Students today can access information online so libraries are not necessary. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
Today, concerns are high about how the digital age will change libraries. Some argue that libraries soon will sink into oblivion as nowadays, information of any field is readily available on the Internet. To the best of my knowledge, this idea should be rejected as one can see quite a few facts why libraries are relevant in modern days.
Generally speaking, students today are learning in conditions that are not conducive to their education. At home, they are attacked with all kinds of noise coming from next door. It is not a rare occasion when a party is organised, or a karaoke session is held. In school, vehicle horns, the sound of motorbike engines, or from construction sites continue to wreak havoc on students’ concentration. In such situations, libraries are no less than oases in the desert for the students. They are places where it is invariably quiet anytime they visit, where they have their work done effectively.
Some hold the belief that libraries are no longer necessary in this day and age when knowledge and information is freely up for grabs for students. From my perspective, this view is flawed. What this argument fails to take into account is the fact that a significant amount of information on the internet nowadays has never been verified, and therefore, it is prejudiced, inaccurate, or even misleading. Such information can potentially warp students’ perception on many life issues, which can cause devastating effects on both their professional careers and private lives later down the road. Books, on the other hand, are always censored before being published. Hence, it is much better for students to gain wisdom from books than from materials circulating the Internet.
To conclude, the importance of libraries should not be downplayed despite many advancements made in the technological era.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural phrasing Original: concerns are high Suggested revision: there is considerable concern Why it matters: Concern is normally described as considerable rather than high in this structure.
- 2. Correct adverb placement Original: libraries soon will sink Suggested revision: libraries will soon sink Why it matters: The adverb normally follows the modal auxiliary will.
- 3. Clarify the cause Original: as nowadays, Suggested revision: because Why it matters: Because states the causal link clearly and removes the misplaced comma.
- 4. Correct the preposition Original: of Suggested revision: in Why it matters: Information is available in a field rather than of a field.
- 5. Use the right noun Original: quite a few facts why Suggested revision: several reasons why Why it matters: Reasons, rather than facts, explain why libraries remain relevant.
- 6. Correct the expression Original: in modern days Suggested revision: in the modern world Why it matters: In modern days is not an idiomatic time expression here.
- 7. Use precise wording Original: attacked with all kinds of noise Suggested revision: subjected to all kinds of noise Why it matters: Subjected to describes unwanted exposure to noise more naturally.
- 8. Make phrasing concise Original: It is not a rare occasion when Suggested revision: It is not uncommon for Why it matters: The revision expresses frequency more directly and naturally.
- 9. Temper the metaphor Original: no less than oases in the desert Suggested revision: like oases in a desert Why it matters: The revision retains the comparison while avoiding an unnecessarily emphatic construction.
- 10. Generalize consistently Original: for the students Suggested revision: for students Why it matters: The zero article is appropriate when referring to students generally.
- 11. Correct the time expression Original: invariably quiet anytime Suggested revision: consistently quiet whenever Why it matters: Whenever introduces the following clause, whereas anytime is awkward in this position.
- 12. Correct the verb structure Original: where they have their work done Suggested revision: where they can do their work Why it matters: The causative have their work done incorrectly implies that someone else completes the work.
Suggested Rewrites
- concerns are high there is considerable concern
- libraries soon will sink libraries will soon sink
- as nowadays, because
- of in
- quite a few facts why several reasons why
- in modern days in the modern world
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response is strongest in its clear rejection of the claim and its well-organised development of two distinct reasons libraries remain valuable. Its main limitation is uneven language control: ambitious vocabulary and complex structures sometimes produce awkward collocations, agreement errors, or a malformed list. The highest-priority improvement is to retain the strong argument while revising imprecise expressions and checking sentence grammar more carefully.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The position is clear throughout, and the quiet-study and information-reliability arguments are relevant, distinct, and well developed.
Temper absolute claims such as all books being vetted before publication to make the support more defensible.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response has a clear paragraph structure, logical progression, and effective cohesive links between claims and explanations.
Use slightly more direct transitions in place of formulaic framing so the argument feels even more natural and economical.
Lexical Resource
The essay demonstrates broad vocabulary and effective imagery, though some ambitious word choices and collocations are imprecise.
Revise combinations such as “information of any field,” “attacked with noise,” and “prejudiced” information for idiomatic precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex sentences is evident, but several agreement, word-order, and construction errors reduce consistent accuracy.
Check complex clauses and coordinated lists carefully, especially “libraries soon will,” “knowledge and information is,” and the sentence listing school noise sources.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Students today can access information online so libraries are not necessary. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.