`Essay questions

Gender
Some people believe in the traditional idea that the
womans place is in the home, while others say that idea is
outdated and that women should play an increasingly
important role in the workplace of the future. What is your
opinion?
The family
The education a child receives at home from having
parents who are positive role models is more important
than the academic education a child receives at school. To
what extent do you agree or disagree?
In many countries there has been an increase in social
problems involving teenagers in recent years. Many
people believe that this is due to modern lifestyles
because parents spend more and more time at work and
have less time to supervise their children. To what extent
do you believe this is true?

People are now living longer than ever before

and many old people are unable to look after
themselves. Some people believe that it is the
responsibility of families to look after the elderly,
while others say governments should provide
retirement homes for them where they can be
looked after properly. Discuss.
Modern lifestyles mean that many parents have little time
for their children. Many children do not get as much
attention from their parents as children did in the past. To
what extent do you agree or disagree?

Some people believe that the government should ban

dangerous sporting activities while others think that people
have the freedom do whatever sports they choose.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion
It is commonly thought that it is healthy for adults to
maintain an outside interest in order to relax or stay fit.
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of 3 of the
following sports and pastimes:
*tennis *walking *visiting museums *reading *joining a club
*going to a gym

Many people want their country to host an international

sporting event. Others believe that international sporting
events bring more problems than benefits. Discuss both
views and include your opinion, supported by examples.

Some people believe that competitive sports have a

positive effect on childrens education; while others believe
there is no place for such sports in schools.
Discuss both points of view and give your own opinion.
"Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or
knowledge".

In many countries people working in sport and

entertainment earn much more money than professionals
like doctors, nurses and teachers. Why do you think this
happens in some societies and do you consider it is good
or bad?

Some people think that teenagers should do unpaid work

to help society because this will help them to be better

individuals and also improve the society as a whole. To
what extent do you agree or disagree with this proposal?
lesson on how to write a balanced essay using a 5
paragraph essay structure
Nowadays many jobs are more stressful and the working
day is longer. What are the reasons for this? What can
employers do to help employees? - model essay with
lesson and exercises to help you write the essay
Some people think that only staff who worked in a
company for a long time should be promoted to a higher
position. Whats your opinion? Lesson on coherence and
writing better paragraphs including a download of the
essay
In many countries people working in sport and
entertainment earn much more money than professionals
like doctors, nurses and teachers. Why do you think this
happens in some societies and do you consider it is good
or bad? sample essay with exercises and download
Unemployment is one of the most serious problems facing
developed nations today. What are the advantages and/or
disadvantages of reducing the working week to thirty five
hours? sample essay with vocabulary exercises and
download
Some people argue that the government should give every
unemployed person a mobile phone and should make
sure they have access to the Internet. They believe this is
the best way of using public money to reduce the problem
of unemployment. To what extent do you agree or
disagree? (Focus on IELTS)

In many countries, children are engaged in some kind of

paid work. Some people regard this as completely wrong,
while others consider it as valuable work experience,
important for learning and taking responsibilities. Discuss.
(Cambridge IELTS 3)
Many people decide on a career path early in their lives
and keep to it. This, they argue, leads to a more satisfying
working life.
To what extent do you agree with this view? What other
things can people do in order to have a satisfying working
life?

Newspapers and books are outdated. Why do some

people believe this? What is your opinion?
Consumers are faced with increasing numbers of
advertisements from competing companies. To what
extent do you think are consumers influenced by
advertisements? What measures can be taken to protect
them?
News editors decide what to broadcast on television and
what to print in newspapers. What factors do you think
influence these decisions? Do we become used to bad
news? Would it be better if more good news was
reported? Discuss. (Cambridge IELTS 1)

Some people believe that the media, such as the press,

TV and Internet should be more strictly controlled. Others
feel that controls should be loosened to give people freer
access to information. To what extent do you agree or
disagree?
Travel and transport
In cities and towns all over the world the high
volume of traffic is a problem. What are the causes
of this and what actions can be taken to solve this
problem?
It is said that travel broadens the mind. What can
we learn by travelling to other countries? Should
we first explore our own countries? Discuss.

In many countries tourism is a major

part of the economy, but it also
causes environmental damage and
ruins the places it exploits. It is
argued that tourists should pay an
additional tax to compensate for this
damage. Do you agree?
In the modern world car ownership is regarded as a
right. However, some argue that governments
should try to reduce the number of cars on the

road by improving public transport, as the growing

number of cars on the road causes traffic
congestion and pollution. Discuss
Young drivers are careless and overconfident, and
too many are killed in accidents. To eliminate this
problem, we could teach children the skills of safe
driving while they are at school. To what extent do
you agree or disagree with this statement?

Science and technology

Essay questions
Television has had a significant influence on the
culture of many societies. To what extent would
you say that television has positively or negatively
affected the cultural development of your society?
(see my sample essay)
When a country develops its technology, the
traditional skills and ways of life die out. It is
pointless to try and keep them alive. To what
extent do you agree or disagree? (Cambridge IELTS
3)
We are becoming increasingly dependent on
computer technology. It is used in business, crime
detection and even to fly planes. What will it be
used for in future? Is this dependence on
technology a good thing or should we be suspicious
of its benefits?

Telecommuting refers to workers doing their jobs

from home for part of each week and
communicating with their office using computer
technology.
Telecommuting is growing in many countries and is
expected to be common for most office workers in
the coming decades. How do you think society will
be affected by the growth of telecommuting?
In the future, we will have more and more leisure
time as machines replace many of the tasks we do
at home and work. Discuss the benefits this will
bring and also the problem it will cause.

We live today in an electronic information age. It is

easier to be connected by technology yet many
people seem no closer to feeling happy in their
lives. In what extent do you agree or disagree.

Advances in science and technology and other

areas of society in the last 100 years have
transformed the way we live as well as postponing
the day we die. There is no better time to be alive
than now. To what extent do you agree or disagree
with this opinion?

Space exploration requires vast sums of

money. Is the amount of money spent on
space research justifiable? Could the money
be better spent?

The threat of nuclear weapons maintains world

peace. Nuclear power provides cheap and clean
energy. The benefits of nuclear technology far
outweigh the disadvantages. Do you agree or
disagree? Give reasons for your answer. (see my
sample essay with commentary)
Some people say that the Internet is making the
world smaller by bringing people together. To what
extent do you agree that the internet is making it
easier for people to communicate with one
another?

Subjects such as Art, Sport and Music are being dropped from
the school curriculum for subjects such as Information
Technology. Many people children suffer as a result of these
changes. To what extent would you support or reject the idea of

moving these subjects from school curriculum? (IELTS Practice

tests with answers)
Everyone should stay in school until the age of 18. To what
extent do you agree or disagree?
In the past lectures were the traditional method of teaching
large numbers of students. Nowadays new technology is
increasingly being used to teach students. What are the
advantages and disadvantages of this new approach?
Some people believe that exams are an inappropriate way of
measuring students performance and should be replaced by
continuous assessment. Do you agree or disagree with this
view?
Some people argue that universities should provide students
with more practical training for their future career. Should
university education be more vocational or academic. Discuss
In many countries schools have severe problems with student
behaviour. What do you think are the causes of this? What
solutions can you suggest?
Many universities charge higher fees for foreign students. Why
do they do this? Do you believe that it is fair?
Most university graduates earn more money than less well
educated people. Some people argue that this means they should

pay the full cost of their education. To what extent do you agree
or disagree?
Nothing is more important to a countrys future than
education. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Government
Business and finance
It some countries people pay different rates of tax
depending on their salary, in other countries
everyone pays the same rate. Which do you
believe is the best system?
Many people judge success solely by money and
material possessions. However, success can be
achieved or measured in other ways. Discuss.

Politics
A government has various duties to its citizens, but
limited resources. Should defence spending take up
a significant proportion of the national budget?
Discuss.
One of the most pressing problems facing the
world today is overpopulation. What policies do you
believe governments should adopt to address the
causes and effects of this problem?

Future plans which is to design prisons for learning

and working, with bigger cells containing
computers that will enable study and
communication, have been criticized for trying to
turn prisons into holiday camps and wasting
taxpayers money. To what extent do you agree or
disagree?
Globalisation
Essay questions
Todays food travels thousands of miles before it
reaches customers. Why is this? Is this a positive
or negative trend?
One of the major problems facing the world today
is the growing number of refugees. The developed
nations in the world should tackle this problem by
taking in more refugees. To what extent do you
agree with this opinion?
If poorer nations are to develop they will need to
invest in health and education. They often do not
have the resources to achieve this, so is it the duty
of richer nations to provide assistance in these
areas? Explain your answer with reasons and
examples.
More and more qualified people are moving from
poor to rich countries to fill vacancies in specialist
areas like engineering, computing and medicine.

Some people believe that by encouraging the

movement of such people, rich countries are
stealing from poor countries. Others feel that this is
only part of the natural movement of workers
around the world. Give your opinion.
Differences between countries become less evident
each year. Nowadays, all over the world people
share the same fashions, advertising, brands,
eating habits and TV channels. What are the
advantages and disadvantages of this?
Most countries spend a large amount of money in
weapons to defend themselves though they are not
at war. They should spend money to help the
citizens in poor and disadvantaged countries.
Discuss

Environment and housing

Essay questions
The best way to solve the worlds environmental
problems is to increase the cost of fuel. To what
extent do you agree or disagree? (China writing)
In many countries there is a shortage of housing due to a
growing population. Some people argue that new towns
should be built in the countryside, others argue for the
regeneration of cities. What are the advantages and

disadvantages of the building new towns in the

countryside?
The world is consuming natural resources faster
than they can be renewed. Therefore, it is
important that products are made to last.
Governments should discourage people from
constantly buying more up to date or fashionable
products. To what extent do you agree with this
statement?
Health
Essay questions
Recent research shows that the consumption of
junk food is a major factor in poor diet and this is
detrimental to health. Some people believe that
better health education is the answer to this
problem but others disagree. What is your
opinion?
Prevention is better than cure. Out of a countrys
health budget, a large proportion should be
diverted from treatment to spending on health
education and preventative measures. To what
extent do you agree or disagree with this
statement? (Cambridge IELTS 2)
Most developed countries spend a large proportion
of their heath budgets on expensive medical
technology and procedures. This money should be

spent instead on health education to keep people

well. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

The quality of health care a person receives should

not depend on the size of their bank balance. The
government is responsible for providing a high
level of heath care for all its citizens. To what
extent do you agree or disagree?
Currently there is a trend towards the use of
alternative forms of medicine. However, at best
these methods are ineffective, and at worst they
may be dangerous. To what extent do you agree or
disagree?
Language and culture
Sample essay questions
Language and Culture
Many historic buildings are being destroyed or
replaced. What are the reasons for this? What
should be done to preserve these buildings?
Should museums and art galleries be free of
charge for the general public, or should a charge,
even a voluntary charge, be levied for admittance?
Discuss this issue, and give your opinion.

Several languages die every year and English is

becoming used more and more as a world
language. Many people feel this is a positive trend
and that a world with fewer languages promotes
harmony and understanding between people.
Analyze both sides of this argument and provide
your opinion.
Arts, music and entertainment
Advances in science and technology have made
great changes to lives of ordinary people, but
artists such as musicians, painters and writers are
still highly valued. What can the arts tell us about
life that science and technology cannot?
In recent years, people watch more movies from
overseas? What are the reasons for this? Should
the government give financial support to local
cinema to produce local films?
Music is one of the most important art forms. What
is its significance in the world today? Do you
believe that more modern forms of music have
superseded the more traditional forms of music?
One of the functions of art is to challenge the
establishment. There should therefore be no
restrictions in the form of censorship on artists. To
what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is more important for the government to invest in

projects that benefit the whole community such as
welfare programmes and infrastructure
improvements than for it to subsidise activities and
institutions for the arts such as museums and art
galleries as these will only benefit a minority. To
what extent do you agree or disagree?
Some people argue that the amount of violence
shown in films and on television has led to an
increase in violent crimes in society. Do you agree
with this argument? Should the government control
what is shown on television and in the cinema?
Some people say that young people today do not
make good use of their leisure time and that they
spend too much time inside watching television
and playing video games and that they should
rather spend more time outside engaging in
physical activities. To what extent do you agree or
disagree?
Crime and law
Essay questions
Without capital punishment (the death penalty) our
lives are less secure and crimes of violent increase.
Capital punishment is essential to control violence
in society. To what extent do you agree or
disagree? Tobacco and alcohol are drugs that cause
addition and health problems. Should they be
made illegal? Or should all drugs be legalized?

Crime is nearly always related to the environment

in which it occurs. For this reason, international
laws and international law courts are unrealistic
and will not succeed in reducing crime levels in
different countries. Discuss.
The only way to cut the crime rate is build more
prisons and make prison sentences longer. To what
extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?