The media should include more stories which report good news. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Same questionCompare 3 different answers (Band 7–8)
Same-task comparison

This response is estimated at Band 7.0. Can you write a better one?

Write yours and get clear feedback on all four criteria.

  • Closest to official scores
  • What to fix on each criterion
  • Feedback in about 20 seconds · free
Start writing this task

Sample Response

1

A large number of media channels these days are overlytoo focused on negative news, probably to increase viewership. However, many people saymany people often say that they prefer the media to cover more good newsmore good news being covered in the media. I personally agree with this ideaIdea and will explain my reasoning belowin my essay below.

2

The dominance of bad news in headlinesBad news dominating the headlines is having an harmfulundesirable influence on society. Psychologically, this type of news, unless managed properly, may keep readers in a state of stress and lead them to experience trauma. Stories about ISIS slaughtering innocent citizens, for example, causedcitizens for example caused serious harm to people’s mental healthmassive damage to people’s mental states and instilled fear into their minds. Also, frequent exposure to negative news can distort readers’ perception of reality. In Vietnam, for example,In Vietnam for example, it seems that members of the media no longer focus on keeping the public informed about current eventsdo not focus on keeping the public informed of current events anymore, both locally and globally. Instead, they are trying to publish articles with the primary aim of attracting more viewers and therefore increasing profits. This, unfortunately, shapes readers’ outlook on society in a negative way.

3

On the other hand, including good news in the media may have positive effects on the general public. It helps restore our faith in humanity, which inspires morally responsible actionsmoral courses of action to uphold ethical social values. Media stories of good news, as opposed to bad news, can also have a positive psychological impactimplication. Such stories can help people become more optimisticuplift people to become more optimistic and generally improve both physical and mental health.

4

In conclusion, I believe reporting more good-news storiesrecounting more stories of good news can positively affect the moral behavior of a group of people and therefore should receive more attention. Although negative news still has an important place in our liveslife, its harmful effects should be recognizedits severity should be realized so that readers can fully reap all the benefits that the media has to offer.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The response maintains a clear stance and builds a logical case by explaining the harms of negative coverage before considering the benefits of good news. Its main limitation is uneven development: the second body paragraph and the final qualification remain fairly general, reducing the argument’s depth. The highest-priority improvement is to extend the positive-news case with a specific mechanism or example and clarify the appropriate role of negative reporting.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TR

Task Response

7.0
Scoring rule

The essay directly answers the question with a consistent position and relevant reasons, although some supporting points remain general.

Next step

Develop the benefits of good-news reporting with a concrete example and explain more precisely how much negative news should remain.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

7.0
Scoring rule

Ideas progress logically through well-focused paragraphs, and cohesive devices generally make the line of argument easy to follow.

Next step

Strengthen the connection between the qualified conclusion and the preceding discussion so the final nuance feels fully prepared.

LR

Lexical Resource

7.0
Scoring rule

The vocabulary is varied and appropriate for media and psychological effects, with occasional strained or imprecise collocations.

Next step

Choose more natural expressions for ideas such as psychological effects, inspiring ethical behaviour, and recognising harmful consequences.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.0
Scoring rule

A good range of sentence forms is used with generally strong control, and the few errors do not impede meaning.

Next step

Polish punctuation around inserted examples and check minor capitalization, article, and singular-plural choices.