This IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer is from IELTS Cambridge 13 and is around the topic of society, generally.
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Dave
IELTS Examiner Sample Answer from Cambridge 13: Choice (by Dave)
Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.
Write at least 250 words.
It is common nowadays to hear people decrying the number of choices people have relative to the past and proclaiming the drawbacks of so many easily-available options in a variety of areas of life. While I think that there is some truth in this, increased choice is ultimately a positive trend because it opens up options outside the mainstream.
The main reason why increased choice is considered a negative development is it makes life more complicated. Take for example the number of products people can choose from today. Supermarkets are filled with different brands with hardly any meaningful differences. This can cause people to waste time and energy making choices with little actual impact. This is also the case when it comes to online streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and HBO. Not only do people have to spend time researching these sites but once they make a choice they are limiting what they will be able to watch in the future. If they decide to subscribe to all of them, suddenly they will be paying upwards of $40 a month for basic viewing content. These are a couple of ways in which choice can take up time and make life more complex.
Although choice introduces a level of complexity to life, the main benefit is that it opens up options for people outside dominant cultural trends. The best example of this is the changes that have taken place in the music industry over the last 20 years with the advent of iTunes and streaming services. In the past, the big pop acts dominated the radio and album sales. Now the music scene is much more fractured. This makes it more difficult for some artists but also opens up the possibility that you can find a niche of music that you and some other people love. This has been replicated in other areas like podcasting, painting, and film as well. People can find what interests them outside of what major companies are trying to push. That is why increased choice is positive taken as a whole.
In conclusion, the drawbacks of increased choice do not outweigh the advantages gained by allowing people to explore what interests them the most. In the future, this will continue and present challenges but also allow for a more diverse cultural experience for rich and poor alike, all over the world.
IELTS Examiner Sample Answer Analysis
It is common nowadays to hear people decrying the number of choices people have relative to the past and proclaiming the drawbacks of so many easily-available options in a variety of areas of life. While I think that there is some truth in this, increased choice is ultimately a positive trend because it opens up options outside the mainstream.
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My first sentence repeats the question and topic. Don’t stress too much about this sentence!
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The second sentence states my overall opinion and main reason for it (getting away from the mainstream).
The main reason why increased choice is considered a negative development is it makes life more complicated. Take for example the number of products people can choose from today. Supermarkets are filled with different brands with hardly any meaningful differences. This can cause people to waste time and energy making choices with little actual impact. This is also the case when it comes to online streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and HBO. Not only do people have to spend time researching these sites but once they make a choice they are limiting what they will be able to watch in the future. If they decide to subscribe to all of them, suddenly they will be paying upwards of $40 a month for basic viewing content. These are a couple of ways in which choice can take up time and make life more complex.
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My first sentence is the topic sentence, which tells the half-asleep, mostly drunk examiner what the paragraph is about (choice makes life more complicated).
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The second sentence jumps right into the example of different products to choose from. It is good to focus on one specific area of choice because this is such a general topic!
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The third sentence explains why choice in supermarkets can be bad.
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The forth sentence clearly states the negative impact.
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The fifth sentence continues the example by talking about supermarkets.
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My sixth sentence continues the example into the area of online streaming services.
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The seventh sentence develops the example further.
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My eighth sentence generalizes the example and connects it back to my topic sentence.
Although choice introduces a level of complexity to life, the main benefit is that it opens up options for people outside dominant cultural trends. The best example of this is the changes that have taken place in the music industry over the last 20 years with the advent of iTunes and streaming services. In the past, the big pop acts dominated the radio and album sales. Now the music scene is much more fractured. This makes it more difficult for some artists but also opens up the possibility that you can find a niche of music that you and some other people love. This has been replicated in other areas like podcasting, painting, and film as well. People can find what interests them outside of what major companies are trying to push. That is why increased choice is positive taken as a whole.
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My first sentence is my topic sentence with the idea that choice allows people to pursue what they actually like.
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The second sentence introduces the example of the music industry.
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My third sentence develops this example by comparing it to the past.
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My fourth sentence says that things are now different.
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The fifth sentence describes how things are different now.
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My sixth sentence further explains why this is a positive trend.
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The seventh sentence summarises the paragraph and ties it back to my overall opinion.
In conclusion, the drawbacks of increased choice do not outweigh the advantages gained by allowing people to explore what interests them the most. In the future, this will continue and present challenges but also allow for a more diverse cultural experience for rich and poor alike, all over the world.
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The first sentence restates my overall opinion. Make sure you give a clear opinion!
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My second sentence gives some more detail to finish off the essay. Put your pencil down now and say a prayer to the IELTS gods!
Sample Answer Vocabulary
Practice with the words below – can you figure out what they mean just by reading the sentence they are in? Write down what you think each one means before checking your answers!
It is common nowadays to hear people decrying the number of choices people have relative to the past and proclaiming the drawbacks of so many easily-available options in a variety of areas of life. While I think that there is some truth in this, increased choice is ultimately a positive trend because it opens up options outside the mainstream.
The main reason why increased choice is considered a negative development is it makes life more complicated. Take for example the number of products people can choose from today. Supermarkets are filled with different brands with hardly any meaningful differences. This can cause people to waste time and energy making choices with little actual impact. This is also the case when it comes to online streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and HBO. Not only do people have to spend time researching these sites but once they make a choice they are limiting what they will be able to watch in the future. If they decide to subscribe to all of them, suddenly they will be paying upwards of $40 a month for basic viewing content. These are a couple of ways in which choice can take up time and make life more complex.
Although choice introduces a level of complexity to life, the main benefit is that it opens up options for people outside dominant cultural trends. The best example of this is the changes that have taken place in the music industry over the last 20 years with the advent of iTunes and streaming services. In the past, the big pop acts dominated the radio and album sales. Now the music scene is much more fractured. This makes it more difficult for some artists but also opens up the possibility that you can find a niche of music that you and some other people love. This has been replicated in other areas like podcasting, painting, and film as well. People can find what interests them outside of what major companies are trying to push. That is why increased choice is positive taken as a whole.
In conclusion, the drawbacks of increased choice do not outweigh the advantages gained by allowing people to explore what interests them the most. In the future, this will continue and present challenges but also allow for a more diverse cultural experience for rich and poor alike, all over the world.
Answers:
decrying: opposing, condemning or saying something is bad
relative to the past: compared to the past
proclaiming: claiming or saying
opens up: makes possible
mainstream: what most people like and is presented by large media companies
hardly: barely, almost not at all
little actual impact: not much of an effect
this is also the case when it comes to: it is also true for
streaming services: services like Netflix where you can watch directly online
upwards of: more than
dominant cultural trends: what is popular in music, film, etc. at the moment
taken place: to happen
advent: the beginning of something
fractured: split apart
replicated: reproduced, repeated
taken as a whole: overall, in general, considered from a larger perspective
diverse cultural experience: lots of different kinds of art, music, film, culture
Vocabulary Practice
It is common nowadays to hear people __________________ the number of choices people have __________________ and __________________ the drawbacks of so many easily-available options in a variety of areas of life. While I think that there is some truth in this, increased choice is ultimately a positive trend because it __________________ options outside the __________________.
The main reason why increased choice is considered a negative development is it makes life more complicated. Take for example the number of products people can choose from today. Supermarkets are filled with different brands with __________________ any meaningful differences. This can cause people to waste time and energy making choices with __________________. __________________ online __________________ like Netflix, Hulu and HBO. Not only do people have to spend time researching these sites but once they make a choice they are limiting what they will be able to watch in the future. If they decide to subscribe to all of them, suddenly they will be paying __________________ $40 a month for basic viewing content. These are a couple of ways in which choice can take up time and make life more complex.
Although choice introduces a level of complexity to life, the main benefit is that it opens up options for people outside __________________. The best example of this is the changes that have __________________ in the music industry over the last 20 years with the __________________ of iTunes and streaming services. In the past, the big pop acts dominated the radio and album sales. Now the music scene is much more __________________. This makes it more difficult for some artists but also opens up the possibility that you can find a niche of music that you and some other people love. This has been __________________ in other areas like podcasting, painting, and film as well. People can find what interests them outside of what major companies are trying to push. That is why increased choice is positive __________________.
In conclusion, the drawbacks of increased choice do not outweigh the advantages gained by allowing people to explore what interests them the most. In the future, this will continue and present challenges but also allow for a more __________________ for rich and poor alike, all over the world.
Grammar – Present Perfect
This has been replicated in other areas like podcasting, painting, and film as well.
One of the challenges that students have with using the present perfect in both writing and speaking is that sometimes they are interchangeable. People in the UK tend to overuse the present perfect, while it is used less by speakers in the USA.
Someone from the UK is more likely to say “I haven’t got it” and someone from the USA “I don’t have it” or in the UK “I’ve lost my mind” and the US “I lost my mind.”
Both are correct so don’t stress too much about those small differences. Focus on using it for events in the past that are still relevant or still continuing.
In this sentence: “This has been replicated in other areas like podcasting, painting, and film as well,” I am talking about an event (lots of choice) that has spread to many different industries. It is still happening now and it has present relevance so I use the present perfect.
The form for present perfect is really simple: have/has + past participle.
The more you practice using it in your speaking and writing, the better chance you have of using it on the real test and impressing the examiner!
Links
The Paradox of Choice
Too Much Choice?
The Choice
Weapon of Choice
When you watch the videos, try using some of these activities to improve your listening at the same time: Improve your Listening.
Comment below – what kind of music do you like? Movies? TV?
I’m really into…
My favourite is…
Depends on my mood, sometimes I enjoy…
I hate everything but…
I disagree with the answer provided to the IELTS topic regarding too many choices. The reason is deviation because the topic is regarding “choices”, specifically, if people have too many choices nowadays. The question is not regarding the positive or negative aspect to have too many options, the question is if people have many options now than before.
Ah I see what you mean! But you have slightly misunderstood the task. The words ‘too many’ imply that too many choices is a negative so the question is essentially asking if having so many choices today is good or bad. If you were to interpret the question very literally and write about whether or not there actually are a lot of choices it would be almost impossible to write about and a very strange topic! Is that clear now?
Hi dave
I agree with anthony,
As you can see the 1 sample answer provided by your readership in comments had looked at topic from another aspect (saeed parsamehr)
Yes, he took the tactic of disagreeing and so didn’t write about the ‘too many’ aspect – which is fine. I recommend writing about both sides to have clearly separate main ideas to fully support.
Hi Dave. Hope you are doing well. Would you please inform me what are some of my most important errors happened in this essay? Thanks.
Q:
Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
A:
It is sometimes argued that the options people can choose from has grown greatly these days. I totally agree with this opinion since the development of technology and communication devices has enormously contributed to the diversity of individuals’ selection range.
The advancements of sciences and technologies play a central role in the selection redundancy people can experience in the recent years. Industries have become able to manufacture so many products utilizing the modern findings of researchers, helping them produce creative products. And the market can subsequently provide the customers with a more abundant collection of goods. For example, once there were only less than 10 types of automobiles available in the market, while one virtually gets mad to choose among the many different types of items only a single car manufacturing company has to offer.
Communication devices also dramatically affect the widened range of choices that now are more than any time before in front of people. Extended contacts make people aware of the options they can have the chance to choose. This is typically realized through the electronic information infrastructures. The internet, computers, cell phones and the media are accounted as the influential means to inform folks. Take for instance, the PhD admission process; Electronic announcements easily inform the candidates of the available vacancies from all over the world. Eager scholars never would have such a chance without these IT-based amenities.
In conclusion, I approve that humans are experiencing their best ever wideness of choice because of the great capacity that technological improvements and informational tools are offering in the recent number of years.
Good work!
contributed enourmously… try to reduce your use of linking phrases in front of all sentences to make it sound more natural… parts of it are too informal
Keep it up!
Hi Dave, I followed your example and wrote my own. Your example is very straightforward and guided me specifically in structuring the answer.
Could you please read mine and let me know the band score you think.
Q: Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.
Write at least 250 words.
It is believed that the world today has a plethora of options and selections compared to the past. I strongly agree with this, because the increased competition and technological advancement have widened the availability of choices now than before.
On the one hand, competition is growing each day, at an unprecedented rate. One of the main reasons behind this is the scarcity of resources which has led many people to find alternative solutions in meeting rudimentary human needs and wants, thus open many avenues in meeting those requirements. For the purpose of survival in this context, sellers adopt continuous differentiation, which is a classic way of overcoming the increasing rivalry. For a simple example such as selecting a food, can easily muddle someone for hours due to the wide variety of options, in terms of ingredients, origin, taste, flavor, color, purpose, time of the day, standards are named to few. Bread, for instance, can be found in supermarkets in different tastes, low fat or low sugar, vegan, halal standard, and many others.
On the other hand, development in technology has given the opportunity and access to a broader range of choices. In order to take the edge, every country is now investing heavily in technologies as well. As a result, many activities have become much easier, more efficient and powerful than before. The telephone as an example, which used only to reach people from distance, now has become an indispensable item. Mobile phones today, ranging from low cost to expensive, wide range of features, optimized for gaming, entertainment and longevity are now available at the convenience of many.
In conclusion, there are various options available today than before due to the soared competition and high-tech. Therefore, the prudent selection is highly important.
Thank you for your time and kind support!
Hi Chit Lin Aung!
I can give you some feedback on this for sure!
Some corrections: of choices nowadays. , open up, continuous differentiation??, developments … have, making prudent choices is more essential than ever
You misunderstood the question and have some issues with the linking of your ideas.
The question is about if we have TOO many choices.
Your 2nd paragraph lays out the causes (irrelevant to this question) and then goes into some disadvantages (good on that part!).
The 3rd paragraph doesn’t answer the question directly but it does touch on the issues in the topic so that helps your TA score a bit.
Misunderstanding the topic will bring your score down a lot though.
Excellent! Thanks for the feedback Dave !
You’re welcome!
Hi dave
Do you now Simon?
The guy who was ielts ex-examiner and provide some free online courses.
Actually he has a site and on that site he has written sample answer for this question, but he looks at question in different view as did you.
He said that is there too choices or not?
Here is the link:
https://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2019/03/ielts-writing-task-2-choices-essay.html
Yes, he said there are too many choices – he did a 100% agree essay, the opposite of Saeed!
But we should explain that having too many choices is bad or good NOT proving that there is too many choices or little choices.
I think Simon wrote off topic.
Yes, the question implies – are they good or not.
I’ve never been a fan of his essays, generally. Though they do help students who are just beginning because they are very simple.