IELTS Essay Practice 007 : Compulsory Community Services I'm practicing writing IELTS essays. Please help me refine my expressions, or share your thoughts about the topic. Thanks. +++++++++++++++++++++ Some people think that all teenagers should be required to do unpaid work in their free time to help the local community. They believe this would benefit both the individual teenager and society as a whole. Do you agree or disagree? +++++++++++++++++++++ Many people notice that voluntary work benefits both volunteers and society, so they claim we should require all teenagers to do unpaid jobs for their communities. I disagree with this proposal because once we make voluntary services mandatory, they may be harmful, not only for teenagers themselves but for the masses as well. First, teenagers can never benefit from compulsory “volunteering”. By definition, nobody could be forced to volunteer because voluntary work should be done out of volunteers’ own will. Volunteers choose to work for free because these unpaid jobs can fulfill their needs for self-actualization. However, if volunteering becomes an obligation, it can no longer satisfy their spiritual desires, and as a result, volunteers would lose their initiative. Without both financial and psychological rewards, serving local communities becomes nothing more than drudgery, and hence should only be imposed as a punishment upon criminals, rather than innocent teenagers. Moreover, I do not believe that our society has anything to gain from obliging all students to do unpaid work. Schooling is no less demanding than a full-time job. On top of attending daily lessons, students have to invest their time after school in homework and exam preparation, so they won’t have that much spare time as some adults may expect. If their valuable spare time has to be spent on working rather than relaxing, their learning efficiency back at school may be impaired. By forcing students to serve after school, local communities may enjoy free, though untrained, laborers in the short term, but society as a whole may suffer from ill-educated members in the long run. That is why we should leave community services to professionals and never resort to child labor in any form. In conclusion, teenagers may choose to help their communities voluntarily, but such acts of kindness should not be considered a universal duty.

IELTS Essay Practice 006 : Gov Funding for Artists I'm practicing writing IELTS essays. Please help me refine my expressions, or share your thoughts about the topic. Thanks. +++++++++++++++++++++ Some people think that governments should give financial support to creative artists such as painters and musicians. Others believe that creative artists should be funded by alternative sources. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. +++++++++++++++++++++ Great artworks not only nourish our spirit but also promote the country’s cultural influence. For this reason, many people claim that governments should fund artists. However, in my opinion, governmental funding for art would be a counterproductive practice that only rewards talentless artists. The argument in favor of such a practice would be that fine arts and classical music are not so profitable as popular entertainment such as Hollywood movies or K-pop songs. Without financial support from governments, painters or musicians who want to express themselves, rather than cater to the mass market, can hardly live a decent life like those of movie stars or pop singers. They may suffer from poverty or even give up creating pure art, which, in the eyes of some, would be the loss of the whole country. Nevertheless, I believe that governments should not subsidize artists since government sponsorship never helps to create extraordinary artworks. Talented artists, whether poor or rich, will not stop their artistic expression. By contrast, mediocre artists, even with substantial financial support, can only create tedious works that can impress no one. Van Gogh lived in poverty and died in misery, while Da Vinci had many powerful patrons, including the Duke of Milan and the King of France. With disparate paths of life, they both created paintings of great artistic value in human history. So, money is never the decisive factor in artistic creation. More money invested may increase the quantity of ordinary artworks, but it can never improve the quality of them. In conclusion, governmental subsidies will not help create great art, and state budgets should be allocated to sectors better worth the investment. If one cannot support himself as an artist, he should consider receiving further education or even make a career change.

IELTS Essay Practice 005 : Animal Testing I'm practicing writing IELTS essays. Please help me refine my expressions, or share your thoughts about the topic. Thanks. +++++++++++++++++++++ Nowadays animal experiments are widely used to develop new medicines and to test the safety of other products. Some people argue that these experiments should be banned because it is morally wrong to cause animals to suffer, while others are in favor of them because of their benefits to humanity. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. +++++++++++++++++++++ While their benefits to humanity are undeniable, the morality of animal experiments is never without controversy. In my opinion, animal experiments are not necessarily immoral, and even they are, they may be a necessary evil until equally effective alternatives are developed. First, there is no absolute morality, and our ethical standards are always context-dependent. One who kills innocents is called a murderer, but one who kills invaders is called a patriot. Likewise, animal testing itself is amoral, neither moral nor immoral, without the context provided. The opponents against animal testing accuse scientists of being inhumane for the suffering they inflict on laboratory mice. But they have ignored, deliberately or unintentionally, the fact that human patients may suffer more without proper tests on drugs developed. Scientists don’t inflict pain for pleasure. Instead, they do it for a greater good of humanity, and the lives saved can reasonably justify the suffering caused. Second, even though we admit that it is immoral to subject lab animals to traumas, a ban on animal experiments is not feasible at present. Though in many countries, animal experiments for non-medical products are restricted or even forbidden, randomized and double-blind clinical trials are still a must to measure the effectiveness of new medicines and, more importantly, figure out possible risks and side effects. Without these trials on animals or even on human patients, it is irresponsible for any medication to reach the market. As long as no alternatives can take their place, animal experiments, whether moral or not, have to be perpetuated. In conclusion, though people have an outstanding dispute over the morality of animal experiments, as a necessity for scientific research and medicine development, in no way can they be banned or replaced for now.

IELTS Essay Practice 004 : Choosing a Job I'm practicing writing IELTS essays. Please help me refine my expressions, or share your thoughts about the topic. Thanks. +++++++++++++++++++++ When choosing a job, the salary is the most important consideration. To what extent do you agree or disagree? +++++++++++++++++++++ A job is more than an income source. Instead, it is the foundation of one’s lifestyle. Hence, I completely disagree that people should give priority to money when choosing their careers. There are other factors of equal, even greater, importance and therefore should be taken into consideration. First, the health risk of a job should be carefully considered in job hunting. A huge pay often comes with a substantial risk, either from the direct exposure to harmful environment or from the debilitating work overload. Miners, for instance, are usually offered a higher salary than other blue-collar workers. However, their income pales in comparison with the grave danger they face on a daily basis. Cave-ins, gas explosions, and floods are still hard to prevent and may happen anytime in underground mines. Apart from fatal accidents, miners are also susceptible to chronic occupational diseases. With day-to-day exposure, dust particles can accumulate in and damage the miners’ lungs, resulting in pneumoconiosis, a notorious disease known as the “miner’s lung”. Moreover, the morality of a certain career is another key factor that should not be ignored. Some profitable occupations, though legal, may harm many others, and hence should be considered immoral. Take tobacco industries for an example: with the government’s dependence on their tax payments, tobacco industries are already too huge to be banned. The smokers, rather than the tobacco companies, are facing the moral judgment from non-smokers because passive smoking proves to be associated with a variety of respiratory diseases, even lung cancer. But ultimately, it is the tobacco sellers who choose to pose a danger to the public for their own profit, and on whom moral pressure should be brought to bear. In conclusion, money should not take priority over other non-financial factors. Otherwise, people may choose a lifestyle either unhealthy or immoral.

IELTS Essay Practice 003 : More or Less Dependence I'm practicing writing IELTS essays. Please help me refine my expressions, or share your thoughts about the topic. Thanks. +++++++++++++++++++++ Some people think that in the modern world we are more dependent on each other, while others think that people have become more independent. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. +++++++++++++++++++++ Recent years have witnessed a drastic change in the way people live. And people have different views about whether we are more or less dependent on each other. In my opinion, the answer varies from different perspectives. Without doubt, modernization has made us less dependent on the people around us, such as our parents, children, or relatives. Such decreased dependence is the result of financial services, social welfare, and the free market. With the help of bank loans, today’s young people can pay their deposits and mortgages independently, while in the past, their properties have to be paid with the family fortune. State pension and endowment insurance have lifted their burden of supporting the old, which in turn makes the “dink” lifestyle a possible, if not popular, choice for young couples. At the same time, job-hopping is gaining in popularity as employees now have unprecedented freedom to choose their ideal jobs in the global labor market. On the other hand, every one of us has become more dependent on the society as a whole, or on those we never get acquainted with. As a result of the division of labor, no one can ever survive like a hermit without products and services provided by strangers. Life in solitude becomes impossible because, ultimately, we have to collaborate with others in exchange for our necessities. Most urban dwellers can no longer live without Wi-Fi signals, let alone a stable supply of water and electricity. In fact, without mutual dependence between strangers and close cooperation across borders, not a single lead pencil could be made easily. In conclusion, while people are living a life less dependent on any particular individual, it’s undeniable that they have to count on more strangers to lead such modern life.

IELTS Essay Practice 002 : Foreigners Should Pay More? I'm practicing writing IELTS essays. Please help me refine my expressions, or share your thoughts about the topic. Thanks. +++++++++++++++++++++ Foreign visitors should pay more than local visitors for cultural and historical attractions. To what extent do you agree or disagree? +++++++++++++++++++++ In many areas around the globe, it is a common practice for tourist sites to charge outlanders more than residents. There are various reasons why this is the case, and I totally agree with this practice. First, a more affordable price for attractions serves as an offset for the negative influence that tourist economy has on the resident population. Admittedly, foreign tourists contribute to the host country’s economy, and booming tourism industry creates large-scale employment. However, this industry only benefits a minority of the population, such as tour operators or hotel owners. At the same time, tourist sites rely on the tax collected from all citizens to keep them going. In fact, local people have to pay more than the maintenance fees. The price of goods, services and housing would be significantly affected by foreign visitors. The government also has to allocate extra funds to deal with the pollution and waste created by tourists, and these funds ultimately have to be paid by locals through the tax system. Second, though dual pricing may sound unfair to foreign visitors, price discrimination could be done less offensively while maximizing the profit. Rather than simply charge international visitors higher prices, tourist sites may provide discounts to locals as well as other eligible visitors, like juveniles, veterans, or wheel-chair users. If we agree that disabled people should enjoy discounts, it is equally fair for local taxpayers to do so. Such discounts help to increase the diversity of visitors. If these sites attract a greater variety of people, the nation’s cultural heritage could be better promoted, which in turn adds to their attraction for foreigners. In conclusion, if done properly, dual pricing at tourist sites would be fair for both foreigners and locals.

IELTS Essay Practice 001 : Government & Film I'm practicing writing IELTS essays. Please help me refine my expressions, or share your thoughts about the topic. Thanks. +++++++++++++++++++++ Many people prefer to watch foreign films rather than locally produced films. Why could this be? Should governments give more financial support to local film industries? +++++++++++++++++++++ In many countries, foreign movies are more prevalent than domestically produced films. There could be many reasons why this is the case, but I don’t think governments should subsidize local film-making because there may be other fields better worth investing in. There are various reasons why those blockbusters are often from overseas, among which the most compelling one shall be their higher quality resulting from a larger budget. Each year, the established film industries in developed countries attract billions of dollars of investment because only in these countries, such money could yield the most profit for investors. Take Hollywood for example. Unlike their counterparts outside the United States, Hollywood film studios have access to world-class stars and crews as well as the state-of-the-art technology, which brings Hollywood movies a global appeal that leads to greater box-office success. Such success, in turn, attracts more capital that nourishes the industry and produces more blockbusters. In my view, governments should not support local film industries financially. The primary duty of a government is to equally improve the living standards of every citizen while subsidizing the film-making only benefits a minority of the population. The government budget every year is limited, and hence every coin should be used cost-effectively. In other words, governmental funds should be primarily allocated to the bread and butter issues, rather than to meet the film-makers’ needs for esteem or self-actualization. Funding health care, promoting public education, and subsidizing housing for the poor are all better ways to spend the tax handed in by citizens. In conclusion, it is true that high-quality foreign movies still dominate the market, but governments should think twice before providing financial support for domestic film-makers.

BUSINESS WITH A FRIEND Dear Carey, I hope this letter finds you well. I’m just writing to thank you for inviting me to join your new business. I’ve read the business plan you sent me last week, and I think your idea of developing an app for local video gamers to meet up is amazing! Since I was a solo player before we met, I know how difficult it can be to find local friends who share the same passion as me. So, I bet your app would meet the needs of a great many game nerds in town. Having said that, I’m afraid that I can’t accept your invitation for now. Do you remember that my mom was sent to the hospital last year? As a result, now I am in crippling debts. My wife and I have to live on a tight budget before we can pay them off. Currently, a steady job with a stable income means a lot to my whole family. So, it’s not the time to give up my job in Central Bank. Thankfully, according to our family financial plan, our debts at present are likely to be cleared next year. Thereafter, if you haven’t changed your mind, I will join your developing project with pleasure. Best of luck with your app! Speak soon, John Smith

ADVICE TO AN ENVIRONMENT PROJECT MANAGER Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing with regard to the advertisement published recently on the local newspaper, ‘City Daily’, which appeals to locals for help in your environment projects. The issue that most concern me is the increasing trash on the street, especially in our downtown area. Since last year, our municipality has experienced a population boom due to sharply increasing immigrants. As a consequence, the local government is facing a tough challenge in maintaining public cleanliness. Upon reading the advertisement posted, I believe that I could offer some help to you. First, my friends and I are more than willing to collect trash voluntarily on weekends. Besides, we could design and print some posters and flyers to educate people how to dispose of the waste correctly. Though we can help to relieve the problem in a short term, local government should take further steps to solve the problem in the long run. Apparently, more government funds should be allocated to hire more full-time dustmen. And extra trash cans on the street would also be a good idea. I look forward to receiving your response. Yours faithfully, John Smith