Are Tablets and Computers Good for

Children Essay
In this essay you have to discuss whether allowing children to use tablets and
computers has more positive or negative impacts.

As is usual with IELTS essay questions, this is a topical issue as it is something that
you will commonly see debated in the media and amongst people generally.

This is the question:

More and more parents are allowing their children to play on computers and
tablets as they think that children should learn technology skills.

Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

Analysing the Question

The key part of this question is this part:

 More and more parents are allowing their children to play on computers and
tablets
Although it mentions why parents are allowing this (they think that children should
learn technology skills) you don't have to focus on the issue of technological skills.

You should mention it as it's in the question, but you can write about any arguments
for or against children using computers and tablets.

This is because you are not discussing whether there are more advantages or
disadvantages of learning technology skills via computers and tablets. This is only
something some parents think happens so it can't be treated as a fact - it may not
actually be the case in your opinion.

Organising the Essay

This essay says:

 Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

In this type of essay it is best to discuss both pros and cons. This is because the
question suggests there are both. You still though have to say which there are more
of.

In order to ensure your opinion reflects the structure of your essay, one good way to
organise it is with three body paragraphs. You then have two of these focused on the
side you support.

So for example, if you think there are more disadvantages of allowing children to
play on computers and tables, then you could organise your essay as follows:

 Opinion: Disadvantages outweigh the Advantages

 Body 1: Advantage
 Body 2: Disadvantage
 Body 3: Disadvantage
Remember outweigh means more than (literally heavier than)! So in this case, there
are more disadvantages than advantages.

Now take a look at the model answer:

Sample Answer
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

More and more parents are allowing their children to play on computers and
tablets as they think that children should learn technology skills.

Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own
experience or knowledge.

Write at least 250 words.

These days it is common to observe children spending significant amounts of time

on electronic devices such as computers and tablets. In my opinion, the drawbacks
of allowing children to do this outweigh any advantages.

The benefit of this development is that it will keep children occupied. There is no
doubt that raising children and taking care of them can be stressful at times for
parents so allowing them to play on a device means that the parents can have a
break and not have to continuously entertain them. This could potentially mean
improved family relationships.

However, there are several disadvantages. Firstly, children's free time can be better
utilised with other activities. Although they may learn some technological skills, they
mostly just play games, and in any case computer skills are now taught in school. Of
much more benefit is encouraging children to spend their free time interacting with
other children, playing with normal toys, and playing other games outside, which will
foster their creative, cognitive, and social skills.

In addition to this there is growing evidence that it can also have negative health
impacts. Research reported in the media claims that it can possibly damage the eyes
of a child when looking at screens for long periods. Studies also indicate children
using these devices may have more difficulty sleeping, something which is crucial for
mental development.

In conclusion, the drawbacks of allowing children to use computers and tablets

outweigh the benefits. While it may give parents more time, it could damage their
mental and physical development.

Words: 257
Comments

The essay would score a highly on all the the four criteria used for marking IELTS
essays.

Task Response: The essay answers all parts of the question, ideas are relevant
and extended appropriately.

Coherence and Cohesion: The essay is well-organised and easy to read at the
sentence and paragraph level and makes good use of linking words and connectors.

Lexical Resource: There is a wide range of accurate and topic relevant vocabulary
and a good understanding of collocations and idioms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: There is also a good mix of grammatical

structures that are accurate, and a good level of complexity in the grammar.