IELTS Writing test
Writing task 1 (a letter)
You recently had an issue with water leaking at your rental property. Write a letter to your landlord to complain about the problem and say
– When did it happen?
– Describe the problem.
– Suggest what could be done about it.
Writing Task 2 (an essay)
In recent years, more and more people tend to live individually. What are the causes of this trend? Does this have a positive or negative effect on society?
OUTLINEÂ
* CAUSES of LIVING INDIVIDUALLY:
1. Feel free to do whatever one wants
2. Never feel disrupted by any roomate with noises
3. Discover more about oneself (habits, what really needs… )
* POSITIVES:
1. No negotiating physicial, mental and emotional needs of others
2. Being able to control alone time (freedom to focus on our needs, which can be very empowering)
* NEGATIVES:
1. Find it hard and depressing without one’s company
2. No one looks after us when we are ill
Sample 1 (Advantage – Disadvantage Essay)Â Â
It is a popular saying that man is a social animal. All of us need society of other people to feel happy, however nowadays more and more people are single. There are different reasons for that, some choose to live alone and do not feel lonely, others have no alternative. Nevertheless, even those who are in relationship sometimes need some privacy and want to be left alone with their thoughts. Living alone seems to have many advantages.
To start with, living on your own can be very comfortable since you are not dependent on anyone and you do not feel any sense of control. You can do with your time whatever you want to and do not need to explain to anyone where you are going are where you will be back. If you are not a stickler for cleanliness, you do not need to bother about keeping your things in order, tidying your room every day or doing washing-up after every meal. Another good side of living alone is the fact that you can listen to your favourite music and no one will complain that it is too loud. Moreover, the choice of TV channels you will watch depends entirely on you and you do not need to make any compromise and watch, for example, a football match in order to have a chance to watch soap-opera later. And, being the only user of the bathroom, you can enjoy long baths or showers since no one will rush you. A very important advantage of living on your own is also the fact that you learn independence and responsibility because you must remember about paying bills on time or about doing shopping. Since there is no one you can count on, you learn to take care of yourself.
Despite of all the advantages, living alone has also manydisadvantages. First of all, if you are an outgoing and sociable person, you may find it hard and depressing to be on your own all the time. You may soon become tired of doing everything alone and may start to miss somebody’s comapany while watching TV or even eating dinner. Besides, if you do not share your flat with anyone, there will be no one to look after you when you fall ill. In addition, you may need a friendly chat from time to time, some pieces of advice or consolation when you have some worries and a flatmate can be really helpful then. Even such simple thing as cooking is much more enjoyable if you do it with somebody or for somebody.
All things considering, it seems obvious that living on your own have both good and bad sides. The truth is, however, that most of us need other people’s society and do not want to spent the whole life alone. Therefore, at some point of our lives, we decide to partly give up our independence and to settle down and start up our own families. However, not everyone is meant to live in a relationship. Some people do not want to make any compromise and deliberately choose to live alone.
Sample 2
In the world where work and study opportunities are growing faster than ever before and travelling to other places is much cheaper and quicker, many people shift away from their roots. Sometimes their movement may be a preference rather than a necessity, especially when living alone or staying with friends is considered better. There are varied views about how such preferences affect communities.
On the one hand, it is believed that voluntarily shifting away from families is a sign of growing up and taking responsibilities. Especially because the decision to relocate needs a tremendous amount of the sense of self-reliance. Some opine that when someone shifts away from the comfort of one’s home, they tend to become much more independent. Further, they tend to develop more freedom of speech and are less likely to be a subject of others’ opinions. It is believed that nurturing of such virtues eventually adds to the overall health of the community and finally everyone benefits from such practice.
On the other hand, although the qualities of independence and self-reliance are more often present in individuals who stay away from their families, it does not mean that they cannot be imbibed in the people living with their loved ones. Furthermore, there are numerous interpersonal skills which can be effortlessly inculcated in a family setup. Take mutual respect for example, for a cohesive society it is an essential virtue. Tolerance to others’ opinions and actions are often tested with parents, spouses, siblings and other members of the family.
In addition, contributing to responsibilities of home and loved ones fosters the sense of belonging. When we live independently, we tend to think for ourselves and do things which benefit us. But, it is not the case in a family setup. We live, dance, eat, cry, take care, forgive, forget and celebrate together in a family. Any community will undoubtedly prosper with such values.
To conclude, I strongly believe that even if there are benefits of staying alone, any society is much more positively affected by more people choosing to live with their families.
