In recent years, more and more people are choosing to read e-books rather than paper books. Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?
Sample Response
It is true that reading e-books is increasingly ubiquitous compared to paper books in today’s world. Although this practice has numerous drawbacks, they are overshadowed its benefits. On the one hand, the phenomenon potentially engenders some drawbacks. One of the major drawbacks is that the quality of e-books may not be guaranteed. No doubt, currently, numerous illegal books are published without strict supervision by authorities or other reliable publishers; therefore the content of these e-books in the online platform may not be professionally censored, as a result, the meaning and content of electronic books are not fully and appropriately expressed, which can lead to misunderstanding the idea of authors. On the other hand, reading e-books can provide numerous incontrovertible benefits. The first advantage is that it is a flexible way to read. Indeed, a small e-book device can easily store a large number of books, therefore it is very portable to carry; especially when traveling, as a result, the readers could bring it along and read books in every corner; which can lead to people tend to read e-books rather than paper books. Additionally, the second benefit is that it is affordable. In fact, the price of e-books is affordable compared to printed books; therefore e-books could be easily purchased by individuals despite their economic background, as a result, by easily purchasing e-books on the reading platform with economic costs, readers could acquire more books that they are interested in, without having to excessively allocate budgets. In, due to the above-mentioned reasons, it seems advisable that the negative effects of reading e-books are outshined by the advantages.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Add missing preposition Original: they are overshadowed its benefits Suggested revision: they are overshadowed by its benefits Why it matters: The passive construction requires 'by' before the agent.
- 2. Remove redundant stance Original: No doubt, currently Suggested revision: Currently Why it matters: Using both expressions together is wordy and makes the claim sound unnecessarily absolute.
- 3. Use precise term Original: illegal books Suggested revision: unauthorised e-books Why it matters: The issue described concerns publication status, so this term expresses the intended meaning more precisely.
- 4. Correct platform phrase Original: in the online platform Suggested revision: on online platforms Why it matters: Content appears 'on' a platform, and the general reference requires a plural noun.
- 5. Choose accurate process Original: censored Suggested revision: edited Why it matters: Editing, rather than censorship, is the process that improves a publication's language and presentation.
- 6. Fix agreement and redundancy Original: the meaning and content of electronic books are Suggested revision: the content of electronic books is Why it matters: The revision removes the overlapping nouns and makes the verb agree with the singular head noun.
- 7. Clarify who misunderstands Original: misunderstanding the idea of authors Suggested revision: readers misunderstanding authors' ideas Why it matters: The original gerund phrase lacks a clear agent and uses an unnatural singular reference.
- 8. Name the device precisely Original: a small e-book device Suggested revision: a small e-reader Why it matters: An e-reader is the standard concise term for the device being described.
- 9. Fix result structure Original: therefore it is very portable to carry Suggested revision: making the device easy to carry Why it matters: The participial result phrase connects correctly to the preceding clause and avoids redundant wording.
- 10. Remove excess connector Original: as a result, the readers Suggested revision: readers Why it matters: Another result linker is unnecessary because the sentence has already established the consequence.
- 11. Use natural expression Original: in every corner Suggested revision: anywhere Why it matters: 'Anywhere' expresses portability more naturally in this context.
- 12. Fix verb pattern Original: ; which can lead to people tend to read Suggested revision: , which can lead people to prefer reading Why it matters: 'Lead' takes an object plus a to-infinitive, and the relative clause should not follow a semicolon.
Suggested Rewrites
- they are overshadowed its benefits they are overshadowed by its benefits
- No doubt, currently Currently
- illegal books unauthorised e-books
- in the online platform on online platforms
- censored edited
- the meaning and content of electronic books are the content of electronic books is
Why this response received Band 6.0
The response maintains a clear comparative position and develops relevant benefits with enough explanation to remain easy to follow. Its main limitation is that the disadvantage is narrow and questionable, while repeated linking phrases, awkward collocations, and faulty clause structures make the argument sound mechanical and occasionally blur meaning. Prioritise more credible, balanced support and edit long sentences for accurate grammar and natural word combinations.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response answers the comparative question with a clear position and develops both disadvantages and advantages, though the negative case is narrow and not wholly convincing.
Develop a more credible disadvantage and compare its significance directly with the two stated benefits.
Coherence and Cohesion
The paragraph sequence is logical and the main progression is clear, but connectors are repetitive and several long sentences become mechanically linked.
Use fewer result markers and divide extended chains of reasoning into clearly punctuated sentences.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a reasonably broad vocabulary for evaluation and comparison, although frequent awkward collocations reduce precision and naturalness.
Choose simpler, idiomatic combinations for publishing quality, affordability, and spending instead of forcing formal wording.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex forms is attempted, but recurring errors in clause structure, agreement, and punctuation weaken control.
Check each complex sentence for a complete main clause and correct verb pattern before adding further dependent clauses.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
In recent years, more and more people are choosing to read e-books rather than paper books. Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.