IELTS Sample Essays - history and progress
Many old buildings are protected by law because they are part of nation’s history. However, some people think old buildings should be knocked down to make way for new ones because people need houses and offices.
How important is it to maintain old buildings?
Should history stand in the way of progress?
One issue that creates intense debate nowadays in many countries is how to preserve our heritage and at the same time provide for our children’s futures. This issue is particularly relevant in the field of architecture. In this essay, I am going to look at the relationship of progress and history.
There are those who claim that the single most important factor should be providing suitable accommodation for the growing population and places for these people to work. One of the reasons they put forward this argument is economic. In the twenty first century, it is not possible for people to progress and maintain a quality of life in cities and communities that were built in a different age. A good example here is Egypt, where the population has exploded in the last few decades and it has become necessary to put up new housing to cope with this phenomenon.
A strong argument can of course be made from the opposite position. Part of this argument is that countries and nations need to preserve old buildings in order to preserve their heritage. In addition, however, to this cultural argument, there are positive economic benefits in preserving old buildings. An illustration here is Egypt once again, a country which depends on tourism for much of its national income simply because visitors pay to come from other countries to visit its ancient sites.
As we have seen, this is a complex issue with no easy answers. On balance, however, I personally believe that it is more appropriate not to destroy old buildings as this has both cultural and economic benefits. History comes before progress.
IELTS Sample Essay - refugees
One of the major problems facing the world today is the growing number of refugees. The developed nations in the world should tackle this problem by taking in more refugees. To what extent do you agree with this opinion?
One problematic issue in the modern world is the increase in the amount of refugees, particularly in the developing world. A suggested solution is that the industrialised countries should accept these people as refugees. This may not, however, be the most effective way of dealing with this issue.
The argument in favour of developed nations accepting more refugees is relatively clear. These countries have a responsibility to the rest of the world to accept victims of natural disasters or war. This is a duty because if these people were not helped they might die if they stayed in their native land. For example, when there is an earthquake and homes and whole towns have been destroyed a poor country may not have the resources to help all the people affected.
There is of course another side to this argument and there are possible reasons why emigration from developing countries is not a complete solution. One such reason is that people who have suffered from natural disasters will want to return to their homes as quickly as possible and be with their families and relatives. This will be difficult if they have moved to another country. Another reason is that it is often more effective to help the victims in their own country as it can cause them more stress if they have to move to another country with a different language and strange customs. For example, it could be difficult for someone from Iraq to adapt to the English way of life and weather.
This is a complex issue with no easy solutions as there are good reasons why countries should or should not accept refugees. My personal view is that it is better for victims to remain in their own country and to receive aid there when possible. There may be circumstances, however, when this is not possible or not desirable.
IELTS Sample Essay - the internet
Some people say that the Internet is making the world smaller by bringing people together. To what extent do you agree that the internet is making it easier for people to communicate with one another?
Undoubtedly, one of the most significant innovations in recent years has been the internet, as it has changed the way we live or lives in many ways. However, perhaps the most significant advance has been in the way we communicate. The question is whether communication has become easier or not.
There are those who argue that the internet has had an extremely positive influence on communication. They say this because in the past it was sometimes impossible to call people in other countries on the telephone, but now it is relatively simple to use a program such as Skype to talk to them for free or to send an email. A good example here are the students who go to study abroad and are able to send messages home with no difficulty, when in past they would have had to buy stamps and go to the post office which was much harder and more expensive.
There is, however, an important qualification to be made. The internet and IT in general are not always easy to access. There are two grounds for saying this. Firstly, there are countries where there is not universal internet access because of censorship or poor technological infrastructure. Secondly, the older generation can find it difficult to learn to use the technology or install a modem. If we use the same example, a grandmother would probably prefer to send a letter through the post or make a simple telephone call than try using the net.
My own personal feeling is that the internet has made it simpler to communicate for most people, but not for everyone. This will probably change in the future when there is a greater level of computer literacy among all generations.Commentary
Sample IELTS essays
Click on the links below for sample IELTS essays
nuclear technology NEW
The internet UPDATED with video commentary
Unemployment
Museums
Refugees
Space exploration
Points to note in using the sample essays
- Each essay follows the same basic 4 or 5 paragraph structure
- How the introduction focuses on the question and introduces how the essay is going to be written
- How each paragraph focuses on one main idea and expands it, using PEE (Point - Explain - Example)
- How sentences within paragraphs are linked together using pronouns, linking words and repetition.
- These essays are either argument based or opinion based
How to use the sample essays for vocabulary
One way to use these samples is to find vocabulary you can use for yourself. This vocabulary can be divided into:
topic vocabulary - specific vocabulary relating to the topic of the question
structural/organising vocabulary (eg "One point to note is..")
How to use the sample essays for essay structure
Another way to use these essays is to see how an IELTS essay is structured:
- note how the introduction addresses the question and leads into the main body of the essay
- identify the main point of each topic paragraph
- note how the topic paragraphs link to each other (do they present similar or contrasting attitudes?)
- note the functions of the conclusion: to summarise and/or present the answer to the question
How to use the sample essays for paragraph structure
Note how each paragraph focuses on one main idea and how that idea is expanded by the use of examples and reasons
