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IELTS essay, topic: In many workplaces online communication has overtaken face to face meetings (advantages/disadvantages)

This essay topic was seen in a recent IELTS test in India.

In many workplaces online communication has overtaken face to face meetings. Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

Sample Band 8 Essay

In today’s ever-increasingly digital world, online communication has become the norm for many workplaces. While this development offers numerous advantages for companies such as greater flexibility and efficiency, it also brings with it certain disadvantages like miscommunication, which must be weighed against its benefits.

One of the primary advantages of online communication is that it makes it easier for teams to stay in touch without having to physically convene. This is especially beneficial when individuals or groups are dispersed across vast distances. Reduced travel costs, as well as time saved from not having to travel to and from meetings, also represent meaningful savings for businesses. Additionally, online communication platforms often have a range of features designed to make collaboration more efficient, such as providing an easy way to share documents and other materials with remote team members. To illustrate, digital resources can be sent quickly and securely via email or other software services like Dropbox or Google Drive.

There is a potential drawback associated with relying too heavily on online communication at work, as the lack of physical proximity between members of a team can often lead to misunderstandings due to a loss of context or nonverbal cues that would otherwise be present during face-to-face meetings. However, in my opinion, issues of this nature can be solved by using written language more carefully to avoid any confusion or miscommunication among colleagues.

In conclusion, when online communication tools are used properly, they undoubtedly provide companies with greater flexibility in how their teams collaborate without sacrificing clarity of communication, quality or efficiency.

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IELTS Report, topic: Table describing the viewers’ preferences for TV programs

This is a model answer for an Academic Writing Task 1 from the IELTS exam in Canada, shared recently. This response is likely to get Band 8 or 8.5 in IELTS.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task

The table below shows the results of a survey conducted in 2012 in a European country, where viewers were asked about their preferences for TV programs. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words

IELTS Writing Task 1 Table of TV Program Viewer Preferences
* Note: this isn’t the actual table given in the test, it was recreated for the purpose of demonstration.

Band 8.5 Model Answer

The table summarises 2012 survey results about the favourite TV programs of people living in a European country, and the data is categorised by three different age groups, namely 11-15 years old, 16-20 years old and 21-25 years old.

Overall, it can be clearly seen that people in the oldest age groups preferred to watch either sports or the news and had the least interest in cartoons. The youngest age group, on contrary, was mostly interested in cartoons.

Looking at the table in greater detail, we can see that 29% of 11 to 15 year-olds enjoyed watching cartoons, which is more than any other age group, while the older viewers (16 to 20 and 21 to 25 year olds) were far less likely to watch such programs, at only 7% and 4% respectively.

The category of Feature films appealed to all the three age groups; 19% of the youngest viewers, 28% of the 16-20 year olds, and 20% of the oldest age group liked watching films. Sports programs have also been watched by a large proportion of viewers from all the three age groups, with the ratios ranging from 23% to 31%.

Only a small proportion of people from the youngest group watched Soap operas, just 9%, while an average of 20% of people from the other two groups watched this type of show.

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