IELTS TASK – Band 7-8 TOPIC 1: Some children can learn more efficiently by watching TV Therefore, children should watch TV regularly both in school and at home? Do you agree or disagree? (At least 250 words) Many people have been concerned about the educational effects of television While watching TV can help children study more effectively, I strongly disagree that they should be allowed to watch TV frequently both in school and at home On the one hand, the introduction of the television at home as well as in educational institutes can bring some benefits to the youngsters First, it is not deniable that television has a powerful influence on children’s awareness because of its wide range of interesting and even inspiring programs Especially, keeping education as a parental priority in mind, more and more television channels have targeted children by producing many specific educational programs to help reinforce class work Second, research suggests that spending time on watching television could increase focus and concentration Television with its magical power of mixing various forms of visual images and sounds stimulates school children’s curiosity and creativity so that they can learn more productively On the other hand, I believe that watching television can turn out to be significantly harmful if it is not under appropriate control Without careful supervision, children tend to choose as their favorite TV programs some which are solely designed for entertaining purposes with much violence and inappropriate language Such unsuitable programs might leave a bad impact on their immature brains and contribute to their negative behavior subsequently In addition, TV viewing can take away the time that kids need to develop important social skills through conversation and other activities Moreover, excessive TV watching will probably discourage school children from reading books and other informative material As a result, children’s cognitive and problem solving ability will be affected In conclusion, while it is true that through watching TV, children can gain invaluable informational and educational knowledge, in my opinion, TV viewing time should be restricted and under the supervision of parents and teachers Question 2: Some people think that schools should reward students who show the best academic results, while others believe that it is more important to reward students who show improvements Discuss both views and give your own opinion Some people believe that students with outstanding achievement should be rewarded, while others are in favour of giving rewards to students who demonstrate progress in learning so as to encourage them My view is that we both of these student groups should be praised On the one hand, we should recognize the achievement of gifted students for a number of reasons First, to accomplish good academic performance, even brilliant students might have to invest a lot of time and effort in studying, so a reward will give an acknowledgement of the effort they have made Not being praised for their exceptional performance might demotivate high achievers and slowly but surely they might lose r interest in their studies Second, students who achieve excellent academic outcomes can set good example for other students to follow, and rewards for outstanding achievement may promote learning among all students On the other hand, reward should also be given to low achievers who demonstrate signs of progress because of the effort they have put into their work Immediate encouragement can make students feel more determined to work harder to keep pace with their fellow students Furthermore, students lacking very high achievement are more likely to feel demotivated just because of their lower levels of performance Consequently, when their efforts are valued they may gradually become more confident and inspired to develop their capacity to work towards achieving better results This will have a positive long - term impact on the learning process of weaker students and bring benefits to their learning process In conclusion, in my opinion, encouragement always raises motivation, and, students whether with low or high level of competence, should be awarded for their improvement as well as for excellent academic results Question 3: Some people think that in order to protect the environment, we should reduce air travel Do you agree or disagree? Many people have been increasingly concerned about the harmful effects of the increasing volume air transport I strongly agree that we should reduce air travel in order to safeguard the environment To begin with, the increasing demand for air travel has significantly contributed to environmental damage and global warming Compared to other modes of transport, such as cars or trains, planes account for the highest level of carbon dioxide emissions released to the atmosphere In effect, the huge increase in air pollution, with bad effects on human and animal health, is significantly due to the rapid growth in air transport What is more, exhaust fumes from planes are also the greatest source of greenhouse gases leading to global warming and climate change which are perhaps the greatest threat to life on earth There are those who argue, however, that air travel is essential for global commerce and business people They point out that in such case passengers cannot depend on other means of transport and the benefits of travelling by air are indisputable Nonetheless, it is my belief that such alternatives as teleconferencing can reduce the need for business flights In addition, advocates of the aviation industry claim that a number of measures have been being taken to reduce the amount of carbon emissions by modern aircraft However, the potential for eco-friendly flying looks rather limited because of the huge time, cost and coordinated effort needed to bring it about It is therefore an impractical solution for the immediate and urgent problem of reducing pollution and climate change Taking these points into consideration, I agree that there should be reduction in the use of air traveling if human beings want to avoid destroying the environment in which they live Question 4: Young people are often influenced in their behaviors and situations by others in the same age This is called "peer pressure" Do the disadvantages outweigh the advantages？ It is true that many young people are easily influenced by their peers While I accept that this can sometimes have a positive effect on children, I believe that it is more likely to have a harmful impact On the one hand, the influence from peers can sometimes be beneficial to youngsters First, peer pressure might help young adults reflect on their actions and amend their ways to become a better individual Observing others working hard to achieve their goals will definitely encourage teenagers to put more effort into their own targets For instance, when a teenager knows that his teammates are practising hard to become better basketball players, it will directly affect his own performance Second, peer pressure can provide wider perspectives on the world young people are living in The most efficient way to acquire new knowledge and useful skills is to learn from the peers that they socialize with On the other hand, peer pressure can be a very destructive force Mixing with bad company means that teenagers can be influenced by bad habits such as taking drugs, smoking and drinking Furthermore, peer pressure can discourage adolescents from thinking independently In some cases, they have to think and act like the whole group or they may even have to seek acceptance from their peers before making up their mind Extreme peer pressure may lead youngsters to follow what their peers feel is right, resulting in a loss of independence in thought and behaviour To sum up, I feel that peer pressure has more negative impact, even though it can sometimes be beneficial to the all-round development of an individual Question 5: Some countries have introduced a law to limit working hours for employees Why is this law introduced? Do you think it is a positive or a negative development? It is true that a law to restrict working hours has been established in several countries for some reasons This implementation has affected employers and employees in various ways and in my opinion there are both positive and negative effects The introduction of a law to limit working hours has a range of effects, both beneficial and negative, for employers and employees There are two motives for such legislation: to prevent exploitation and to create more job availability In countries where there is no such law, employees are more open to exploitation, and instead of a normal working day, they may be compelled to physically demanding and dangerous jobs beyond what is reasonable, and with little or even no extra pay Restricting maximum working hours is a way to protect the rights of employees in the workplace Another benefit is the creation of more employment, so providing greater opportunitiesfor more people to get a job Applying such a law can benefit both employees and employers Restriction on working time helps members of staff achieve a better work-life balance For example, they will find time for their regular exercise and for family life if working hours are fixed This can contribute positively to improvement in their physical and mental health When employees have better health, their productivity will increase and hence this may improve the efficiency and profitability of their organization However, the limitation of working time can also have a negative effect on the business With employees working fewer hours, it may be necessary to employ more people in order to remain competitive Increasing the number of employees may affect profitability This could lead employers to reduce pay, which in turn could lead to employee dissatisfaction and turn over In conclusion, it seems to me that while limiting hours of work can create a more encouraging working environment, not all of the outcomes will be positive TOPIC 6: In many countries nowadays, young single people no longer stay with their parents until they are married, but leave to study or work somewhere else Do you think this trend has more advantages or disadvantages? It is common nowadays for the young generation nowadays to leave their families before marriage in order to pursue higher education or their career I would like to argue that the advantages of this trend outweigh its disadvantages On the one hand, there are some drawbacks when adolescents have to live on their own One of the difficulties they might encounter is homesickness, which sometimes discourages them from carrying on their work duties or studying Similarly, the parents who are left behind may feel abandoned and lonely In addition, without the supervision, care and guidance of family members, young people are more likely to form bad habits such as excessive drinking of alcohol or living beyond their means On the other hand, leaving home before getting married is beneficial for financial as well as personal growth First, young people can learn the value of money by earning and spending on their own and dealing with financial problems Second, staying far away from parents will potentially enhance youngsters’ independence and responsibility When being given the opportunity to explore the world and get valuable experience of life, they are required to make their own decisions As a result, this promotes their maturity and helps them be ready to start their future married life with greater maturity Furthermore, the isolation of individuals from home also provides young people with better social skills because they will have to build more relationships if they want to survive successfully in a new environment In conclusion, I would argue that the benefits of leaving home for education or working purposes outweigh the negative aspects Question 7: Developments in technology have brought various environmental problems Some believe that people need to live simpler lives to solve environmental problems Others, however, believe technology is the way to solve these problems Discuss both views and give your own opinion The environment has been badly affected by the effects of human activities and associated technology Some people argue that we should lead simpler lives to reduce environmental problems, while others believe these problems can be dealt with by using modern technology This essay will discuss both views and draw a final conclusion On the one hand, living simpler lives could be an effective solution to environmental issues If people not depend excessively on technological advances such as motor vehicles and aircraft, environmental problems like noise and air pollution or air pollution will be reduced As a matter of fact, a generation ago, the environment was in better condition without modern transportation There is no doubt that motor vehicle emissions are a major cause of atmospheric pollution In the past, people traveled on foot or used animals for transport, without using fossil fuels which are a cause of much pollution Moreover, leading simpler lives means that humans will not consume such a variety of products, resulting in less industrial pollution from factories and power plants Furthermore, with fewer industrial zones, there which be a reduction in river and land pollution, contributing to a greener and fresher environment Despite less dependence on technology might seem a good solution, in some cases, modern technology could help to tackle environmental problems Thanks to the technological development, new ways of protecting the environment can be discovered and developed For example, nowadays, people are able to exploit sources of renewable energy such as wind and solar power which cause no harm to the environment Moreover, the increase in recycling waste turns garbage into new uses which benefit people’s lives For instance, millions of bottles are recycled each year and this helps reduce the amount of rubbish accumulated on the land In conclusion, advanced technologies have environmental advantages and disadvantages In my opinion, people should employ technology wisely to diminish its harmful effects on the environment Question 8: Friends and family bring more happiness than money and possessions How far you agree with this statement? Solid friendships and strong family bonds can have an enormous cumulative effect on the quality of our lives I would argue that a close circle of friends and family is more important for individual happiness than money and possessions Spending time with friends and members of family can provide a multitude of longterm physical and mental health benefits First, maintaining constructive relationships would encourage healthy eating and regular exercise as a necessary investment in a person’s health This is because meaningful personal ties lead to more positive emotions, which in turn may actually boost a person’s appetite for food and motivate them to carry on physical activity Second, studies show that healthy relationships make people’s lives more enjoyable, reduce the physical signs of stress and lessen grief For instance, a classmate who lost her baby during pregnancy said that she was better able to cope with her pain after receiving social support from her friends and family As a result, those who are frequently socially engaged with friends and family throughout their life are happier compared to people who, though wealthier and with more possessions, live alone A circle of close friends and family members provides camaraderie to help individuals achieve personal goals and have success in life Relationships help people feel that they are worthy and capable of setting goals and accomplishing them For example, with the encouragement and practical help from his underprivileged family, Nguyen Huu Tien passed the entrance exam for Hanoi Medicine University with the top scores in 2013 Some people might feel that money can enable them to buy high quality education and even the highest position in a company However, I believe, only talent and hard work would bring lifelong success which wealth could not make possible In conclusion, I believe that true happiness lies in rewarding relationships, and that wealth and material possessions not provide the same level of contentment ... affected by the effects of human activities and associated technology Some people argue that we should lead simpler lives to reduce environmental problems, while others believe these problems can... environmental problems Some believe that people need to live simpler lives to solve environmental problems Others, however, believe technology is the way to solve these problems Discuss both... relationships make people’s lives more enjoyable, reduce the physical signs of stress and lessen grief For instance, a classmate who lost her baby during pregnancy said that she was better able to cope with