A common question in IELTS Writing Task 2 is the advantages and disadvantages essay. As the name suggests, you will be provided with a topic on which you have to present an essay highlighting the benefits and drawbacks of the situation.
The IELTS advantages and disadvantages essay should present a balanced evaluation of the subject matter without taking sides. Never present your personal opinion regarding whether there are more merits or demerits. Since, we have to remain neutral, do not write a one-sided essay.
Some questions do ask you whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages or not. To learn about such essays, click here »
Examples of Advantages and Disadvantages IELTS essay
WRITING TASK 2
You should spend around 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
| Some people spend a lot of money on hosting birthday parties, family functions, and other celebrations. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this? |
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience.
Write at least 250 words.
WRITING TASK 2
You should spend around 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
| In most countries around the world, children begin learning the English language at school from the primary level. What are the advantages and disadvantages of teaching the English language to children at an early age? |
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience.
Write at least 250 words.
WRITING TASK 2
You should spend around 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
| The number of talent shows on television seems to be increasing day by day. The performance of the contestants of such shows is often judged based on their popularity among the viewers. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend for the individual and the society? |
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience.
Write at least 250 words.
IELTS Advantages and Disadvantages essay format
There is a clear-cut IELTS advantages and disadvantages essay structure. Obviously, the first and the last paragraph of the essay will be for Introduction and Conclusion respectively. Two paragraphs in the body, one for advantages and the other for disadvantages, works best for this type of question in IELTS Writing Task 2.
| Paragraph | Format |
|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction |
| 2 | Some advantages |
| 3 | Some disadvatanges |
| 4 | Conclusion |
While brainstorming for ideas, we need to come up with at least two advantages and two disadvantages to write about. You can write more than two each, but the essay might get unnecessarily lengthy, and some ideas may lack proper development.
Introduction for an Advantages and Disadvantages essay
There are two elements to include in the Introduction paragraph of IELTS advantages and disadvantages essay.
- Rewrite the statements from the question in your own words
- Briefly mention the advantages and disadvantages
| Some people spend a lot of money on hosting birthday parties, family functions, and other celebrations. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this? |
| Introduction: |
|---|
| There are people who like to spare no expense when celebrating important occasions in life. While throwing lavish parties ensures fun and entertainment for everyone involved, we should bear in mind the negative consequences as well. Apart from draining our hard-earned income, this trend might result in a decadent society obsessed with material indulgence instead of spiritual fulfilment. |
We can see in the sample above for the advantages and disadvantages essay that the Introduction paragraph begins with a paraphrase of the sentence in the question. Then, the second sentence introduces that idea of “fun and entertainment” as the advantages, while the third sentence hints at the disadvantages of holding such celebrations like being unreasonably expensive and possibly giving rise to a hedonistic lifestyle.
| The number of talent shows on television seems to be increasing day by day. The performance of the contestants of such shows is often judged based on their popularity among the viewers. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend for the individual and the society? |
| Introduction: |
|---|
| Reality shows, where singing, dancing, or other forms of performances are evaluated by public voting, have become ubiquitous in mainstream television. In my opinion, this has helped many deserving individuals to showcase their talents and make a career. However, this might present a wrong message to people that success is a result of popularity and luck instead of hard work. |
Body paragraphs for IELTS Advantages and Disadvantages essay
Whatever advantages and disadvantages have been alluded to in the Introduction paragraph have to be elaborated in the next two paragraphs.
For the advantages and disadvantages essay in the IELTS test, it is best to write about the pros in one paragraph and the cons in the next. Include at least two positives and at least two negatives of the situation. These points have to be explained in the body paragraphs with the help of examples.
| Some people spend a lot of money on hosting birthday parties, family functions, and other celebrations. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this? |
| Example: |
|---|
| Introduction: There are people who like to spare no expense when celebrating important occasions in life. While throwing lavish parties ensures fun and entertainment for everyone involved, we should bear in mind the negative consequences as well. Apart from draining our hard-earned income, this trend might result in a decadent society obsessed with material indulgence instead of spiritual fulfilment. Advantages: The obvious reward of lavish celebrations is fun and merriment. I believe that people should not underestimate the importance of enjoying time with family, friends, and neighbors in order to strengthen our relationships and accumulate pleasurable memories. For this, more expenditure translates into a more splendid party. On top of this, organizing posh Gatsbyesque parties might boost the social reputation of the hosts. Not only will the invitees have a great time, they will view the hosts as wealthy and generous. Disadvantages: On the other hand, going above and beyond one’s means to hold over-the-top festivities is not sustainable in the long run. In today’s economy, organizing a grand event with food, alcohol, and entertainment costs an arm and a leg. We have heard many stories of how families have become bankrupt trying to keep up with the Joneses. In addition, as a result of this lifestyle, there is a risk of creating a depraved and profligate culture where people yield to their base desires rather than focusing on self actualization. This can be exemplified by comparing the societies of big cities, where ostentatious celebrations are a norm, to rural communities, where people seem to have stronger interpersonal bonds in spite of meagre social functions. |
| The number of talent shows on television seems to be increasing day by day. The performance of the contestants of such shows is often judged based on their popularity among the viewers. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend for the individual and the society? |
| Example: |
|---|
| Introduction: Reality shows, where singing, dancing, or other forms of performances are evaluated by public voting, have become ubiquitous in mainstream television. In my opinion, this has helped many deserving individuals to showcase their talents and make a career. However, this might present a wrong message to people that success is a result of popularity and luck instead of hard work. Advantages: From my perspective, since talent shows are platforms where competent participants can get much-needed exposure to sustain a career, they are a boon to such individuals. Otherwise, getting a break in the entertainment industry might end up being a life-long struggle or even an impossible dream. Moreover, reality shows based on performance and public judgement may lead to a meritocratic society because only those contestants who are able to win the hearts of the people succeed in such shows. An individual’s journey from obscurity to stardom in televised shows is relatively transparent compared to how other artists rise in show business. We can look at Susan Boyle, an elderly singer from the UK whose singing prowess was discovered and brought to light by the reality show Britain’s Got Talent, as the right kind of talent to benefit from such programs. Disadvantages: Nevertheless, it is often claimed that talent shows reduce the assessment of artistry to a popularity contest. Often, rather than the most gifted candidate, the one with better physical appearance or backstory rises to the top. As a result, participants concentrate on optics as a replacement for honing their skills and improving their performance. While individually this hurts the competent but naïve participants, socially this trend disseminates a dangerous message against the need of effort and perseverance for artistic achievement. |
Advantages and Disadvantages essay: The Conclusion
The final paragraph in the advantages and disadvantages essay questions in IELTS is the Conclusion paragraph. It is customary to write a summary of the main points made in the essay in the Conclusion paragraph.
| Some people spend a lot of money on hosting birthday parties, family functions, and other celebrations. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this? |
| Example: |
|---|
| Introduction: There are people who like to spare no expense when celebrating important occasions in life. While throwing lavish parties ensures fun and entertainment for everyone involved, we should bear in mind the negative consequences as well. Apart from draining our hard-earned income, this trend might result in a decadent society obsessed with material indulgence instead of spiritual fulfilment. Advantages: The obvious reward of lavish celebrations is fun and merriment. I believe that people should not underestimate the importance of enjoying time with family, friends, and neighbors in order to strengthen our relationships and accumulate pleasurable memories. For this, more expenditure translates into a more splendid party. On top of this, organizing posh Gatsbyesque parties might boost the social reputation of the hosts. Not only will the invitees have a great time, they will view the hosts as wealthy and generous. Disadvantages: On the other hand, going above and beyond one’s means to hold over-the-top festivities is not sustainable in the long run. In today’s economy, organizing a grand event with food, alcohol, and entertainment costs an arm and a leg. We have heard many stories of how families have become bankrupt trying to keep up with the Joneses. In addition, as a result of this lifestyle, there is a risk of creating a depraved and profligate culture where people yield to their base desires rather than focusing on self actualization. This can be exemplified by comparing the societies of big cities, where ostentatious celebrations are a norm, to rural communities, where people seem to have stronger interpersonal bonds in spite of meagre social functions. Conclusion: To summarize, as celebrations are important parts of life, some suggest that they should be enjoyed with fervor and opulence so as to build relationships as well as status. However, caution should be adopted to not let things become hedonistic and futile. |
| The number of talent shows on television seems to be increasing day by day. The performance of the contestants of such shows is often judged based on their popularity among the viewers. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend for the individual and the society? |
| Example: |
|---|
| Introduction: Reality shows, where singing, dancing, or other forms of performances are evaluated by public voting, have become ubiquitous in mainstream television. In my opinion, this has helped many deserving individuals to showcase their talents and make a career. However, this might present a wrong message to people that success is a result of popularity and luck instead of hard work. Advantages: From my perspective, since talent shows are platforms where competent participants can get much-needed exposure to sustain a career, they are a boon to such individuals. Otherwise, getting a break in the entertainment industry might end up being a life-long struggle or even an impossible dream. Moreover, reality shows based on performance and public judgement may lead to a meritocratic society because only those contestants who are able to win the hearts of the people succeed in such shows. An individual’s journey from anonymity to stardom in televised shows is relatively transparent compared to how other artists rise in show business. We can look at Susan Boyle, an elderly singer from the UK whose singing prowess was discovered and brought to light by the reality show Britain’s Got Talent, as the right kind of talent to benefit from such programs. Disadvantages: Nevertheless, it is often claimed that talent shows reduce the assessment of artistry to a popularity contest. Often, rather than the most gifted candidate, the one with better physical appearance or backstory rises to the top. As a result, participants concentrate on optics as a replacement for honing their skills and improving their performance. While individually this hurts the competent but naïve participants, socially this trend disseminates a dangerous message against the need of effort and perseverance for artistic achievement. It should not be overlooked that most of the winners of the biggest shows like American Idol or America’s Got Talent revert back to obscurity when the show is over. Conclusion: Overall, there are both values and costs to people as well as society of reality-based talent shows on television. On the one hand, hidden gems in the field of art are being discovered day-by-day and the public can appreciate their journeys. On the other hand, while the most deserving artists may never thrive in such environments, television viewers might be indoctrinated to a false sense of how success is achieved. |
Next lesson:
Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? – A reliable essay format
