How to Get Ideas For IELTS Writing Topics
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IELTS Writing Topics are extensive, and consistently finding answers for them takes practice. Below I share how I produce an essay, including thinking of ideas, building paragraphs and planning.
Tutorial Contents
How to Get Ideas For Topics
Video of IELTS Essay Topics, answers and getting Ideas
IELTS Essay Topics and Answers: Education
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Globalisation
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Travel and Transport
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Employment
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Gender issues
IELTS Topic and Answer: Education
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Employment (Skills)
IELTS Topic : Gender issues (Career)
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Technology
IELTS Essay Topic and Answer: Health
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Society
Sample IELTS Vocab Ebook
Quick presentation on the Topics and Answers
Soundcloud Playlist
Sometimes you see a question and your mind goes completely blank. This is such a common problem that we have a full chapter in this course dedicated to solving it.
Here is a very brief method I have taught for years that helps solve this exact problem, for the complete tutorial click here.
Make sure your head is full of ideas for every type of question.
Work through lists of task two questions.
Specifically practise making quick essay plans / answers – they need to be made quickly to simulate exam conditions.
If you find you have no idea what to write then research online. For example, imagine you got a question about the environment / climate warming, you go to google and research and read about that exact topic.
Then go back to the question and try making a plan.
Try to simplify the question in your mind, cut through to the minimum – this will make the task clearer. For example this question:
Some people give praise to famous scientists and mathematicians. Others think more highly of literary authors and artists than scientists or mathematicians. Which group of professionals do you regard more highly and why? Include specific details and examples to support your choice.
Could be crudely simplified to:
Who are better? Scientists or authors?
– Yes, this is an oversimplification, but it will get your brain started in the right direction, especially if your mind has gone blank.
Recent IELTS exam questions with answers
A full and comprehensive archive of recent IELTS exam questions with answers can be found in the comments section below.
IELTS writing task 2 structure
Structure is quite essential when writing a fully relevant and well formatted essay. In the IELTS they are especially looking for how coherent your essay is, see how you can better structure yours for success.
Vocabulary for IELTS writing task 2 band 8
Achieving a band 8 score in the IELTS is not impossible, it just needs preparation and a variation of vocabulary to help showcase your English skills. We have compiled a list of helpful vocabulary you might want to incorporate to your own.
IELTS writing task 2 introduction phrases
Introducing your essay is the first way to grab and hold the attention and good impression of the marker. Take a look at some introduction phrases here : https://www.ieltspodcast.com/ielts-writing-task/general-task-2/how-to-start-your-essay/
IELTS General Writing Essay Topics can be found here.
Common IELTS Writing Task 2 Topics (List) Below is a list of the most common IELTS essay topics for Task 2 questions. Click the topic to get a sample essay, vocabulary list, and a Ted Talk video (to help learn the vocabulary in context). You can also find an indepth tutorial about IELTS vocabulary and lexical resource here.
Sport
Employment
Law
Health
Technology
Politics
Education
Language and culture
Crime
Environment
IELTS Essay Topics, Answers and Ideas TECHNOLOGY
Some people think that robots are important for human’s future development. Others think that robots have negative effects on society. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
IDEAS: Definitely important, true, big advances, productivity, intelligence, machine learning, artificial intelligence, etc
Can have negative effects –
Unemployment – automation – loss of jobs – safe nets need to be in place – welfare system etc
Even death of citizens – Tesla accident autonomous driving –
Conc: there are too many advantages to ignore, we cannot forego these advances however more precaution and govt. Legislation could be wise.
SOCIETY
Some people think that new houses should be built in the same style as older houses in the local area. Others disagree and say that local authorities should allow people to build houses in the styles of their own choice. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Yes, should be in the same style, keeps property values higher, uniformity, conformity, and cohesion –
EG certain villages in prosperous parts of England such as Cheshire, The Cotswolds, and Howarth have extreme rules because the areas have immense cultural heritage. To place a modern MacDonald’s style restaurant in one of these areas would be tantamount to architectural vandalism.
-Great idea! Innovates an area, introduces new flavours, styles and ideas into stale and old areas. Your house can reflect your personality. You can make it more environmentally friendly. You can install technical innovations. Solar panels, or even solar cells in roof tiles, available from Elon Musk’s company.
Conc: both are viable and fair, the caveat is that the law should be clear from the beginning and be permanent – changing it would be extremely unfair.
SPORTS
Some people spend a lot of money attending cultural or sports events. Is it a good or a bad thing? Give your opinion and examples from your own experience.
INTRO
BODY PARAGRAPH 1
Definitely a good development, gives something for people to aspire to. It also most likely begets higher revenues for the performers and promoters, which should ultimately lead to a even more events. This undoubtedly leads to greater monetary and cultural wealth for a society. Take for example the English Premier League (EPL), this entertainment spectacle has brought considerable wealth into cities such as Manchester, Liverpool and London. Higher ticket prices lead to better wages for football stars, which lead to more quality players wanting to play in the EPL, leading to a considerable increase in high net-worth individuals residing in these cities. There has undoubtedly been a positive self-fulfilling cycle of improvement and quality, fuelled by increasing prices. Furthermore high prices will most likely mean higher tax revenues for the government, this is definitely beneficial for society.
P2 – Same, but apply to a cultural event – ballet – opera???
Video of IELTS Essay Topics, Answers and Getting Ideas
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How To Get Ideas And Plan Your Essays
What we’re going to do is look at about 5 or 6 IELTS Task 2 questions.
And together we’re going to work through what we’re going to write for each paragraph.
I’m going to be quite quick but I just want to show you the process I use for when I’m writing my essays.
And I do write a lot of essays ’cause I find out
the more I write, the easier it gets (logically).
And of course being a native speaker, I don’t have to check it.
Although, I will admit
my spelling isn’t fantastic.
However, I got Microsoft Word and stuff like that for some of the other problems (usually the vowels and stuff).
But anyway, let’s get going.
First of all, good luck to Shuko and Hamilian.
The 2 online students that are gonna take the test.
I’ve been working with them trying to get ideas working on the speaking,
get ideas for essays,
working on their grammar,
and I’m pretty certain they’re going to do it.
So we’ll see. I’ll let you know how it goes.
But I’m pretty certain they can do it.
They’ve been working quite hard (especially Shuko… she never stop sending me essays).
But it’s good.
Let’s get started.
So I’ve decided to take question from about 3 or 4 subjects.
Globalization
Education
and Equality.
Let’s get started.
First question:
“Do you think it is better for students to work before the university study?”
“Why”
“Use reasons and specific examples to support your choice.”
Now then…
For this essay, I decided “Yes, it is better.”
For the 1st paragraph I said:
“The student would get practical experience,”
“they get contacts,”
“they get on-the-job skills.”
That’s very good collocation to use “on-the-job skills.”
And then to prove my point, I give an example and I say,
“Studies from the UK Government show that graduates with work experience are twice as likely to find employment.”
So it’s quite believable, that example.
And of course, these are just rough ideas but it’s a solid idea.
And I’m going to say “yes” from beginning to the end.
I’m not going to write a discussive essay because there’s no need to.
I agree totally with what the question says.
Then for question 2, once again “yes.” A second reason.
So I’ll say, “Can you continue the first argument?”
I’ll say, “It’s better preparation, chance to improve social skills, close the gap between academia and the private sector…”
Also more collocations there: “social skills,” and “private sector.”
“It also helps the student to commit…”
“It also helps the student before they commit to a long term plan.”
So it helps them decide. Then for my example, I said:
“One out of six students will change their higher education course while at university.”
If you actually look at the presentation on a slideshow or on the video on YouTube,
You’ll see that the notes, they’re not full sentences. It’s just a few bullet points, random ideas, all put together.
And I’ve used the shortened version (I didn’t say “university” I just put “uni”).
‘Cause at this stage, my grammar doesn’t have to be perfect.
The spelling doesn’t have to be perfect.
I’m just getting ideas and building the essay.
In this podcast, we’re just going to look at paragraph 1 and paragraph 2.
‘Cause introductions and conclusions can be written after you’ve got your main ideas for your body paragraphs.
… And that’s where you pick up most points.
Next question… Also related to education…
“Some people believe that children should do organized activities in their free time while others believe that children should be free to do what they want to do in their free time.”
Not the best written question there but anyway…
“Which viewpoint do you agree with?”
“Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.”
Let’s go.
Quickly, I’m writing down ideas. I’m going to say:
“There’s lots of benefits in letting the mind wonder.”
“Children can express themselves.”
“They can find themselves.”
“They can do what they prefer and excel at.”
Like I said, ideas. Ideas. Just getting them down. Maybe I’ll use 2 of these in the actual body paragraph.
Then I’ve got an example… or a believable example
(I invented this but it doesn’t matter.)
(I invented this but it’s believable.)
“Recent studies show 12% of school students dislike physical education, therefore if sports were chosen it be unfair to this minority.”
Yeah? That’s believable. That’s believable. It’s about 12%.
I remember at school, there’s a few that didn’t’ like sports, so it’s believable.
I’m not saying, “99% or all students hate physical activity” because that would just be insanely inaccurate.
And also, notice the vocabulary I used.
I’ve used the collocations of course, “physical education”
but I also used, “dislike” I didn’t say “hate” or “absolutely disgust” because that is very strong language.
And this is an academic essay so we have to limit it a little bit.
We cannot be so absolute.
Now, my second paragraph focuses on the cost and what would be necessary.
Basically, the disadvantages.
And so I’m saying that:
“It’d be costly for the school.”
“They might need time to plan it.”
“They might need to buy possible equipment.”
And then for my example, I would say:
“Furthermore studies show that the brain operates better after a distraction from a structured task such as studying.”
Then finish the sentence with “Therefore recreational time from the students’ schedule would have detrimental effects.”
Also, not the more specific vocabulary.
I’m talking about “schedule”
“recreational times”
This is good vocabulary because it’s vocabulary only related to education or specially related to education.
So it shows the examiner I’ve got rich vocabulary.
Next question.
“Many people say that globalization and the growing number of multinational companies have a negative effect on the environment.”
“to what extent to you agree or disagree.”
“Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.”
So what’s the crooks of the question?
“That globalization and multinational companies are damaging the environment. Having a negative effect.”
So first: Globalization, definitely damaging the environment.
I could be long. I could give a long and complex, more accurate answer saying that:
“Globalization is increasing the cost of world economic resources which is therefore increasing the price of substitute products (or rival products) such as ecological energy from wind farms… blah, blah, blah…”
But the examiner doesn’t care. Yeah?
He wants to see just something logical.
So I’m just going to take simple route.
Something that’s going to be easy to explain and where I’ve got some good vocabulary.
Let’s go. This is my idea:
“Increased interaction between countries”
“Leads to increase goods and services traded”
“Which means more production”
“Therefore more resource extraction” (such as mining)…
Maybe I’ll remove that in my final sentence ’cause then I could just talk about the example, which would be:
“For example, in China (largely considered the workshop of the world), in many cities air pollution masks are needed to commute around the city center.”
So therefore, I’ve proved my point. I said that globalization is damaging the environment.
Quite simple.
Believable example.
And it’s easy to follow.
Next, I have to go back to the question ’cause I wanted to check.
The 2nd point was about multinationals.
Once again, I’ve taken the simple route. It says,
“Multinationals are responsible for negative effects in the environment.”
It’s quite a big statement to say that. But I’m just gonna say “yes.”
I’m just going to say “yes” because it’s simple.
I’m getting points for my language, not for the quality of my ideas.
So I will say,
“Yes, multinationals do increase pollution.”
“Globalization requires global solutions (these can have drastic consequences if accidents happen).”
Of course I’m going to expand it a little bit but that’s the main part of my argument.
It says, “A negative effect in the environment” in the question.
Here, I’ve put “increased pollution” more or less is saying.”
I’ve put “destroyed the local ecosystem” in my example.
In my example, I talk about:
BP
The Gulf of Mexico
The oil pill (a few years ago)
… destroyed the local system.
It proves my point.
And if you’ve caught them before, I said “drastic consequences” just another collocation there.
Once again, get in a solid plan together,
put in down the points,
thinking of an example that will correspond,
then I’ve got 2 solid paragraphs.
Now, all I have to do is my conclusion and my introduction.
Which I can draw from the body paragraphs.
Next question:
“Parents want to achieve balance between family career but only a few manage to achieve it.”
“What do you think is the reason?”
“Discuss possible solutions and provide examples.”
Now, we’ve got the problem and a possible solution.
So the first paragraph will be what is the reason why there is a challenge trying to find the balance between family and career.
My second paragraph, I will suggest solutions.
This is very important.
I’ve paid attention to the question and each paragraph will correspond
to the question,
to the parts of the question,
structures of the question,
and therefore I’m going to pick up points for Task Response.
Let’s have a look.
“The first reason why there is an imbalance…”
Notice as well, I used the negative form of the verb.
It says, “It’s difficult to achieve a balance,” so I said, “The reason for the imbalance…”
“… is because there’s increased competition in the work place,”
“changes in society,”
“increase in the amount of working mothers put strain on the family…”
As you can see, I’ve got quite a few points here. So I might cut them down and only use the ones most relevant to my example.
And my example (once again) is completely invented but it’s believable. Here it is:
“Studies in the United States (US) show that families with two full-time parents are more likely to separate.”
“Therefore, this shows that finding the balance is incredibly difficult.”
This is the reason. This is what I think.
They’re more likely to separate. Full time, lots of stress, it’s going to be difficult.
Paragraph two, possible solutions.
Possible solutions. Here, I’ve just gone for something that fitted…
I came with my example first, and then I thought “Okay, I can go with this route.”
First I thought of France having a 35-hour working week.
(Which is quite outrageous if you’re coming from the UK and from the United States to even do this.)
(Due to the culture that we have there in the UK).
So the solution would be:
Regulations from the government.
Government could legislate for increasing maternity leave.
More flexible working practices.
Reduced working week.
For example, “In France, the government proposed and implemented a 35-hour working week.”
Also, lot of collocations there.
“maternity leave”
“flexible working practices”
“working week”
Use these. Once you get in special vocabulary that you’re only going to find talking about this topic.
So we’ve done a few questions about globalization, also touching on the environment.
We’ve done a few about education.
Now, we’re going to do one about… Well, another one about equality.
Let’s go.
“Nowadays both men and women spend a lot of money on beauty care. This was not so in the past.”
“What may be the root cause of this behavior?”
“Discuss the reasons and possible results.”
Now this one was tricky.
This one was tricky for me because it’s difficult to find the examples about this.
Especially for 2 paragraphs.
Okay, it wasn’t difficult. It was a bit more of a challenge and I have to think more.
But it’s important that you do the thinking process beforehand.
So let’s have a look at paragraph 1.
Before I tell you the answers, try and think of some ideas yourself.
The more times you do this,
the more times you look at a question
and think of examples,
think of ideas,
think of arguments,
the easier it gets.
Especially regarding the examples.
Especially if you invented the examples.
So my idea was basically marketing.
I’ll give you the question again:
“Nowadays both men and women spend a lot of money on beauty care. This was not so in the past.”
“What may be the root cause of this behavior?”
“Discuss the reasons and possible results.”
My idea for paragraph 1:
Marketing.
For this, it’s quite easy to think of examples ’cause we are exposed to publicity everyday.
So it’s not that difficult.
“The beauty market for women is worth millions, consumer goods companies see similar potential for the male market.”
Once again, just bullet points.
“Therefore developing new ranges, e.g. L’Oreal for Men Expert.”
“Therefore the reason is the potential opportunity.”
Okay?
“The female market for women is worth millions.”
“The male market isn’t developed.”
“Therefore developing the male market and we’ve practically doubled our sales.”
So let’s have a look at some of the collocations.
“consumer goods companies”
And I can even say, “Consumer goods companies such as L’Oreal, Proctor and Gamble, Johnson and Johnson…”
“see the potential for male market”
For example, L’Oreal developed an expert.
And that’s fine.
That’s fine.
If I put up all these ideas together in one cohesive paragraph…
And if you need to know how to write a cohesive paragraph, have a look at the sentence guide at
ieltspodcast.com
Because that gives you just a really simple formula to use to drop your ideas in and presto.
You have a strong, coherent paragraph.
Let’s go.
Next paragraph.
This one was a little bit more difficult to think of.
Because I was going a bit off topic.
I was going to talk about people are now caring for themselves more.
They started to eat more organic food.
And then I thought, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop. Stop. That’s a crazy idea.”
“There’s nothing to do with organic food.”
So what I did was just crossed it all out,
went back to the beginning,
and I said:
“It’s difficult to say the results of this because it’s earlier.”
I went back to the question. The second part was:
Discuss the reasons and possible results.
Well, the results are that it’s difficult to say because it’s early. It’s early days.
And then I say:
“However the general trend is in this direction.”
For example:
“Deodorant was considered unnecessary before the 1950s.”
“Therefore the market will probably grow and will be completely normal in the future.”
I didn’t have to say reasons to this or stuff like that.
Because it’s kind of clear.
Deodorant wasn’t a product available in the 1950s/before the 1950s.
However the consumer goods companies slowly introduced it in the society.
So maybe if you’re from a different country, you’d think of an example.
Maybe it’s happening at the moment in certain countries. You know?
10 years ago, there was no market for moisturizer in the country.
Now, the local market is the 2nd biggest in the world.
Blah, blah, blah. Something like that.
Now, to get the skill of thinking of ideas and building paragraphs, all you can do is go to
ieltspodcast.com/250
Download 250 IELTS Task 2 questions,
20 IELTS essays.
And if you’re still having problems, if you want to develop it further you can go to
ieltspodcast.com
and have a look at the sentence guide.
I’ve been having lots of success with that. It’s making the whole process a lot easier.
So definitely consider that.
And if you’ve got any questions, just send us an email and I’ll be happy to respond.
I’ll be happy to help you out.
Ok, good luck in the exam.
It’s just a question of work. I think you can do it.
Alright? Keep on it.
Keep going.
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Education Do you think it is better for students to work before their university study? Why? Use reasons and specific examples to support your choice.
MY ANSWER: YES! – One position, easier to write, easier to read.
PARAGRAPH 1
Practical experience, contacts, on the job skills. EG: Studies from the UK Government show graduates with work experience are twice as likely to find employment…..
PARAGRAPH 2
Better preparation, chance to improve social skills, close the gap between academia and private sector, helps student decide on future before committing long term, EG 1/6 students will change their higher education course while at uni….
Many people believe that it’s better to learn something in a group rather than individually. Do you agree or disagree?
Paragraph 1
Agree – learning in group has many advantages
Elements of teamwork can be adopted
Group can utilize each person’s skill expertise
Paragraph 2
Disagree – Individualism is better
Self reliant, own the result, not dependant on others
More mature way, more responsible
No laggards
For the full podcast, click here
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Education (child) Some people believe that children should do organised activities in their free time while others believe that children should be free to do what they want to do in their free time. Which viewpoint do you agree with? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
MY ANSWER: CHILDREN FREE TO CHOOSE PARAGRAPH 1 -In favour of letting them choose.
-benefits letting the mind wonder, children can express themselves, find themselves, do what they prefer and excel… etc etc
-EG Recent studies show 12% of school students dislike physical education, therefore if sports were chosen it would be unfair to this minority.
PARAGRAPH 2 -Reasons against “organised activities”
Organising activities is:
-costly for the school
-need time to plan
-possible ‘equipment’ to purchase
-furthermore studies show that the brain operates better after a distraction from a structured task such as studying.
Some people think that schools should select students according to their academic abilities. Others believe that it is better to have students with different abilities study together. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Ideas for body paragraph 1
– should select students on their academic ability – GOOD IDEA BECAUSE
– Same speed for the whole class…
– Can go as fast as possible …
– Selecting on their academic ability is clearly a much fairer option. For example IF a student has behaved badly the entire year, and subsequently got lower grades, why should that student be placed in a class with hard working dedicated students.
– FURTHERMORE Studies show that schools who make classes based on ability have much statistically higher levels of student satisfaction.
Ideas for body paragraph 2
– different abilities studying together – BAD IDEA because
– Terrible idea. Language learning, different ability some students are bored, others are severely challenged and can give up.
– For example a report into a traditional classroom language environment showed…
– Much better to choose specialist online courses, where the student works at their own speed.
Conclusion
– Selecting students based on ability not improve class effectiveness, student happiness, but also increases engagement. Therefore…. It is predicted….
For the full podcast, click here
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Globalisation Many people say that globalisation and the growing number of multinational companies have a negative effect on the environment. Which viewpoint do you agree with? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.
PARAGRAPH 1 -DEFINITELY DAMAGING THE ENVIRONMENT
-Increased interaction between countries
-Increase in goods and services traded -this means more production, therefore more resources. EG China ‘workshop of the world’ – many places air pollution masks needed.PARAGRAPH 2 -MULTINATIONALS / PROBS WITH GLOBALISATION
-YES increase pollution – (this decision taken for simplicity)
-Globalisation requires global solutions -these can have drastic consequences if accidents happen
-EG BP Gulf of Mexico, oil spill, destroyed the local ecosystem…
Scientists believe that in order to protect the environment, people must use less energy in their daily lives. However, most people have not changed the way they live. Why do you think many people have not taken individual action? What could be done to encourage them to take action?
Ideas for body paragraph 1
Not taken individual action because:
– Danger not immediately or directly facing them
– Tragedy of the commons
– Collective problem – easier to shirk responsibility
Ideas for body paragraph 2
What could be done to encourage them to take action?
– Media campaigns by the government
– Tax or financial incentives EG In Tokyo ……
Some believe that is the responsibility of people to take care of the environment. Others say it is the government that should take care of the environment. Discuss both views and state your opinion.
Paragraph 1
People should take care of the environment because:
We are the consumers, we vote with our wallets,
Throw away culture become considerably too prevalent – consumers are causing horrendous damage (pacific garbage patch)
Paragraph 2
Government should take care of the environment because:
They have the power to legislate
Can impose fines and taxes on polluters
Supposed to be guardians of the country, which means collectively they are guardians of the earth… but not true in reality
Conclusion
Both should be doing more!
For the full podcast, click here
Some people say that protecting the environment is the government’s responsibility. Others believe that every individual should be responsible for it. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Ideas for body paragraph 1
– Yes: Government’s responsibility
– Policies govt could do, then country specific example
Ideas for body paragraph 2
– Yes individual responsibility also
– Action individuals could take + examples.
Conclusion
– MY OPINION: Such a mess, such a disastrous state, such a shame, so much so that all parties need to step up and take responsibility for the state of affairs we have landed ourselves in.
For the full podcast, click here
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Travel and Transport In many countries small shops and town centers are going out of business, because people tend to drive to the large out-of-town stores. This results in an increase in car use, and it also means that people without cars have limited access to out-of-town stores. Do you think advantages of such development outweigh its disadvantages?
Ideas for body paragraph 1
The advantages of out of town shopping centres are very limited…
– Slightly cheaper prices – but huge new developments contribute to urban sprawl of cities… This reduces investment in city centres … which are more much more than just places for shopping EG Vienna regularly has art exhibitions in the city centre…
Ideas for body paragraph 2
– For example: those without transport are disenfranchised
– Traffic on the roads
– ALSO (MAIN POINT) -Some might argue they create jobs .. but really it is probably just shifting employment from one area to the other…
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Employment Parents want to achieve balance between family and career but only a few manage to achieve it.
What do you think is the reason?
Discuss possible solutions and provide examples.
PARAGRAPH 1 – The reason for imbalance
-Reason is work life balance, increased competition in the workplace, changes in society, increase in the amount of working mothers puts strain on the family, EG Studies in the US show that families with two full-time parents are more likely to separate. -therefore this shows that finding the balance is incredibly difficult.
PARAGRAPH 2 – Possible Solutions?
-Regulations from government, increasing maternity leave, more flexible working practices, reduced working week, EG France had a 35 hour working week…
Some people believe that employees should stay in the same job for the rest of their lives. Others think they should switch jobs at least once during their career. To what extent do you agree / disagree?
Click here for the Band 6.5 – 7 essay graded by an EX-IELTS examiner (from our team of essay correctors!).
IELTS Essay Topics, Answer and Ideas: Gender issues Nowadays both men and women spend a lot of money on beauty care. This was not so in the past.
What may be the root cause of this behaviour?
Discuss the reasons and possible results.
IELTS Writing Essay Structure:
INTRO
PARAGRAPH 1 -Marketing.
Beauty market for women is worth millions, consumer goods companies see similar potential for the male market.
Therefore developing new ranges, e.g. Loreal for Men Expert.
Therefore main reason is the potential opportunity.
PARAGRAPH 2 -Results?
-Difficult to say the results because it is still early, however general trend is in this direction,
–Deodorant was considered unnecessary before the 1950s.
-Market will probably grow and it will be completely normal in the future.
CONCLUSION
Some people think that men are naturally more competitive than women. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Paragraph 1
Agree – Men are more competitive
Look at sporting fans, globally most are male
A lot of sports historically only men participate: F1, Boxing, MMA, etc.
Psychological drivers of men include: dominance, control
Paragraph 2
Agree – Men are more competitive
Although it is difficult to say without sounding sexist
Is it nature or nurture – difficult to say
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IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Education (Student Reward) Students perform better in school when they are rewarded rather than punished.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
IELTS Writing Essay Structure:
INTRO: Paraphrase question and state your side / argument.
IDEA / PARAGRAPH 1: they perform better in schools -definitely better
Types of reward – certificate, recognition, positive reinforcement,
Studies show children are sensitive and easily influenced when younger, therefore positive environment probably better…
IDEA / PARAGRAPH 2: they perform better when punished – works but too harsh for childhood
Possibly does work, but it’s old fashioned, potentially dangerous – could discourage a student for life
CONCLUSION
Positive better and more more modern.
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Employment (Skills) In today’s very competitive world, a worker has to possess multiple skills to succeed.
Among the skills that a worker should possess, which skill do you think is more important, social skills or good qualifications?
Explain the reasons and provide specific examples to support your answer.
IELTS Writing Essay Structure:
INTRO: Paraphrase question and state your side / argument.
PARAGRAPH IDEA 1:
Social skills more important – no man is an island – idiomatic expression correctly used i.e in context
We need people around us –
Lacking social skills could seriously disrupt, demotivate and damage a team. – big list of great vocab for Lexical Resource score there.
PARAGRAPH IDEA 2:
Good qualifications, certificates very useful, extremely useful in certain fields such as medical, but in general, less technical areas, social skills triumph – less common vocabulary “triumph”
CONCLUSION
Consider both, but give more weight to sociability.
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Employment (Business) Do you think businesses should hire employees who will spend their entire lives working for the company?
Explain why do you agree or disagree.
Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
IELTS Writing Essay Structure:
INTRO: Paraphrase question and state your side / argument.
PARAGRAPH IDEA 1:
Very bad idea to have life time permanence- almost zero incentive to improve,
Not fair to employee because the company may pledge allegiance to the company but then the company relocates to Asia. Horrible.
PARAGRAPH IDEA 2:
The employee may become a burden for the company. Employee may become a cost that damages the company, lots of companies suffer because contractual arrangements made in boom times.
British Airways is a perfect example of expensive pension contracts made, only for the entire industry to change and render the contracts a massive headache.
CONCLUSION
Freedom should be given for employees to “cherry pick” their career destiny.
Cherry Pick your Best Ideas
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Gender issues (Career) Some people think women should be given equal chances to work and excel in their careers.
Others believe that a woman’s role should be limited to taking care of the house and children.
Which opinion do you agree with and why? Include specific details and examples to support your choice
PARAGRAPH IDEA 1:
Women should of course be given equal rights to perform to the best of their ability (good collocation) in the market place
Generous provisions and allowances should be made into law to encourage this behaviour and allow females to also fairly take time out from the career ladder to pursue a family.
PARAGRAPH IDEA 2: another good reason why I think the first point:
Making legal structures to facilitate this transition would not only help to improve the worker’s happiness and wellbeing but also improve the health of society as a whole.
Japan has a rather bleak future due to the low fertility rate, perhaps this kind of future could be avoided with more generous legislation.
Conclusion
Definitely should pursue a career and definitely fulfil the traditional family role also. Government should help make both objectives possible.
IELTS Essay Topics and Answer: Technology Do you think that technological advancement has brought more harm than good?
Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
What technologies did you use to help you in your studies? Describe how it has helped you. Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
With the latest technological advancements, dating is now possible online. Would you recommend online dating for your single friends? What are the advantages and disadvantages of online dating? Site some examples to support your answer.
In the developed world, technological progress is increasing. What problems will this cause for individuals and society? Suggest some measures that could be taken to reduce the impact of radical technological advancements.
At the present time, artificial intelligence of some technologies is advancing rapidly, especially in the driving sector. Do the advantages of this situation outweigh the disadvantages?
Films and computer games which contain violence are very popular. Some people believe they have a negative effect on society and so should be banned. Other people, however, say they are just harmless and help people to relax. Discuss both these points of view and give your own opinion.
Ideas for body paragraph 1
Some people believe they have a negative effect on society and so should be banned.
– No strong scientific study
– Present globally but clearly only the US has issues regarding gun violence.
– Banning usually has the direct opposite of its intentions
Ideas for body paragraph 2
…harmless and help people to relax.
– Playing with toy guns never seemed to be a problem, these are a modern interpretation of toy guns
– With every new development of a generation the older generation is usually worried… EG This happened with the Beatles, with heavy metal and Us hip hop..
These days, mobile phones and the internet are very important to the ways in which people relate to one another socially. Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?
Paragraph 1
It is more advantageous to relate socially to others via the phone
Possible to give more frequent contact and support
Possible to find others similar to you, useful for those with obscure or specialist interests
Paragraph 2
Disadvantages
Cyber bullying is becoming a realty
Teenagers becoming addicted to phones, even labeled screenagers
Phenomenon called instagram realty which shows the real life pictures without the filters… .
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Some people are fond of buying new gadgets, phones, or laptops. Is this a good or bad thing? Discuss your opinion.
I can write it’s an entirely bad thing, or I can write it’s an entirely good thing.
Ideas for body paragraph 1
– Good: New tech, drive innovation, tech development, job creation etc.
– Example: new investment in tech to stay competitive – Sony – manufactures new chip plant in Korea for PlayStation 5.
Ideas for body paragraph 2
– Bad: Consumerism, waste, unnecessary, planned obsolescence
– Example: Research showed searches for the phrase “slow iPhone” peaked a few weeks before the launch of new iPhone models. This is an extremely worrying development because people might be manipulated into buying new gadgets, and finding an exaggerated happiness in their new products.
Conclusion
– Pros and cons: I think in the past it was fantastic, nowadays with the environment in such a dire state consumerism needs to be upgraded somehow.
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Some parents think it is good to have mobile phones for their children, others disagree with it. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Ideas for body paragraph 1
– Agree: Good idea because can stay in contact with parents, safer, can be used for making better enriching a child’s life.
– Example: algebra app, language learning app, … recent studies showed students learned 26% faster when using IELTS Podcast Android app.
Ideas for body paragraph 2
– Phones are bad: Undoubtedly bad detrimental. Teenagers are quickly swiftly becoming screenagers, missing out on physical interactions and games.
– Social media has a negative impact on confidence and contributes to cyber-bullying… and other trends such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). For example ….
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Topic and Answer: Health Many doctors say that people in today’s world do not do enough physical exercise. What do you think are the causes of this?
What solutions are there to this problem?
Ideas for body paragraph 1
Cause of not doing enough physical exercise
– Joke: no natural predators nowadays, nature would have solved this problem,… in the past wild animals would have eliminated those out of shape…. JOKE
– Sedentary lifestyle in the office
– Lack of time for sport in a lot of modern lifestyles (40h / week + commuting etc)
What solutions are there to this problem?
– Media campaigns by the government
– Tax or financial incentives EG In Tokyo ……
Topic and Answer: Society Weddings are more expensive in many countries nowadays when compared to the past. What is the reason behind this? Is this a positive or a negative development?
Paragraph 1
Reason behind this is probably social media
Vapid attempts at self promotion and
“keeping up with the joneses”.
Now it can be really publicised Ideas here need to be organised a little before starting the essay.
Paragraph 2
Definitely a negative development
Although it’s a memorable day and should be cherished – fact is, large amounts of cash are being spent,
Most families have a considerable financial mountain ahead – babies, mortgage, etc
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Nowadays consumer goods have become the most important part of people’s lives. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
Ideas for body paragraph 1
– Advantage: Understandable – a car – can be the most important if you need it for work, family etc Advantages are mobility, freedom, independence…
Ideas for body paragraph 2
– Disadvantage: When you fawn over a new product, it has been said the product owns you rather than you owning the product.
– Example: expensive phone, you are constantly worried about the screen smashing, or leaving it on a table, or in a taxi — the worry associated can be stressful.
Conclusion
– Although it is understandable they are vital components of modern life, it must not be forgotten, that our lives are so much more than consumer durables.
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Some people believe that if people are allowed to work after the age of 60, it will cause some problems. Do you agree or disagree?
Ideas for body paragraph 1
– Yes: lots of problems,
– Sight, attention, technology gap, especially machinery… blue collar work..
– In some countries senior citizens are required by law to retake their driving exam….
Ideas for body paragraph 2
– Disagree: The elderly can be better qualified at the job, more life experience, more insight, more wisdom..
– Pension burden if not allowed to work after 60.
– Example: most western countries have a serious demographic deficit of an ageing workforce. A country simply cannot prosper if all its wealth goes towards a pension.
Conclusion
– For some sectors it should be illegal or at least the worker should be medically tested, but for other jobs, especially white collar work, it should be ok.
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Sample IELTS Vocab Ebook
Quick presentation on the IELTS Essay Topics and Answers
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