You construct a band 9 essay by the end of this video!

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Here is the essay as it appears in the video:

Nowadays, all new town planning should include public parks, shopping malls and sports facilities. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Designing the layout of a new town is an extremely intricate process. The question of what should and should not be included sets the foundation of the town’s identity forever. In my opinion, the addition of public parks, shopping malls and sports facilities is essential to the incubation of community and the encouragement of healthy lifestyles. I thus agree that these items should be included when a new town is being planned, and I will share examples to prove this.

Firstly, public parks and shopping centres help new towns foster a sense of community. For example, my small Canadian town has a very nice park near its centre. At weekends, the open context of the park environment makes it possible for people to meet each other and create friendships. This sort of organic community building is seen in my hometown’s shopping mall, too. Shopping malls encourage interaction, and thus they are great forums within which people can mingle and have experiences that could evolve into friendships. Thus, the helpful role public parks and shopping malls play in the establishing of a new town is clear.

Secondly, sports facilities catalyse positive lifestyle choices among townsfolk. For instance, the central location of my small town’s football pitch is a regular reminder to people passing by that exercise is important. Children in the town are visually aware that sport is accessible to them, and thus they engage in physical activity regularly. This is a clear advantage to town designs that include sports facilities.

As the above shows, public parks, shopping malls and sports facilities are helpful in many ways to the establishment of a town. Their inclusion in the planning of new towns is thus highly recommended.

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You choose the prepositions!

 

The essay as it appears in the video:

What are some alternatives to fossil fuels? Do you feel the world will ever stop using them?

Global dependence on fossil fuels continues to be a pressing problem in the modern world. Although environmentally friendly energy sources are available, market prices make these alternatives prohibitively expensive for most people. I argue that humanity will indeed stop using fossil fuels in the future, but this will only happen when the price of cleaner energy sources falls to a point of competition. This will be proved by looking specifically at current trends within solar energy and biodiesel consumption.

Firstly, the increased availability of solar water heaters has made solar energy prices competitive with fossil fuels in some parts of the world. For example, the mass production of solar water heaters in China has led to their adoption as a cheap alternative to water heated using coal. Because this trend comes as a direct result of financial incentive, it is logical to conclude that market shifts will eventually cause green energy to take the place of fossil fuels.

This phenomenon is further exemplified by alternative fuel types such as biodiesel. For instance, although still slightly more expensive than energy sources derived from fossil fuels, biodiesel’s steady decline in price over the past 20 years coincides directly with a rise in its sales in most parts of the world. As most experts argue, a massive shift to biodiesel consumption will occur when prices remain consistently below fossil fuels. Thus, worldwide dependence on fossil fuels can be expected to erode as alternatives become more economical.

As evidenced by these trends in solar energy and biodiesel consumption, humanity is gradually shifting itself from fossil fuels to more environmentally friendly energy sources, and I hope this development continues.

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Do the advantages trump the disadvantages in this IELTS essay?

[Note: The word ‘phenomenons’ appears in this video. This should be ‘phenomena’, as it is with reference to the scientific plural.]

More and more students are going to another country for higher education. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

It is very common today for students to go abroad to complete their college or university education. However, this trend presents both advantages and disadvantages to the students and the institutions involved. These items will be analysed in this essay before a position is declared.

The advantages of rising foreign student numbers are numerous. For one, this trend encourages human collaboration and the exchanging of ideas. For example, a Canadian engineering student attending a Japanese university would bring ideas and perspectives different to those of their classmates, a phenomenon that enriches the university’s program and level of discussion as a whole. In addition to this, having studied outside their home country, this student would take valuable international understanding with them, an important second benefit that promotes peace and international friendship. As this example shows, students and the world at large benefit when higher studies are engaged outside the home country.

However, many would argue the globalising of higher education does have certain disadvantages. For many young adults, foreign students may represent a threat to both professional opportunities after school and the overall workforce of their country. In the US, for example, companies scout talent on university campuses, and at select times this means offering employment to a foreign student instead of a local student. Although this scenario does occur, its impact on local graduates and their employment opportunities has been sensationalised by the media and large personalities like President Trump. Moreover, it should be remembered that attracting the world’s most talented students increases opportunities for important phenomena like scientific discoveries. Thus, the disadvantages of students going abroad for higher education are difficult to define.

As the above discussion reveals, the advantages of globalised higher education much outweigh the disadvantages, and I strongly hope countries continue to encourage the growth of their foreign student bodies.

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CAN YOU WRITE IN ALL CAPS ON THE IELTS?! (…and other questions!)

In this video, we use the Information for Candidates PDF to answer a few questions. Download your own copy of this document at: http://ift.tt/2kvKqKY

(Is that link not working? Google ‘IELTS info for candidates’.)

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How does Ryan’s IELTS writing service work?

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How to start sentences in your IELTS essay!

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Every sentence in this IELTS essay has an error!

Here is the error-free version of the essay:

It is difficult to experience a country fully as a tourist in a hotel. To appreciate and understand a country, a person needs to live there. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

People are travelling more today than ever before. However, short term visitors simply do not have the time needed to fully understand a country. I agree that to truly experience and appreciate a country a person needs to live there for a period longer than that of the typical tourist. This will be shown by looking at how knowledge of a country’s customs and language, two cornerstones to understanding any nation in depth, requires time to be developed.

For one, to understand a country’s values and beliefs, a person must be exposed to its customs, a process that demands time. For example, while living in the UAE, I had the privilege of attending a local wedding, a traditional camel race, and a birthday with my Emirati friend. In the cool of the late evening at each of these events, guests were served spiced camel meat and medjool dates, staple foods that sustained generations of people in such barren landscape. Had I only been visiting the UAE as a tourist, I would not have had the time needed to have such insights into Emirati cuisine and lifestyle. Thus, living in a country is a necessary precursor to fully experiencing it.

Language is yet another avenue through which so much understanding can be derived. While living in China, for instance, I managed to pick up the basics of the Chinese language. Among other things, this allowed me to see that Chinese culture puts extreme emphasis on face. For instance, in China it is the custom to refuse a gift several times before accepting. As I could only make this fundamental observation after committing time to learning the language, it is clear that a country really does need to be lived in to be fully appreciated.

To conclude, although tourists receive a basic introduction to a region and its peoples, thorough understanding of a country is best achieved when one commits to living there.

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Women in arts? Men in science? How to write about gender in IELTS…

Here is the essay from the video (question seen in Vietnam on 14 January 2017):

In universities, young women tend to choose arts programs while young men prefer science. What are the reasons for this trend and do you think this tendency should be changed?

In many parts of the world, gender often influences university enrolment trends for specific disciplines. Young women tend to engage arts programs while young men are more likely to study science. I argue the reasons for this are largely cultural in nature and should be addressed to ensure an unbiased academic environment. This essay will provide evidence in support of this position.

Firstly, it must be recognised that culture often encourages the genders towards jobs that require specific undergraduate degrees. For example, in more conservative parts of Canada, scientific programs that act as the precursor to jobs in forestry, such as geographical sciences, are often dominated by men. This is because people mistakenly assume women are unable to handle the physical demands of the forestry profession. This assumption is difficult to support when one considers the high rates of women enrolled in other strenuous professional roles, such as the army. Similarly, societies everywhere often assume that science degrees lead more directly to employment, which organisations like Statistics Canada have proven is untrue. Because many societies still feel the nuclear family is the optimal familial arrangement, young men are pushed towards science degrees to secure the family’s future. Thus, flawed societal expectations are clearly to blame for much of the gender imbalances seen in university programs today.

Society is healthiest when this pigeonholing is countered. Young men and women are much more likely to advance their respective societies when they are encouraged towards academic pursuits in which they have natural talent and interest. For example, Jane Goodall’s tremendous scientific work would have never existed had she bowed to societal expectations. This shows why an unbiased university environment should be defended.

As the above essay explains, cultural influence is primarily the reason behind why young women go into arts programs and young men into science, and countering this will improve societies everywhere.

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This Task 1 response was 150 words until I did this… A new update has been posted to IELTSIELTS.com:

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