Some children spend hours every day on smartphones. Why is this the case? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?
Sample Response
These days, children are spending increasing amounts of time each daymore and more hours each day using smartphones. In my opinion, this is a natural consequence of the widespread availability of smartphonesubiquity of phones and is a decidedly negative phenomenon.
The main cause of this trend is widespread access to portable devicesaccess to portable devices. Since the introduction of the original iPhone, countless phone manufacturers have developed products similar to Apple’simitated Apple’s innovation and virtually every family possesses multiple smartphonesdevices. The owners of these phones are typically over-worked and stressed parents who often alloware often willing to allow their children to use their smartphones to listen to music, watch movies, and keep themselves entertained. In many parts of the world, parents even purchase phones specifically for their children to use. The increased hours children spend on phones is therefore a combination of tremendous access coupled with a natural desire to use them.
The main repercussions offrom increased smartphone usage among children are negative. FirstFirstly, smartphones have replaced healthier habits. Children raised before the advent of the portable smartphone were more likely to read books, socialize with friends, and take part in outdoor activities. These practices are all far healthier physically, intellectually, and emotionally. Moreover, phone usethe usage of phones itself is harmfulactively detrimental to normal cognitive development. Many researchers have theorized that the 21st century spike in cases of dissociative anxiety disorders may be associated withcan be directly correlated with the technological age in general and smartphones more specifically.
In conclusion, children use smartphones for hours every day because of their availability and the result of this is a steep decline in healthy lifestyles. As governments cannot restrict such usage, it is the responsibility of parents to effectively regulate screen time for their children.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response answers both questions directly, sustains a clear negative position, and develops its explanation through a concise, highly coherent structure. The principal limitation is that some causal claims, particularly the reference to anxiety disorders and the assertion about government action, are stated too categorically; prioritise qualifying such claims or supporting them with more concrete reasoning.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both the cause and the writer's negative evaluation are fully addressed with relevant, well-developed reasoning.
Qualify the more speculative research claim and explain the final statement about government limits rather than presenting it as self-evident.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas are sequenced clearly, paragraphs have distinct functions, and cohesive devices guide the reader without disrupting progression.
Create a slightly smoother bridge between the loss of healthy activities and the discussion of cognitive harm.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and precise, with strong control of topic-specific and evaluative language throughout.
Refine a few slightly heavy choices, such as “tremendous access” and repeated uses of “usage,” for greater naturalness.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex sentence forms is used accurately, with only minor lapses that do not impede communication.
Maintain this control while varying a few long sentences to make key claims even more direct.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some children spend hours every day on smartphones. Why is this the case? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.