IELTS WRITING ACTUAL TESTS 2008 _ 12-01-2008 Some people think the best way to reduce crime is to give longer prison sentence Others, however, think there are better alternative ways to reduce crime Discuss both views and give your opinion 19-01-2008 The old generations often hold traditional ideas about the correct way of life, thinking and behavior However, some people think that these ideas are not helpful for young people to prepare for modern life To what extent you agree or disagree? 26-01-2008 In countries (where there is high unemployment) most pupils should be offered only primary education; there is no point in offering secondary education to those who will have no hope of finding a job To what extent you agree or disagree? 02-02-2008 Some people think that we can use animals in any way for the benefits of human beings Others disagree Discuss both views and give your opinion 14-02-2008 Now big cities have many problems What are these problems? Do you think the government should encourage city residents to move to small cities and towns? 16-02-2008 “Tomorrow is the most important thing in life.” How important is it for individuals and countries to think for future rather than focusing on the present? 23-02-2008 In some countries, it is possible to buy a wide variety of foods which have been transported from all over the world To what extent the benefits of this development outweigh the drawbacks? 01-03-2008 Most countries spend much money on education, as they start to realize the importance of education Which two subjects you think are the most important and which one is the least important? Subjects: Literature, Sports, Mathematics, Economy, Physics, History, Music, Geography, Philosophy, Foreign languages 08-03-2008 The number of cars keeps increasing, and road systems should be expanded Some people think the government should cover all the costs Others believe the users should pay for it Discuss both views and give your opinion NGUYỄN NGỌC BÁCH IELTS WRITING ACTUAL TESTS 2008 _ 13-03-2008 People should look after their health as a duty to the society they live in rather than only for their own personal benefit To what extent you agree or disagree? 29-03-2008 Some people think that it is the responsibility of the government of a country to ensure a healthy lifestyle for its people, while others believe that individuals should be free to make decisions for their lifestyles Discuss both views and give your opinion 05-04-2008 Long distance flight uses more fuel than cars and brings pollution to the environment We should discourage non-essential flight rather than limit the use of cars To what extent you agree or disagree? 12-04-2008 More and more people are busy with work and not have enough time to spend with their families and friends Why does this happen? What are the effects on family and society as a whole? 19-04-2008 Figures show that some countries have an ever increasing proportion of the population who are aged 15 or younger What you think the current and future effects of this may be for those countries? 24-04-2008 Teachers used to convey information, but now with wide resources of information, there is no role for teachers to play in modern education To what extent you agree or disagree? 10-05-2008 Children can learn effectively by watching television They should be encouraged to watch television regularly both in school and at home To what extent you agree or disagree? 22-05-2008 The high sales of popular consumer goods reflect the power of the advertising but not the real need of the whole society in which they sell To what extent you agree or disagree with this statement? 31-05-2008 Some people think that the fittest and strongest individual and team can achieve success in sports, while others believe that success depends on mental attitude Discuss both views and give your opinion NGUYỄN NGỌC BÁCH IELTS WRITING ACTUAL TESTS 2008 _ 05-06-2008 Some people think that university students should only study one special subject Others think that universities should encourage students to study a range of subjects in addition to a special area Discuss both these views and give your opinion 14-06-2008 Many people think that cheap air travel should be encouraged because it gives ordinary people the freedom to travel further However, others think that this leads to environmental problem, and so air travel should be more expensive in order to discourage people from having it Discuss both sides and give your own opinion 21-06-2008 Some people think that children should obey rules and what their parents and teachers want them to Others believe that children controlled very much are not well-prepared for their adult lives Discuss both views and give your opinion 28-06-2008 Mobile phones and the Internet are very useful for old people However, this section of population is the fewer users of mobile phones and the Internet In what ways can mobile phones and the Internet be useful to the old people? How can the old people be encouraged to use this new technology? 05-07-2008 Some people believe that theoretical subjects (such as mathematics, philosophy and economics) should not be taught in universities because universities should focus on practical subjects (such as marketing, computer programming, and accounting) To what extent you agree or disagree? 12-07-2008 Some people support the development in agriculture such as factory farming and scientific creation of new types of fruits and vegetables Others oppose this view and support other developments Discuss both views and give your opinion 27-04-2008 Some people think that in modern society individuals are becoming more dependent on each other But others say that individuals are becoming more independent Discuss both these views and give your own opinion 26-07-2008 Some people think international cooperation has brought benefits to world environmental protection, while others believe more benefits have been brought to international business Discuss both views and give your own opinion NGUYỄN NGỌC BÁCH IELTS WRITING ACTUAL TESTS 2008 _ 09-08-2008 In some countries, the governments encourage industries and businesses to move out from large cities to regional areas Do you think that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? 16-008-2008 Detailed descriptions of crimes are often given in the newspaper or on TV Some people think it has bad consequences on the society and so should be restricted To what extent you agree or disagree? 21-08-2008 Some people think that international travel makes them prejudiced rather than broad-minded Give reasons why people fail to benefit from travel and how to improve the understanding of countries you visit 30-08-2008 Some people believe that students should study in groups Others think that they should study alone What are the benefits of studying in groups and studying alone? Which way is more effective? 06-09-2008 Once children start school, teachers have more influence on their intellectual and social development than parents To what extent you agree or disagree? 13-09-2008 Some people believe that it is important to protect the environment, but they make no efforts on it Why is it so? What actions should be taken to protect the environment? 18-09-2008 Sending criminals to prison is not the effective method to deal with them Education and job training should be used instead To what extent you agree or disagree？ 27-09-2008 Poor students or students who come from rural areas often find it difficult to have access to university education Some people think universities should make it especially easy for them to study To what extent you agree or disagree? 11-10-2008 Society is based on rules and laws It could not function if individuals were free to whatever they wanted To what extent you agree or disagree？ 23-10-2008 NGUYỄN NGỌC BÁCH IELTS WRITING ACTUAL TESTS 2008 _ Many people can now study at home through distance-learning programs via Internet or television But some people say this kind of education cannot be compared to attending a college What is your opinion? 25-10-2008 Economic progress is one way to measure the success of a country Some people believe there are other factors What other factors should be considered? Which one you think is more important than the others? 08-11-2008 Fashion has become more and more important when people choose clothes Why? Do you think it is a positive or negative development? 15-11-2008 More and more people choose to work at home and students study from home as the development of computer technology makes it more convenient and cheaper Do you think it is a positive or negative development? 20-11-2008 International travel has become much cheaper, and there are more and more tourists Do the advantages of the increased tourism outweigh the disadvantages? 29-11-2008 Some people think modern games can help children to develop a wide range of skills, but others argue that traditional games can be much better for developing such skills What is your opinion? 02-12-2008 In a global economy, many goods, including what we use on a daily basis, are transported from other counties in a long distance To what extent you think its benefits exceed its drawbacks? 06-12-2008 Memorization of information by frequent repetition (rote learning) plays a role in many education systems Does the usefulness outweigh the limitations? 13-12-2008 Some people believe that a country can benefit a lot from university education Others believe that sending a large number of young students to go to university leads to unemployment Discuss both views and give your opinions 20-12-2008 NGUYỄN NGỌC BÁCH IELTS WRITING ACTUAL TESTS 2008 _ Nowadays, many charities and organizations have to publicize their activities by giving a name to a particular day, such as National Children's day for encouraging treatment of children, National Non-smoking Day for encouraging people to give up smoking Why these charities and organizations so? How effective can these special days be? NGUYỄN NGỌC BÁCH .. .IELTS WRITING ACTUAL TESTS 2008 _ 13-03 -2008 People should look after their health as a duty to... Discuss both views and give your opinion NGUYỄN NGỌC BÁCH IELTS WRITING ACTUAL TESTS 2008 _ 05-06 -2008 Some people think that university students should... both views and give your own opinion NGUYỄN NGỌC BÁCH IELTS WRITING ACTUAL TESTS 2008 _ 09-08 -2008 In some countries, the governments encourage industries