IELTS Essays – Band 9

This is a model response to a Writing Task 2 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is close to IELTS Band 9.

Set 6 General Training book, Practice Test 26

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

The end of the world’s fossil fuel resources and the subsequent changes will be a positive development in society. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

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

You should write at least 250 words.

Sample Band 9 Essay

Today’s society overwhelmingly depends on products made from fossil fuels. Most people would initially think about fuel for transport, but of course, fossil fuels are part of most of the fabric of life around us, from the plastics on our furniture to the pavements that we walk on. Changing our reliance on these resources can have various consequences; however, I believe that overall the society will benefit from finding viable alternatives for them.

Depending on whether eco-friendly alternatives are developed, the positive effect on transport and the reduction of the associated pollution will be significant. Exhaust fumes from motor vehicles, planes and ships decrease air quality and contribute to global warming and the greenhouse effect. People’s health and the health of the planet will surely improve without these industries relying on fossil fuels. It could be that a type of transport crisis could develop as a result if society can no longer provide the power to transport so many individuals to where they want to go. This, however, does not have to be a bad thing, as it could force society to use alternative solutions, such as transport sharing and public transport development. The change in mind set has already begun. Some countries have already committed to having fossil fuel free transport and more cities are banning private vehicles from the centre of cities.

Another positive development would be that more time and money would have to be put into developing renewable sources of energy, such as wind power, solar power, hydropower and tidal power. Technologies would improve and be more efficient and again, the world would use fewer sources of energy that cause pollution. This development can also be seen today, with many governments committing to proportions of their power needs coming from renewable resources.

I, therefore, strongly agree with the statement that the changes from reducing reliance on fossil fuels will be positive. The only caveat is that society will need to have developed alternative sources of power rather soon, in order to avoid an energy crisis.

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This is a model response to a Writing Task 2 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is close to IELTS Band 9.

Set 6 Academic book, Practice Test 26

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Some people feel that with the rise of artificial intelligence, computers and robots will take over the roles of teachers. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

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

You should write at least 250 words.

Sample Band 9 Essay

With ever increasing technological advances, computers and robots are replacing human roles in different areas of society. This trend can also be seen in education, where interactive programs can enhance the educational experience for children and young adults. Whether, however, this revolution can also take over the role of the teacher completely is debatable, and I oppose this idea as it is unlikely to serve students well.

The roles of computers and robots can be seen in many areas of the workplace. Classic examples are car factories, where a lot of the repetitive precision jobs done on assembly lines have been performed by robots for many years, and medicine, where diagnosis, and treatment, including operations, have also been assisted by computers for a long time. According to the media, it won’t also be long until we have cars that are driven automatically.

It has long been discussed whether robots and computers can do this in education. It is well known that the complexity of programs can now adapt to so many situations that something can already be set up that has the required knowledge of the teacher, along with the ability to predict and answer all questions that might be asked by students. In fact, due to the nature of computers, the knowledge levels can far exceed a teacher’s and have more breadth, as a computer can have equal knowledge in all the subjects that are taught in school, as opposed to a single teacher’s specialisation. It seems very likely, therefore, that computers and robots should be able to deliver the lessons that teachers can, including various ways of differentiating and presenting materials to suit varying abilities and ages of students.

Where I am not convinced is in the pastoral role of teachers. Part of teaching is managing behaviour and showing empathy with students, so that they feel cared for and important. Even if a robot or computer can be programmed to imitate these actions, students will likely respond in a different way when they know an interaction is part of an algorithm rather than based on human emotion.

Therefore, although I feel that computers should be able to perform a lot of the roles of teachers in the future, they should be used as educational tools to assist teachers and not to replace them. In this way, students would receive the benefits of both ways of instruction.

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