Essay Writing Tasks

Level B2

One-sided opinion essays

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 2
Modern technology now has a permanent place in today’s world and it has improved our
lives in ways people could never have imagined fifty years ago. Write an essay expressing
an opinion in agreement with this viewpoint and support it with reasons and examples.

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 3
While not all people agree that learning a foreign language at school should be
compulsory, others argue that it is desirable to introduce a schoolchild to a second
language at some point in their studies. To this end, more and more schools consider it
necessary to include at least one compulsory foreign language on their curriculum. Write
an essay expressing your opinion about this topic and support it with arguments including:
 how learning a foreign language promotes travel and career prospects;
 ways in which it helps us understand other cultures better;
 the fact that learning a foreign language boosts our confidence (e.g. overcoming
language mistakes and learning from them).

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 4
Tourism is one of the largest industries in the world and a lot of countries rely heavily on
it. For this reason, governments claim that the money they spend on promoting tourism is
well worth it. Write an essay expressing an opinion in agreement with this viewpoint and
support it with reasons and examples.

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 5
Nowadays, science, technology and business play a major role in our society. Some people
feel that this is at the expense of the arts and that art should not be neglected as it is equally
important in our lives. Write an essay expressing your opinion about this topic and support
it with arguments including:
 how art promotes creativity and innovation;
 how it promotes self-expression and critical thinking skills (e.g. evaluation, making
comparisons, etc);
 art as a way of connecting cultures (e.g. a common language for all, etc).

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(Word limit: 200-220 words)
Task 6
It has often been claimed that there is, or should be, more to competitive sports than just
winning the game. Write an essay expressing an opinion in agreement with this viewpoint
and support it with reasons and examples.

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Two-sided opinion essays

Task 7
Just about everyone today is familiar with the concept of shopping for goods online. Some
people love it, while others don’t find it an attractive option. Write an essay expressing
your opinion about this topic and support it with arguments including:
 convenience (e.g. easy price comparisons, shop 24/7, wider variety of products, etc);
 no sales pressure (e.g. avoid embarrassment, avoid buying something you don’t really
want, etc);
 risk of fraud (e.g. credit card scams, bogus websites, hacking, identity theft, etc).

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 8
It is common in some countries for teenagers to have a part-time job of some kind at the
weekends or after school. People can have mixed views about how beneficial this is. Write
an essay expressing your opinion about this topic, whilst also taking into account ONE
opposing viewpoint. Support your opinion with reasons and examples.

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 9
A visit to the zoo is a popular way to spend a day out. But is it really desirable that animals
be kept in zoos? Write an essay expressing your opinion about this topic, whilst also taking
into account ONE opposing viewpoint. Support your opinion with reasons and examples.

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 10
Installing a simple app on our mobile phone now allows us to order meals to be delivered
to our home. In fact, these online food delivery services are becoming more and more
popular. Write an essay expressing your opinion about this topic and support it with
arguments including:
 the negative environmental impact (e.g. traffic congestion and air pollution, too much
plastic packaging, etc);
 the negative effects on our health (e.g. large quantities of salt, sugar and fat in some
foods, etc);
 convenience (e.g. saves time for people who work, helpful when people can’t leave the
house because of illness, etc).

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 11
Over the past few decades more and more people have come to live in cities while rural
populations have decreased. This urbanisation trend is predicted to keep growing as people
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believe that cities can offer them a better way of life. Write an essay expressing your
opinion about this topic, whilst also taking into account ONE opposing viewpoint. Support
your opinion with reasons and examples.

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 12
In the past, when a young couple in their twenties got married, they usually aimed to start a
family straightaway. Today, there is an increasing preference amongst couples for not
having children until their late thirties or even early forties. Write an essay expressing your
opinion about this topic and support it with arguments including:
 younger parents have more energy to bring up children;
 less of a generation gap between young parents and their children, so they can enjoy
doing more things together;
 younger parents may not be as financially and/or emotionally stable as older ones.

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

For-and-against essays

Task 13
Advertising is everywhere: on TV, on social media, on the radio and in print. You can even
see it walking down the street. Some people claim that advertising serves a useful purpose
while others find it extremely annoying. Write an essay expressing your opinion about this
topic and support it with arguments including:
 how advertising introduces new products (e.g. expands the market, keeps us informed,
gives us a greater choice, etc);
 how advertising manipulates us (e.g. makes us feel unfulfilled, influences us to buy
things we don’t really need, etc);
 whether advertising is a good thing or not.

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 14
Some people dream of buying a home of their own someday while others believe renting a
place to live is a better solution. Write an essay discussing the advantages and
disadvantages of buying rather than renting a home and express your opinion about this
topic.

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 15
Judges in some countries often prefer to sentence someone who commits a minor offence
to a period of unpaid community work, for example, maintaining a local park or removing
graffiti from buildings, instead of giving them a short prison sentence. It is believed that it
is a more beneficial option. Write an essay expressing your opinion about this topic and
support it with arguments including:
 some advantages of unpaid community work (e.g. doing something constructive creates
a great sense of self-worth and saves the government money, etc);
 possible drawbacks of unpaid community work (e.g. not a sufficient deterrent, public
safety issues, etc);
 whether unpaid community service is a good thing or not.
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(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 16
Most schools set their pupils homework to be completed on their own after the day’s
lessons. However, not everyone is in favour of this. Write an essay discussing the pros and
cons of giving pupils homework and express your opinion about this topic.

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 17
Keeping a country’s national customs and traditions alive is believed to be a vital part of
maintaining a country’s culture. Write an essay expressing your opinion about this topic
and support it with arguments including:
 the importance of having a sense of national identity and connecting with the past;
 how some local customs and traditions may seem outdated today and the influence of
globalisation;
 whether, on balance, we should keep national customs and traditions alive or not.

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 18
Free healthcare means that people can get medical treatment whatever their income or
social standing may be. People should not be denied healthcare just because they are poor.
Write an essay discussing the benefits and drawbacks of providing free healthcare and
express your opinion about this topic.

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Problem-solution essays

Task 19
As life in today’s world continues to get more and more expensive, people often struggle to
make ends meet on their incomes and are looking to find ways of saving money more
efficiently. Write an essay suggesting how this could be achieved, including these ideas:
 change your shopping habits (e.g. buy supermarket own brands, buy in bulk, etc);
 shop around for products and services (e.g. electrical goods and Internet providers,
etc);
 reduce consumption as far as possible (e.g. electricity and water, meals out, etc).

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 20
Millions of people around the world suffer from depression, which has a serious effect on
their mental well-being. Is it possible to treat this condition without undergoing
professional therapy or taking medication? Write an essay suggesting ways this could be
achieved.

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 21

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Some students find revising for exams more difficult than others and consequently do not
perform as well as they might in exams. Write an essay suggesting how to cope with this
problem, including these ideas:
 make a study plan (e.g. start well ahead of exam date, no late nights, space out
material, allow for regular breaks, etc);
 choose a method that suits you (e.g. group work, making notes, past papers, etc);
 teach others (e.g. give them a presentation on what you revised that day, etc).

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 22
Crime in general is on the rise and householders in particular are worried about having
their houses broken into. How can people protect their homes from being burgled? Write
an essay suggesting ways of dealing with this problem.

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 23
When people overuse their smartphone, it can cause all sorts of problems from addiction
and bad time management to sleeping difficulties and lack of exercise. A ‘digital detox’ in
which smartphone use is drastically reduced is often recommended. Write an essay
suggesting ways that this could be achieved.

(Word limit: 200-220 words)

Task 24
Homelessness is a worldwide problem, and even the wealthier countries have their share of
homeless people. How can local communities and governments help the homeless? Write
an essay suggesting how to deal with this problem, including these ideas:
 government to increase the amount of affordable housing (e.g. by building more
houses, increasing financial help with rents, etc);
 government to increase employment and income opportunities (e.g. by providing
educational courses and job training schemes, etc);
 local community to provide immediate assistance (e.g. food, accommodation, medical
care and emotional support, etc).

(Word limit: 200-220 words)