Scorify.uzThe question
Many people believe that social media has a negative impact on both individuals and society. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Write at least 250 words.
What the question asks
You must decide how far you agree that social media harms both individuals and society. “To what extent” allows a balanced position, such as partly agreeing, but you must stay consistent and mention both individuals and society.
Essay plan
- Introduction: Paraphrase the statement and give your position, for example that you largely agree but accept some benefits.
- Body 1: individuals: Mental health, comparison with others and loss of concentration, supported by an example such as sleep problems.
- Body 2: society: Misinformation and weaker face-to-face relationships; briefly concede that connection and awareness are positives.
- Conclusion: Restate your position: the harms outweigh the benefits unless usage is managed.
Band 7+ sample essay
It is often claimed that social media damages both individuals and communities. While I accept that these platforms bring some benefits, I largely agree that their negative effects are significant.
For individuals, constant exposure to carefully edited images and success stories encourages unhealthy comparison. Teenagers in particular may feel inadequate when their lives seem less exciting than those of their online peers, and studies have linked heavy use to anxiety and sleep problems. In addition, endless notifications fragment attention, making it harder for students to concentrate on demanding tasks such as reading or revision.
At the level of society, the rapid spread of unverified information is a serious concern. False news can travel faster than corrections, influencing public opinion on health or politics before facts are checked. Moreover, people who spend hours online often have less time for real conversations, which may weaken family and community bonds. Experts also warn that recommendation algorithms promote shocking content because it attracts more clicks, so extreme opinions often receive more attention than balanced ones, which deepens social division and makes constructive public debate much harder than it needs to be.
Admittedly, social media also allows people to keep in touch across continents and helps small businesses reach customers cheaply. Nevertheless, these advantages do not remove the underlying risks, especially when platforms are designed to maximise screen time.
In conclusion, although social media has genuine uses, I believe its harmful effects on mental well-being, attention and public debate outweigh its benefits unless users and companies take more responsibility.
254 words.
Why this essay scores well
- Task Response: every part of the question is answered and the position stays consistent from the introduction to the conclusion.
- Coherence and Cohesion: each paragraph has one clear idea, linked with natural connectors rather than a list of memorised phrases.
- Lexical Resource: topic vocabulary is precise and varied, without forcing rare words.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: a mix of simple and complex sentences, with conditionals and relative clauses used accurately.
Useful vocabulary
- unhealthy comparison — judging yourself harshly against others
- fragment attention — break concentration into pieces
- unverified information — facts not yet checked
- weaken bonds — make relationships less strong
- maximise screen time — make people use devices as long as possible
- outweigh — be more important than
- inadequate — not good enough
Common mistakes on this question
- Writing only about advantages or only about disadvantages when the question says “to what extent”.
- Giving general statements without an example, such as sleep problems or false news.
- Changing your opinion between the introduction and the conclusion.
Study guides
Computer-Delivered IELTS: What Changes and What Stays the Same
Thinking about taking IELTS on a computer? Here is what stays the same, what feels different in Writing, Reading and Listening, and how to prepare for the screen.
IELTS Writing Task 1 Vocabulary for Graphs, Charts and Processes
Useful verbs, nouns, adverbs and sentence patterns for describing line graphs, bar charts, tables and processes in IELTS Task 1, with more than twelve example sentences.
Linking Words for IELTS and How to Use Them Correctly
A practical list of IELTS linking words grouped by function, with correct and incorrect examples, punctuation rules and a warning about overusing connectors.
Frequently asked questions
What type of essay is this IELTS Task 2 question?
It is a opinion (agree/disagree) question. You must decide how far you agree that social media harms both individuals and society. “To what extent” allows a balanced position, such as partly agreeing, but you must stay consistent and mention both individuals and society.
How many words should the essay be?
Write at least 250 words. Most strong answers are 260–290 words, planned in about five minutes and completed in 40 minutes.
How many paragraphs should I write?
Four paragraphs work well: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Each body paragraph needs one main idea, an explanation and an example.