IELTS Writing Task 2
Positive or Negative Development: Sample Answer
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Requirements
The task requires you to give your opinion in response to a statement. There are 2 possible positions that are advisable to take which you should state clearly in your introduction and expand in your body paragraphs.
Position A. The situation is completely/totally positive (or negative). In other words, 100% positive or negative.
Position B. The positives and negatives are equally important. In other words, you chose both are equally valid. 50 - 50.
If you take the position of “partly” or “mostly” positive or negative, it becomes more difficult to write since you will need to give more reasons for one side than the other and your answer will be unbalanced.
Always chose position A or B.
Sample Answer
The advances in technology have provided a lot of workers with the option of doing their jobs remotely rather than in a traditional workplace. This essay will discuss the reasons why this trend has equal positive and negative effects.
The main benefit of remote working is the flexibility it affords the employee in terms of working hours. Traditionally work hours are fixed, usually from 9 to 5, which means employees are severely restricted in the time they can devote to essential non-work activities. For instance, if an employee needs to have medical treatment such as dental work, they invariably can only schedule it during work time. Consequently, it is at the discretion of the employer whether they can leave the workplace and if their salary will be deducted during this time. Working from home, however, means that workers can schedule time for non-work activities as they do not have to adhere to rigid working hours.
The major drawbacks of working from home are domestic distractions and the absence of camaraderie. Employees who have young families, for example, often get distracted by the demands of taking care of their children and even though they employ babysitters and have family members to assist them, they cannot stop themselves from getting involved. Additionally, research amongst office workers who work remotely has identified isolation from colleagues as their greatest challenge. These workers miss the human contact and the friendly office atmosphere where they can bond with their co-workers.
To conclude, the major upside of working from one’s own home is the flexible hours whereas, the downsides include feelings of isolation and the challenge of keeping focused on work because of their domestic environment.
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