise your essay. Just make sure it’s logical and not confusing. For example, stick to the order you present in your introduction. Think about what the reader is expecting. However, having clear signposts such as those you suggest is a great way to make things really clear – it all helps towards your score for Coherence & Cohesion.

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Hi liz, i just took my ielts today. My question is outweigh. I have a question, i stated in my intro that the benefits does not outweigh the drawbacks. However, in the conclusion, i wasnt able to restate it, but i explained 1 benefit and 2 disadvantages on my conclusion making it clear that i am more on the disadvantage side but i did not literally restate outweigh. Would that be okay?

You don’t need to use the word “outweigh”. No essay requires any particular word. If you showed which side you leaned towards that is enough.

Thank you so much Liz. I hope i get at least a 6.5.

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Hi ms liz, im cycy from the philippines and i would like to ask a favor if you could check my task 2 essay if it is enough to get a good score. Thank you so much and God bless.

Books are considered as one of our sources of information. Recently, most individuals prefer to acquire information through the use of e-books rather than paperbound.

There are broad of array of reasons why the use of internet-based books becomes more trendy than traditional ones. One of them is accessibility. Thanks to the internet, we can easily obtain all the books that we need without having a single sweat. E-books has become much available that it can easily bring forth all the latest editions from news to educational books in an upmost comfort. With this growing trend, people can do more things without the need to visit any libraries. People can now have more available time to do other things and it comes in handy especially to those men and women who have limited time because of work. It also opens great opportunity to writers both professionals and aspiring authors who publish and share their works so that other people would enjoy reading and also to gain avid readers and followers around the globe.

The drawbacks of using this growing trend is that people become too lazy since searching for wanted books is as easy as preparing a cup of tea. Moreover, there are malicious individuals whos main reason of using e-books is to steal especially to unprotected internet site by means of illegal hacking and frauds. Plagiarism is also one of the major concerns of our recent authors that are quite hard to irradicate due to easy access of these available books in the internet world.

Despite of the these disadvantages, there are still more people, both readers and writers prefer of using internet based books. Nowadays, work and personal demands has given us time almost nothing to spare and so, using e-books gives more advantages. Furthermore, there are internet sites that protects the rights of authors and purchasers from the dangers of internet frauds ang crackers.

In conclusion, people become more practical and much wiser of using internet based books. And so, the advantages of using this trend outweighs the disadvatages.

Er.. i see some typo errors.. sorry about that in advance..

And grammar.. ugh! Frustrating..

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I’m from India. I want to purchase your Advanced Learning Videos but the payment Amount is in Dollars. I need to know, if i can subscribe to your paid lectures?

Paypal will change the currency when you choose the country.

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Hello liz, How tougy will i be marked if an essay questions says go you agree with adv being more than dis adv and i answered with an dis adv out weigh dis adv rather than an opinion essay structure?

I do not understand your question. This is not an opinion essay. It is an adv outweigh disadv essay which requires you to give your opinion. I teach each essay type separately because they are not completely the same.

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I hope you can comment on this different essay Essay Question: More People decided to have children in their later age than in the past. Why? Do advantages this outweigh disadvantages?

Essay: Nowadays, newly married couples prefer to have children after many years of their marriage which is completely different than people in the past. Moreover, parents in the past prefer to have many children compared to recent ones. So, I will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of having babies in later age and, Do parents aware that disadvantages is more than benefits.

Recently, People think that having children in later age will give parents high advantages for many reasons. Firstly, people in late thirtieth have more life experience than of younger age. So, they can give this life knowledge to their toddlers. Secondly, It thought that children of of older parents always have higher economical life than of younger ones, as a result these children can start their life with less problems.

Beside the benefits, there are drawbacks affect the relation between parent and children because of the age difference. Today, life style changes very fast compared to past which lead to difference in mentality. Although, older people can give larger experience to their children, they see life in older fashion not like their children which in turn can’t handle every problem faces his child. As well as, older parents are less energetic than younger ones, children need highly active parent to can play and tech them sports they are like.

In conclusion, Having children in later age can positively affect the children and increase their life patterns and negatively affect them by different way of thinking. So, having children in earlier age is much more better than older age for both children and parents.

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*writing a title for the essay & subtitle for body paragraphs * Is it essential?

As you can see, I have not done that with any of my model essays. If it was necessary, I would have done it.

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Hi Liz! Thanks for all the excellent webpage! I have a question too. The essay question is the following: Both governments and individuals are spending vast amounts of money on protecting animals and their habitat. This money could be better spent dealing with fundamental issues in society as poverty and health care. To what extent do you agree?

I prefer to write one-sided essay as it is easier to my mind. But the question is: is it ok to write 2 body paragraphs of reasons why animals and their habitats should be protected and not mention the poverty and health care part at all or is it a mistake and I should add a 3rd paragraph which discusses why additional money should not be diverted to poverty and health care?

Thanks for you answer Anne-Liis

You can’t ignore part of the essay question. This is a two issue question. Your opinion must relate to both issues. If you believe that money should be spent on animals and their habitat, you also do not believe this money should be re-directed to health care and poverty. That is your full opinion and it is one sided.

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hi liz , Mam, I do have the same doubt, as you say that we need to accept a view and reject another view, so let’s take the above example. so mb1 will be the reason why it should be spent on protecting animals, so will our mb2 be about that I do not believe this money should be redirected to health care [won’t it be a discussion essay ] . can you please kindly elaborate with the above example.

A discussion essay would ask you to discuss both sides without bias: why people agree with protecting animals and why people agree with funding health care. Two sides, both explained why people support them. You are not supporting both sides. You are saying I agree with A and I don’t agree with B. It is your opinion. One you have a positive opinion for and the other you hold a negative opinion. If you are unable to see the difference, there is nothing more I can do to help you.

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if i was not able to understand the question correctly,what they are expecting then at that time what could i do ??? how can i write that task?? i am not that much good in english so according to my english how can i get good band in writing ???any tips???

IELTS is an English language test. You get a good score if your English is a good level. Addressing the task in writing task 2 is only 25% of your marks. The rest is about paragraphing, linking, vocab and grammar.

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Hi Liz I have a confusion in giving solutions to cause solution essays.. shall i write “these steps should be taken” or “we should take these steps” im actually confused in using “we” “us” “our” or shall i give solution generally? Please help i have exam tomorrow

Some teachers say not to use “we” or “us”, others say it’s ok. I choose the middle ground – use other phrases: One possible step towards solving this is …. The best solution is … One effective answer is to …

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Hii Liz! I have a doubt. May I use “a good garden may have some weeds” when starting paragraph related to disadvantages.

Do not use idioms – they are informal and the essay must be formal. See this page for all tips: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

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Few experts believe that it is better for to learn a foreign language at primary schooling rather than high school Do advantages outweigh disadvantages My answer to to this question has

2 advantages and 1 strong disadvantages Which side should be my opinion? Advantages are 1. Easy for child to learn a language at early age and makes him easier to learn communication skills 2. As learning non native language makes individual to use more brain leading to improving his problem solving skills

Demerits are Foreign language often harm mother tongue of individual when he learn this nonnative language at early age As child tend to mix and add loan words of other language into his native language when he speaks his mother tongue

The aim of this essay is to present your opinion. You MUST decide if the advantages are more important than the disadvantages or vice versa.

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I am disappointed that you didn’t give me a feedback, although you already gave feedback for others who submitted after me.

But thanks God, I have passed the exam with the score I want

Thanks anyway!

Unfortunately, I can’t answer everyone due to the hundreds and thousands of students who contact me. Well done with your results 🙂

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Hi, I am Belinda from Ghana. I have my ielts exams next month(7th April). I’d appreciate it if i can get feedback on my essay below on the above topic.

These days, a lot more people are are often using e-books rather than the traditional textbooks. This essay will outline why the use of internet based books is more beneficial compared to paper books.

Over the years, paper books such as textbooks, journals, etc have been the source of information. Long hours are spent in libraries searching for books to complete assignments or to get term papers done. This can be very tedious and tiring. There are instances when there are limited numbers of a particular book. Hence, usage depends largely on its availability. This can cause delays and sometimes frustrations if deadlines are to to met. Another aspect of paper books is that, some of them tend to be big and very heavy. Thus, there is no ease of carrying them around.

On the other hand,the internet has made e-books easily accessible. Internet based books can be safely downloaded anytime, anywhere by so many people at the same time without having to worry about library closing times or when the last user is returning the book. This can either be free or at a fee. Portable technological devices like laptops, tablets or mobile phones can be used to accommodate e-books conveniently. E-book users have the additional benefit of easily carrying it around. Again, e-books can be kept for as long as the user wants and sharing of information from internet based books is easily done. For instance, if there is a group assignment to be done, an e-book version of a textbook can be downloaded and circulated among members without physically meeting each other.

In conclusion, i would like to say the benefits of e-books outweighs that of paper books. This is because e-books are readily available, easily accessible and convenient to carry about.

Nowadays, larger number of people are preferring e-books instead of paper books. In my opinion, I agree because our preferences change with time, and technology is everywhere now.

Due to the cheap prices of e-books, they might be absolutely the best choice for readers. Additionally, it is simply few clicks in no time and you can find the book you want from internet. Furthermore, keeping environment safe and clean require us to eliminate our usage of plastic covers, packaging, and non-recycled materials. Navigation, zooming, adding bookmarks, and highlighting favorite words, are so easy in electronic books.

On the other hand, no one can deny how physical books are comfortable for eyes. for some people searching for books in libraries and bookstores, are fun. some books are treasure and worth thousands of dollars if founded. many readers love the touch, smell of old paper books, they even remember some events in their lives when reading their private books.

Moreover, e-books may cause eye illness, especially when reading from tablets or mobiles with high brightness and with lights off. the darkness outside the screen causes eye to make extra efforts in order to see words. Additionally, non-licensed e-books are illegal and waste authors copyrights

To sum up, reading paper books will never be obsolete but e-books readers will continue growing. As we are technology addicts, we will always look for less efforts and free ways to get the books we need.

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Hi Liz, may i ask, if my answer is the advantages outweigh the disadvantage, which side should i write first on the body paragraph? The side that i didn’t choose (disadvantages) or the side that i chose (advantages)?

Kindly reply. Thanks and have a great day!

Follow the same order you presented in your introduction. The examiner is checking your logical order of information. Keep topics sentences written clearly so the reader knows which paragraph is which.

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Hi Liz, Please solve my confusion, the topic asked “are there more advantages than disadvantages of living in a house compared with living in an apartment?” What should be my strategy? adv of living in a house – BP1 disadv of living in a house – BP2 Please suggest .

This is not asking you to discuss. It is asking for your opinion. Are there more advs and less disadv or are there more disadv and less advs.

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Hi Liz, Thanks for all your tips and advices . I’d like to ask you if it’s alright to list just ONE disadvantage, eventhough the question clearly states disadvantageS (ie plural form).

To illutrate : (in this case I’d like to say that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, therefore I’m implying that by putting TWO Advantages and only ONE Disadvantage):

Intro BP 1- Advantage 1 + Explanation BP 2- Advantage 2 + Explanation BP 3- Disadvantage + Explanation Conclusion

Would it be okay? Thank you in advance Liz 🙂

Sure it’s fine.

Thank you :))

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Hi Liz, in your course you suggested three body paragraphs Incase there are one adv and two disadvantages. What if I write the one long advantage in one paragraph and combine two short disadvantages into one paragraph. Is it ok? Thank you!

There is no right or wrong. As long as your paragraphs are logical, it’s fine. But it does mean that one idea will be very developed and two will not be equally developed. Each idea should be equally developed in writing task 2.

Thank you Liz and happy new year!

Happy 2018 🙂

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I am struggling with this question and tmr is the due date pls help me

I suggest you get my advanced lesson which explains this type of essay in depth: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Thank You Very Much Mrs.Liz

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Can someone please comment on my essay. I be really greatful as I’m aiming for band 7.

Recently, majority of individuals are preferring to read books online rather than custom hand books. In my opinion, there are several advantage to reading books online as they are easily available as well as one can always look for the latest versions easily.

There are few disadvantages to reading e-books instead of paper books. Firstly, many readers find it difficult to read for a long time on screen whereas, reading a book is more pleasurable experience as it is tangible and involves fligging through the pages which many readers find amusing. Moreover, they are portable and a person can easily carry them along anywhere.

On the other hand, more and more people are opting to read books online due the many advantagess that out weight the disadvantages. To begin with, e-books are easily available anytime no matter how long ago they were published. As a result of advancement in the modern technologies, a mere touch can open up thousands of varieties to choose from and therefore lessened human efforts in search for the particular book. Furthermore, latest version of books can be viewed online easily anywhere in the world, unlike the paper books that require multiple months in publication and even more to get distributed. E- books don’t loose quality of the script over the period of time hence their material is everlasting. In conclusion, majority of pepole are opting to read e-books instead of paper books due to several advantages that outweigh the disadvantages of reading online including easy accessibility of books online along with the availability of latest modified versions at doorstep.

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Hi, I cannot find any major errors in your essay. However, you could improve on paraphrasing the statement “advantages that outweigh the disadvantages”. I think you could use, “there are more benefits than its drawbacks” or ‘there are more good things to consider than the negative ones it brings”. 🙂 Good luck on your exam

I really appreciate your correction and indeed I find it difficult to paraphrase…hope I would improve. Many thanks for your time:)

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Would it be alright to add questions in your essay to prove your point? For example, with regards to nuclear technology maintaning world peace.

I would really like to argue “How long could it maintain world peace before it destroys the world?”

Your task is not to present questions but to present supporting arguments “It certainly would not be able to maintain world peace for long before it destroyed the world…”

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Hey Liz, What’s the difference between an outweigh type of essay and a disadvan/advan type of essay ?

Thanks in advance .

One requires an opinion and the other does not.

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Hey LIZ I made a big mistake today. I forgot to put the disadvantages in the “do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?” Essay . I just kept discussing the advantages in the body paragraphs. How bad did I goof ?

It will affect your score for one of the four marking criteria which is called Task Response. TR counts for 25% of your writing task 2 marks. you’ll score lower in that area but you can hopefully pull your score up in the other criteria and in task 1. Fingers crossed 🙂

Thanks a lot Liz. I passed. You’re the best. Your website is awesome

Well done 🙂

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Hi Kaine. How was your score in this particular writing test? Did you manage to get above 7? pls reply

Hey! Yes I passed. I got 7 on the dot. Was really lucky. Maybe my paper 1 made up. Thanks. Goodluck with yours

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I did that today as well.. I wrote three paragraphs on advantages ☹️☹️ Did you manage to get a 7?

Hey Natasha. Yes I got a 7 on the dot. I’m sure you’lo be fine *fingers crossed* . Please let me know how it goes. Goodluck

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I am very thankful to you. Your website is very helpful to me. Thank you so much.

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Just a quick question, if I completely agree that the disadvantages outweighs the advantages, do I still need to write the advantages or I could stay on one idea, which all about disadvantages?

Thank you in advance!

You need to explain why one is more important than the other. This means you will refer to both.

Copy that, thanks again! 😀

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Thanks for all your help. You have be amazing. I have my test tomorrow but i just came across this “outweigh” question. Kindly clarify how i should go about it. After my Introduction, do i give advantages of e-copy, which i think is more advantageous, then proceed to give disadvantages of paper copies?

Help! I have a feeling it might just come up tomorrow.

Thanks in advance.

You express your opinion – which are more important? If you think the ads are more important than the disadvs, then you explain this in your essay.

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Regarding the question: “Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages” If, for example, my answer is that there are more advantages to this. Do I write the advantages in the body paragraph as an opinion format? Or do i just write my opinion statement on both the introduction and conclusion instead?

Your entire essay will show and explain why you think that the advantages are more important than the disadvantages.

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Hi Liz, First of all,thankyou for your feedback.I took IELTS today and I didn’t much practice of writing.I just went through your tips about writing.Thankyou for that. My essay was “Some people believe that young students should be taught to put more effort and do better than others while some argue that everyone should work together for each other’s benefit”. Do the disadvantages of competition among students outweigh the advantages of working together?. I had no idea abot this type of question but I took it as opinon asking essay. I wrote in my introduction” I completely concur that pros of working in group are more than cons of it” (A thesis statement).Not exactly but it was something like that. Is it fine ? Then in 1st body paragraph I wrote the advantages of working together and gave two reasons with an example.After this,I wrote second paragraph with disadvantages of competition and working alone to excel than others and in the end I gave conclusion.Is it okay? I didn’t put the adv/disadv of both arguments but adv. of one and disadv. of other just to support my point of view in two separate paragraphs. Please reply briefly this is my first comment here and I am bit worried regarding this.

I think you’ve done very well if you hadn’t prepared for this question. Yes, it is asking for your opinion. It sounds like you’ve handled it just fine. Now try to relax and wait for your results. Let me know what happens – I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you 🙂

For sure! There is another thing with respect to reading and listening.I wrote some answers like: “The pronghorns”,”attitude” and in other “The Royal Antelope”. Different answers with different capital letters. Is it fine? Thankyou Mam,once again.

Capital letters are not marked so don’t worry for listening and reading.

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Hi Liz, quick question! If the question asks: “adv outweigh the disadv.”. Should I start the first BP with advantages (following the same order as it is in the statement) or should I always start with the opposite side of my opinion (regardless of the statement order)?

Yes, keep the same order. It’s easier for the reader.

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Hi Liz! I’ll be taking my academic next week and this was a practice I did timing 40min for task2. I’d love to hear your opinion on weather I explored the disadvantages enough and how I did overall! [* I kept the typos for a real assessment ]

“Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?” Essay: It is expected in these days that by the end of secondary education years, students are familiar, wife not fluent, in another language. It is believed by many specialists in education that having an early start in learning can have a more positive outcome. By my own experience, I believe that being exposed to a second language from early childhood is essential. By starting e second language at first grade, children will get used, since day one, to having the subject and will know that it is as important as all the other subjects. Also, many agree that the earlier a person is exposed to new languages the easier it is to comprehend and speak. A clear example of that is children with parentes that come from different countries, they grow up in a bilingual environment, so they learn effortlessly. Nevertheless, these kids might not be interested in this language, which can be a challenge for teachers, who must create a inovative* and fun lessons. Another problem may be that parents also don’t have the knowledge to help with homework assingments*. On the other hand, if we think about students only getting in touch with this language later in life, this may result in slower process of learning and the scenario of less time throughout the years in school to get at least aqquainted* with the basics of the language. In conclusion, living in the 21st Century means having global connections. And the likelyhood* of using another language that is not your primary one is huge, especially for work and/or terciary* studies. Therefore, learning this skill as early as possible in school certainly has more benefits and facilitates ones possibilities.

Thanks in advance!

I generally don’t give free feedback on essays. However, I’ll make a couple of points: 1. “By my own experience” is not appropriate for an IELTS essay. It is informal. If you want to express your opinion, do it clearly – In my opinion. 2. “kids” is informal vocabulary and not appropriate for IELTS. See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/kids-or-children-teens-or-teenagers-which-is-best-to-use-in-ielts/ 3. Your conclusion is about 50 words – much too long. You’ve got the potential to do well if you learn the right techniques and understand more about what is required and what is acceptable for an IELTS essay.

Thank you very much for the response and observations! Trying reeeally hard to learn all I can until Saturday! Your videos and blog are helping imensily!!!

Good luck!!

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Heyy lizz i want to ask u , you said previously that we shoud write in the body paragrapgh (1 para) explaining the oppsite side : actually am a little bit confused because it’s really like the advantages and disadvantages essay , can u tell me the diffrence between them so i can be aware while am writing.

The advantages and disadvantages does not require an opinion – you present both sides equally. The outweigh essay requires an opinion – which one is more important – you explain your view why A if more important than B

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Hello Liz, It seems that ”do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages” essay is exactly similar to the Advantage-Disadvantage essay seeking an opinion. Plz, guide me if I am wrong.

Thanks in advance 🙂

The instructions are asking for your opinion/ It is asking you to choose which is more important than the other.

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Hello. Do we always have to put 2 main points for the opposite view and 3 on our side? Or is it fine to just give 1 for the former and 2 for the latter? Thank you so much,Liz.

Yes, it’s fine to do as you suggest.

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Thank you for this free wonderful opportunity Liz.

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Hi Liz; here’s my essay to the above question about e-books

There is an increasing number of people who prefer reading e-books over traditional paper copies. In my opinion, although there are some drawbacks to e-books, I believe that the advantages are far more significant than these disadvantages.

Some people consider e-books to lack the traditional essence of an actual paper book. Owning a book is different to having a digital copy as some say that it gives the book more value. For instance, a book can be kept for life and borrowed to friends whereas an e-book could be accidentally deleted in seconds. Others argue against e-books as it is thought that reading on a bright screen for long periods of time can have damaging effects on the eyes, however paper books do not cause problems in the same way.

In contrast e-books are believed to be far better than paper books according to some. They are easily accessible on many devices such as laptops, tablets and mobile phones which the majority of people own nowadays. In addition to this reference points within a particular book are found much more easily compared to flicking through pages of a paper copy which can be time-consuming and difficult. Furthermore, e-books saves people’s time by the lack of need to go to a library or book shop and can be accessed from home.

It is a lot cheaper to buy an e-book than a traditional book, especially compared to the hardback versions which can be very expensive. Money is saved once more as there are no travel costs to gain access to an e-book, but there is a paper book as mentioned before. As well as this, most e-books offer the first chapter for free to give the buyer a chance to see if the book is worth their money. On the other hand when buying traditional copies this option is not available and the reader must judge the book by it’s cover. Admittedly, there is a blurb on the back of paper books but this is not enough to see whether a book is worth the buy. Not to mention that the blurb is also available on all e-books too.

In conclusion, I think that in regards to e-books there are more significant and numerous advantages compared to the fewer disadvantages. E-books are more efficient for today’s busy lifestlyle and moreover encourages reading in this modern setting, which I believe to be very important.

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Isn’t it longer than it is supposed to be ?

Great essay.. Well done

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i think this is a great essay. 🙂

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It sounds great.

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People now have the freedom to work and live anywhere in the world due to the development of communication technology and transportation. Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

The advancements in communication and modes of transport have resulted to more job opportunites abroad,which claimed by many to have more positive effects.However, others say that residing and working in other locations have only resulted in more negative effects.I believe that there are more benefits than drawbacks, if people start to accept work and live abroad. On the one hand, one major drawback of having a job in another country, is being away from the family members. To illustrate this, in the Philippines, the father of the family is sometimes forced to work overseas in order to provide better for his growing family.Eventhough, there are modernized applications like Skype, which let him see his relatives in the Philippines more often, still there is no physical contact between them. As a result, once the father goes home to his family, his children are sometimes less affectionate and behave awkwardly when he is around. On the other hand, one advantage why it is better to apply for an occupation abroad is for the reason that companies in other countries offer higher salaries. Let us take the nurses’ job as an example, in the Philippines, nurses working in non-government hospitals have a mere 200 USD wage per month, as compared to a 1200 USD monthly salary in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, more nurses take this opportunity to be employed in another country, to supply better for their family’s everyday needs. Another compelling reason why people move to abroad for work is because it gives them the opportunity to experience another culture. For instance, when people from Asia go to the West or Middle East for work, then this enriches their lives as they get to learn another languages, customs, and traditions. Thus, raising their cultural awareness and becoming less judgemental. In conclusion, although living and working abroad have some drawbacks, I believe that its advantages outweigh its disadvantages for the reasons that jobs overseas pay higher and enrich people’s lives.

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Dear Liz, i have got serious misunderstanding about structure of opinion essays. For example topic : More and more students choose to go to another country for their higher education . do you think the benefits outweigh the problems associated with it. So, at first i have to write introduction, then positive side and of cource negative one. After it comes to opinion right? what i have to write in opinion if i agree that advantages outnumber it’s disadvantages. So, please can you explain me the structure fully and more clearly about oinion part of this essay. Thanks in advance

It takes time to explain the structure fully. I can’t do it in a few sentences. I think about purchasing my advanced writing task 2 lesson which covers this type of essay: http://subscriptions.viddler.com/IELTSLizStore

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Can I use academic vocabolary for general essay task 2?

Yes, it’s fine.

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Previous was wrong Introduction^ Cutting-edge technologies have altered human’s activities entirely including reading book habit.Hence, it is common nowadays to see people reading books by means of electronical devices accordingly reading less by using tangible books. Nevertheless, I believe that popularising of e-books will have relatively more benefits than traditional paper books for several broad reasons. I’m not quite certain about thesis. What do you think Liz?

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Dear NICK, You have put your idea/argument in the Intro para. Your opinion should go to the Body paras. Here, in intro para, you should not add or omit what is given by the IELTS test. You are required to paraphrase the statement first and then answer the question by reflecting on your opinions.

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Hi Liz, Just finished my official IELTS writing in the Philippines hours ago with a task 2 question:

People now buy more consumer goods because of cheaper price tags.

Do you think the advantages outweigh the Disadvantages?

My point of attack was I wrote the introduction with my opinion that it does outweigh the drawbacks

For body 1, I stated it enabled families to provide the needs of its members in terms of food and medicine + placed 1 disadvantage which was Quality which i pointed out as negligible.

For body 2 I wrote diversity of products to choose from. Brings in good competition for the manufacturers, further decreasing the prices, resulting to more work opportunities. + stated a negative which was biases by the masses for products leading to downfall of smaller companies.

Then i concluded with a brief summary of advantageous points as well as the negatives then reaffirmed that indeed the advantages are more important than the drawbacks

Was my attack acceptable? i just read from this article that i shouldve written both sides in two separate body paragraphs.

*people now live more and more in societies with plenty of cheap consumer goods

Do you think the advantage overweigh the disadvantages

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whats your score for u approach?

Unfortunately i got a 6.5 for it. After reflecting i found out I need to have 2 body for adv and 1 for disad for it to answer the question more

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exactly. Having your advantages in 1 paragraph and disadvantages in another paragraph make your the essay more orderly, thus, you will have a better score in your cohesion and coherence. 🙂

*make your essay more orderly 🙂

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Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to request you please could you post one more video for how to write body paragraph for writing task 2 ? is it not possible please tell me how i got your more video?

thank you. salim

See my advanced writing task 2 lessons for detailed training in IELTS essay writing for a high score: http://subscriptions.viddler.com/IELTSLizStore All the best Liz

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Hi liz.Am from KSA and I want to purchase your advanced writing lessons but I dont have a paypal account ,is it possible to purchase them using visa card?!

Sorry for the delay in replying. There are two payment options. The first option is through a paypal account. The second option is using your credit or debit card. You can see the two payment options on the payment page: http://subscriptions.viddler.com/IELTSLizStore All the best Liz

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People now use more and more internet to do tasks (eg. Shopping, paying bills, buy movie tickets) rather then in person. Do the advantages outweigh disadvantages?

= i have written all the advantages y people prefer internet and includes 4 examples and some disadvantages in 2nd body paragraph.. Let me know the correct answer please. M very upset…. (correct if any mistake is in the topic line)

https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/

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Hi, Liz. I’ll be waiting for your response when you come back. My doubt concerns eletronic media language. The word ‘app’ is very common in everyday conversation about technology. Should I use the word ‘application’ or ‘computer software’ if I ever need to use the word ‘app’, or can I use the abbreviated form (app) in my essay? For example, in the sentence “Nowadays people are resorting to apps on their smart phones as a means of increasing access to daily services (…)” do you think the abbreviation rather than the word ‘applications’ would be inappropriate? Thanks in advance. 🙂

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Hi Liz mam you are doing very good job. Actually I have a problem in reading module please could you help me

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Hi Liz. What are the advantages and disadvantages? and Do the advantages outweigh disadvantages? these 2 questions are same right? responses to these 2 questions are almost same paragraphical order?

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The first one (Advantages and Disadvantages asking to say about both) body paragraph 1 Advantage and body paragraph 2 Disadvantage . But the second one you need to say your opinion, that is the difference.

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In the first question (what are the advantages and disadvantages)? you should discuss the advantage in the first body paragraph and the disadvantage in the second body paragraph. possibly in equilibrium. However, in the second question (do the advantage outweigh)? you must have a positional statement in your introduction for which you will devote two body paragraphs discussing it and utilize only one body paragraph for the opposite idea. This means your response is not in equilibrium, (say 80% and 20% or 70% and 30%). the position you choose in your introduction carries the higher percentage.

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Dear Liz, you are great teacher

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Rising a number of electronic book causes the decrease in paper books. However, some people think it is positive to go ahead, where as others contradict it. This essay will discuss its both sides. On one hand ,there are several benefits of electronic books. First, the group of people using this book can access to wide range of information, which means they can read unlimited informations that are available in e- books. Second, people do not have to carry bundles of paper book everytime beacause e-books are portable and less heavy that can be carried in pocket or in a small bag. Therefore, people can use them in public places, for example, while travelling in trains, buses , or even in aeroplanes and also in parks, supermarkets as well as at work and universities. Third, as e-books are small so, it do not require spacial space at home, where as paper books need more area and it creates more waste.

On the other hand, this has some drawbacks too. One problem is it make people more lazy. This is because of the minimal hand movement required in e-book , where only a button click is needed to get all information. Another issue is the uncertanity of electronic machine, which means it can stop working any time. Inaddition, long period of using e -book may create some health problems such as vision problem and headache. And finally, every consumer can not afford to buy it because these books are expensive in market.

In conclusion, although e-books can cause some problems and are expensive, overall it is positive because it do not create pollution and does not require special space and also it is necessary to step forward in this technololical era.

Sorry I don’t comment on writing. All the best Liz

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“this essay will discuss both sides” is the one of the 10 sentences that are not useful and lower your score according to Liz anyway

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Hi Liz, we are so grateful that you help so many students around the world especially those who can’t afford to pay for school fees like me. would you please explain a bit more about the tip you gave us above, “” have one body paragraph which gives details about the opposite side to your opinion” -Do i still need to follow that even if i chose one sided opinion? -Please correct if i am wrong : One sided opinion = introduction + 1st Body P which supports one side A + 2nd body P which supports the same side A (+ 3rd body P which supports the same side A) + conclusion? So i don’t talk or support the other side B. Please help, I am confused.

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Hi Liz.. I am taking coaching for GT Ielts but confused on one matter..My teacher suggested that if you give only one side view with strong and comprehensible ideas then the chances of getting high marks is more..and if you will write partial view means some for agree and disagree both..then there will be less marks.. Can you please suggest that how it should be??I am targeting for 8 bands in writing section so this clarity is essential to me. Thanks a lot.

You don’t get more marks because you have chosen a different position. You get marked on your ability to present a position and support your position. It is easier to support a one sided approach and it is more difficult to present a balanced view. For that reason, teachers recommend students to aim for the one sided approach to avoid such mistakes. I also think that students who have not received professional training in the balanced view should not attempt it. All the best Liz

Thanks for your reply Liz..actually according to my teacher, I am good at writing on both aspects but she opines that I should write with single view approach.. That’s why I got confused.. If question is- to what extent do you agree or disagree..then if I am having vivid points on both aspects then is it good to write on both or only one view? Thanks!!

It is difficult to write a balanced view because it does NOT mean you agree with both sides at all. I suggest you follow your teacher’s advice. If you wish to get professional training in writing the one sided and also the balanced approach, see my advanced lesson: http://subscriptions.viddler.com/IELTSLizStore All the best Liz

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Hello, please take a look at my essay, it is not 250words, i just want to know if i have written correctly. i think i got off-topic and don’t knnow exactly how i can improve my writting. Thank you in advance.

Recently, increasing number of people prefer reading e-books instead of paper books. In my opinion, drawbacks of this trend overweigh its advantages.

E-books are convinient, because of their size and memory. people can dawnload many of their favorite books in one technology and carry it with themselves. Another good side of electroic books is their screenlights which make us able to read even at dark. I always use my e-book during exams, because i do not want to put 4-5 books in my bag.

In contrast, as all electronic devices e-books are bad for eyes. To illustrate 60% of e-book users suffer from eye-related problems and complain that they see everything in blur. However, higher percentage of population tend to buy e=books, thatswhy demand for paper books countiniously decline by directly leading to increased unemployment rate. Book-publishing companies go to bankrupcy or merge with others, because of low sales and high competition. For example, in late twentieth century the number of books published exceeds current figures.

In coclusion, disadvantages of e-books are more serios and long-lasting than advantages.

Sorry I don’t give feedback on writing. Liz

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U have to write 1 intro . 2 advantages 30 % 3 disadvantages 70 % and then ur opinion paragragh and then conclusion total 5 para

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Hi Dear Liz, If I write BP1= advantages of using e-books rather than paper books BP2= disadvantages of using e-books instead of paper books

conclusion= there are more uses in using e books over paper books.

Please advice me is this the correct way or in BP2 do I have to write,the disadvantages of paper books,i’m confused of that

You present your opinion in the introduction, not conclusion. There is only one question to answer so answer it at the start of your essay not the end. Please see my coming paid video for training. Liz

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when are you releasing the advantages and disadvantages video?

I have just a few more clips to film. Then I need to edit the film. So, hopefully it’ll be ready within two weeks. Fingers crossed. Liz

Thank you so much miss.

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Hello, I have a question …. When I write the inntroduction of any essay I must paraphrase the sentence given at the beginning, but when I write my conclusion I must restate the ideas that I paraphrased it in the itroduction, this means can I restate it using the same words given in the sentence? Because I been in told that words that I used in introduction and in conclusion mustn’t be the same.

Yes your conclusion contains the main ideas paraphrased. Liz

answer the essay Q in the conclusion use paraphrasing summarize your ideas from the intro and body paras in the conclusion and never share new ideas two sentences can be adequate

Hello ms.liz, I wonder what type of essay I should practice, because I don’t really know what type they may ask us in ielts writing task 2? Is it discussion text, information text, description…..etc?

Thx anyway, Yassmin

WAtch the free information video on this page to learn about the types of essay in writing task 2: http://subscriptions.viddler.com/IELTSLizStore Liz

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Hi Liz I need your advice please Is it ok to use this sentence as theise statement “This essay will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of such a measure.” Or is it overused

Thank u in advance for your help 🙂

Don’t use learned phrases. That is a whole sentence which you have learned and copied. The examiner has seen it used many, many times. Don’t use it. All the best Liz

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Hi Liz! Which is the correct order? To develop the opposite site and then the two body paragraphs with my opinion, the reverse or it doesn’t mind?

Put the advantages in one BP and the disadvantages in the other BP. Make sure you clearly show which outweighs which. Liz

Thank you for your response!

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I’m interested in Constantinos’ question too. In your post you said put one body for the position you don’t support and one or two paragraphs for the position you support. So I have some questions:

1) It’s better to put the position you don’t support in your first body paragraph right – end with the stronger position in the subsequent body paragraphs?

2) You suggested in response to constantinos just one paragraph of each. But you can do it one paragraph for weaker position and two for stronger position right – as you recommended is possible in your post.

3) It’s ok to mention just one point for the weaker position even though the question says “advantages” or “disadvantages” – i.e. “s” plural. Thank you

You put adv in the first BP and disadvantages in the 2nd BP. Keep it simple and clear. However, it is possible to have just one adv and two disadv in separate paragraphs if you wish to support disad. If you can’t think of plural advs then that’s fine. Liz

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Just few years back, plenty of people are selecting to read e-books instead of than paper books in my opinion, i concur reading papers books rather than reading e books because e-books need to charge a battery and handle with care, but sometimes e-books are most helpful in traveling i could download the number of books in on e-book system i dont have to carry number of books.

dear mam, is this correct in information.

Sorry but I don’t comment on writing. Please see my notice at the top of my blog. All the best Liz

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How can i paraphrase “advantages & disadvantages”? Can i use this symble & in ielts?

Never use language symbols instead of common words. The only accepted symbols are percentage and currency symbols. Liz

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Dear Liz, I’m confused about planning the structure for the advantages disadvantages essay? Can you do me a favour by point out what the possible structure are for advantages and disadvantages? Regards, Julie Great acknowledgement!

This is not an “advantage and disadvantage essay”, this is an “adv outweigh disadv” essay. However, got both, you will usually have two body paragraphs – one for each. Liz

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It is a one side essay or two side? I mean to say

Intro Body 1 for merits Body 2 for merits Body 3 for demerits Conclusion

75% pros 25% cons

One side essay Intro= I think merits are morethan demerits? Body 1 adv Body 2 adv Conclusion

It is a direct question which you must answer. Do you think the advantages are more important than the disadvantages? You give your answer in the introduction and explain it in the body. Liz

excellent explanation. thanks

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Hello miss Liz , Could you please give me an example about “memorized phrase” that we should not use it ?? Regards,

Here’s an example “it is a highly controversial issue” or “in this essay I will discuss both sides and give my opinion”. Liz

okay , it is fine Thanks

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Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Research Article

Promoting positive youth development in rural communities: Integrating social work, psychology, and education

Roles Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Writing – original draft

* E-mail: [email protected]

Affiliation Student Affairs Department, Zhejiang Gongshang University Hangzhou College of Commerce, Hangzhou, China

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  • Published: September 20, 2024
  • https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309989
  • Reader Comments

Fig 1

Considering the peculiar socio-cultural background and developmental obstacles encountered by rural youth in China, the study examines the necessity of adopting an integrated strategy that brings together social work, psychology, and education to promote positive youth development. This research intends to fill the gap by explaining the impact of these factors on community engagement and youth development in China. Targeted programs were also suggested according to the needs of rural youth in China. The respondents of the study comprised 350 young people, whose age ranged from 15 to 24 years, living in different rural areas of the country. The structured questionnaire was designed to collect the data using a convenience sampling technique. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied as the analysis tool using IBM SPSS AMOS software. The results show that social work and education have a significant impact on community engagement and positive youth development. The findings also reveal that psychology positively influences community engagement. Community engagement was seen to mediate the relationships between social work, psychology, education, and positive youth development. The policymakers and practitioners can fully use the interrelationships between social work, psychology, and education to create a more comprehensive approach that considers the specific characteristics of rural youth in China. Additionally, highlighting community engagement as a mediator also explores the opportunity for bottom-up initiatives and community efforts to instigate favorable youth outcomes in the countryside.

Citation: Ren J (2024) Promoting positive youth development in rural communities: Integrating social work, psychology, and education. PLoS ONE 19(9): e0309989. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309989

Editor: Siew Ann Cheong, Nanyang Technological University, SINGAPORE

Received: April 19, 2024; Accepted: August 21, 2024; Published: September 20, 2024

Copyright: © 2024 Jiawei Ren. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Data Availability: All relevant data are within the manuscript.

Funding: The research is supported by: The Ministry of Education's Industry School Cooperation Collaborative Education Project, Research on virtual simulation faculty training for college student mental health education in the context of the new liberal arts item (No. 221003371085941). The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

1. Introduction

Youth development, which has profound implication for the fortunes of both local communities and the country as a whole cannot be undermined in the Chinese rural areas [ 1 ]. Therefore, multidimensional way of youth development is essential. Lerner et al. [ 2 ] stated that cities are usually endowed with immense resources and facilities. However, rural areas face problems such as inaccessibility to education, health, and jobs. As such, the youth development programs in these areas should use the creative approaches and integrate some disciplines particularly social work, psychology as well as education and community engagement as mediator. Being the majority of the population in China, youth encounter some unique challenges. The education in the rural areas is often challenged by resource constraints which is reflected by the under achievement and the low vocational skills [ 3 ]. In addition, the shortage of mental health services and psychological support is also a matter that is faced by rural youth, and thus results depression, anxiety and drug abuse [ 4 ]. Moreover, the social and economic gaps and the increasing rural-urban migration level destroy the sense of place and self-worth of the youth in the rural areas [ 5 ].

The combination of social work, psychology and education in rural areas provide vibrant services that help the complex youth needs. Social work strategies to be effective by linking the youth with communities resources, protecting their rights, and making them strong [ 6 ]. The psychological interventions such as counseling and psychoeducation can empower the rural youth to face the challenges using proper coping strategies [ 7 ]. Finally, the educational initiatives which are tailored to the specific needs of rural communities ensures young people to be knowledgeable and capable of personal and social economic growth [ 8 ]. The success of these rural-centered initiatives is driven by the commitment of the rural community. Community engagement, as a crucial catalyst, overcomes the disconnection between interventions and their application within the diverse rural conditions [ 9 ]. Through support from community members such as parents, teachers, local leaders and youth themselves, different intervention tools can be formulated to meet community’s cultural values, traditions and aspirations. Lastly, active community engagement provides a feeling of belongingness and a sense of shared responsibility which in turn motivates rural residents to become the change makers in their communities [ 10 ]).

However, successful community engagement entails a complex comprehension of the social interactions and power structures that become entangled within rural areas. Traditional hierarchical structures and cultural conventions might shape the way resources are distributed as well as the decision-making, doing good approach that promotes equity, transparency, and collaboration [ 11 ]. Also ensuring the issues of trust, communication, and participation are being exhausted to secure the meaningful engagement and continued impact is imperative. Prior research tends to concentrate on the urban areas, ignoring the issues confronting and opportunities available for rural youths in China. To address these gaps, this research will explore ways in which integrated approaches involving social work, psychology, and education improve the development of youth in rural areas. Furthermore, the research reveals the importance of culturally appropriate interventions that consider regional variations and other key demographic factors affecting youth development in various rural Chinese communities. Finally, this study intends to guide policy and practice interventions intended to boost the welfare and resilience of rural youth in China, hence contributing to the social sustainable development of rural communities as well as the country in general.

2. Literature review

Positive youth development in rural communities has become prominent among the researchers and practitioners, which has generated a vast literature on various methods and interventions.

The process by which young people acquire social, emotional, and cognitive abilities is known as youth development. Family, peers, schools, and communities all have an impact on this development, which aims to produce capable, accountable, and contributing members of society who can effectively traverse life’s problems [ 2 ]. Positive Youth Development (PYD) focuses on skill development, positive connections, active involvement, and fostering young people’s inherent abilities. PYD seeks to empower young people, promote their general well-being, and allow them to actively engage in community life and make constructive contributions to their communities [ 12 ].

According to Wu et al. [ 13 ], the contribution of social work in the rural areas to the solving of systemic inequalities, the building of social systems, and the promotion of individual and community empowerment also cannot be overlooked. Aware of the peculiar challenges faced by the small communities, these measures mostly adopt a blended approach that involves fortifying resilience and promoting overall wellness among the rural youth. The community-based strategies are at the core of these interventions; they draw from the available resources and networks within the settings. Social workers, in particular, identify and use strengths that exist in the community for the development of long-term solutions addressing conditions that are peculiar to rural youth [ 14 ]. Rural area social workers are the advocates for marginalized communities. They stand for the voiceless and fight for policies and programs that will meet the needs of the rural community [ 15 ]. Through the demonstration of the distinctive issues faced by rural areas and ensuring that the services and resources are fairly distributed, social workers emerge as a critical agent of social justice and community development. The development of social work in China has been growing trend which reflects the social enlightenment of Chinese culture. Historically, the Chinese social work has its origins in Confucianism with the bases of community mandate which provide for collective welfare and cooperation [ 16 ]. More recently, the Chinese government has begun to appreciate the value of professional social work in handling social problems. The policies like the community construction have played a significant role in the development of appropriate social work practices for the community. The community work in China stresses on organizing local community resources to obtain cooperation in addressing local issues. The Chinese model of community work pays more attentions to the mobilization of the collective power and the coordination of efforts for achieving common goals [ 17 ].

Rural youth psychological wellbeing is now a major problem with most researchers showing a high prevalence of mental health disorder even compared to the urban counterparts [ 18 ]. Rural youth now suffer particularly from depression, anxiety and substance abuse with the social factors in rural environments being the significant root of the problem. Social isolation is among the most important factors which result in an increased vulnerability to mental health issues in rural communities. Geographic isolation and low concentrations of population make social lives limited in rural area, increasing lonely and isolated feelings among rural youth [ 19 ]. The scarcity of the economic opportunities in the rural areas further worsen the already existing stress factors and leads to the feelings of being hopeless and despair. Also, the insufficient provision of mental health services in rural communities promotes the aggravated problems that rural youths face. Lack of sufficient mental health professionals and resources, along with the stigmatization of mental health challenges, poses major hurdles in getting people to seek help and get appropriate treatment [ 20 ]. Such problems demand precise, tailor-made psychological interventions that are consistent with the expectations of the youth in the rural areas so that they are efficient in mental health promotion.

Education aims not only for personal success but also for general prosperity and for the fortitude of the youths from rural regions as well [ 21 ]. Education is seen to be so important but the access to and quality of education are not the same in the rural areas. Studies have highlighted the need for educational programs that are in tune and responsive to the challenges and situations that exist in the rural areas. These problems are becoming increasingly recognized in the field of education as more educators are adopting different approaches to the creation of educational programs that cater for the diverse needs of rural communities [ 22 ]. These programs are made to be the main tools that shape society where the capabilities and potential of the rural youth are developed and harnessed.

Jackson et al. [ 23 ] states that community engagement is a key factor that promotes positive youth development in small towns. Research has only proved the profound effects of social participation methods that place the community members in the lead position to make decisions and to design programs that truly respond to the needs of the youth in the rural areas. The principle of building strong relationships with a community lies in the principle of inclusivity which ensures that different voices in the community are included in the decision-making process. The sense of ownership and accomplishment will be built in the community members, including the adolescents, who took part in the implementation, organizing and evaluation processes [ 24 ].

Therefore, this study integrates social work, psychology, education, and community involvement for the purpose of enhancing youth development in rural China. Through targeting the underlying challenges as well as using the inherent strengths in these communities, interventions can empower the youth rural community to succeed and fully take part in their communities and society at large. The research framework is displayed in Fig 1 .

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309989.g001

2.1. Research hypothesis

2.1.1. social work..

McFadden et al. [ 25 ] states that social work focuses on improving the well-being and quality of life in both individual and group environments. It covers a wide variety of activities, designed to address social problems, to support social justice, and to strengthen the position of the deprived or weak groups of society. This study, therefore, involves social work by applying professional knowledge, skills, and values to provide the relevant services to the youth living in the rural communities. Social workers can do the practical services for youths like counseling, case management and advocacy which aim at the well-being and development of youth [ 6 ]. They may also collaborate with families, schools and community agencies to develop positive environments with easy access to resources that lead to positive youth development. Community engagement is all about bringing together and working with individuals, groups, organizations, and stakeholders in a community to deal with issues, make decisions, and advance positive changes [ 26 ]. It is based on the principles of full participation, dialogue, and joint governance to solve common problems and improve the well-being of the community. In terms of this, community engagement is about the role of different people i.e. youth, family, educators, social workers, psychologists, and community leaders’ joint effort with the purpose of positive youth development [ 2 ]. Such contribution can be engaging in community-based programs, partnerships between different sectors and activities oriented to address the specific needs of the youth in rural areas.

Social work interventions become drivers of community engagement efforts geared towards the improvement of the well-being of the rural youth. By evaluating community needs and bringing together stakeholders to develop strategies, social workers ensure community involvement within youth development programs. Social workers are middlemen between young people, their families, schools and community institutions, and by establishing collaborative linkages they develop holistic approaches to solve the complex issues of youth [ 27 ]. Through social work principles of inclusivity, empowerment, and collaboration communities unite to collaborate in identifying their strengths, resources, and solutions which help to support the wellbeing of the youth in the community. Social work interventions serve as a strategy for capacity-building of communities through leadership development, building resilience, and stimulating ownership and responsibility for the development of youth among the community members. Involving social workers in community engagement activities makes a way for the establishment of sustainable networks and infrastructure which continue to support positive youth outcome even when the specific programs or interventions are over [ 28 ].

  • H1: Social work significantly influences community engagement

Positive youth development is an approach that concentrates on enhancing the strengths, the capacity, and the power of youths to do well and live an excellent life [ 29 ]. It also focuses on promoting development of young people emotionally, socially, cognitively, and physically. Tailored social work interventions targeting the specific needs of the rural youth go beyond in promoting their better development by directly providing needed support, resources, and guidance [ 30 ]. Rural youth are enabled to develop resilience and coping strategies for life’s challenges through one-on-one and group counseling, thus their positive life outcomes will be enhanced. Social workers are important in linking the rural youth with community resources as well as mentorship programs and extracurricular activities through which the youth can engage in skill-building, leadership development, and growth of their personalities [ 31 ]. By eliminating systemic barriers and advocating for policy changes which promotes equity and access to education, healthcare and social services, social workers make the rural youth more robust to excel and reach their full potential. Social work, which embraces a holistic approach considering the many contributing factors of family, school, peers, and community, allows the practitioners to deal with complex issues and consequently, implement holistic interventions that encourage positive results for the youth in rural areas [ 32 ].

  • H2: Social work significantly influences positive youth development

2.1.2. Psychology.

Psychology is the scientific field of the study of mind and behavior. It covers a large number of issues such as cognition, emotion, motivation, personality, development, social relations, mental health etc. [ 33 ]. Psychologists are utilizing different types of research methods and techniques to understand how individuals perceive, think, feel, and behave not only individually but also in social contexts. Psychology plays a pivotal part in revealing the psychological processes and developmental requirements of the youth in rural areas [ 34 ]. The knowledge of the psychological dynamics of the community, the social norms and the group behaviors contribute to the success of community involvement in advocacy of positive youth development in rural areas. Psychologists act as a skilled workforce conducting needs assessments, determining barriers to community engagement as well as designing interventions that target cognitive, emotional, and motivational factors causing involvement deficits in members of the community especially youth [ 35 ]. Through implementation of research and program evaluation, psychologists share the important information about the efficiency of different community engagement ways, thus, modifying strategies, allocating resources, and enlarging successful developments. Psychological principles of persuasion, communication, and conflict resolution play an important role in making community engagement efforts more effective via building trust, consensus and dialog among the stakeholders with different perspectives and interests [ 36 ]. The psychologists’ approach through promoting an inclusive, empowering, and collectively engaging culture within communities would be an encouragement of active involvement, collaboration, and joint efforts in the common goals of youth development and community prosperity [ 37 ].

  • H3: Psychology significantly influences community engagement

2.1.3. Education.

According to Ismail et al. [ 38 ], educating is a systematic way of promoting knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits through the various means like teaching, training, storytelling, research, and experience. It is a defining feature of human trajectory and it plays a key role in molding persons and societies. Educational actions include all sides of life of rural youth. It advocates for culture-based pedagogy, location-based interventions, and multi-sectional participation for the youth to be empowered and involved in a rural society [ 39 ]. Education of youth in rural areas give them the ability to overcome the challenges they encounter and contribute to community development in the long run. When education is participatory and design-infused with local contexts, it becomes a powerful tool in developing active citizenship and community involvement as the outcomes have already proved in the rural areas [ 40 ]. Education is the catalyst of integration and development and this is the foundation of collective prosperity and long-term progress. The effect of education on the community engagement in rural areas is crucial as it can help empower the youth, create local leaders and promote a culture of active participation hence revitalizing and strengthening the local communities [ 41 ].

  • H4: Education significantly influences community engagement

Education is an important factor that influences positive youth development through knowledge acquisition, skills development, and personal growth [ 2 ]. Education therefore equips the youth with the intelligence skills, problem-solving ability, and endurance which are the building blocks of a positive youth development. The quality education gives youth the chance to discover their passion and chase their dreams which is very critical for their development and general well-being [ 42 ]. Besides all the academic knowledge, youth acquire social and emotional intelligence which allows them to build healthy relations, self-awareness and empathy that are relevant for better development. Education investments not only enhance cognitive development but also have the ability to increase socio-economic mobility, thus driving youth out of poverty cycle and making them succeed in life [ 43 ]. The educational environment is probably the most critical factor in the development of youth belonging, identity formation, and personal agency that are key elements of positive youth development. Educational experiences, formal and informal, which influence the youth attitudes, values and beliefs, are used in the decision-making processes, which, in turn lead to a good development trajectory [ 44 ]. The successful collaboration among teachers, families, and communities builds up the supportive learning environment in which youths discover and develop their qualities, interests, and dreams, which leads to holistic positive development. Education serves as a catalyst for personal empowerment, building resilience, chasing goals, and giving back to community and society as a whole. Identifying the multifaceted function of education in the formation of young lives calls for comprehensive strategies that are integrative in nature in order to ensure positive youth development in the rural areas [ 45 ].

  • H5: Education significantly influences positive youth development

2.1.4. Community engagement.

Community engagement plays a vital role in building positive youth development through its supportive platform that helps in creating a sense of belonging and offering chances for meaningful involvement. The participation of young people in community activities, like volunteering, mentoring and civic engagement, positively correlates with youth development outcomes, e.g., better academic performance, improved social skills, and higher self-esteem [ 46 ]. In rural areas, which often involve resource scarcity, the role of community engagement is more critical in dealing with isolation and economic discrepancies, as it gives youth an opportunity to be empowered both personally and collectively. Youth are not just beneficiaries of the community engagement initiatives but also proactive young people who are actively involved in the development of their communities and at the same time are developing essential life skills, for instance, leadership, teamwork and problem solving [ 47 ]. The integration of social work, psychology, and education in the promotion of community engagement activities are the foundation of a synergistic approach as it multiplies the impact in positive youth development through the addressing of the multifaceted issues and the promotion of holistic development. The youth who willingly involve themselves in community activities are more likely to emerge as resilient, responsible, and with a sense of purpose even into their adulthood. Community engagement initiatives serve as platforms for youth to explore their interests, develop skills and discover their passions in a safe environment [ 48 ]. The process boosts the confidence of the youth and prepares them for the challenges ahead as they strive to achieve their goals. Youth should be given a chance to be involved as a decision-makers in the community decision-making processes so that their voices are heard and also cultivates a sense of ownership and responsibility that makes a culture of inclusion and social justice in the rural communities [ 49 ].

  • H6: Community engagement significantly influences positive youth development

2.1.5. Community engagement as a mediator.

Community engagement represents a crucial link between social work and positive youth development within rural environments. Social work interventions attain more traction in community-based programs through active involvement and community engagement, in turn facilitating a condition where youth progress organically and subsequently this stresses the essentiality of community engagement as a mediator [ 50 ]. The inclusion of community engagement tactics into social work practices shows the practitioners’ capability to cultivate a sense of ownership and participation of the local stakeholders that will lead to collaborative activities, which eventually results into rural area youth development. Community engagement allows for social work professionals to explore the community’s special traits and resources. This contributes to the success of the interventions and, in the long run leads to development of positive youth trajectories [ 51 ]. In the symbiotic relationship between social work and positive youth development, engagement of the community becomes a critical mediator that enables the exchange of knowledge, resource, and support systems needed for holistic growth and resilience development in rural youth.

  • H7: Community engagement mediates the relationship between social work and positive youth development

Community engagement can help translate psychological principles into concrete approaches that work in rural contexts and are responsive to the unique needs and cultural practices of these communities. Such approaches nurture positive youth development and the sense of belonging and social capital of young people in this environment. The community participation is a bridge that facilitates application of psychological theories in real life situations by making the theories culturally appropriate and contextual in such a way that the interventions are meaningfully impactful and lead to positive youth outcomes [ 52 ]. Community engagement serves as a medium that bridges the experience of psychologists into community-oriented programs that are designed specifically to meet the needs and utilize the potentials of rural youth, thereby creating resilience, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being. Embracing community resources and local intelligence allows engagement campaigns to unlock the distinctive assets of rural settings that nurture protective factors integral for positive youth development, eventually building a resilient future for communities to thrive [ 53 ].

  • H8: Community engagement mediates the relationship between psychology and positive youth development

The inclusion of community stakeholders in education-related activities like mentorship programs, extra-curricular activities, and community services, creates a supportive environment for the rural youth development. The community members’ engagement in educational practices is one of the factors that bring up the feeling of belonging and collective responsibility, providing youth with a wide range of role models, resources, and networks which are valuable to the development of their social, psychological, and mental abilities [ 54 ]. Working together with educational institutions and communities can help in overcoming challenges for developing positive youth that include poor access to resources and or opportunities. Therefore, more equitable paths will be created for rural youth to grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Community engagement serves as the catalyst that ignites the youth to become responsible leaders in their communities [ 55 ]. It develops leadership skills, a feeling of civic duty and ownership over their development trajectories, which is central to the youth’s overall success and wellbeing.

  • H9: Community engagement mediates the relationship between education and positive youth development

3. Methodology

3.1. research design.

The study uses the quantitative method to assess the role played by the integration of social work, psychology, and education in improving the situation of rural youth development in China. A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from a large and varied group of the youth living in rural areas. The study sampled people from different geographical areas and backgrounds to increase representation among the groups.

3.2. Questionnaire development

The structured questionnaire used in this study was developed based on a comprehensive literature review of youth development, social work, psychology, education, and community engagement. The questionnaire development went through several stages. First, an extensive literature search was carried out to identify core factors and the scales used in previous studies pertaining to youth development in rural settings. Drawing on the literature review, an item pool was made of potential items in order to contain the constructs of interest. They try to answer the issues faced by rural youth in China and how they grow into the specific society. The chosen pool of items was checked by the expert review panel consisting of the scholars and the practitioners in social work, psychology, and education fields. The feedback was used to improve the questions that they were easy to understand, meaningful and appropriate. A pilot study was carried out on the small number of adolescents from the rural area to assess the clarity, simplicity and the suitability of the questionnaire items. In the light of the feedback the questionnaire was revised to improve its credibility and reliability. Following expert reviews and pilot testing, the final version of the questionnaire was made and for the main study purposes.

3.3. Sampling strategy

The process of collecting data took a multi-staged approach to ensure fair and proper representation of the rural youth in China This approach involved two distinct stages: purposive sampling and then convenience sampling. The purposive sampling was applied for the initial recruitment of participants from a variety of rural communities in different Chinese regions. The researchers established the purposive sampling technique which enabled them to focus on specific population groups that fell within defined congruent elements such as age range, geographical location and socioeconomic status. This step was therefore aimed at portraying the variety of opinion and life experience of rural youth. Convenience sampling was used as the next step in gathering data. In this stage, the recruitment of more volunteers from the list of shortlisted rural communities was carried out depending on their accessibility and availability. The convenience sampling proved to be the solution to the problem of a large number of people not available for the study purpose. Therefore, a convenience sampling technique was applied in order to supplement the initial purposive sampling approach.

3.4. Data collection

The trained research assistants reached out to potential participants in the selected rural communities and furnished them with information on the study objectives, procedures, and voluntary nature of participation. Informed consent from each participant was obtained before they filled the questionnaire. The participants were guaranteed of the confidentiality and anonymity of their answers. They were given the choice to complete the questionnaire either in paper form or electronically, to suit their preference and based on their access to technology.

3.5. Participants

The total study participants were 350 young people aged between 15 and 24 from different rural areas of China. If we talk about age of the respondents, 20% of the respondents were 15–17 years old and 30% was 18–20 years. The remaining 50% belonged to the age group of 21–24 years. Gender of the respondents is explained as 60% males and 40% females. In response to educational background, 30% of the respondents were school students, and 15% of them finished primary education; the remaining 40% of them completed secondary education. 10% among them were college/university students while 5% were not attending any educational institutions for the time being. The respondents were fairly distributed across the different regions in China with the north having 20% of the total, the south having 30%, the east having 25% and the west having 25% as well. About 50% of the respondents came from families with a low socio-economic class while 25% belonging to the middle socio-economic class. Families with a high socio-economic status represented 25% of the respondents. In response to socio-economic status of the respondents, 35% were engaged in agricultural labor, 25% were part of non-agricultural labor, 30% were students, while only 10% were unemployed. According to the family structure of the respondents, 40% were from nuclear families, 35% of them belonged to extended families, 15% were from single-parent household, and 8% were either orphans or under the care of relatives. Only 2% said they lived with other family structures.

3.6. Data analysis

The structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques were used to analyze the collected data with the software IBM SPSS AMOS. Through SEM, it is possible to investigate the deep connections among interacting factors and test theoretical models [ 56 ]. The study examined the effects of community engagement and positive youth development through the interconnected roles of social work, psychology, and education, with community engagement being the possible mediator factor.

4. Findings

The measurement model was employed to evaluate the study items’ reliability and validity. The hypotheses were tested by the structural model.

4.1. Measurement model

The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was applied in AMOS to assess the measurement model. Table 2 shows that all the factor loadings are higher than the cut-off value of 0.6 [ 57 ]. CMIN/DF, CFI, NFI, GFI, RMR, SRMR and RMSEA were computed to assess the model fitness. The values for these indices were found to be within the accepted range [ 58 , 59 ]. All CFA fit indices are demonstrated in Table 1 . This measurement model is illustrated in the Fig 2 .

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309989.g002

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309989.t001

4.1.1. Reliability.

The reliability of constructs was evaluated using the Cronbach’s alpha (α) and composite reliability (CR). Table 2 shows that the Cronbach’s alpha of all the research constructs is higher than the recommended 0.70 threshold illustrated by Nunnally & Bernstein [ 60 ]. Composite reliability (CR) values that ranges from 0.834 to 0.924 are higher than the standard value of 0.70 [ 61 ]. That’s why they are viewed as reliable and appropriate indicators for the intended constructs.

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309989.t002

4.1.2. Convergent and discriminant validity.

AVE (average variance extracted) criterion was employed to measure the convergent validity of the scale items. Table 2 displays the AVE values of the constructs, and all exceed the 0.50 criterion [ 62 ]. Therefore, these findings confirm convergent validity. The Fornell-Larcker Criterion (FLC) [ 62 ] and the Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio (HTMT) (Henseler et al. [ 63 ] were used to test the discriminant validity. The outcome of FLC provided evidence that the model was designed for all constructs. The discussion started by Fornell and Larcker criterion critics eventually paved the way for the rise of the reliance on the HTMT. The results demonstrated that the all the HTMT values were under the acceptable range of 0.90 [ 64 ]. Table 3 presents a HTMT matrix.

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309989.t003

4.2. Structural model

The study hypotheses were examined with AMOS structural model. Hair et al. [ 61 ] argues that CMIN/DF, CFI, NFI, GFI, RMR, SRMR and RMSEA should stay in the satisfactory level by means of its structural model. The numerical for the parameter metrics was within range of those recommended as shown in Table 4 . The R 2 value was 0.51 for community engagement and 0.63 for positive youth development.

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309989.t004

The structural model was used for the hypotheses testing. Table 5 shows that there is positive association between social work and community engagement (β = 0.563, t = 13.731, p < 0.001), as well as between social work and positive youth development (β = 0.631, t = 5.214, p < 0.001), therefore, H1 and H2 are accepted. This research established a significant positive relationship between psychology and community engagement (β = 0.524, t = 12.780, p < 0.001), thus, H3 was supported. The results of the study demonstrate that education is a significant factor of community engagement (β = 0.476, t = 4.033, p< 0.001); hence, H4 was confirmed. The findings of the study indicate that education significantly influences positive youth development (β = 0.341, t = 7.577, p < 0.001), therefore, H5 was supported. Further, the result indicates that community engagement has a significant impact on positive youth development (β = 0.385, t = 3.235, p < 0.001), thus H6 was accepted.

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309989.t005

The finding also shows that community engagement is an important mediating variable between social work and positive youth development (β = 0.216; p<0.05), psychology and positive youth development (β = 0.201; p<0.05), education and positive youth development (β = 0.183; p<0.05), thus H7, H8, and H9 were accepted. The path coefficient (direct and Indirect effect) is shown in Fig 3 .

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309989.g003

5. Discussion and conclusion

The main objective of the research was to explore the positive youth development in the Chinese rural area by integrating social work, psychology, and education with the community engagement as the mediating variable. The study findings show there is a positive relation between social work and the positive development for the youth of the Chinese rural communities, which proves H1. This implies that young people from rural areas opt either for social work intervention or core principles in order to be involved in the community directly [ 47 ]. Social interventions which may include community projects, support groups, mentoring, and workshops that cater for the rural young people might be envisioned. The results of the study revealed that social work plays a significant role in the development of youth in China, therefore supporting H2. For the betterment of the social and mental health of youth, social work initiatives can bring about such a huge difference by tackling social-economic problems, designing necessary programs, allocating resources effectively, and providing services. This denotes the incorporation of social work strategy in the youth development programs in order to facilitate positive youth results from the rural areas [ 65 ].

The study result shows that psychology is the main driver of community engagement; therefore, H3 is supported. Thus, self-efficacy, motivation, and social identity must be the core factors that can impact the youth of China to take part in societal affairs actively. The psychological interventions of facilitating a positive growth, behavioral cognitive change, and motivation are vital in encouraging community involvement among rural youth [ 66 ]. The findings indicate a strong relationship between education and community engagement among youth in rural China, thus supported H4. This demonstrates the way in which education can influence a person’s thinking patterns, action, and youth involvement in the society. When young people have access to high-quality education, they broaden their knowledge, they acquire new skills, and they develop the courage to be active members of the society [ 67 ]. Social responsibility among Chinese youth can be fostered through educational programs such as civic education, service- learning experiences, and community projects [ 68 ]. This therefore shows the great importance of education in developing civic participation through the process of cultivating responsible citizens.

The results of the study demonstrate that education significantly influences the positive youth development in rural communities of China, thus H5 was accepted. It highlights the fact that education is a transformative force that gives young people power and opportunity for a successful future. Through supply of formal education, vocational training, and life skilling development; educational programs address other vital areas of youth development that include academic performance, occupational readiness, and emotional health [ 69 ]. Investing in educational initiatives which meet the concrete needs of rural Chinese youth is the key for developing their holistic growth and for giving them access to the tools that will help them overcome the challenges that they will have to face. The findings of the study showed that community engagement found to be a strong factor that boosts positive youth development among rural young people in China, therefore H6 was supported. This signifies a positive way in which youth involvement in community activities have impact on their well-being and development. The process of being involved in the community, e.g., through volunteering, civic participation, and leadership, can provide social links, build skills, and strengthen resilience within youth [ 70 ]. Through encompassing active participation of youth in their communities, policymakers and practitioners in China may produce the environments that support youth development and help young people achieve their potential.

The results indicate that community engagement plays a crucial role in the connection between social work and positive youth development in the rural communities of China, thus accepting H7. Social work programs that encourage community participation not only give youngsters avenues to form social relationships, gain new skills, and enhance their community but also facilitate their growth into healthy, well-developed individuals. The findings of the study affirm the hypothesis 8 that community engagement acts as a mediator between psychology and positive youth development in the rural communities of China. Through emotional barriers identification and positive mindset development, psychological interventions promote the attainment of youth development outcomes. The testing of the hypothesis 9 in this study suggested that community engagement mediates the relationship between education and positive youth development in Chinese rural communities. Education provides community engaged programs that connect young people with their knowledge and skills in real-world situations, which enables personal development as well as social growth. The communicating role of community engagement highlights the relevance of educational programs that emphasize active learning, experiential education, and community-based approaches to strengthen holistic youth development in China.

6. Implications

6.1. theoretical implications.

This study has a theoretical contribution of the integrated approach that joins the perspectives of the social work, psychology, and education to promote the wellbeing of the youth. Through this research, the interconnection of the different disciplines is brought to the forefront, underlines the need for interdisciplinary collaboration when dealing with the complex and multi-layered socio-cultural factors that affect youth outcomes in the rural area. The findings imply the theoretical contribution of community engagement in the developmental process as one of the significant factors. Through the mediation role of community engagement, the study presents evidence that social work, psychology, education and the youth development act as major factors that impact the positive youth development. The research expands theoretical frameworks of youth development by highlighting the need for multi-dimensional approach which considers multiple components of mental health, such as social, emotional, and cognitive well-being. Through an analysis of the impact of social work, psychology and education on the favorable youth outcomes, the research broadens theoretical explanations of the processes underlying youth development in the rural context [ 71 ].

6.2. Practical implications

This research provides a practical base for policy makers, educators and practitioners who are involved in designing and implementing youth development programs in the remote regions. The study showcases the efficiency of social work, psychology, and education interventions in boosting community engagement and success of youth, which is vital in developing direct programs tailored for the specific needs of the youth in rural areas. The research contributes to the development of policies in rural areas targeting the well-being and development of youth [ 72 ]. Through the emphasis of the role of social work, psychology, and education in the promotion of community engagement and youth wellbeing, policymakers can therefore focus on giving priority to the programs and services that address the distinct issues of rural youth and at the same time facilitate the integration of these young people into wider socio-economic networks. The findings are a testament to the need of developing capacity-building programs that equip stakeholders working with rural youth with skills, knowledge, and resources they need. Through training and professional development, policymakers and organizations can give practitioners the needed tools to implement evidence-based interventions and to support positive youth outcomes in rural communities.

7. Limitations and future research

This study provides significant understanding about ways of helping youth to succeed in rural areas; however, the limitations exist. The use of convenience sampling and the reliance on subjective self-reported data may reduce the generalizability and may introduce response biases. The cross-sectional design also does not allow for causal inferences. In addition, future research can be based on a more rigorous sampling such as stratified or random sampling, and use longitudinal approach to establish causality. Qualitative studies could provide insights into youth experiences that would be otherwise unavailable. Comparative study from different cultural contexts might clarify the existence of universal or the special nature of the findings. Through the recognition and investigation of these constraints and other similar studies it would contribute to our understanding of the complementary and conflictive relationships that social work, psychology, education, community engagement and positive youth development possess in rural areas.

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  1. How to Write a Positive or Negative Development IELTS Essay

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  4. Positive Negative Development Essay| IELTS writing Task 2: How to answer " @ielts-9

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  1. Positive or Negative Development: IELTS Model Essay

    An IELTS model essay for positive or negative development questions. It is common in IELTS writing task 2 to be asked to choose either something is a positive or negative development/trend. Your task is to answer the question in the introduction and explain your answer in the body paragraphs. These instructions are asking for your opinion so it ...

  2. IELTS Task 2 Question Types: Positive Negative Development

    IELTS Task 2 Question Types: Positive Negative Development. In many countries nowadays, consumers can go to a supermarket and buy food produced all over the world. Do you think this is a positive or negative development? Read my essay here. Nowadays, there is more and more competition for getting into university.

  3. Positive or Negative Development IELTS Model Essay: Structure, Common

    Positive or Negative Development Essay Structure . While the initial prospect of attempting a Positive/Negative Development essay in IELTS Writing Task 2 might appear challenging to some, thorough preparation and strategic study can transform it into a manageable, even achievable, task.

  4. How to Write a Positive or Negative Development IELTS Essay

    Learn how to analyse, plan and write an essay for task 2 of the IELTS writing test when you are asked to decide whether a development is positive or negative. See examples, tips and structures for different approaches and band scores.

  5. Model answers to Negative / Positive Development IELTS essay questions

    Model answers to Negative / Positive Development IELTS essay questions in 2021! Your IELTS task 2 can require you to answer a "negative/positive development" question. You will need to discuss whether something is a positive or negative trend and provide reasons to support your answer. You may also be interested in this tutorial explaining the ...

  6. How to Answer "Positive or Negative Development" IELTS Essay Questions

    Key to success is remembering that there's rarely a purely "positive" or "negative" development. Your essay must acknowledge both sides of the argument while ultimately leaning towards a well-supported stance. Common Question Structures: "Some people believe that [development] is a positive trend, while others argue that it is negative.

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    The failure of build up a network of contacts will have a negative impact on their future career. To summarise, the online courses make universities more accessible and flexible than the past, even though there are still some demerits. I believe that this to be a positive development overall.

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  9. How to Write A Negative or Positive Development Essay

    Conclusion. In conclusion, writing a negative or positive development essay requires careful planning and consideration of the main points. It is crucial to provide a clear thesis statement in the introduction, outlining whether the overall trend presented in the essay is positive or negative. Throughout the body paragraphs, each point should ...

  10. Task Two Model Essay: Positive or Negative

    TASK TWO MODEL ESSAY: POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE. This type of essay question describes a change and asks the test-taker to write about whether the change (development) is good or bad. In this model essay, a strong position in favour of the development is expressed. Usually, it is easier (for this question type) to choose a more definite position.

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    Positive or Negative Development Essay: sample answer 1. Industrialisation has seen a massive uproar in the past few years. Industrialisation came to India in the 1850s, and it was slow at first, but then, in the later years, industries saw a boom on the Indian lands. Let's look at industrialisation's positive and negative aspects on Indian land.

  13. Positive or Negative Development Essay: IELTS Writing Task 2

    There are two writing tasks for the IELTS: Task 1 and Task 2. Task 1, for academic and general training, asks you to describe charts or graphs in around 150 words within 20 minutes. You'll get a topic like "Positive or Negative Development" in Task 2, which takes about 40 minutes, where you'll share it if you agree or disagree.

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    For point 1: Firstly, For point 2: The second positive is that. For point 3: In addition. For point 4: Finally, Step 4: Use connector - like However, On the other hand when the tone changes from Positive to Negative - So beginning of Para 3. Step 5: Use connectors to connect negative points.

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    Instructions. Writing is a creative process and there is no one way to write an essay but you can use these Band 9 IELTS essays to help you develop good writing. Read and complete the essay. Once you have completed, check the answers. Reset the essay to the beginning and see how much and how quickly you can now complete the modal writing.

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    Three different answers are possible: (1) You think it is a positive development. (2) You think it is a negative development. (3) You believe that there are some positives and some negatives. As usual, make your opinion clear in the introduction, support it with good ideas in the main body, and repeat / summarise it in the conclusion.

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