IELTS Essays,
Letters, Graphs, Diagrams & Maps
39 17- Some people believe that people’s choice of leisure activities is to a great extent affected by fashions, while others believe that people still choose their favorite leisure activities regardless of fashions. With which opinion do you agree? Use specific reasons to support your opinion. By comparison with even the recent past, the choice of leisure activities on offer
today is vast, but while it may seem reasonable to argue that some of these
activities reflect the trends and fads of the day, I believe the majority still choose
to take up their hobbies out of interest.
While some may fall victim to fashion in the modern world, many people of all
ages and backgrounds take up hobbies for social reasons. Traditional hobbies
range from participation in active sports like tennis to old favorites such as chess
and stamp collecting, and these continue to be popular. There are still people
who collect shells as a hobby and they eagerly pursue their hobbies irrespective
of the fashions that catch on and fall out day in day out.
Where sports is concerned, most people know what they like and participate out
of love of the game, rather than because it is currently fashionable. People have
been interested in a particular sport during their whole life and changes in
fashion have rarely affected their interests. It is worth mentioning that children’s
games such as hide and seek and tag are still widely appreciated by most
children all around the world regardless of the new games that are being
introduced on a daily basis.
However, for some people as new hobbies and activities are introduced, other
hobbies are history. For example, sports such as rollerblading lose their
fascination after a few months. Current trends are always overshadowed by the
new ones being promoted through massive advertisement. Electronic games go
out of date almost as soon as you have bought them and this is so because
manufacturers promote the fact that only the latest version is worth having, and
so ensure continued sales.
Therefore, I feel that while fashions have an influence, particularly among the
young, the majority of people enjoy their hobbies for their own sake.
(317 words)
Essay Practice Some people prefer to plan activities for their free time very carefully. Others choose not
to make any plans at all for their free time. Compare the benefits of planning free-time
activities with the benefits of not making plans. Which do you prefer-planning or not
planning for your leisure time? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your
choice.