Young people prefer to spend their leisure time in shopping centres, sports or music.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 2 question on IELTSX. Young people prefer to spend their leisure time in shopping centres, sports or music.

Young people spending leisure time in shopping centres sports or music - IELTS Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Is this a positive or negative development?

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 7 ยท 264 words.

Young individuals choose to spend their free time in shopping centres, sports or music. To a certain extent, I agree that this can have a negative effect on youngsters; however, I also believe that it has more positive aspects that negative ones.

On the one hand, spending leisure time in entertainment centres has several negative aspects. Young members of society may spend their money on unnecessary products, which can negatively affect their families' financial situation when they go to shopping centres. This can also lead to young people becoming increasingly materialistic. Spending too much time listening to music can sometimes distract them from studying and other family responsibilities. This situation can impact on their future careers, personal development, and behaviour.

On the other hand, I believe that positive aspects play a more significant role than negative ones. Firstly, doing sports as a part of young people's daily routine has positive effects, such as boosting their mood, feeling energetic and productive throughout the day, and keeping them fit. Secondly, young people can become tired of their daily routines and other responsibilities. Going to shopping centres, taking part in activities, and visiting entertainment centres can have a positive impact on their overall well-being by helping them feel better and complete their daily task with motivation and energy. Finally, listening to music in moderation can help young people relax and reduce stress, which can have a positive effect on people's health.

In conclusion, while I acknowledge that spending time in shopping centres, and other activities has several negative effects, I believ that it has more postive effects.

Examiner feedback

The essay demonstrates a clear understanding of the prompt, maintaining a well-developed position throughout with logical cohesion and adequate lexical and grammatical control. Minor spelling slips prevent it from achieving a higher band, but the overall structure and content are solid.

Task Response - 7

- The essay addresses all parts of the task by discussing the preferences of young people and providing a clear position throughout. - Main ideas are presented, extended, and supported, although some supporting points could be further deepened. - A balanced consideration of both negative and positive impacts is effectively delivered.

Coherence & Cohesion - 7

- Information is logically organized with clear paragraphing, including an introduction, body paragraphs addressing both sides, and a conclusion. - Appropriate cohesive devices are used to signal transitions (e.g., On the one hand, Firstly, Finally). - Overall progression is clear, though some referencing could be smoother.

Lexical Resource - 7

- An adequate and sufficient range of vocabulary is used to discuss the topic with some flexibility and precision. - Less common lexical items are attempted with decent awareness of style and collocation (e.g., materialistic, financial situation, overall well-being). - A few minor spelling slips occur at the end of the text.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 7

- A good mix of simple and complex sentence structures is utilized effectively throughout the essay. - Grammatical control is generally strong with frequent error-free sentences. - Minor typos are present (e.g., "believ" instead of "believe", "postive" instead of "positive"), but punctuation is well managed.

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