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:
Many people now maintain friendships mainly through social media rather than meeting in person.
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.
Many people now keep in touch with friends mainly through social media rather than by meeting them. Although this brings some benefits, I believe it is a mostly negative development.
On the positive side, social platforms make it easy to maintain relationships across long distances. Someone who has moved abroad for work can still see photos of old classmates, send quick messages and join video calls at no cost. Shy people may also find it easier to start conversations online, and communities built around shared interests can offer support that is difficult to find locally. In these ways, technology can prevent friendships from fading simply because of geography.
However, the drawbacks are more serious. Online contact tends to be shallow: a like or a short comment is not the same as listening to a friend who is upset, and important cues such as tone of voice and body language are lost. People can end up with hundreds of contacts but few close companions. Social media also encourages comparison, because users usually share only their best moments, and studies have linked heavy use to anxiety and loneliness, especially among teenagers. Meeting in person, by contrast, builds trust through shared experiences, whether a long meal, a football match or simply helping a friend to move house. If online contact replaces these experiences instead of supplementing them, relationships become fragile.
In my view, then, social media is a useful tool for staying in touch but a poor substitute for real company.
In conclusion, the benefits of convenience and connection are outweighed by the loss of depth and the risks to wellbeing, so I consider the trend more negative than positive.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| virtual communication | contact through devices |
| meaningful relationships | close and valuable bonds |
| superficial | lacking depth |
| stay in touch | keep contact |
| online interaction | contact via the internet |
| social isolation | lack of social contact |
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