The media should include more good stories which report good news. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
It is now not uncommon to see negative news hit the headlines and appear frequently in the mass media. For this reason, many people believe that media positivity should be encouraged and I do agree with this idea for two main reasons.
First, audiences are increasingly bombarded with negative stories and therefore, good news should be reported more often to balance out. In fact, journalism’s commitment to being society’s watchdog is understandable, but excessive negativity in the news can be harmful. For instance, after a tragic plane crash in Malaysia was broadcast, news agencies the world over started to report similar accidents during the next months. This created collective fear for air travel, which consequently hurt the aviation industry despite the fact that air transport is still the safest option, with incident rates far lower than those for road and rail transport. In this way, an excessive amount of bad news causes distorted views and this is why the more good news is worth reporting.
Secondly, happiness is highly contagious, hence the need for positive media coverage. Good news can inspire readers or viewers to take action, which can benefit themselves and even society as a whole. The success of Flappy Bird, a mobile game created by Dong Nguyen that caused a global sensation in 2013, has been an encouraging story. Thousands of Vietnamese app developers have subsequently tried to start their own businesses in order to follow in Dong Nguyen’s footsteps. Although very few of them can achieve similar success, entrepreneurship is promoted, which comes as good news for both developers themselves and the country’s economy.
In conclusion, my belief is that news agencies should dedicate more to positive news because it can create a healthy journalism balance and also spread positivity.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural wording Original: media positivity Suggested revision: more positive media coverage Why it matters: This phrase expresses the intended idea more naturally and precisely.
- 2. Complete the expression Original: to balance out Suggested revision: to provide balance Why it matters: The original phrasal verb lacks an object and sounds incomplete here.
- 3. Use natural time phrase Original: during the next months Suggested revision: over the following months Why it matters: This is the natural expression for a period after the event.
- 4. Correct preposition Original: for Suggested revision: of Why it matters: The noun “fear” takes “of” when naming what people are afraid of.
- 5. Remove extra article Original: the more good news Suggested revision: more good news Why it matters: The comparative phrase does not take “the” in this construction.
- 6. Fix pronoun form Original: themselves Suggested revision: them Why it matters: The object refers to readers or viewers, so an object pronoun is needed rather than a reflexive pronoun.
- 7. Align narrative tense Original: has been an encouraging story Suggested revision: was an encouraging story Why it matters: The simple past aligns more clearly with the specific 2013 event.
- 8. Clarify completed outcome Original: can achieve similar success Suggested revision: have achieved similar success Why it matters: The present perfect better matches the preceding account of attempts made since 2013.
- 9. Maintain time reference Original: entrepreneurship is promoted Suggested revision: entrepreneurship has been promoted Why it matters: The present perfect keeps the result connected to the developments described since 2013.
- 10. Fix verb pattern Original: dedicate more to positive news Suggested revision: devote more coverage to positive news Why it matters: “Dedicate more” needs a clear object, and “coverage” states what news agencies should allocate.
- 11. Use natural collocation Original: healthy journalism balance Suggested revision: healthy balance in journalism Why it matters: This wording forms a natural noun phrase for the intended balance.
- 12. Sentence rewrite Original: It is now not uncommon to see negative news hit the headlines and appear frequently in the mass media. Suggested revision: Negative news now frequently makes headlines and appears across the mass media. Why it matters: The rewrite removes the awkward double negative and corrects the agreement around the uncountable noun “news”.
Suggested Rewrites
- media positivity more positive media coverage
- to balance out to provide balance
- during the next months over the following months
- for of
- the more good news more good news
- themselves them
Why this response received Band 8.0
This is a persuasive, well-organised response whose two main reasons are developed with specific, relevant examples and expressed through a broad range of controlled language. Its main limitation is occasional awkward wording that slightly reduces precision, especially in the final sentences of the first body paragraph and conclusion. The highest priority is to refine these collocations while preserving the essay's clear argumentative progression.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response presents a clear agreement throughout and develops two relevant reasons with extended, persuasive examples.
Make the link between each example and the precise value of positive reporting even more explicit.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically through focused paragraphs, and cohesive devices guide the reader smoothly without becoming conspicuous.
Tighten the final sentence of each body paragraph so that it encapsulates the argument more crisply.
Lexical Resource
A wide and precise vocabulary supports nuanced discussion, with only occasional awkward collocations.
Replace phrases such as 'dedicate more to positive news' with more natural combinations such as 'devote more coverage to positive news'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately, and the few slips do not impede communication.
Polish article use and comparative phrasing in sentences such as 'the more good news is worth reporting'.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
The media should include more good stories which report good news. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.