IELTS WRITING CORE TOPICS

Topic 1: MEDIA & ADVERTISING

1. The news media plays an important role in modern societies. Why are they important? Do they have a
positive or negative influence?

2. Some people say that having a lot of TV channels is good, while others argue that it reduces the
quality of programs. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

3. At present the media affects people's lives significantly. What impact does this have on the society? Is
it a negative or a positive development?

4. Advertising industry has a huge influence on the society. Do you think positive effects of advertising
outweigh negative effects?

Topic 2: TOURISM

1. Many people believe that international tourism has negative implications on their countries. What is
the reason for it? What can be done to change the negative attitude towards international tourism?

2. Nowadays scientists and tourists can travel to remote natural environments such as the South Pole.
What are the advantages and the disadvantages of this development?

3. Museums and historical sites are mainly visited by tourists, not by local people. Why is this so? What
could be done to encourage more local visitors? Please include relevant examples from your own
knowledge and experience.

4. Some people believe that traveling is a valuable experience; others say it is a waste of time and
money. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Topic 3: TRANSPORT

1. Some people believe that bicycles are the best mode of transport in the cities, while others disagree.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both views and give your opinion.

2. As countries develop, more and more people buy and use their own cars.

Does the advantage of this for individuals outweigh the disadvantage for the environment?

3. One of the best ways to solve environmental problems is to increase the cost of fuel for cars and
other vehicles. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

4. In some cities, government has tried to tax the owners of the vehicles, for example to reduce the
traffic congestion. Do you think it is a positive or a negative impact?

Topic 4: TECHNOLOGY

1. The Internet contains a lot of information. However, sometimes this information is inaccurate or
wrong. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

2. Internet contains a lot of information, however, sometimes this information is inaccurate or wrong.
Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

3. Nowadays online shopping becomes more popular than in-store shopping. Is it a positive or a negative
development?

4. Some people believe that cell phones should be for personal use only; others, however, feel cell
phones should be used mostly for work. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Topic 5: SPORT & EXERCISE

1. Some people consider sports to be their career in the society. For others, it is mostly a workout to stay
fit. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

2. Some people consider sport to be their career and role in the society. For others it is mostly a workout
to keep fit. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

3. Some people believe that the use of mobile phones in public is as annoying as smoking and should be
banned, similarly to smoking. Give your opinion and examples from your own experience.

4. Some people think that dangerous sports should be banned, while others disagree. Do you agree or
disagree? Give reasons and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience.

Topic 6: SOCIETY

1. Some people feel unsafe either staying at home or going out. What are the possible reasons for this?
What can be done to address this issue?

2. Some people say the most important thing about being rich is that it gives you the opportunity to give
back. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer.

3. Some people think that they can make as much noise as they want, while others think that the
amount of noise people make should be strictly controlled. Discuss both views and include your own
opinion and examples.

4. In the near future it is expected that the proportion of older people will be higher than that of young
people in many developed countries.

What are the positive or negative effects of this development?

Topic 7: READING

1. The main purpose of public libraries should be to provide books. Public libraries should not spend
their limited resources on computer software, videos or DVDs. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

2. Some people say that public libraries should be free; otherwise they are just a waste of money,
especially because modern technologies and the Internet allow easy access to resources. Discuss and
give your point of view.

3. Some people say that with the development of modern technology printed books, newspapers and
magazines lose their importance. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
4. More and more media coverage is on popular people who came from normal background who have
gained success in cinema, fashion or sports industry. Why do you think people are interested in knowing
their lives?

Topic 8: WORK

1. Some people think that managers alone should make decisions in the company, while others think
that employees should be involved in the decision-making process too. Discuss both views and give your
own opinion.

2. Nowadays more and more older people compete with younger people for the same jobs. What can be
the reason for this? What would you suggest as a solution?

3. Nowadays people tend to change a few careers during their life.

What are the reasons for this, in your opinion? Do you think it is good for the society as a whole?

4. Nowadays an increasing number of people change their career and place of residence several times
during their life. Is this a positive or a negative development?

Topic 9: HEALTH

1. Nowadays there is an increase in people with an unhealthy diet and not doing enough physical
exercises. What do you think might be the reason? What can be done to encourage people to have a
healthier lifestyle?

2. More and more people are suffering from health problems cause by a modern lifestyle which cannot
be treated with modern medicines. Some people think that a return to traditional medicine should be
encouraged. To what extent do you agree?

3. Healthcare should not be provided for free regardless of a person's income. The health of a person is
in his or her own hands and they should, therefore, be held accountable for that. Do you agree with this
opinion?

4. People think that good health is a basic need so it should not be in hands of profit-oriented
companies. Are the advantages of profit-oriented companies overweight the disadvantages?

Topic 10: GOVERNMENT

1. Governments should focus their spending on public services rather than on art such as Music and
Painting. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

2. People living in big cities face many problems today. What are the problems? Should the government
encourage people to live in regional towns?

3. Some people say that the government is responsible for aged care and financial support for the
elderly; others argue that it's the role of individuals. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

4. Some people believe that the government should help the unemployed or just laid off from work on a
weekly basis. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give your own opinion.

Topic 11: EDUCATION

1. Giving lectures in auditoriums to large numbers of students is an old way of teaching. With the
technology available today there is no justification for it, and everything should be done online. To what
extent do you agree or disagree? Give your own opinion.

2. Usually students have to study a range of different subjects. Some people believe that learning
subjects without being interested in them won't be beneficial. Do you agree or disagree with this
statement?

3. Some people say that the purpose of education for individuals is to be useful to the society, while
others argue that the purpose is to fulfill personal ambitions of an individual. Discuss both views and
give your opinion?

4. Handwriting skills (using a pencil, a pen or a brush) are on decline. What can be the reasons for this?
Is it a positive or a negative development?

Topic 12: CULTURE & LIFESTYLE

1. Some cultures value elderly people more, while other cultures value the youth more. Discuss both
approaches and give your own opinion.

2. Some cities do not restrict on how stylish and unique houses and offices that people construct can be.
Do you think the advantages of this approach outweigh the disadvantages?

3. Some people believe that young generation should follow traditions of their society; others, however,
believe that young people should be free to make their own choice as individuals. Discuss both views
and your own opinion.

4. In some countries, more and more adults are living with their parents after graduating from college,
university, or even after finding a job. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
 SAMPLE ANSWERS
Topic 1: WORK

1. Some people think that managers alone should make decisions in the company, while others think
that employees should be involved in the decision-making process too. Discuss both views and give
your own opinion.

Decision making process can either make you hero or zero. Presently, some people assert that all the
paramount decisions should be constituted by the managers only. By contrast, others claim that it is a
capital idea to involve employees in the decision-making process in order to find the best outcomes.
Here, I would like to account for both sides with my own perception.

There are manifold points to shore up the former view. First and foremost, managers are the most
responsible characters for the safety, progress and the development of a company. To be specific, the
managers are assigned to build up networks of their companies and therefore they have to make
conclusive respond for every commercial dealing. Apart from it, the managers are nourished with the
proficient management skills during their educational career so that they have ability to make
worthwhile decisions better than others. Hence, the involvement of employees having different
viewpoints can either make the decision-making process too complicated or may lead to bad decisions.
Consequently, it is advisable for the managers to make the decisions alone. On the contrary, others have
conflicting views.

They think that employees spend most of the time at the work places and therefore they are well
familiar with the requirements, working atmosphere and its drawbacks. Therefore, the employees
especially seniors are the backbone of a company who can help the managers to make productive
decisions. What is more, it is well said that "two heads are better than one". Thus, the discussions
between the managers and the employees could be fruitful to analyse each and every aspect of a
project in order to make the wise decision.

From my opinion, both aspects have their own significance. Undeniably, most of the managers are
proud of their decision-making abilities and power. However, a handy deliberation with employees
could be a huge privilege to determine what to do for the betterment of their organisations.

To recapitulate, rapid progress is the ultimate goal of every enterprise. Therefore, the assistance of
experienced employees must be taken by the managers to flourish the progress of their companies.
2. Nowadays more and more older people compete with younger people for the same jobs. What can
be the reason for this? What would you suggest as a solution?

It is common these days for older people who need employment to compete with people much younger
for the same type of work. While this can create problems, there are steps that can be taken to reduce
the impacts.

The main problem is that older people may find it more difficult to secure work, which arises because
younger people are more likely to have up-to-date qualifications and experience. For example,
information technology is integral to a variety of jobs these days and the skills needed for this are rapidly
changing. Young people may well have recent knowledge through university or through using
technology in their leisure time. If older people cannot secure work, this leads to other problems. As
they are likely to have a family to support, they may not have an adequate income to provide for their
children’s education or other such necessities.

It is the government that needs to take measures to ameliorate such problems. This needs to begin with
ensuring that older people have all the skills needed to compete in the job market, which could be
achieved by providing free training on the most important job requirements at local community
colleges, for example. In addition to this, the government needs to encourage employers to change their
employment practices by promoting the value of experience that older workers can bring to a job.

To conclude, the main issue with competition for work between these groups is that older people may
start to find it more difficult to find work. However, despite this, through the right training and changes
to recruitment practices, older people can compete on an equal footing to the younger generation in the
jobs market.
3. Nowadays people tend to change a few careers during their life.

What are the reasons for this, in your opinion? Do you think it is good for the society as a whole?

It is true that competition is a significant attitude in a workplace which is more prevalent between young
and old employees. There are numerous reasons regarding this issue, and various measures can be
taken by governments to improve this situation.

The first predictable consequence is the abundance of mature-aged employees. Even though there is no
disputing the fact that the aging workforce is highly experienced, they seem to be less productive due to
their health deterioration. This would negatively influence their job performance as a result. The other
outcome is the increasing unemployment rate among junior workers, which is often reported to be the
major cause of teenage crimes. Because of joblessness, youngsters often lack money, and thus they may
misbehave, such as spoiling, killing, etc. to live from day to day. Consequently, not only does our society
indirectly incite crime in youths, but we also do not effectively exploit young workers who seem to be
non-experienced but dedicated to working.

To mitigate these problems, I think companies should soon implement early retirement incentive
programs for devoted elderly laborers. Special healthcare and other social welfare payments should be
given to ensure that they live healthily for the rest of their lives. Besides, employers should also create
more job opportunities for young employees. Take, for example, a fast-track scheme, a system for rapid
training and job promotion of talented young staff. In this way, they can develop their potential to the
fullest and make significant contributions to the company they are working for.

In conclusion, young and old workers play an equally important role in each company’s growth.
Therefore, it is necessary for managers to lead a multi-generational workforce by training activities as
well as staff incentive schemes.