IELTS WRITING TASK 2:
Some people think that the increasing use of computers and mobile phones in
communication has negative effects on young people’s reading and writing skills. To
what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
I/ Steps to do:
Step 1: Analyzing the question: 3 minutes
+ Objects: use of technological devices (computers, mobile phones)
+ Argument: in this writing, the topic demands writers to evaluate the effects of using
technological devices on young people’s reading and writing skills
+ Type of question “agree or disagree”: You have 3 possible approaches: agree, disagree
or partially agree, depending on your ideas about negative and positive effects. In the essay
below, the writing will follow a neutral approach, which expresses a partial agreement with
the question.
Step 2: Outline: 5 minute
Below is the basic structure of an outline and some suggested ideas for this topic.
1. Introduction:
- Hook sentence: general idea about the problem in the topic: increasing popularity of
technological devices, deterioration of young people’s reading and writing skills
- Thesis statement: the use of technological devices has both positive and negative effects
on young people’s reading and writing skills
- Answer question: agree partially with the idea
In this sentence, you are not required to say and explain reasons in details.
2. Body: 2-3 paragraphs, in this writing, there are 2 paragraphs.
In each paragraph, you have to write a topic sentence and then supporting ideas for the
topic sentence. Normally, you write only 2 to 3 ideas as you need to make them clear and
deep-rooted. It is necessary to add example of facts and figure, public figure, historical
events…
P1: Negative effects
- Incapable of understanding complex written texts, have difficult composing ideas in
writing (familiarity with simple verbal language and informal text messages, features in
word processing program: auto-correct, suggested grammar, spelling check…)
P2: Positive effects
- Numerous resources to improve reading and writing skills: online newspapers  enrich
vocabulary and grammar, sharpen reading skill; blogs, forums encourage writing via
personal expression of ideas or debate
3. Conclusion:
Restate the ideas and express some personal opinion (if any)
In this writing, the coexistence of negative and positive effects is highlighted, but it
depends on how technological devices are used.
Step 3: Writing: 30-35 minutes
In recent years, technological devices such as computers or mobile phones have gained
immense popularity among the young generation. From my perspective, while this trend
has negative effects on their reading and writing skills, the positive effects still cannot be
overlooked.
On the one hand, excessive reliance on electronic items is likely to cause poor performance
in reading and writing. Firstly, young people may become incapable of understanding
complex written text due to their familiarity with simple verbal language or informal text
messages in communication via mobile phones, eroding their reading comprehension skill
in the long term. Moreover, because most modern word processing programs provide users
with automatic correction features, from spelling check to suggested grammar, not only
their general language skill but their writing skill is impaired. Consequently, without those
quick and convenient tools, they may have difficulty composing their own ideas and
opinions.
On the other hand, it is also true that technological gadgets play a significant role in
improving reading and writing skills. Useful resources for young people to hone these two
skills are available in great abundance on the internet, which is a powerful advantage
provided that they are employed properly. Specifically, reading online newspapers
regularly can enrich students’ vocabulary and grammar as well as sharpen their reading
skill. Furthermore, thanks to the prevalence of blogs and forums in the cyberspace, young
people are encouraged to express their viewpoints in written form by posting essays,
articles or debates, developing their writing skill through frequent practice and peer
correction.
In conclusion, widespread use of digital equipment results in both the deterioration and
enhancement of young people’s reading and writing skills, which strongly depends on how
they are used.
Teacher’s comments:
Good points:
- Structure: good with 3 main parts, good illustration
- Ideas: clear, strong for both sides in the neutral approach and it is easy to understand the
ideas.
- Introduction and conclusion are short, direct and simple but effective: emphasize the
coexistence of negative and positive effects. Together with the 2 body paragraphs, they
create a coherent flow throughout the essay.
- Vocabulary: OK, good use of adverbs, adjectives, conjunctions, synonyms, academic
words
- Sentence structures: good
+ While
+ Not only…but (also)…
+ Relative clause
+ It is + adj + that
+ Conditional sentence
Improvements:
- More sentence structures
- More academic words
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
No
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Words
Immense popularity
Excessive reliance
Comprehension
Impair
Consequently
Abundance
Prevalence
Word type
Noun
Noun
Noun
Verb
Adverb
Noun
Noun
Meaning
Sự phổ biến rộng rãi
Sự phụ thuộc thái quá
Hiểu
Làm suy yếu
Do đó
Số lượng nhiều
Sự thịnh hành
8
9
Peer correction
Deterioration
Noun
Noun
Sự sửa bài cho nhau giữa bạn bè
Sự làm suy yếu