Some people think news has no connection to people's lives. So then it is a waste of time to read the newspaper and watch television news programs.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 2 question on IELTSX. Some people think news has no connection to people's lives. So then it is a waste of time to read the newspaper and watch television news programs.

News Connection People Lives Read Newspaper Watch TV News - IELTS Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Write at least 250 words.

A student's answer to this task, and the feedback on it

Written by an IELTSX user under exam conditions and published unedited and anonymously. Band 6 ยท 361 words.

It is often argued that the news is irrelevant to ordinary people, making it pointless to read newspapers or watch news broadcasts. I largely disagree with this view, as reading the news can help people stay safe and aware of economic and environmental issues closely connected to their daily decisions. However, exposure to constant news might cause stress and anxiety in people.

The main reason I believe why people should be informed about what is happening around them is to make sure they are safe and can plan accordingly. News regularly broadcasts updates on weather, public emergencies and road closures. Without this awareness, people might face disasters or difficulties. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the public could only be informed about the global situation via the news; even the remedies for the virus were constantly broadcast to the public.

In addition, not only news gives updates on social life, but also it can serve to raise the environmental and economic awareness in people. Global and national news directly affects the cost of living. If individuals understand that global events can raise the price of fuel, they can understand why their local bus ticket prices or food costs are increasing. This applies to environmental issues at the same time, which show people that the world they know is at risk and there might be problems with weather, climate, water, or air, which in turn prompts communities to change their daily habits like recycling more or saving water at home.

However, many news channels focus heavily on crime, war and tragedies to get higher viewer ratings. Constantly watching this can cause anxiety and stress about distant events that ordinary people cannot control. When Russia declared war against Ukraine, people were bombarded with repetitive and negative information about the number of deaths and the shortage of medicine, causing people to worry about the future.

In conclusion, I mostly disagree with the notion that people think news is a waste of time, because news can keep people informed about daily events to plan ahead and be aware of socio-economic issues, along with environmental consciousness. Nevertheless, I acknowledge that continuous negative feeds can be stressful.

Examiner feedback

The essay takes a clear position and supports it with relevant reasons, and it structures its argument logically with a counterargument. Band 6 is held back by underdeveloped examples, a generic COVID-19 illustration, and recurring grammatical and lexical slips that reduce precision. Stronger development and more accurate language would move it toward Band 7.

Task Response - 6

- The essay clearly states a position ("I largely disagree") and acknowledges the counterpoint about stress from constant news, so both parts of the task are addressed. - Main ideas (safety and planning, economic and environmental awareness) are relevant but only partly developed. The COVID-19 example is generic and contains an inaccuracy: the remedies were not "constantly broadcast" as a way of informing the public. - The second body paragraph opens with an unclear claim ("not only news gives updates on social life"), and the conclusion's "I mostly disagree with the notion that people think news is a waste of time" is awkwardly worded, slightly blurring the position.

Coherence & Cohesion - 6

- The structure is logical: introduction, two supporting paragraphs, a counterargument paragraph, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a recognisable central topic. - Cohesive devices are mostly correct but mechanical ("In addition," "However," "In conclusion"), and "This applies to environmental issues at the same time" is clumsy. Referencing is sometimes unclear, e.g. "This" and "which" in the second body paragraph. - Progression is clear overall, but the second body paragraph packs several ideas into long sentences, which weakens its focus.

Lexical Resource - 6

- The vocabulary is adequate and sometimes sophisticated ("socio-economic issues," "bombarded," "environmental consciousness," "prompts communities"), which shows some range. - Word choice errors reduce precision: "remedies" should be "cures" or "treatments" in this context, and "raise the environmental and economic awareness in people" should be "raise public awareness of environmental and economic issues." - Collocations are mostly acceptable ("closely connected," "constant news"), but some are unnatural ("informed about what is happening around them" and "the world they know is at risk").

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 6

- Sentence variety is good, with a mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences including relative and conditional clauses ("If individuals understand that..."). - Errors recur but rarely block meaning: "The main reason I believe why" (redundant), "not only news gives updates" (missing article and wrong structure), "Global and national news directly affects" (subject-verb agreement), and "which show people" (should be "shows"). - Punctuation is generally controlled, but the long sentences in the second body paragraph would benefit from clearer division.

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