Scorify.uzThe question
More and more people are working from home instead of in an office. Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?
Write at least 250 words.
What the question asks
You must weigh advantages against disadvantages and decide which side is stronger. Clearly state your judgement in the introduction and conclusion.
Essay plan
- Introduction: Introduce the trend and say that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
- Body 1: advantages: Saves commuting time and money, flexible schedules, wider job choice for people in remote areas.
- Body 2: disadvantages: Isolation, blurred boundaries between work and home, and fewer collaboration opportunities; suggest these can be managed.
- Conclusion: Restate your view: the benefits are greater, especially with hybrid models.
Band 7+ sample essay
Thanks to improvements in technology, remote working has become common in many industries. Although it has drawbacks, I believe the benefits for both employees and employers outweigh them.
The most obvious advantage is the time and money saved on commuting. A worker in a large city may spend two hours a day travelling, and eliminating this journey gives more time for family, exercise or rest. Furthermore, flexible schedules allow people to work when they are most productive, which often improves the quality of their work. Remote positions also open up opportunities for people who live far from big companies or who have disabilities that make travelling difficult.
On the other hand, working from home can cause isolation, because employees miss the daily contact with colleagues that builds team spirit. It can also be hard to separate work from private life when the office is only a few steps from the kitchen, leading some people to work longer hours. Finally, creative collaboration is sometimes easier face to face. Employers benefit as well, since they can reduce spending on office rent and electricity and recruit talented staff from any city, which is why many large companies have decided to keep flexible arrangements even after the pandemic ended.
Nevertheless, these problems are manageable. Companies can organise regular video meetings and occasional office days, while employees can set fixed working hours and a dedicated workspace. Many firms already use this hybrid model successfully.
In conclusion, remote working offers significant savings, flexibility and wider opportunities, and its disadvantages can be reduced with sensible planning. Therefore, I believe the advantages outweigh the drawbacks.
267 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
- commute — travel regularly to work
- flexible schedule — working hours you can adjust
- team spirit — shared enthusiasm in a group
- blur the boundary — make the difference unclear
- hybrid model — a mix of home and office work
- productive — achieving a lot
- isolation — feeling alone
Common mistakes on this question
- Writing a list of advantages without explaining them.
- Not stating which side is stronger.
- Using “firstly, secondly, thirdly” for every idea instead of developing two good ones.
Study guides
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Frequently asked questions
What type of essay is this IELTS Task 2 question?
It is a advantages and disadvantages question. You must weigh advantages against disadvantages and decide which side is stronger. Clearly state your judgement in the introduction and conclusion.
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.