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IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of three of the following as media for communicating information. State which you consider to be the most effective.

comics
books
radio
television
film
theatre

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

Sample Answer 1: (TV, Radio, and Books)
In today's world, various media have become quite significant in our life. I believe media like television, radio, book, film, theatre and comics have different advantages and disadvantages of their own as they have subtle differences in the way they convey messages and communicate information. The discussion about the positive and negative aspects of three media- TV, radio and books, will be outlined in the following paragraphs, and in my opinion, books are the most effective media for communicating information.

First of all, as a modern medium, television has become a part of human life. Information presented on TV is easy to absorb and they are both informative and entertaining. However, it can make people passive, as the viewers just sit and watch it. Besides, research shows that TV programmes are addictive and can be a huge waste of time for many.

Secondly, radio has an important value in our lives when it comes to conveying important information. This tool is helpful for visually impaired people, and we can work and enjoy radio programmes simultaneously, unlike TV programmes. We can carry it with us everywhere we go as modern radios are pretty small and are integrated with devices like smartphones. In contrast, radio signals are sometimes weak and limited only in a specific area. Over time, this medium is losing its popularity due to its technological limitations.

Finally, books share invaluable information and contain important facts and stories. Data collected from the past are stored in books and help research works. By reading books people can broaden their imagination, enhance their knowledge and learn new things. Books are so far the best medium for communicating information - from generation to generation and past to present, and are the base of our modern civilisation. I believe the book is the most effective medium so far and will remain so for many coming generations. Except for the time and patience it requires, it hardly has any disadvantages.

In conclusion, every medium for communicating information has some distinct advantages and demerits, but books are the most effective media that can enlighten our minds and convey knowledge from one generation to another.

Sample Answer 2: (TV, Radio, and Comics)
These days, various types of media, such as books, film, theatre and so on are used for communicating useful information. This essay discusses the positive and negative aspects of television, radio and comics as media. In my opinion, radio is the most effective medium to communicate useful information.

To commence with, many people like television because they can both listen to the information and visually see the events. News programmes inform people about national and international events and documentaries are a great source of learning materials. Should there be a special event in the country, most people would turn their TVs on and that makes it an effective tool to deliver different messages to the people. However, television has its own weakness as it is not mobile and thus often fail to reach people who are not home.

Some people like the radio because of its mobility and entertainment programmes. Although many people consider it as old fashioned, others still prefer listening to the radio for obtaining useful information. People listen to the news, weather updates, traffic updates, music, discussions and so on while they drive, and it makes radio quite useful. However, it is not useful to people who have some sort of hearing impairment.

Although several people think that comics are mostly for children, many adults still like reading comics. As comic conveys messages in the form of stories and dialogues, it is an effective tool for delivering important messages to young people. Despite the positive side, comic books have some drawbacks. The cost of producing comics is high and not all adults like to read them.

To conclude, even though these media have both advantages and limitations, they are useful to people. The radio is the most beneficial tool to inform people and convey important messages because of its mobility. It is expected that these media would be used more effectively to help people learn and communicate important information with them.

[By - Darwin Lesmana]

• IELTS Essay
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