Compare the advantages and disadvantages of three of the following as media for communicating information. State which you consider to be the most effective.
Sample Response
(TV, Radio, and Books) In today's world, various media have become quite significant in our life. I believe media like television, radio, book, film, theatre and comics have different advantages and disadvantages of their own as they have subtle differences in the way they convey messages and communicate information. The discussion about the positive and negative aspects of three media- TV, radio and books, will be outlined in the following paragraphs, and in my opinion, books are the most effective media for communicating information. First of all, as a modern medium, television has become a part of human life. Information presented on TV is easy to absorb and they are both informative and entertaining. However, it can make people passive, as the viewers just sit and watch it. Besides, research shows that TV programmes are addictive and can be a huge waste of time for many. Secondly, radio has an important value in our lives when it comes to conveying important information. This tool is helpful for visually impaired people, and we can work and enjoy radio programmes simultaneously, unlike TV programmes. We can carry it with us everywhere we go as modern radios are pretty small and are integrated with devices like smartphones. In contrast, radio signals are sometimes weak and limited only in a specific area. Over time, this medium is losing its popularity due to its technological limitations. Finally, books share invaluable information and contain important facts and stories. Data collected from the past are stored in books and help research works. By reading books people can broaden their imagination, enhance their knowledge and learn new things. Books are so far the best medium for communicating information - from generation to generation and past to present, and are the base of our modern civilisation. I believe the book is the most effective medium so far and will remain so for many coming generations. Except for the time and patience it requires, it hardly has any disadvantages. In conclusion, every medium for communicating information has some distinct advantages and demerits, but books are the most effective media that can enlighten our minds and convey knowledge from one generation to another.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use plural noun Original: our life Suggested revision: our lives Why it matters: The plural pronoun context requires the plural noun 'lives'.
- 2. Use formal example marker Original: media like Suggested revision: media such as Why it matters: 'Such as' introduces examples more precisely in formal writing.
- 3. Keep list nouns parallel Original: radio, book, film Suggested revision: radio, books, films Why it matters: Countable media types in this list should use consistent plural forms.
- 4. Fix dash spacing Original: three media- TV Suggested revision: three media—TV Why it matters: An em dash correctly sets off the list without an incorrect spaced hyphen.
- 5. Remove unnecessary article Original: the viewers Suggested revision: viewers Why it matters: The general plural noun does not need the definite article here.
- 6. Clarify simultaneous actions Original: work and enjoy radio programmes simultaneously Suggested revision: work while enjoying radio programmes Why it matters: The while-clause expresses the two simultaneous activities more naturally.
- 7. Clarify portable use Original: carry it with us everywhere we go Suggested revision: listen to it wherever we go Why it matters: This wording focuses clearly on portable radio listening rather than carrying a device.
- 8. Use correct preposition Original: limited only in a specific area Suggested revision: limited to a specific area Why it matters: The adjective 'limited' takes the preposition 'to' for a geographical restriction.
- 9. Use natural collocation Original: help research works Suggested revision: support research Why it matters: 'Support research' is the natural collocation for this meaning.
- 10. Add introductory comma Original: By reading books people Suggested revision: By reading books, people Why it matters: A comma should follow the introductory prepositional phrase.
- 11. Make sequence parallel Original: from generation to generation and past to present Suggested revision: from one generation to the next and from the past to the present Why it matters: Parallel prepositional phrases make both time relationships clear.
- 12. Maintain plural reference Original: I believe the book is Suggested revision: I believe books are Why it matters: The general claim should keep the plural reference used throughout the discussion.
Suggested Rewrites
- our life our lives
- media like media such as
- radio, book, film radio, books, films
- three media- TV three media—TV
- the viewers viewers
- work and enjoy radio programmes simultaneously work while enjoying radio programmes
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response fully covers all three media, maintains a clear preference for books, and supports each comparison with relevant advantages and disadvantages. Its main limitation is that some claims, especially the treatment of books' disadvantages, are asserted rather than explored, while recurring agreement and article errors reduce polish. Develop the comparisons more critically and edit sentence-level accuracy, particularly noun forms and reference.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Response
The response addresses all parts of the task, compares three media, and sustains a clear choice, although some points are only generally developed.
Explain the limitations of books and the basis for their superiority in more depth to make the comparison more convincing.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically through clearly focused sections for television, radio, and books, with an effective introduction and conclusion.
Use less formulaic sequencing and create smoother links between the three comparisons so the argument reads as a unified evaluation.
Lexical Resource
A sufficiently wide vocabulary communicates the comparisons clearly, despite several awkward collocations and inconsistent singular and plural noun choices.
Refine collocations and noun forms, especially phrases such as research work and books as a medium, to improve precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex structures, but recurring errors in agreement, articles, pronoun reference, and punctuation limit accuracy.
Proofread each sentence for subject-verb agreement, article use, and clear pronoun reference before finalising the response.