How to Identify & Answer Advantage & Disadvantage Question Types in IELTS Writing Task 2
In this article, we'll discuss Advantage & Disadvantage question types and look at how to identify them and what essay structure you should use to answer them. After learning about this question type, you'll get a chance to look at some practice questions and a complete sample essay.
How to Identify IELTS Writing Advantage & Disadvantage Question Types
Whenever you see a question that asks you to discuss the positive and negative aspects of a situation and give your opinion regarding the matter, you know you're dealing with a Advantage & Disadvantage question type. Let's look at an example of this.
As a result of tourism and globalization, English has become the most widely spoken language in the world. Some people think this will lead to English becoming the only “global language”. What are the advantages and disadvantages to having one global language? Do you believe that it could have a positive or negative effect on society?
As you can see, this question is asking you to describe the advantages and disadvantags to having one global language and your opinion on whether it could have a positve or negative effect on society. So, it is is a Advantage & Disadvantage question type.
Now to do well on this question type, it is essential to learn how to use the words "advantage" and "disadvantage" correctly. The videos below teach you how to use the words "advantage" and "disadvantage" with proper prepositions and common collocations.
To learn more, check out the following blog posts:
TOEFL & IELTS Writing Essential Words - advantage and advantageous
TOEFL & IELTS Writing Essential Words - disadvantage and disadvantageous
IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Structure - Advantage and Disadvantage
There are three main essay structures for this question type. In order to fully understand the various question types, we will look at examples of each along with the specific outline:
Question 1: In some countries young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decided to do this.
In this case, the question asks you to simply discuss both advantages and disadvantages; that’s all you have to describe in this case. You do not need to discuss your opinion. This is the most simple question for the Advantages and Disadvantages question type, and you will need to use a simple structure. Let’s call this Outline A. It looks like this:
- Introduction
- Advantages (1&2)
- Disadvantages (1&2)
- Conclusion
Question 2: In some countries young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages for young people who decide to do this?
While the question is similar to Question 1, you would need to take a different approach. This question is not asking you to simply list off the advantages and disadvantages, nor is it asking you to say whether there are more advantages. This question is asking you whether or not the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Therefore, you will need to discuss your opinion and write about the importance (or unimportance) of the advantages.
First off, you will need to decide which side is stronger for you to write about. In other words, you will need to decide if it is easier for you to write about how the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, or vice versa. This is where your own opinions come into play and depend on the topic. In this case, if you are more comfortable writing about how the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, stick with that, even if you personally do not agree with the topic.
After you decide, this the structure you would need to use:
- Introduction
- Stronger Side
- Weaker Side
- Conclusion
Question 3: Many young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own opinion.
This third question is a combination of Question 1 and Question 2, as it requiresyou to discuss the advantages and disadvantages while also giving your opinion. Keep in mind that your paragraphs may need to be a bit shorter than usual, since you have to add three different main paragraphs in your essay. In this case, you would want to combine both outlines for the following:
- Introduction
- Advantages (1&2)
- Disadvantages (1&2)
- Opinion
- Conclusion
Now, let’s take a closer look at how to plan each paragraph.
We will use Outline B from the previous section, as it tends to be the most unique and most common question type of the Advantages and Disadvantages type essay.
- Rewritten Question – This will be a paraphrased version of the question.
- Thesis Statement – This will be your opinion – state which outweighs the other.
- Topic Sentence – This will introduce the stronger side.
- First Explanation of Stronger Side
- Example of Stronger Side
- Second Explanation of Stronger Side
- Example of Stronger Side
- Topic Sentence – This will introduce the weaker side.
- Explanation of Weaker Side
- Example of Weaker Side
- Summary of the Main Points
- Restate Your Position
In short, here is what the final Paragraph Planner would look like for Outline B:
A. Rewritten Question (1 sentence)
B. Thesis Statement (1 sentence)
II. Stronger Side
A. Topic Sentence (1 sentence)
B. First Explanation of Stronger Side (1 sentence)
C. Example of Stronger Side 1 (1 sentence)
D. Second Explanation of Stronger Side (1 sentence)
E. Example of Stronger Side 2 (1 sentence)
III. Weaker Side
A. Topic Sentence (1 sentence)
B. Explanation of Weaker Side (1-2 sentences)
C. Example of Weaker Side (1-2 sentences)
IV. Conclusion
A. Summary of the Main Points (1-2 sentences)
B. Restate Your Position (1-2 sentences)
Now we’ve learned the paragraph outline, let’s look at an example. For our example, we will use the following question:
IELTS Writing Cause and Effect Sample Question and Model Essay
Explanations and details are in red.
Examples are in blue.
Introduction:
Traditionally, children have begun studying foreign languages at later stages in their educational careers, but some believe that it could be beneficial to introduce them earlier. While there are both advantages and disadvantages associated with this topic, the positive aspects take precedence over the drawbacks. (45 words)
Paragraph 1:
Young children are better able to learn languages for a variety of factors. First off, studies show that young children pick up languages better than teenagers. The younger brains are, the more they are able to retain information in the long-term. It has also been proven that young brains absorb material at a faster rate. Additionally, implementing language lessons in primary schools would allow for more flexibility within the school system. Younger children will be able to engage with the material more frequently through shorter sessions, thus maintaining their enthusiasm and progress. (92 words)
Paragraph 2:
However, there are some disadvantages when it comes to learning languages at an earlier age. Primary teachers may not be qualified to provide lessons in foreign languages, resulting in inadequate teaching. This could demotivate younger students and give them a negative experience in language learning. Further, school districts may not be able to carry on foreign language teaching from primary to middle schools. In this case, students would not only lose their progress, but they would also be demotivated due to the lack of consistency throughout their educational careers. However, these issues can be effectively addressed through consistent support in the school district, and pose only a minor threat to the advantages. (112 words)
Conclusion:
Although there are a few disadvantages regarding the study of a foreign language during primary school, there are a plethora of advantages that outweigh the negative aspects. Young children’s innate abilities should be appreciated and fostered to their full advantage. (40 words)
Total Word Count: 289 words
Note: It is normal for this specific essay to be longer than 250 words. Due to the topic and question type, 30 words over the limit would definitely not count against you.
This section presents a list of common IELTS Writing Task 2 - Advantage & Disadvantage questions. If you want to prepare for the IELTS Writing Test, these questions are a must study.
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