News editors decide what to broadcast on television and what to print in newspapers. What factors do you think influence these decisions? Do we become used to bad news? Would it be better if more good news was reported?
Sample Response
It is a known fact that in the realm of media, especially news channels and newspapers, the decision about what is to bethe decision of whatever is to be broadcastbroadcasted to the public is under the control of an editorin the dominion of an editor. Although various other factors and authority figures might influence these decisions, the greater responsibility is predominantly of the editor. That saidWith that being said, I believe a balance between positive and negative newsfavourable and unfavourable kinds of news is necessary, and I will explain this viewI will elaborate on these views in the following paragraphs.
To begin with, every piece of information presented to the public through mass mediaprovided to the public through forms of mass media has immense potential to evokeinvoke strong emotions among the people. Consequently, the selection of such material has to be done with great carewith the utmost vigilance and with the political and socio-economic circumstances in mind to avoid sending misleading messagesany kind of wrong messages to the community. In additionOn the other hand, factors such as sales and viewershipelements like sales and viewership are also vital in this regard as the aim of any business is to earn more revenue.
Subsequently, to entice the audience, negative information often is given higher priorityreceives more priority than positive newsones as any adverse eventany kind of adverse occurrence is more gripping than ordinaryregular events. However, it is important to realize that subjecting the masses to such negative eventssuch bleak happenings daily has a damaging effect on the psyche of the population. Thus, it is important to strike a balance between good and bad news in order to keep the feelings of hope and motivation alive among the people.
In conclusion, I would like to say that although there are various factors in play when choosing what to report to the audience, the nature of the facts and figures showcased through news media should maintain an equilibrium to avoid demoralizing and demotivating influences. Since news editors have substantial control over such particulars, they should strive to achieve the same.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response is logically organized and uses a broad, generally precise vocabulary to explain commercial and social influences on editorial choices. Its main limitation is incomplete task coverage: it argues for a balance of good and bad news but does not directly explain whether audiences become accustomed to bad news, and several ideas remain general. Prioritize answering each question explicitly and develop the habituation point with a clear reason or example.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response presents a clear position and relevant factors, but it does not directly answer whether people become accustomed to bad news and some ideas lack specific support.
Address all three questions explicitly and support the habituation argument with a concrete explanation or example.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically through clear paragraphs, although some linking phrases are mechanical and a few references are vague.
Use more natural transitions and replace vague references such as "the same" with precise nouns or claims.
Lexical Resource
A broad vocabulary conveys the argument effectively, but several collocations and word choices sound forced or imprecise.
Prefer natural combinations such as "rests with the editor" and "attracts greater attention" over inflated phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex structures with generally strong control, despite occasional agreement, article, and formulation errors.
Proofread complex sentences for agreement and ensure that each grammatical subject logically performs the stated action.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
News editors decide what to broadcast on television and what to print in newspapers. What factors do you think influence these decisions? Do we become used to bad news? Would it be better if more good news was reported?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.