Essay Ideas Archives - Page 3 of 24

IELTS Essay: Do prisons work?

December 14, 2020 Pooja Ph.D. CELTA

Writing task 2 : IELTS Essay: Do prisons work?

You should spend 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:
In many places, prisons are overcrowded and expensive for governments to maintain. Yet, when offenders are released, they end up back in prison a short while later.
Do prisons work?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant example from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.

IELTS Essay - Do prisons work? In many places, prisons are overcrowded and expensive for governments to maintain..........

Sample Answer

Imprisonment is one of the most common forms of punishment in several parts of the world. But, how effective is this system? A high percentage of prisoners relapse into crime once they are released into the community. They are imprisoned again and this vicious cycle continues forever. In my view, sentencing criminals to time in prison fails in most cases and in this essay I will explain why.

Firstly, offenders enjoy a comfortable life in prisons. Many of them have access to luxuries such as televisions, mobile phones, free internet and sport facilities etc. In other words, instead of being a place where lawbreakers should learn a life lesson, prisons become holiday camps. If the penal system really expects prisons to act as a deterrent, then I think it should be tougher.

Secondly, I do not accept that all offenders need to be separated from society. Take pickpockets and shoplifters as examples. Keeping these petty criminals in the same cells as rapists, murderers or violent criminals actually worsens the situation. This is because after serving their time in prisons, juvenile and minor offenders often turn into habitual and professional criminals. Sadly, governments and tax payers have to bear the cost of keeping these recidivists (= a criminal who continues to commit crimes even after they have been punished) in jails. I think punishing them through fines, community service or other non-custodial means etc. is a better option.

To conclude, I do understand that criminals who pose a threat to society cannot be allowed to roam freely. For such people, imprisonment is necessary. But, for other offences prison is not the answer. In my view, the severity of the crime committed should be taken into consideration before deciding on the punishment. (290 Words)

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writing essay task 2 about mobile phones and social interaction

May 26, 2020 IELTS Research

IELTS writing essay task 2 about mobile phones and social interaction

Some people say that technology such as mobile phones (cell phones) is destroying social interaction.

Do you agree or disagree?

Sample Answer:

Mobile communication has become ingrained in our modern society as not only a necessity but also as a force of habit. When required to establish communication with a person, most of us would prefer to do it online. For good reasons too, we get to plan our responses better, as well as be in a comfortable environment and have a sense of control on the length of the interaction. Essentially, we remain in our comfort zones.

Whether or not this is destroying social interaction as a whole is open for debate. Where some say it helps in dealing with anxiety others question the outright aversion phenomenon it has given rise to. My personal opinion on the same stands somewhere in the middle.

While I feel that we are indeed losing the touch of the art of social interplay, it is within reason to assume this was inevitable as seen by the rise in far more casual exchanges with our superiors and elders. This is, however, no excuse for the careless use of devices to actively be rudely preoccupied in actual dialogue or utilizing devices to avoid them altogether. While face to face interactions might seem to be a far more daunting task, they are oftentimes equally rewarding. It is far easier to persuade people in person than it is through a screen, hence why sales employees are still present and thriving in a world threatened by automation.

Whatever one might say but one has to admit that physical association is simply inescapable. One will have to get out and interact with peers eventually. Hence why I would conclude in saying that both means of communication have their own perks and thus neither is a threat to the other. Mobiles will continue to act as personal messengers and humans will continue to interact socially, be it through the medium of a screen or otherwise. As long as etiquette is maintained in mobile usage there is no threat to public communication. (329 Words)

Useful words and their meanings
Ingrained	(of beliefs) so firmly held that they are not likely to change
Outright	complete
Aversion	(a person or thing that causes) a feeling of strong dislike or of not wishing to do something
Inevitable	certain to happen
Persuade	to make someone do or believe something by giving them a good reason to do it or by talking to that person and making them believe it

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IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

email: info at ieltsband7.com

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Essay: People often believe that great musicians, sports stars and artists are born not made

April 28, 2020 IELTS Research

IELTS Writing task 2 Essay: People often believe that great musicians, sports stars and artists are born not made

You should spend 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:
People often believe that great musicians, sports stars and artists are born not made.
Do you agree that we are born with much of our ability, or are there other factors that can make us good sports people or musicians?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant example from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.

IELTS Cue Card musicians, sports stars and artists are born OR made

Sample Answer

What makes great artists, musicians, writers, or athletes: Nature or Nurture? This question has intrigued philosophers and scientists for centuries. I personally think that factors like family and environment play a decisive role in one’s life and successful career. Nevertheless, some natural talent is required to excel in areas such as sport, art or music.
Let us first look at how an innate ability in art or music or sport can make a difference. Certainly, it differentiates a person who has learned to play a sport or an instrument from someone who has mastered that skill. In other words, natural talent wins over a learned technique. It allows gifted people to reach a level which their hard-working counterparts can never manage. Also, learning that extra element is almost impossible, no matter how hard someone practices or how good the teachers are.
However, natural talent is an internal factor that can contribute to someone’s success. There are numerous external factors such as family, environment, experiences and training etc. which have their own significance. Good musicians, exceptional sports starts or other successful people are not made in one day. Years of hard work, family support, training and devotion make them what they are. Composer Beethoven and tennis legend Roger Federer are the telling examples.
To sum up, nature and nurture are inseparable. Inherited talents can affect our ability to reach the top level in certain professions. However, people can acquire skills and achieve their goals if they live in a conducive environment. (250 Words)

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IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
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Improve the Writing Score in IELTS

March 8, 2020 Pooja Ph.D. CELTA

To improve the writing score, IELTS candidates should use effective language in their letters.
Let us look at some important phrases which can be used in a letter of complaint. You don’t have to memorize all of them, just choose one relevant phrase for each paragraph and use the same in all letters of complaints.

For Paragraph 1 (Introduction of the letter)

I am writing to complain about ……
I am writing in regard to ……
The reason I am writing to you is ………..
I am writing to express my concern about ………..
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with ……….
I would like to bring the matter of ………to your attention
I would like to draw your attention to ………

For Paragraph 2 (Explaining the problem)

You can imagine how unhappy I was to discover …..
I was supposed to receive ……… Unfortunately, that never happened.
I regret to inform you that your service was below my expectations.
I regret to inform you that your service was highly disappointing.
When I tried to contact the manager by phone, no one could offer a sensible answer to me.
When I called the office, no one responded.
I contacted your manager/representative last week ….. Unfortunately, he denied me the service that I requested.

For Paragraph 3 (Proposing a solution)

I insist on getting a refund of …
Please look into this matter as soon as possible.
I believe that this matter deserves your urgent attention
I hope you can settle this matter by giving a full refund of the amount ….
The ideal solution would be …

Conclude your letter in the following manner:
If you know the name of person you are writing to, you should write
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Your name

If you don’t know the name of person you are writing to, you should write
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Your name

Some sample letter are here… at category->IELTS-preparation->IELTS-letter-writing

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IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

email: info at ieltsband7.com

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