WRITING TASK 2 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Today many children spend a lot of time playing computer games and little time on sports. Why is this? Is it a positive or negative development? You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Essay with Corrections
Expert Feedback
The essay demonstrates a clear understanding of the task, addressing the reasons behind children's preference for computer games and discussing both positive and negative aspects. Key strengths of the essay include a logical structure and the inclusion of relevant points. The writer effectively identifies the main reasons for the trend and provides some insight into the consequences of excessive gaming. Critical areas for improvement include grammatical accuracy, particularly with subject-verb agreement and word forms. The vocabulary could be more varied to avoid repetition and enhance clarity. Additionally, the development of ideas could be more thorough, with specific examples to support the arguments. Structural changes made include correcting grammatical errors, improving transitions between paragraphs, and enhancing the clarity of ideas. For instance, the addition of a specific example regarding teamwork in sports strengthens the argument about life skills. Suggestions for further improvements not implemented in the corrected version include providing more detailed examples of the negative impacts of excessive gaming and elaborating on the benefits of sports participation. The tone of the essay is appropriate for an academic context, maintaining a formal style throughout.
Detailed Scores
What this means:
The essay is generally coherent, with a logical flow of ideas. However, some transitions between points could be smoother. For instance, the shift from discussing reasons for gaming to the negative impacts could be better signposted. To improve, the writer could use more cohesive devices to link ideas and paragraphs more effectively.
How to improve:
- Use a clear paragraph structure
- Connect ideas with appropriate linking words
- Maintain logical progression
- Use referencing effectively
What this means:
The essay contains numerous grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('childrens are spending'), incorrect use of articles ('a lots'), and inconsistent verb tenses. While the writer demonstrates some range in sentence structures, the frequent errors hinder clarity. To improve, the writer should focus on proofreading for grammatical accuracy and practicing complex sentence structures.
How to improve:
- Use complex sentence structures
- Maintain grammatical accuracy
- Use a variety of sentence patterns
- Check for common grammar errors
What this means:
The vocabulary used is adequate but contains several errors and repetitions, such as 'children' and 'computer games.' There are also instances of incorrect word forms (e.g., 'childrens,' 'technologis'). To enhance the score, the writer should aim to use a wider range of vocabulary and ensure correct word forms and collocations.
How to improve:
- Use a wider range of vocabulary
- Demonstrate awareness of collocations
- Avoid word repetition
- Use more sophisticated vocabulary accurately
What this means:
The essay addresses the task by discussing reasons for children's preference for computer games over sports and presents both positive and negative aspects. However, the development of ideas could be more thorough, with more specific examples to support the arguments. For improvement, the writer could elaborate on the consequences of excessive gaming and provide more detailed examples of life skills gained from sports.
How to improve:
- Address all parts of the task fully
- Support ideas with specific examples
- Develop each point thoroughly
- Stay relevant to the topic
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