It has been said that people who read for pleasure have more developed imaginations and better language skills than people who prefer to watch TV. Do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
Some people think that reading for pleasure increases people’s imagination and language skills more than watching TV does. Personally, I totally agree with this view and will analyse the reasons in the following essay.
Reading for enjoyment can help people to develop their imagination and improve their language skills in many ways. Firstly, while watching television is said to be more of a passive activity, reading is considered to be an active form of learning. Reading stimulates people’s brains more as they have to use their imagination to visualise the characters and plot of the story, and this helps to further develop their imaginative thinking skills. Secondly, language skills can also be improved from reading. By reading regularly, people can expand their vocabulary and learn different grammatical structures and how to use them effectively.
Watching TV, on the other hand, does little to enhance people’s imagination and language skills. While reading, people have plenty of time to read the text and visualise the content of the story. However, when watching TV, viewers use their imagination very little, as they can see the images on the screen. Furthermore, the dialogue of the story or movie is usually spoken at a fast pace, which does not give viewers much time to comprehend what is being said, let alone learning anything new. Finally, television is full of advertisements these days and therefore distracts viewers from what they are watching. This makes it even more difficult for people to absorb information that might enhance their language skills.
In conclusion, I believe that reading books is a more efficient way for people to enhance their imagination and language skills, while watching TV is simply more of a source of entertainment.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use precise verb Original: increases Suggested revision: develops Why it matters: 'Develops' describes the gradual improvement of imagination more naturally.
- 2. Clarify essay purpose Original: will analyse the reasons in the following essay Suggested revision: will explain the reasons for this view Why it matters: The revision states more directly what the essay will explain.
- 3. Use concise comparison Original: is said to be more of a passive activity Suggested revision: is a relatively passive activity Why it matters: The revision expresses the comparison more concisely and directly.
- 4. Use precise expression Original: Reading stimulates people’s brains more Suggested revision: Reading engages people’s brains more actively Why it matters: 'Engages more actively' describes the type of mental involvement more precisely.
- 5. Avoid redundant wording Original: imaginative thinking skills Suggested revision: imaginative abilities Why it matters: The revision avoids overlap between 'imaginative', 'thinking', and 'skills'.
- 6. Fix preposition choice Original: from Suggested revision: through Why it matters: 'Through' naturally identifies reading as the means of improvement.
- 7. Avoid repeated wording Original: read Suggested revision: process Why it matters: 'Process' better distinguishes understanding the text from the act of reading it.
- 8. Use natural phrasing Original: the dialogue of the story or movie Suggested revision: the dialogue in a programme or film Why it matters: Dialogue occurs 'in' a programme or film, and the revised nouns fit television content.
- 9. Fix parallel form Original: learning Suggested revision: learn Why it matters: The base form 'learn' must parallel 'comprehend' after 'does not give viewers much time to'.
- 10. Choose precise adjective Original: efficient Suggested revision: effective Why it matters: 'Effective' refers to achieving better results, which is the intended comparison here.
- 11. Sentence rewrite Original: Finally, television is full of advertisements these days and therefore distracts viewers from what they are watching. Suggested revision: Finally, television contains many advertisements these days, which distract viewers from what they are watching. Why it matters: The rewrite makes advertisements, rather than television itself, the clear subject of 'distract'.
Suggested Rewrites
- increases develops
- will analyse the reasons in the following essay will explain the reasons for this view
- is said to be more of a passive activity is a relatively passive activity
- Reading stimulates people’s brains more Reading engages people’s brains more actively
- imaginative thinking skills imaginative abilities
- from through
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response presents a clear position, develops both imagination and language benefits, and sustains a logical comparison with television using fluent, precise language. The main limitation is that a few supporting points, particularly the advertising point, are less directly connected to the central comparison; the best improvement would be to deepen the most relevant evidence and remove marginal claims.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The position is direct and fully maintained, with relevant explanations of how reading benefits imagination and language skills compared with television.
Strengthen the argument further by replacing the less relevant advertising point with a deeper comparison of active reading and passive viewing.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is sequenced logically in well-focused paragraphs, and cohesive devices guide the comparison smoothly without distracting repetition.
Refine the final body paragraph so every supporting sentence contributes equally directly to its central comparison.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied, natural, and precise across the response, with effective topic-specific expressions and only minor awkwardness.
Polish occasional combinations such as how skills are improved to make an already strong lexical performance more idiomatic.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately, and the great majority of sentences are error-free.
Check parallel forms after expressions such as 'let alone' to eliminate the few remaining grammatical slips.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
It has been said that people who read for pleasure have more developed imaginations and better language skills than people who prefer to watch TV. Do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.