BAND 7.5 IELTS ESSAY SAMPLE: MODERN TECHNOLOGY'S IMPACT ON SOCIETY'S CONNECTION - AGREE OR DISAGREE?

All General Writing Task 1 Samples / Band 7.5

In today's world, people have become increasingly reliant on modern technology for communication and gathering information. While some argue this has led to a more connected and informed society, others believe that this reliance on technology has made people more disconnected from one another. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this perspective? Provide relevant examples and evidence to support your answer.

Essay Sample

Learners are becoming ever more dependent on technology, such as the Internet and mobile devices. This essay believes the main problems associated with dependence on computers is the lack of original thought and copying original work from others and suggests critical thinking classes and writing analysis software as the most viable solutions.

The principal problems with over-reliance on technology are people not being able to think for themselves and plagiarism. With access to so much information, students often rely on other people’s opinions instead of forming their own. As well as this, they often use search engines to answer a question and simply copy the text from a website, rather than thinking about the question. This practice is not only prohibited in schools and universities but also stunts a student’s intellectual development because they will never truly think for themselves, which is what university is supposed to really be for. For example, many teachers complain that students copy web pages straight from Wikipedia word for word rather than giving a reasoned answer to their questions.

Solutions to these worrying problems are special classes to focus on critical thinking and teachers using anti-plagiarism software to detect copying. If teachers create situations where students have to infer meaning and express opinions based on a small amount of information, this will ensure that students have an opportunity to develop these skills. Also, if students know that their assignments are being checked for plagiarism, this will be enough to deter them from doing so. For instance, many universities already use this kind of software to scan course work for plagiarism and it could be extended to include all homework, by learners in both secondary and tertiary education.

In conclusion, the main problems with overuse of technology in education are the lack of original thought and plagiarism and these can be solved through special classes that teach students analytical skills and the use of plagiarism detection software.