04 advantage disadvantage essay (sample topics)

1 IELTS Essays: Sample Topics| Prepared by: H. Izadi (IELTS Tutor) | Cell phone: 0936 861 0879

Advantage/Disadvantage Essay: Sample Topics

You should spend 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

More and more people are relying on the Internet as their major source of news and

information.

What advantages does the Internet have for the average person? What disadvantages

could it have now or in the future?

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

experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: Barrons IELTS)

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Children today spend more time watching television than they did in the past.

Describe some of the advantages of disadvantages of television for children.


experience.


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In some countries young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between

finishing high school and starting university studies.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this.


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: Kaplan IELTS)





In some countries, people spend a lot of money on their pets. They buy special food for

their cats and dogs, buy them toys and often pay high fees for medical treatment.

Some people think this is a waste of money.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a pet? Do people spend too much

money on pets?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: Kaplan IELTS)

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The world has seen an enormous increase in flights for leisure, business and commercial

purposes around the world over recent years.

What do you think are the main advantages and disadvantages of such flights?


experience.

Write at least 250 words.

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Some parents believe that extra private lessons outside school hours, where students

work alone with teachers, can help them do better at school.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of private tuition?


experience.





Most countries have traditional celebrations that occur naturally. In your opinion, what

benefits do these celebrations have for society?


experience.


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In many places, large chain stores are taking over the marketplace, making it impossible

for small businesses to compete with them.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this situation?


experience.


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In some countries young people are encouraged to work and travel for a year between

finishing high school and starting university studies.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this.


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: Cambridge IELTS 5)





What are the advantages and disadvantages of children using mobile phones?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: Get Ready for IELTS Writing)

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of social networking in the workplace?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: Get Ready for IELTS Writing)

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Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of having a car.


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: www.IELTS-Exam.net)

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Soon it will be scientifically possible to clone humans. What are the advantages and

disadvantages of this?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: Focusing on IELTS Reading and Writing Skills)





In Western countries, people spend a lot of money on their pets. They buy special food for

their cats and dogs, buy them toys and often pay high fees for medical treatment. Some

people think this is a waste of money, and argue that pets are dirty and dangerous.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a pet? Do people spend too much

money on pets?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: IELTS Preparation and Practice)

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Some governments try to control the way a national language is used. For example, they

may restrict the introduction of foreign words, or the use of dialects, or they may demand

that a certain language be used in schools.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of these policies? Do you think they can ever be

effective?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: Step Up to IELTS)

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More and more people are relying on the Internet as their major source of news and

information.

What advantages does the Internet have for the average person? What disadvantages

could it have now or in the future?


experience. Write at least 250 words. (Source: Barrons IELTS)





Modern technology, such as personal computers and the Internet, have made it possible

for many people to do their work from home at least part of the time instead of going to

an office every day.

What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of this situation?


experience.


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The primary concern of architects should be to create buildings that are pleasing to the

eye rather than just functional.

What would be the benefits to society if architects adopted such a principle?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: A book for IELTS)

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Some people are of the opinion that media like the press, television, and the Internet

should be more strictly controlled. Others firmly feel that, if anything, the controls should

be loosened to give people freer access to information.

Discuss the dangers and advantages if media controls were further relaxed.


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: A book for IELTS)





It is becoming more and more difficult to escape the influence of the media on our lives.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living in a media-rich society.


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: IELTS for Academic Purposes: 6 Practice Tests)

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Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of high school students having part-time jobs.


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: Barrons IELTS Practice Exams)

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In the modern world there is a movement away from written exams to more practical

assessment.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this trend.


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: Ready for IELTS Coursebook)





In the modern world, more and more emphasis is being placed on the acquisition of

practical skills rather than knowledge from textbooks or other resources.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this trend.


experience.


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In some families there is more than one television in the home, with each family member

even having their own TV.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of having more than one TV set per home.


experience.


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Some people think that health care is a basic human necessity that should not be provided

by the private companies, but should be provided by the state.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of health care being provided by the private

sector.


experience.






In some cultures the parents arrange marriages for their children but in others people

choose their own marriage partner.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of each system?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: New Insight into IELTS Workbook)

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Many parents these days are sending their teenage children to another country to

continue their education.

What are the advantages and disadvantages for the childs family of doing this?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: McGraw-Hills IELTS: 5 Practice Tests)

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Around the world, children learn English as a second language at school. However, in

some places, they also learn at kindergarten (pre-school care, when children are aged two

to five).

What are the advantages and disadvantages of learning English at kindergarten?


experience.






These days many countries help other countries by giving free food, medical, or other aid.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of this for countries that give and receive?


experience.


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Portable entertainment devices, such as MP3 or DVD-players, which allow people to listen

to music or watch films on the move, are now commonplace.

What do you think are the main advantages and disadvantages of this development?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: Improve Your IELTS Writing Skills)

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It is important for travelers and business people to understand the cultures they come

into contact with, however briefly.

What are the main advantages of doing so? What do you think is the main disadvantage

of not doing so?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: Improve Your IELTS Writing Skills)





Newspapers should be under some governmental control to avoid the potential risks of a

totally free press.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a free press.


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: IELTS Graduation Students Book)

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Many students prefer to take part-time rather than full-time courses.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this method for the students?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: www.IELTS-Blog.com)

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Some parents control their children from a very young age and others give freedom to

their children.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches?


experience.






Some people think that students study more efficiently in groups, others argues that

studying separately is better.

Discuss the advantages of both ways and give your opinion.


experience.


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In order to solve traffic problems, governments should tax private car owners heavily and use the money to improve public transportation.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a solution?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: www.ieltsbuddy.com)

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Do the dangers derived from the use of chemicals in food production and preservation

outweigh the advantages?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: www.ieltsbuddy.com)





What are the advantages and disadvantages of leaving your country to live or study

abroad?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: IELTS Advantage Writing Skills)

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These days, more and more people are going to other countries for significant periods of

time, either to find a job or to study. There are clearly many benefits to doing this, but

people who live abroad can also face some difficulties.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living and working in a foreign country.


experience.


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These days, people work in more than one job, and often change career several times

during their life.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?


experience.






What are the advantages and disadvantages of using CCTV cameras to fight crime?


experience.


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Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working from home.


experience.


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Children have more and more tests and exams to do at school, sometimes starting from

the age of five or six, right up until the age of 18.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of making children do exams?


experience.


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Some young children spend a great amount of their time practicing sports. Discuss the

advantages and disadvantages of this.


experience. Write at least 250 words. (Source: www.jamesabela.co.uk)





Every year thousands of students go overseas to study. Although many benefit from the

experience, others go home disappointed.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of studying in another country?


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: Focusing on IELTS: Reading & Writing Skills 2nd Edition)

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Tourism has increased so much over the last 50 years that is having a mainly negative

impact on local inhabitants and the environment. However, others claim that it is good for

the economy.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of tourism and give your own opinion.


experience.

Write at least 250 words. (Source: Cambridge Vocabulary for IELTS Advanced)

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