IELTS Advantage Disadvantage Sample Essay Questions

The IELTS exam writing module consists of two separate tasks depending on whether it is the Academic or the General Training Version of the exam. The Academic version comprises writing two tasks: Task 1 is a Report and Task 2 is an Essay. The General Training version of the exam comprises writing a Letter as Task 1 and an Essay as Task 2. In this blog, we will specifically discuss writing task 2, the Essay. Further, we discuss how to write an Advantage/Disadvantage type of Essay, some sample questions for the same and one sample answer for the Advantage/Disadvantage type of essay. 

How to write an Advantage/Disadvantage Type Essay

This section will clarify the structure that can be used to write an advantage/disadvantage type of essay. You may follow the following paragraph structure for this type of essay.

Introduction

The first sentence of the introductory paragraph will be a thesis sentence. The second sentence can further elaborate upon the structure of the essay and write the advantage and the disadvantage in short.

Paragraph A

The first sentence should mention the advantage of the given topic. The following two or more sentences should elaborate upon this advantage. Finally, the concluding sentence again explains the advantage in a brief but in different words.

Paragraph B

The first sentence of Paragraph B mentions the disadvantage of the given topic.  The following two or more sentences elaborate upon this advantage. Finally, the conclusion again emphasizes this disadvantage in paraphrased words.

Conclusion

The concluding paragraph summarises the advantage and disadvantage mentioned in the above paragraphs in paraphrased words.

Also read : IELTS writing task 2 sample answer band 9

Sample Essay Questions

• A lot of places in the world rely on tourism as a main source of income. Unfortunately, tourism can also be a source of problems if it is not well-managed.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of tourism in the modern world? Do you think that the benefits of tourism outweigh its drawbacks?

• Small businesses are disappearing and being replaced by large multinational companies.

Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

• Most career choices demand vocational skills or specialist knowledge. However, despite this, most schools still teach academic subjects such as history or social studies.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this

• It has been suggested that primary children should learn how to grow vegetables and keep animals.

Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

• It is important for people to take risks, in both their professional lives and personal lives.

Do the advantages of taking these risks outweigh the disadvantages?

• Some people say patriotism causes problems and is negative overall. Others feel that it is beneficial for society at large.

Do the advantages of patriotism outweigh its disadvantages?

• In many cities, problems related to overpopulation are becoming more common. Some governments are now encouraging businesses and individuals to move out of cities to rural areas.

Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?

• Nowadays, a lot of offices employ open-space designs instead of separate rooms for work.

Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

• It is now possible for scientists and tourists to travel to remote natural environments, such as the South Pole.

Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

• Machines are taking over more and more jobs previously done by humans.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own opinion.

• The personal information of many individuals is held by large internet companies and organisations

Do you think the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

• It is sometimes suggested that primary schoolchildren should learn how to grow vegetables and keep animals.

Do you think that the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

• In the past, knowledge was contained in books. Nowadays, knowledge is uploaded to the internet.

Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

• In the past, most people worked for small businesses, while more people now work for large businesses.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of working for large businesses?

• In many countries, plastic containers have become more common than ever and are used by many food and drink companies.

Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

• In many workplaces, online communication is now more common than face-to-face meetings.

Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?

• Many supermarkets are being built today while the number of small shops is decreasing.

Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

Also read : IELTS speaking part 1 topics, questions and sample answers

Sample Answer to Question 1

In many nations around the world, tourism is the main driver of economic growth. Some claim that if it is poorly organized, it has numerous negative repercussions. The two points of view will be discussed in this essay, and in my opinion, there are more benefits to travel than drawbacks.

The success of many economies around the world depends on travel. Tourism increases economic revenue, generates tens of thousands of jobs, and improves a nation's infrastructure. For instance, the Government of The Tourism Authority of Thailand invests much in the nation's infrastructure and depends heavily on tourism for its earnings. They need safe and cutting-edge amenities because they want more and more tourists to come to their country. This results in the development of new roadways, parks, and better public places. Furthermore, there is a chance for economic development for the local population.

On the other side, some nations' visitor problems result from the way the tourism business is currently organized. Environmental harm should be considered as the first factor. Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is a prime tourist destination, hence the population density there is very high. As a result, the environment of the nation is negatively impacted by the large increase in carbon monoxide gas emissions caused by plane and automobile use.

In conclusion, I believed that the benefits of tourism outweighed the drawbacks. While traveling can result in some issues, solving them is not difficult.

If you need more information regarding the IELTS writing task 1 and its related topics, then you can click here.

Also read : 20 common IELTS essay topics for IELTS writing task 2