BAND 8+ WRITING TASK 2 SAMPLES

Band 8.0 Sample Answer

In the old days, radio broadcasting was considered as one of the most important and convenient sources of information. However, with the advent of other mass media, some people perceive that radio will be at stake of extinction in the future if it does not undergo any significant change. In my opinion, the radio will stand the test of time.

One of the main reasons why radio would not become obsolete soon is that driving cars is emerging as a way of life across the world. Radio is installed in cars and listening while driving is a good idea for taking full advantage of their time and obtaining the latest information, such as news, weather forecast, society, and so forth. Increase in usage of cars gives more scope for the radios. For those people who have no time watching the box, radio provides immediate and easy access to information. Its continued survival is also connected to its high affordability. Radio broadcasting is, in general, accessible to the audience free of charge. Another obvious advantage is that the radio set is portable and convenient. On occasions where people cannot watch TV, read the newspaper or surf the internet, they can resort to the radio.

The advent of other technologies has also reinforced the popularity of radio. For instance, people can get radio quickly via satellite, the internet and cable nowadays. There are many other electronic devices, such as mp3 and mp4 players, which help people enjoy various entertainment programs at their convenience.

However, it has some drawbacks as well. A radio is unable to convey messages with images and motions as television as the internet does. During bad weather conditions, it is difficult to tune into the desired frequency, and only limited channels are available.

To summarize, radio broadcasting has more benefits than drawbacks. The remarkable improvements in technology will enable the radio to perform more and become more widely available. There is no doubt that radio broadcasting will continue to account for a very substantial segment of the mass media market.

Sample Essay

People are very busy nowadays. This fast-paced life has led to a shift in dietary consumption. Artisanal foods and culinary traditions have been left behind, and modern dishes have established themselves in our dining tables. This essay aims to explain the rationale behind this phenomenon.

Firstly, family size is the main reason for this change. In the early days, there was a joint family system where one family member dedicated his time for cooking and domestic tasks. But it is almost gone and is replaced by nuclear families. With both parents working in most families, processed foods, are no doubt substituting home-cooked meals. Secondly, technological advancements have also contributed to this dietary shift.

Daily tasks that were once laborious engagements are presently far more manageable with the help of technological advancements. Examples are appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and microwave ovens. Therefore, new ways of cooking have replaced the long-established ways of handling food.

Further, technology has rendered our lifestyles more sedentary and fast food is the choice of people in white-collar jobs who are frequently chasing the clock. Thirdly, the enormous penetration of transnational cartels throughout the developing world is also inextricably linked to this transition. Liberalisation policy, commercialisation, and the penetration of Western markets have caused the domestic markets to take the backseat. Also, improvements in the logistics and procurement systems of supermarkets have allowed them to compete, on cost, with the local outlets - the small mom-and-pop stores and wet markets for fruits, vegetables, and all other products.

There are a myriad of negative consequences. Firstly, the demise of cultural norms will be inevitable. Specific techniques and practices would die out with our ancestors as the younger generation aren’t willing to learn them. Moreover, various ailments such as obesity, cardiovascular and diabetes will invade our society.

Overall, I reckon that this phenomenon is triggered by many factors and has put our modern society in jeopardy.

Band 8.0 Sample Essay

As national barriers are slowly being broken down through trade, integration, and technology, various organisations are being influenced by the internet. Nowadays, all academic institutions are connected. The answer to whether this is a beneficial or detrimental development is discussed in detail below.

On the one hand, there is ample evidence to suggest that the benefits are increasing, especially in the academic sphere. When a school is connected, they have faster access to information. For example, in certain schools across the UK, matters such as absenteeism, disciplinary procedures and general communication are performed over the internet through email. Therefore it is clear that being connected to the world wide web entails positive implications.

On the other hand, being connected to the internet has grave dangers and could even lead to relying on it for everything. Undesirable facets of society get potential access to innocent children. Furthermore, getting into the habit of consulting ‘Google’ for answers may be argued as counting too much on technology. Therefore children will be more dependent on technology instead of developing knowledge in traditional ways.

In conclusion, though there are negative and positive aspects to it, due to the wealth of information and the conveniences that have been gained so far, I am strongly of the opinion that internet connectivity in schools is a positive development.

Band 8.0 Sample Essay

The importance of global media seems to increase every year, so much so to the point of introducing news channel into the classrooms. I believe this to be dangerous and potentially damaging due to the nature of the media.

Firstly, considering the importance of education in modern society, it is extremely worrisome and dangerous to consider substituting school subjects with international news. This is because there is no correct, balanced, unbiased news source. For example if a child spent their school days watching FOX NEWS, they would potentially have a skewed opinion of the world due to its unabashed right wing credentials. Therefore, changing a child’s information diet from traditional subject such as music or geography to watching a potentially partisan news channel is an extremely risky idea.

Secondly, if international news were to become a new subject it could have a detrimental emotional impact on young minds. In general the majority of news is negative, hence the expression ‘if it bleeds it leads’. For example, studies by the EFE News Agency show that 85% of headlines are negative in nature, usually referring to natural disasters, war, famine, etc. The logic of having these types of stories beamed into a school, to those of an impressionable age has to be challenged.

To conclude, due to the risk from political influences, and the harsh reality of global news, I am strongly in favour of maintaining the current curriculum.

Sample Essay

Every country, no matter how affluent, has poor people. They can be described as those lacking in goods and services to the point where their lives become miserable. They may lack food and shelter and services such as health care and education. This article will examine the leading causes of poverty and suggest some possible solutions.

The primary cause of poverty has always been war. The recent war in Afghanistan saw people evicted from their homes, deprived of food and shelter, and services such as hospitals, schools, gas, water and electricity. Media coverage of the war caused worldwide revulsion. Some countries, such as India and China, have the problems of overpopulation and underdevelopment. They do not create enough wealth per capita for their people to escape from poverty. Other countries are facing problems of unemployment and natural disasters.

The solution to war may be universal rejection that the world leaders will not consider it as an option and seek peaceful negotiation instead. Overpopulation can be addressed by adopting effective measures to reduce their birth rate and by developing their resources. The possible solutions to deal with natural disasters is to get massive aid from the rest of the word. In contrast, for countries like China and India, the best solutions lie in the development of their national economy.

In conclusion, poverty can be attributed to the frequent occurrences of war, natural disasters, overpopulation, unemployment and underdevelopment. The possible solutions are peaceful negotiations, asking for aid from developed countries, implementing birth control measures and improving the economy.

Sample Essay

Nowadays, it is common for students at university or college to undertake parttime work to supplement their expenses or gain some work experience. In my opinion, it is advantageous to students in many ways.

The first obvious advantage is that work can bring in money. In many countries, students are independent of their families, or their parents are not wealthy enough to afford their education. Therefore, a part-time job can significantly improve the financial position of a student. It may be an essential factor in continuing studies. For example, in Britain, the tuition fees have increased a lot in recent years, which has kept some of the intelligent but needy students from concentrating on their study as they are often in debt and a severe shortage of financial support. So, if they want to pursue their desired course, many students have no choice but to work in addition to their academic duties.

Moreover, a part-time job can help prepare a person for the real world of work, a step out of the ivory tower. Recently, many employers complain that new workers do not appreciate the needs of the business, nor do they apply their theoretical study to practice. But some work experience gained during study can help when joining work. My own experience is an excellent example in this case. Thanks to my experience of working as a part-time computer programmer, I was able to adjust to fulltime work responsibilities in an IT company after graduation.

However, it should be borne in mind that the primary purpose of university study is to concentrate on academics. Students who also work during that period may be unable to devote

themselves to study. Many universities have seen an alarming rate of students failing to meet the requirements of the universities, in attendance, performance or assignments or exams. Those students who work will likely have more difficulty in passing their courses, which will have terrible consequences.

But, in my opinion, taking up a part-time job while studying is advantageous for the student in many ways.

Band 8.0+ Sample Essay

Of late, society has witnessed the proliferation of security measures to prevent victimisation. It is followed by a protracted debate over its benefits and drawbacks. In my opinion, this is just a reflection of the overblown fear of crime and not the actual levels.

To some extent, the presence of a large number of anti-crime devices fuel the fear of crime and has a devastating effect on the quality of life of people. The fear of crime spreads across the community and affects nearly every resident. The most harmful aspect of this phenomenon is that people’s freedom is restricted and sometimes, their privacy is invaded.

Some measures which are believed to put an end to crime, produce opposite results. For instance, installing street lights may create peace of mind for lots of people. Still, it also enables criminals to target their prey quickly, leading to a higher probability of attacks. The benefits of self- protective measures such as gun ownership and martial arts training are also doubtful since nobody can confirm its net effect of decreasing harm. Usually, most personal defensive equipment is either too difficult to use or less effective than expected.

Crime reduction and prevention also rely on other approaches rather than just security methods. It is necessary to know that criminals tend to choose their targets based on time and whereabouts. Therefore, citizens will be more

vulnerable to victimisation if they bypass the places where crimes frequently occur. In the inner city, where violations are epidemic, eliminating the dilapidated building used by criminals for hiding or selecting a target seems to be more practical than requiring shops and residents nearby to install an expensive security system. The integral part of crime prevention is altering the environment, by which the root causes or at least the facilitators of crime can be erased.

However, some security measures do work. For instance, cybercrime has helped in reducing a lot of problem for internet users. Car alarms have alerted a lot of people against unauthorised use of their vehicle. CCTV cameras have captured a lot of problems and assisted the police in tracing the criminals.

But in my opinion, increasing security measures such as installation of anticrime devices, brings in more trouble than peace.

Band 8.0+ Sample Essay

Road safety has long been an issue of concern to the public, and government as well. Nothing qualifies as sufficient compensation when a road accident occurs. Despite the painstaking effort to reduce the death, injury and trauma rate across the world, traffic accidents are increasing exponentially in many countries. To improve road safety, some people advocate harsh punishment. In my opinion, it is nearly one of the many countermeasures and cannot prevent all criminal offences on the road.

In many cases, many automobile accidents occur not because drivers belittle or defy road regulations but because those are unfamiliar to them. Breaking rules and traffic crashes are linked to poor driving skills. Many drivers have limited experience in coping with different situations and inaccurate estimation of the complexity of road conditions, despite having passed license tests. It brings to the forefront the loopholes in policies, such as the loose control over car used, low requirements on driving training and low license standards. To tackle these problems, license applicants should attend more safe-driving courses and pass strict tests.

Besides education, other endeavours such as improving road infrastructure and transportation systems are equally important. Road conditions should be improved to allow different users, including drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, to use roads safely. Other facilities, such as stoplights and stop signs, can be used wherever appropriate to curb speed driving. Furthermore, authorities can sponsor the research on road safety measures and precautions, such as identifying risk factors of different driving patterns. By translating these findings into policies and practices, the government will be in a stronger position to protect vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users.

However, people do fear punishments. Due to the fear of getting punished, people will learn traffic rules and follow them. But there are many loopholes in the government to escape punishments such as bribing the traffic guards.

Therefore, it is clear that punishment is not the only way to reduce the accident rate and improve people’s safety on the road. Some other measures, such as increasing road users’ knowledge of rules and improving the road infrastructure, are essential.

Band 8.0+ Sample Essay

One of the most apparent characteristics of the 21 st century is a strong connection between countries, in terms of culture and economy. Many people are worried that this may lead to the extinction of countries’ identities. I hold a strong belief that this issue should be perceived and analyzed from multiple perspectives.

On the path to establishing a closer connection with the outside world, a country does not necessarily disregard its culture, which is a precious asset. It not only allows a nation to distinguish itself from the rest of the world, but an indigenous culture also plays many more crucial roles such as attracting foreign visitors, developing tourism industry and yielding high revenue. The reason partly lies in the fact that for many tourists, a country’s cultural and historical background is one of the most important criteria in choosing a destination for visiting. For instance, thousands of people want to pay a visit to Japan or Thailand just for the unique Japanese tea culture or gorgeous architecture of Thai temples. On seeing this, many countries have put great effort into protecting their cultural identities, to feature in the list of most popular destinations. It is not fallible to say that an increase in tourism

motivates countries to preserve their cultural heritage.

While tourism encourages cultural conservation, some other elements of culture, such as customs, tradition or taboos might die out over time. In some countries, the native people have become more accustomed to exotic cultures. It reflects the combined effects of the integration of foreign cultures, both through media and direct business interaction. For example, over time, Western culture has permeated into many Asian countries, and the locals are willing to break many of their timehonoured traditions and adopt new ones.

But I firmly believe that increased interaction between countries in the domains of business and culture can strengthen the identities of countries involved.

Band 8.0+ Sample Essay

Advertising is well - known as a method of promotion. It is a method used by corporations to introduce their products and services to the market, attract the eye of consumers and increase sales. Critics of advertising argue that this is the only way of increasing sales of some products, inducing consumers to purchase what they do not need in their daily lives. From my personal

perspective, this contention is self - evident.

Advertisement conquers the audience mainly by sending them the message they are unaware of specific brands or products. And this can lead to a situation where the customers make wrong decisions to purchase the things they do not need. The advertisements related to medicine, dietary supplement and other life-enhancing products provide a typical example. Targeting the buyers who are worried about health, advertisers have sought to encourage them to think that they are threatened by such problems like malnutrition or dysfunctioning of any of their body parts. Due to lack of knowledge in this field, the audience will rush to purchase the advertised products. Such cases are ever-present.

Advertising also works to create a best

- seller image for a newly - marketed product. The audiences are tempted to buy it in the hope that they can become participants of a fad. It is not uncommon that cell phone users replace their phones every year, although the phone they have abandoned is still in usable conditions. They might not need to make purchases frequently, but advertising spurs them to do so.

Advertisers too, often misuse the power of advertising.

In conclusion, people should stay alert to the influence, advertisements have on their decision-making process. As indicated above, advertising usually has twisted information about what products contain, or how a product is flavoured, thereby driving people to make insensible decisions.