Plan this positive or negative essay about technology with the ideas and outline below, write it on a 40-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model answer.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Robots are being developed to help care for elderly people in hospitals and at home.
Is this a positive or negative development?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
Pick two or three points from one or both columns. You do not need all of them, and your own examples score better than memorised ones.
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 250 minimum
Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.
Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
Robots are now being developed to assist in caring for elderly people in hospitals and at home. I believe this is a mainly positive development, as long as robots support human carers and do not replace them.
The practical advantages are significant. Many countries face a shortage of nurses and care workers because their populations are ageing, and robots can fill part of the gap. They can lift patients, deliver medicine and meals, remind people to take their tablets and monitor vital signs around the clock without becoming tired. In Japan, for instance, robotic devices already help carers to move bedridden patients, reducing injuries to staff. Robots can also alert doctors immediately if an elderly person falls, which may save a life, and they allow many older people to stay in their own homes for longer, which most prefer.
Nevertheless, there are emotional and ethical drawbacks. Care involves kindness, patience and human contact, and a machine cannot truly understand a person's feelings. Older people who are already lonely might become more isolated if they interact with a robot rather than with relatives or nurses. There are also concerns about privacy, since cameras and sensors record intimate details of a person's life, and about who is responsible if a machine makes a mistake. Vulnerable patients could be deceived into thinking a robot cares about them.
These risks can be limited if robots handle physical and repetitive tasks, leaving humans with more time for conversation and emotional support. Clear regulation and human supervision are also essential.
In conclusion, robot care can ease staff shortages and improve safety, so I regard it as positive overall, provided that it complements rather than replaces human compassion.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| care robot | machine that helps look after people |
| companionship | company and friendship |
| human touch | personal warmth |
| monitoring | watching over |
| cutting-edge technology | very new technology |
| elderly patient | older person receiving treatment |
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