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
This is the news editor's duty to decide whether tonews caster's duty whether to broadcast or print any particular news. There are various factors behind these decisions. Although people are seriously disturbed by watching the bad news, I believe that there should be a balance between bad and good news. There are a number of factorsThere are numbers of factors that seem to influence news editorsfrom which news editors seemed to be influenced prior to deciding what information to publishthe type of information to be placed as news. Firstly, news corporations are much more obsessed with popularity, competency and profitability amongst their news agencyagencies counterparts. Because, before they are able to earn a stupendous amount of money, they would have to be competitive in the news market. This is the reason why they sometimes tend to show the most dramatic, exaggerated and sensational newsdrastic, exaggerating and spicy news in order to attract a larger audiencemore audiences. Secondly, there are many major companiesa huge variety of elite industries that are willing to sponsor news agencies.In this way, news editors may have to present biased informationthe biased, and impartial information solely to enhance the reputationpromote the attractive reputation of these high-profile industries. Finally, some news firms may be politically, religiously or culturally biasedare perhaps politically, religiously or culturally prejudiced simply to make excessive profitsjust to make extravagant money. It is deniable that bad news does not have any negative impact on people's lives. Most of the time people are being bombarded with distressing newsthe vulnerable news. This has led to higher levels of depression, anxiety, fear and uncertaintya greater level of depression, anxiety, phobia and uncertainty in many people. Also, I tend to believe that news publishers should not think so short-sightedlybe thinking too short-sighted. Rather they should put a greater emphasis on broadcasting the factual reportingtruth and reality as well as maintaining the balance between baddevastating news and good news. It would be a lot more productive for societyfor the nations if they are informed of good news such as improvements in health or scientific matters or any new invention on top of getting the truth about critical global or local matters equally. In conclusion, people cannot become immune to the bad news. While there are some crucial factors involved in making news, I would argue that news editors should maintain the balance between both types of news before presenting to the nation.
Why this response received Band 6.0
The response has a clear position and offers several relevant influences on editorial decisions, with some useful discussion of balancing negative and positive coverage. Its main limitation is uneven development of whether audiences become accustomed to bad news, compounded by imprecise language that sometimes obscures the intended point. Prioritise a direct, fully explained answer to each question, supported by precise examples and clearer phrasing.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response addresses all parts and maintains a relevant position, but the discussion of becoming accustomed to bad news is only partially developed.
Explain directly whether repeated exposure creates habituation and support that answer with a specific cause-and-effect example.
Coherence and Cohesion
The ideas follow a recognisable sequence through signposting, but the single-block presentation and some abrupt links weaken overall cohesion.
Separate the response into purposeful paragraphs and use clearer logical connections between each claim and its explanation.
Lexical Resource
There is a reasonably wide vocabulary for media and social effects, although frequent inaccurate collocations and word choices reduce precision.
Choose natural, exact combinations such as sensational news and commercial competition, and avoid ambitious words whose meaning does not fit the context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex structures communicates the main ideas, but recurring agreement, article, clause, and punctuation errors reduce control.
Proofread complex sentences for complete clauses, accurate agreement, and punctuation, especially after linking expressions and subordinate clauses.
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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.