Thursday, July 17, 2003

Advertising serves no useful purpose and can even have harmful effects. Therefore, all forms of advertising should be banned. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

(Sample IELTS Writing)

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Discuss this topic with a partner:

Present a written argument to an educated reader on the following topic.

Advertising serves no useful purpose and can even have harmful effects. Therefore, all forms of advertising should be banned. To what extent do you agree or disagree?


Discuss this topic with a partner:

Present a written argument to an educated reader on the following topic.

Advertising serves no useful purpose and can even have harmful effects. Therefore, all forms of advertising should be banned. To what extent do you agree or disagree?


Discuss this topic with a partner:

Present a written argument to an educated reader on the following topic.

Advertising serves no useful purpose and can even have harmful effects. Therefore, all forms of advertising should be banned. To what extent do you agree or disagree?


Discuss this topic with a partner:

Present a written argument to an educated reader on the following topic.

Advertising serves no useful purpose and can even have harmful effects. Therefore, all forms of advertising should be banned. To what extent do you agree or disagree?


Discuss this topic with a partner:

Present a written argument to an educated reader on the following topic.

Advertising serves no useful purpose and can even have harmful effects. Therefore, all forms of advertising should be banned. To what extent do you agree or disagree?


Discuss this topic with a partner:

Present a written argument to an educated reader on the following topic.

Advertising serves no useful purpose and can even have harmful effects. Therefore, all forms of advertising should be banned. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Writing Task 2:


Present a written argument to an educated reader on the following topic.

Advertising serves no useful purpose and can even have harmful effects. Therefore, all forms of advertising should be banned. To what extent do you agree or disagree?


  1. Divide the following essay into suitable paragraphs
  2. Highlight the topic sentence in each paragraph.


In today’s consumer society advertising is big business. You encounter it whenever you turn on the television, open the newspaper or listen to the radio, and now the Internet and mobile phones are becoming popular for advertisers. Some people would like to prohibit all forms of advertising because they believe that it has negative consequences and is not really necessary, while others see the benefits of advertising. It is easy to see some of the harmful effects of advertising. One problem is that advertising can promote eating disorders such as anorexia. This is because advertising agencies tend to use very thin models in their television commercials. Young girls are bombarded with these images and may start unhealthy diets in order to emulate this look. Another negative point is that advertising is often misleading. Take McDonald’s commercials, for instance. The people in these advertisements are always very healthy-looking, but the food they are promoting is certainly not healthy. Additionally, advertising induces people to buy expensive things that they do not really need. For example, people who do not even play sport often waste their money on brand-name running shoes. On the other hand, advertising has many positive aspects. The main advantage with advertising is that it is good for the economy. If companies did not advertise, nobody would know about their products. Advertising enables them to increase sales by making potential customers aware of their goods. This creates employment and improves the economy. Another benefit is that advertising can be used to educate people. The Australian Government, for example, supports an anti-smoking campaign that warns the public of the dangers of smoking. There are also advertisements on television and in the newspapers urging people not to waste water. Furthermore, advertising can be entertaining. There are some very clever ads on TV and these not only help sell products, but also provide enjoyment to the viewers.In conclusion, it is clear that advertising does have some negative effects, but this does not mean that it should be banned altogether. Advertising is good for the economy and can also be educational and entertaining.
Writing Task 2:
Present a written argument to an educated reader on the following topic.
Advertising serves no useful purpose and can even have harmful effects. Therefore, all forms of advertising should be banned. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Writing Task 2: Answer:

Paragraph 1:
Introduction:

Key sentence:
2 sides







Paragraph 2:
Negative points














Paragraph 3:
Positive points
















Paragraph 4:
Your opinion


In today’s consumer society advertising is big business. You encounter it whenever you turn on the television, open the newspaper or listen to the radio, and now the Internet and mobile phones are becoming popular for advertisers. Some people would like to prohibit all forms of advertising because they believe that it has negative consequences and is not really necessary, while others see the benefits of advertising.






It is easy to see some of the harmful effects of advertising. One problem is that advertising can promote eating disorders such as anorexia. This is because advertising agencies tend to use very thin models in their television commercials. Young girls are bombarded with these images and may start unhealthy diets in order to emulate this look. Another negative point is that advertising is often misleading. Take McDonald’s commercials, for instance. The people in these advertisements are always very healthy-looking, but the food they are promoting is certainly not healthy. Additionally, advertising induces people to buy expensive things that they do not really need. For example, people who do not even play sport often waste their money on brand-name running shoes.








On the other hand, advertising has many positive aspects. The main advantage with advertising is that it is good for the economy. If companies did not advertise, nobody would know about their products. Advertising enables them to increase sales by making potential customers aware of their goods. This creates employment and improves the economy. Another benefit is that advertising can be used to educate people. The Australian Government, for example, supports an anti-smoking campaign that warns the public of the dangers of smoking. There are also advertisements on television and in the newspapers urging people not to waste water. Furthermore, advertising can be entertaining. There are some very clever ads on TV and these not only help sell products, but also provide enjoyment to the viewers.








In conclusion, it is clear that advertising does have some negative effects, but this does not mean that it should be banned altogether. Advertising is good for the economy and can also be educational and entertaining.

Word Count: 350

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