Earlier technological developments brought more benefits and changed the lives of ordinary people more than recent developments ever will. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
Developments in technology over many years have dramatically changed the world we live inthe world that we live in, and some people think that earlier advances in technology have had a greater impact on and been more beneficial to the lives of ordinary people than more recent changes. However, I partially agree with this as the advantages and influences on people’s lives actually depends on the particular fieldarea of technology.
There is no doubt that some earlier advances in technology have been very influential, such as those related to household technologytechnology around the home. Devices such as washing machines, fridges and freezers, central heating, microwaves and televisions were invented many years ago, and now nearly every household has all or some of these devices in their homesall or some of these in their home, making life much easier. Although these devices have improved over timeThough they have been improved over time, they still serve much the same purposecarry out much the same purpose as when they were first invented.
Another example is that of medicine. Despite the fact that there have been ground-breaking recent medical developments, such as thosethat connected to research into genes and stem cells, the benefits for the average person may still be many years awaybenefits to the average person are still many years away. The most influential impacts on health have been earlier technological developments of the past, which remain today. These are the ability to treat so many injuries and diseases and carry out organ transplants in hospitals. It is these that benefit so many liveshave benefits on so many lives and will for decades to come.
However, if we consider some more recent developmentsif we look at some more recent developments, they have had a much greater influence than in the past. For instance, there is the phone, which was a significant development when it was invented, helping many peoplewhen invented helping many people. However, although invented many years ago, technological developments over the last few decades have enabled phones to become mobileenabled the phone to now be mobile and connected to the internet. This has had a profound impactincredible impacts on the way people liveIive their lives as people use phones for numerous everyday activities and to connect around the worldwith people using phones for so many everyday activities and for connecting around the world.
In conclusion, I would argue that although some older technological developments are important, some new ones are too. The impacts on ordinary people’s lives therefore dependdepends on the type of technology in question.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response is strongest in its clear, nuanced position and relevant comparison of domestic, medical, and communication technologies across time. Its main limitation is uneven language control, including subject-verb agreement errors and several imprecise collocations, while the recent-technology comparison could also be made more explicit. The highest-priority improvement is to revise grammatical agreement and express each old-versus-new comparison in more precise terms.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response maintains a clear partial-agreement position and supports it with relevant examples from several technological fields.
Make the comparative judgement in each body paragraph more explicit, especially when presenting the modern phone as a recent development.
Coherence and Cohesion
The essay has a logical progression, clear paragraph purposes, and cohesive links that guide the reader effectively.
Reduce repeated contrast markers and tighten internal links so each example leads directly to its comparative implication.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary shows good range and handles the topic effectively, although several word combinations are imprecise or repetitive.
Use more natural collocations for effects and benefits, and avoid repeating broad terms such as impact and development.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A variety of complex structures is used successfully, but recurring agreement and clause-control errors reduce accuracy.
Check subject-verb agreement carefully and revise compressed clauses whose missing or unclear elements weaken sentence control.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Earlier technological developments brought more benefits and changed the lives of ordinary people more than recent developments ever will. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.