Ielts learners

Useful words and phrases:

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  To stem from: to be the result of something. Example: Most people’s insecurities stem from something that happened in their childhood.
  
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  To allocate smth to smth: to give something officially to somebody/something for a particular purpose. Example: More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations.
  

• To gain someone’s interest back

IELTS Writing Task 2 in January 2016

Although more and more people read the news on internet, newspapers will remain the most important source of news for the majority of people. Do you agree or disagree?

There is a common belief that newspapers will still be the most vital means of reading news despite the innovation that the Internet has brought to the information provision process. Personally, I disagree with this view.

At the outset, I admit that newspapers may remain as the most popular source of information for certain parts of society. Take the senior citizens as a salient example. Journals were present on virtually every corner of the world a few decades ago, and the unremitting availability of this type of publication shaped a long-lasting reading habit among the previous generation. This explains why those individuals are not willing to change their way of accessing information. In addition, to the understanding of some people, the information published by newspapers is better censored. This view is, to some extent, justifiable due to the fact that the majority of websites and social networks are open for all members to post about their opinions, creating a chaotic influx of online information.
However, from my perspective, it is not reasonable to state that most people will consider newspapers their primary means of reading news in the future. At its simplest, the Internet has revolutionised the way we are exposed to information, and how online platforms place the entire world at our fingertips is simply superior to the way gazettes or broadsheets provide us with daily news every morning. To exemplify, an online newspapers can publish
vivid live reports of events or football matches, while traditional newspapers only supply brief summaries of such occasions on the following day. Plus, the audience, with an Internet-connected device, is allowed to access news under the form of video clips, which are by no means available on newspapers.
All the aforementioned points lead me to a firm conclusion that the Internet will replace the newspapers as the most important source of news in the foreseeable future.
IELTS Writing Task 2 in February 2016

Prison is the common way in most countries to solve the problem of crime. However, a more effective solution is to provide people a better education. Agree or disagree.

People have different views about the most effective way to reduce crime. While I agree that prison can be a good solution, I would argue that it is much better for governments to educate citizens in order to minimise the problem of crime.

On the one hand, I accept that prison is a necessary measure to help governments deal with crime. Firstly, this is an effective method of punishing criminals. For example, those who commit murders in many countries might have to face a life sentence. As a result, people would be afraid of these severe punishments and are therefore less likely to offend. Secondly, when offenders are kept in jail, they cannot get out and interact with others in society. This prevents them from committing more crimes, which helps to guarantee safety for all citizens. If dangerous criminals are not sent to prison, this might be a great threat for other people.
On the other hand, I believe giving education for citizens is a much better solution to minimise the problem of crime. The first reason is that many crimes occur due to a lack of awareness. For instance, many people do not know that it is illegal to have sex with a teenager who is less than 16 years old. Therefore, it is important to educate individuals about law, which can help them to avoid making mistakes. Additionally, when people are properly educated, they can have sufficient knowledge and skills needed to get jobs and support themselves. This is likely to lead to a reduction in several types of crime such as robberies or burglaries.
In conclusion, while it is true that prison is a good way to prevent crime, I believe that education is a more effective method that should be adopted.