Ideas for IELTS Writing Band 7+ (19 topics, 34 subtopics) by Tu Pham 8 5 IELTS See more of his works on fb com/phamquangtu | bit ly/tuphamyoutube Environment & the Natural World 3 Role of indi[.]
Trang 1Role of individuals in solving environmental problem 3
Trang 2Taxing fast food 12
Trang 3Art, Culture & History 20
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environmental problem
Some people think that environmental problems are too big for individuals
to solve Others believe individuals can also do some things to solve these problems.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Big problems:
- Seawater pollution, caused by the activities of large
companies (e.g Formosa, a Taiwanese steel company,
dumping untreated chemical waste into the sea in the
middle of Vietnam) -> should be solved by the government (not individuals)
- Global warming, which happens on a global scale ->
should be solved by the international community (not
individuals)
Small problems:
- (1) Switch from cars and motorbikes to public transport => (2) reduce the amount of traffic emissions
=> (3) mitigate air pollution
- (1) Recycle waste materials => (2) reduce the amount
of waste which is buried underground in landfill sites
=> (3) alleviate soil pollution
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and the Natural
world
Protecting wild animals
Some people think that a huge amount of time and money is spent on the protection of wild animals, and that this money could
be better spent on the human population To what extent do you agree
or disagree with this opinion?
Reasons to disagree:
- Maintain ecological balance/ biodiversity
- Some rare animals are of great importance to biological research / are a great source of information for biological research
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and the Natural
World
Travelling to remote areas
Organized tour to remote areas and community is increasingly popular Is it a positive or negative
development for the local people and the
environment?
Approach: Balanced opinion – Positive Negative:
- These tours may damage the environment.
Tourist waste may threat the life of the flora and fauna
in the destination
- Visitors may disturb the normal lifestyle of local citizens
Positive:
- Tourists may provide financial benefits for local
people and companies
- The local authorities may impose environmental tax on tourists and use this tax money to protect the
environment
areas has led to numerous problems.
Identify one or two serious ones and suggest ways that governments and
Problems:
- Traffic congestion (overpopulation -> a vast number
of private vehicles -> high traffic density -> traffic
congestion)
- Public services (hospitals, schools) are overloaded
Solutions:
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individuals can tackle these problems. - The government should build satellite cities and
encourage citizens to move to these new cities (urban-rural migration)
- Individuals: Each family should have a smaller number
of children -> reduce the fertility rate -> slow down population growth.
population
In the developed world, average life expectancy is increasing.
What problems will this cause for individuals and society?
Suggest some measures that could be taken to reduce the impact of ageing populations.
Problems:
- To society: there may be a shortage of human resources
- To individuals: individuals have to pay more tax to
provide elderly care for the old who are susceptible to various elderly health problems
Solutions:
- Increase the retirement age
- Encourage families to give birth to more children (by means of providing maternity benefits, childcare allowances, free education for children)
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Education and
Young people
Governmental budget for education
Children's education is expensive In some countries, the government pays some or all of the costs.
Do the advantages outweigh its
disadvantages?
Advantages:
- Citizens have to pay more tax money so that the government would have an extra budget for education
- Some students may take education for granted, not
something they must pay to receive, and do not try to
achieve good academic results
- If too many students go to school at the same time, the education system will be overloaded
It is better for college students to live in schools than to live at home with their parents.
Trang 9- Students may have easy access to learning facilities
such as libraries, laboratories and group study areas.
- Students may learn to live independently This is a crucial living skill for their future.
- Students may save travelling time to school everyday.
- Students are exposed to a variety of cultures
- Students may create a network of relationships with people from various cultural backgrounds
Education and
Young People
Doing unpaid work, helping poor
communities
More and more young people from wealthy countries are spending a short time in communities
in poorer countries doing unpaid work such as teaching or building houses Why? Who benefit from this, the community or these young people?
(communication and teamwork)
Benefits are for both the community and these young people:
- The knowledge and skills the young gain from this voluntary activity may bring them a competitive edge
in the job market in the future.
- Communities in developing countries may also benefit from this because they are provided with
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various forms of support (financial, medical and
(a) Should people be looking for sources of oil and gas in remote and untouched places?
(b) Do the advantages of this outweigh the
disadvantages of damaging such areas?
Should or should not:
- The only benefit is an extra supply of fuels for humans
to consume
- The environmental cost is substantial: the flora and fauna (along with their habitats) will be damaged, ecological balance of the place where fuels are exploited will be disturbed
Advantages vs disadvantages:
- The benefit of having an extra source of fuels is
temporary, because energy sources in remote places will soon be exhausted.
- Damage on natural habitats are often long-lasting
or even irreversible, as humans could do little to restore the original status of these habitats
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Energy Increasing the
cost of fuel
The best way to solve the world's environmental problems is increasing the cost of fuel.
- It cannot solve deforestation, overfishing and overhunting, which should be tackled by other
solutions, such as introducing a law on the conservation and recovery of natural resources
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Energy Cutting down
the consumption of fossil fuels
The international community must act immediately to ensure that all nations reduce their consumption of fossil fuels e.g gas and oil.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Perspective 1: international community?
- There are problems associated with burning fossil fuels that happen in the whole world such as global warming and climate change => one single country
cannot solve it
- Developing countries do not own renewable energy technology => the international community should provide less developed countries with this technology Perspective 2: is this an urgent task?
- The rising sea level has already sunk many coastal areas and islands.
- Fossil fuel sources are already on the verge of exhaustion
- Air pollution has already reached an alarming level,
leading to an increase in the number of people who
have respiratory problems such as rhinitis/ sinusitis/
bronchitis/ pneumonia/ tuberculosis in big cities
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Food Taxing fast food In some countries, an
increasing number of people are suffering from health problems as a result of eating too much fast food It is therefore necessary for
governments to impose a higher tax on this kind of food.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
This policy is ineffective and people would still buy fast food because:
Some people think that the government has the duty to ensure its citizens have a healthy diet, while others argue it is the responsibility of each individual Discuss both views and give your opinion.
View 1:
- It is the government's responsibility because only the
government, rather than individuals, can impose a tax
on unhealthy food (fast food, or any kind of food that is high in cholesterol)
- They have to do it to reduce their medical expenses
on treating patients with medical conditions and
diseases related to eating unhealthy food (such as obesity)
View 2:
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- If people have a balanced diet, they will become healthier -> they have higher productivity -> they earn more money -> they pay more tax to the government
- Choosing a diet is a matter of personal preference (=
you eat what you like), not something that the government can decide
- Diets should be planned according to the specific
health status and nutrition needs of each person.
Therefore, each person should make decisions about their own diet plans.
Individual sports
Some people think that it
is more beneficial to take part in sports which are played in teams, like football, while other people think that taking part in individual sports, like tennis or swimming, is better Discuss both views and give your own
opinion.
Individual sports:
- Learn how to be independent
- Players may boost their determination when dealing with problems on their own
Team sports:
- Acquire interpersonal skills such as communication
- Learn what to do as a member of a team, which is relevant to working environment of most companies
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Technology Library vs
computer
Maintaining public libraries is a waste of money since computer technology can replace their functions Do you agree or disagree?
Approach: strong opinion - disagree | Reading traditional books should not be replaced by electronic books Reasons:
interrupted by notifications from social network applications such as Facebook
Public libraries are places that are worth visiting.
Approach: advantages outweigh disadvantages Disadvantages:
- It is not easy for people to express themselves on online platforms in forms of body language and facial expressions so online business communication may not be as effective as traditional business
communication
- Online meetings, discussions and trainings may be
ruined by a poor internet connection
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- Save a large amount of cost for companies
- Convenient for participants from all around the world
Private Companies doing research
Scientific research should
be carried out and controlled by the governments rather than private companies Do you agree or disagree?
Approach: Balanced opinion – disagree Some research should be conducted by the government
- Some research does not guarantee financial benefits and thus is not attractive to private for-profit companies
- Some research requires a large amount of resources that only the government can provide
Some research should be conducted by private companies
- Research is more practical because for-profit companies care about cost-effectiveness
- Research findings are more likely to be applied to the
real world
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Transport Punishments to
improve road safety
The only way to improve safety of our roads is to give much stricter punishments for driving offences What extent do you agree or disagree?
It is not the best way Other solutions are better:
- Road safety should be taught at school as a
compulsory subject
- The mass media should spread images and videos of
victims of traffic accidents, should may have a greater deterrent impact than stricter punishments do
Work and
Study
Qualifications vs Experience
Nowadays, some employers think that formal academic qualifications are more important than life experience or personal qualities when they look for new employees Why is
it the case? Is it a positive
or negative development?
Reasons:
- Academic qualifications are often a reliable proof of one’s ability
- Some jobs such as researchers and professors
require a high level of academic knowledge, which is often reflected by qualifications
- The act of choosing an employee based on their
qualifications may save a great amount of time for recruiters, while personal qualities can only be
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demonstrated if a candidate comes to an interview or work as a trainee
Positive/ negative: negative
- Qualifications given by some schools are unreliable E.g name of any bad school in your country
- Some recruiters may overlook applications of
potential workers who may not have decent
qualifications
Work and
Study
Working and travelling in the gap year
Some students prefer to take a gap year between high school and
university, to work or to travel.
Do the advantages of this outweigh the
disadvantages?
Advantages:
- Travel => acquire social and cultural knowledge
- Work => gain working experience and skills
(teamwork, leadership etc)
Disadvantage:
- Some students may choose not to go back to school
after the gap year -> they may lose the chance of acquiring a degree and academic knowledge in the university level
- Students who choose to take a gap year may fail to recall the knowledge they learned at high school when
they enter university
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Homes & Urban
planning
Architecture of new buildings
Some people think that newly built houses should follow the style of old houses in local areas.
Others think that people should have freedom to build houses of their own style Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Old style:
- maintain the uniformity of the architectural style
of the whole neighbourhood, making the area look
special, attracting tourists E.g Hanoi
- save architectural design cost Own style:
- Each individual has their own different purposes/
needs when building a house
- Old houses may not be as convenient as houses
built according to modern architecture
- Old houses may not be as energy-efficient as new houses (people may install solar panels on the
roof of modern houses)
Homes & Urban
planning
Intended use vs outward
appearance
When designing a building, the most important factor is intended use of the building rather than its outward appearance To
Outward appearance is important Reasons:
- A building may attract more visitors when
it has an attractive outward appearance
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what extent do you agree
or disagree?
- People love a building with an attractive
appearance for aesthetic reasons Intended use is more important Reasons: - Each individual has their own different
needs, so the outward appearance should be
designed according to these needs E.g if the
house owner prioritises energy saving when
designing the house, they may install solar
panels on the roof - If the owner prioritises outward appearance, the
consequence might be that their houses are
inconvenient to live E.g In Hanoi, many villas
owners want big sculptures in front of the main
door, which takes up a large amount of space, reducing the living space
Homes & Urban
planning
Moving companies to the countryside
Traffic and housing problems could be solved
by moving large companies, factories and their employees to the countryside Do you agree
or disagree?
Approach: strong opinion – agree This solves traffic problems:
- People migrate to the countryside -> fewer private vehicles in big cities -> lower traffic density in big cities -> relieve traffic congestion
This solves housing problems: