5. Positive or Negative Development?

This is an opinion essay. In this type of questions, you need to give your opinion
on whether something is good or bad.
Examples:

1) In some countries, many more people are choosing to live alone nowadays
than in the past.
Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

2) Some universities now offer their courses on the Internet so that people can
study online.
Is this a positive or negative development?

3) Nowadays shops tend to stay open longer hours every day of the week.
In your opinion, is this a positive or negative development?

In these questions, you can take one of two approaches: either a balanced
approach or a one-sided one. Balanced approach means that you provide an
equal number of ideas for both sides and maintain that there are both positive
and negative aspects. In a one-sided approach, you can still look at the opposite
view but have to maintain that one side (either positive or negative side) is
greater. Below are essay structures for both approaches as well as model essays.
Study them carefully and use them as your model.
One-sided approach:

(Introduction) It is true that … is becoming increasingly

common/prevalent/popular/rare in recent years

(Introduction) It is true that it is becoming increasingly

common/prevalent/popular/rare for people to … in recent years

(Your answer) While there are some drawbacks/benefits of …, I would argue that
there are far more benefits/drawbacks.

(Topic sentence – Body Paragraph 1) On the one hand, there can be certain
positive/beneficial/negative/detrimental aspects of … .

(Topic sentence – Body Paragraph 2) Nevertheless/Nonetheless, I believe that

the growing trend towards … is mostly advantageous/disadvantageous for
various reasons.

(Conclusion) In conclusion, although some

positive/beneficial/negative/detrimental aspects of … exist, I consider it to be a
positive/negative development overall.
Example 1:

“In some countries, many more people are choosing to live alone
nowadays than in the past.
Do you think this is a positive or negative development?”

In recent years, it has become far more normal for people to live alone,
particularly in large cities in the developed world. In my opinion, while this
phenomenon may be beneficial in certain ways, I believe that its overall impact
is negative.

On the one hand, the rise in one-person households can be seen as positive for
two reasons. On an individual level, people who choose to live alone may become
more independent and self-reliant than those who live with family members. A
young adult, who lives alone, for example, will need to learn to cook, clean, pay
bills and manage his or her budget, all of which are valuable life skills; an increase
in the number of such individuals can certainly be seen as a positive development.
From an economic perspective, the trend towards living alone is likely to result in
greater demand for housing. This benefits the construction industry, estate agents
and a whole host of other companies that rely on homeowners to buy their
products or services.

However, in my view the drawbacks to individuals choosing to live alone are

more significant. Firstly, rather than the positive feeling of increased
independence, people who live alone surely experience feelings of loneliness,
isolation and worry. They miss out on the emotional support and daily
conversation that family or flatmates can provide, and they must bear the weight
of all household bills and responsibilities; in this sense, the trend towards living
alone is a negative one. Secondly, from the financial point of view, a rise in
demand for housing increases property prices and rents. While this can benefit
some businesses, the general population, including those who live alone, will be
faced with rising living costs, making life harder than it already is.

In conclusion, although I accept the few benefits of opting to live by oneself, I

remain convinced that this would be comparatively more problematic to people
overall.
Example 2:

“Some universities now offer their courses on the Internet so that people can
study online.
Is this a positive or negative development?”

It is true that online courses are becoming a common feature of university

education. Although there can be some drawbacks of Internet-based learning, I
would argue that there are far more benefits.

Teaching university courses online can present some challenges. The main
drawback is that there is less direct interaction. Students may not have the
opportunity to engage face-to-face with their teachers, and will instead have to
rely on written forms of communication. Similarly, students who study online do
not come into direct contact with each other, and this could have a negative
impact on peer support, discussion and exchange of ideas. Unequal access to
modern technology is perhaps another problem with the trend towards online
courses. Students from certain parts of world may not have the modern tools of
education at their disposal, let alone the digital literacy skills to use them. This, in
turn, could further the existing gap between different socioeconomic and
geographic groups.

Despite the negatives mentioned above, I believe that online university courses
are a positive development for various reasons. Firstly, they allow learners to
study in a flexible way, meaning that they can work whenever and wherever is
convenient, and they can cover the material at their own pace. This is especially
helpful when dealing with underperforming students, who might need a slower
paced learning to process information compared to other students in class. It is
equally important to note that online learning surely offers open access to
anybody who is willing to study, regardless of age, location, ability and
background. For example, my uncle, who is 65 years old, has recently enrolled on
an online MBA course in a different country, which would have been impossible in
the days before Internet-based education.

In conclusion, while I recognise the possible disadvantages of online learning, I

consider it to be a positive development overall.
Example 3:

“Nowadays shops tend to stay open longer hours every day of the week.
Is this a positive or negative development?”

Indeed, it is becoming increasingly common for shops to stay open for many
hours regardless of the day of the week. While there may be certain
drawbacksof this new trend, in my view, it has far more benefits.
On the one hand, there may be some disadvantageous aspects of keeping
shops open for extended hours every day. One of them is that this development
raises the overhead costs for these kinds of businesses noticeably. This is because
moremoney should be set aside to pay for costs associated with greater water
and electricity use as well as the additional staff required to maintain the stores
openat night. Longer opening hours for stores may also be a factor in the rise of
consumerism in society. People might be encouraged to buy more if stores are
open late into the night since they will have more opportunities to shop
whenever they want.
However, I believe that the growing trend towards keeping stores open for
extended periods of time each day is mostly advantageous for various reasons.
Firstly, people would not have to add extra time to their already packed
schedules to accommodate shopping needs thanks to this phenomenon. Nuclear
families with both parents working full-time are one group that would surely
benefit from this because they can now complete their shopping at a convenient
time. This trend is financially beneficial for shop owners too because it allows
them to sell more goods and items, increasing their profit margins. Additionally,
there would be an increase in employment opportunities, particularly for
unskilled workers, in positions such as the cashier and stock clerk.
In conclusion, even if there may be a few negatives to stores staying open
longerno matter the weekday, I feel that there are many more positive effects
of this change on our lives.