Today different types of robots are being developed which can serve as companions and workers to help at work and at home. Is this a positive or negative development?
Sample Response
Nowadays, the robotics industry is beginning to enterpenetrate both home and work environments. In my opinion, advances in robotics generally and artificial intelligence more specifically have their merits but are isolating.
Proponents of these innovations point to the reductioneradication of inefficiencies. This applies to both workplaces and homes. At work, there isare a range of tasks being performedresponsibilities being carried out by humans that could be done by robots ranging from the transportation of goods and photocopying to slightly more complexrobust tasks such as data entryinput and security. As artificial intelligence becomes more self-sufficient it is likely that companies will be able to increase efficiency, while humansefficiency and humans can prioritise the areas where they most excel. In homes, the situation is similar as robots may be able to take over chores such as washing the dishesdishing and cleaning, freeing up individuals to focus on more pleasurable pastimes.
Nonetheless, the growth of thea robotics industry exacerbates a modern trend towards isolation. People today are seemingly more connected than ever before thanks to the internet and social media, however, real world connection is on the decline. The workplace and home are two of the last remaining spaces to build meaningful, interpersonal relationships. A rise in the number of robots, as is the case in Japan where it is now possible to purchase a robot companion, will lead to a concomitant decrease in human relations. It seems unlikely that people would completely stop talking to each other but the pervasiveness of online life can serve as a warning that humanity is only too willing to subsist on one-way, inauthentic relationships.
In conclusion, despite the benefits robots bring for productivity, their isolating effect will make them a negative overallnegative on level. Individuals must therefore strive to maintain strong human relationships.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response presents a clear, nuanced judgement and develops both productivity benefits and the risk of social isolation with relevant, well-selected support. Its main limitation is a small number of conspicuous wording and grammatical slips that interrupt an otherwise precise and fluent argument. The highest-priority improvement is careful final proofreading to remove these local errors and make the conclusion fully polished.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The question is fully addressed through a clear negative judgement that weighs a developed benefit against a more consequential drawback.
Refine the final judgement by briefly clarifying why the social cost ultimately outweighs the productivity gain.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument progresses clearly through well-focused paragraphs, with cohesive devices used naturally and relationships between ideas easy to follow.
Make the final transition from weighing both sides to the negative conclusion slightly more explicit.
Lexical Resource
A wide and precise vocabulary supports nuanced discussion, with only isolated slips such as “washing the dishing” and “negative on level.”
Proofread for accidental word-choice errors so that every phrase matches the otherwise strong lexical control.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence forms is used flexibly and mostly accurately, though a few agreement and punctuation errors remain.
Check subject-verb agreement and punctuation around long clauses, especially before conjunctive adverbs such as “however.”
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Today different types of robots are being developed which can serve as companions and workers to help at work and at home. Is this a positive or negative development?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.