Ielts learners

Useful Vocabulary & Expressions:

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  Counterproductive: Having the opposite of the desired effect
  

Example: child experts fear the Executive’s plans may prove counterproductive

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  Charitable: Relating to the assistance of those in need Example: he has spent £50,000 on charitable causes
  
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  Pivotal: Of crucial importance in relation to the development or success of something else
  

Example: Japan’s pivotal role in the world economy

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  Productive: roducing or able to produce large amounts of goods, crops, or other commodities
  

Example: the most productive employees

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  Workforce: The people engaged in or available for work, either in a country or area or in a particular firm or industry
  

Example: a quarter of Galway’s manufacturing workforce are being put out of a job Priority: The fact or condition of being regarded or treated as more important than others
Example: the safety of the country takes priority over any other matter

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  Workload: The amount of work to be done by someone or something Example: he had been given three deputies to ease his workload
  
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  Vocational: Relating to an occupation or employment Example: vocational training
  
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  Internship: The position of a student or trainee who works in an organization, sometimes without pay, in order to gain work experience or satisfy requirements for a qualification
  

Example: they encouraged students to apply for newspaper internships

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  Obligatory: Required by a legal, moral, or other rule; compulsory Example: use of seat belts in cars is now obligatory
  

IELTS Writing Task 2 in July 2015

Advertising discourages people from being different individuals by making us want to be and to look the same. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

An often debated topic is whether advertising has a major influence on the growing similarity of people’s lifestyle in the modern world. Personally, I partly agree with this opinion for a number of reasons.
On the one hand, the power of advertising is undeniable. The growth of the advertising industry has resulted in many people buying products of the same manufacture, which can be seen in the case of consumer goods. Today, the advertising campaigns of multinational companies such as Unilever have been so successful that their products almost dominate the market. Smaller enterprises tend not to be able to compete with these giant market leaders due to their disadvantages of capital poured into advertising programs. Thus, costumers are often swayed to buy products of famous brands rather than those made by less well-known companies.
On the other hand, it is also true that people have the tendency to copy others’ lifestyles without being affected by advertising. For example, it is valid to argue that many young people are trying to emulate the fashion styles of their idols. Many Vietnamese youths manage to purchase the same clothes, dye their hair and wear the same perfume as their stars do. People can also turn to their social relations for advice when they need to buy something. For instance, junior citizens usually ask their friends before they come to a final decision on buying a smart phone.
In conclusion, it is true that advertising has bridged the gap between each individual’s lifestyle in modern society. However, I believe that it is not the sole factor that contributes to the trend.