Ielts essay samples band 9

"Use of Machinery has increased and physical labour dropped at large." 
What are the positive and negative effects of the above phenomenon? 
Model Answer: 
With the advent of the 21st century, technology has leaped to a level that was 
unimaginable only even 50 years ago. It was not too long ago that computers took up 
the size of an entire room; now, however, we have PDA�s (Personal Digital Assistant) 
that we can fit comfortably in our pockets! This dramatic progress of technology has 
meant that many aspects of our lives are becoming automated and the necessity of 
physical labor is rapidly dwindling. This phenomenon has diverse effects, including 
both positive and negative ones. 
The increased use of machinery has many beneficial effects. Firstly, if a job is performed 
by any random person, the possibility of human error is quite high; whereas, all jobs 
performed by machines are going to be flawless assuming that they are programmed 
properly. Next, comes the differences of time- our most valuable asset. Naturally the 
same job performed by a particular person will not always take the same amount of time. 
Depending on his stamina, a person can complete a job quickly or move at a snails pace. 
On the other hand, the same job performed by a machine will always take the same 
amount of time and no inconsistencies will be seen. 
The decrease of usage of physical labor has some downsides as well. As machines take 
over tasks previously carried out by humans, unemployment rate will increase giving 
rise to poverty and even starvation for many families. Also, usage of machines for 
complicated jobs will mean that large sums of money will be required to setup these 
machines in the first place. This will undoubtedly create a strain on the overall economy 
of a particular country and this may lead to a decrease in the standard of living in the 
short run. 
Clearly, the increased use of machinery has some positive effects. However, we must 
remember where to draw the line so as to ensure that we do not have to suffer from its 
detrimental effects.

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22.You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. You should write at least 250 words 
Present a written argument to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the 
following topic: