Tài liệu 108_essays IELTS pdf

UNIT 1: Going overseas for university study is an exciting prospect
for many people. But while it may offer some advantages, it is
probably better to stay at home because of the difficulties a student
inevitably encounter living and studying in a different culture.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Give reasons for your answer.

The difficulties are far out-weighed by the advantages.
1. The most obvious advantage to overseas university study is real life
use of a different language.
- Constant use of the language in academic and everyday life.
- Advantages when applying for jobs that require the language.
2. Make friends from all around the world on a university campus.
- Social environment
- Overseas contacts in later professional life
3. Living and studying abroad offers one a new and different perspective
of the world and one’s own country.

UNIT 2: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Children should begin studying a foreign language as soon as they
start school. Childhood is the best time to learn a foreign language.
It is easier at that time, it contributes to a child’s development, and
it helps children expand their knowledge.

It is much easier to learn a foreign language when you are young.
1. Learning a language helps the child’s mind develop.
2. Learning a foreign language can help children expand their knowledge
of the world.
- Want to know about their country and customs instead of becoming
afraid of them because they are different.

UNIT 3: Millions of people every year move to English-speaking
countries such as Australia, Britain or the United States, in order to
study at school, college or university.
Why do so many people want to study in English?
Why is English such an important international language?
Give reasons for your answer.

English is an international language all around the world.
Ex: communicate with foreigners in business, read English specifications…
Therefore, today, it’s necessary to learn English and the best way is to study
English in English-speaking country.
UNIT 4: Studying the English language in an English-speaking
country is the best but not the only way to learn the language. Do
you agree or disagree with this statement?

1. Most students in non-English-speaking countries learn English at
secondary school. Although their speaking is not usually of a very high
standard, their knowledge of grammar is often quite advanced.
2. Studying the basics of English at secondary school is less stressful then
learning while overseas.
- Living at home and carefree about the problems when living in a
foreign country.
- However, there are obvious advantages of learning English in
Britain.
Ex: Practice English skills everyday with native speakers,
experience the culture.
UNIT 5: Subject such as Art, Sport and Music are being dropped from
the school curriculum for subjects such as IT. Many people feel that
children suffer as a result of these changes. To what extent would
you support or reject of removing these subjects from the school

curriculum?
Don’t agree for 3 main reasons:
- Subjects like art, music are very important to children because:
+ They need to study different subjects to improve their IQ and EQ
+ They will thick and behave like robots if being taught IT without art,
music
- For children, art, music and competitive sports are more fun than other
subjects are because
+ Pupils are quite young  too strict to learn scientific subjects all day
 should study art, music
- A society needs both scientists, politics and artist, musicians, sportsmen
 Need to educate music, art, sports at school
 Children should have more opportunities to study art, music, sports etc.
freely
UNIT 6: What are the advantages and disadvantages of co-
education?
1. Advantages
- Provide a powerful incentive to both sexes to work in competition
with the other
 Higher standard of work results
- Mixing of sexes through “difficult” ages and stages in co-educational
schools, eradicates shyness and gaucheness in the boy/girl
relationship
 They do benefit by living, working and playing together
- Good manners are inculcated through co-education such as
“courtesies” and “social niceties” social good manners are instilled at
home and are quickly “gleaned” in out of school activities
- Lead to a more balanced school life because of the mutual interest
between the sexes
2. Disadvantages

- Competition between both sexes may be channeled to boys
competing to capture the attention of girls
 Preoccupation of a sexual nature is detrimental to work
- Adolescent will become too preoccupation with sex
 They may become involved in difficulties of a serious social
nature
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 Co-education cannot have very much effect on the side of work, it may
bring advantages on the social side
UNIT 7: Disruptive school students have negative influence on
others. Students who are noisy and disobedient should be grouped
together and taught separately. Do you agree or disagree? Give
reasons for your answer.
Disruptive school students have a negative influence on others
- Take these students away and teach them on their own
 We limit their educational opportunities because schools for difficult
students is a sort of “prison”
 They may never recover from this experience  Cause problems for
wilder society
- We need to look at why disruptive students behave badly before we
separate them
+ They may be very intelligent and find classes boring
 They need extra lessons rather than separate ones
+ Teachers maybe uninspiring  behavioral problems need better
teachers
+ Most students put up with this situations rather than cause
problems
 Some argue that they have to learn to suffer bad teachers and
boring situations
 We should look at factors like teaching because it’s unlikely to bring

separated children back
UNIT 8: Only formal examinations, written or practical can give a
clear picture of a student’s true knowledge and ability at university
level. Continuous assessment like course work and projects are poor
measures of student ability. How far do you agree with this
statement?
The debate about how to assess students at university
- In one group, the only sure way to test the ability to study or
achievement is through formal exams
+ It’s difficult for teacher to assess their students’ course work
because they can download from the Internet
+ It’s impossible for tutor to access the student properly because they
may have done part of the work
+ Teachers ignore the possibility of students’ stealing ideas from
somewhere
- In the other group, formal written are wrong and assessment should be
continuous throughout a course
 Because a lot of students do not perform well under pressure in
exams
- I feel, lies somewhere in the middle  a University degree should be
based on a combination of both forms of assessment
UNIT 9: Some people believe that children's leisure activities must
be educational; otherwise, they are a complete waste of time
Introduction
- Today, children are required to make their best of studying to have a good
future
 They are not allowed for leisure activities school hours
 Misguided
Body
- Children need to develop skills other than intellectual ones

- Play make - believe games
+ develop imagination
+ learn physical co-ordination
+ learn social lesson (winning, losing)
- Form strong, personal relationship with other friends
- Grow up emotional mature
Conclusion:
- Children need relax as well as work
- If everything is related to education or academic work  get tired of
studying
UNIT 10 Because of the pressure of new subjects such as business
studies, many schools have dropped sport or physical education (PE)
from the curriculum. How important is sport or PE in a young
person's education?
Introduction
- Increasing pressure on schools today to prepare their students for work
Physical education (PE) is losing ground
- PE should be maintained
Body:
- Balance the long hours spent sitting at desks
+ PE provides a break from focus of academic subjects
+ Non-competitive activities (dance, aerobics) help experience exercises
as both challenging and fun
- + ensure students get some form of regular exercise
+ learn about the importance of looking after their bodies
Conclusion:
PE programs in schools should be maintained and developed
 Students will be happier, healthier and more productive
UNIT 11: Some people feel that the responsibility for providing
education should be borne only by the government and that private

education should be banned. What are the main advantages of
banning private education? Are there any circumstances where
private education should be allowed? What is your own opinion on
the matter?
- Education is not for only a group of people
+ Private education creates the big differences between rich and poor
families
+ People should be treated like each other's and being affluent should
not create any borders among pupils
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- The quality of education is quite wide in every society
+ Parents are not able to find a suitable school for their children
 They will look for private education
+ Parents concerned about their children's classmates, friends and
even teachers
UNIT 12: The use and abuse of private tuition
- The use of private tuition
+ It can certainly complement and supplement the class work
provided the teacher and his ward co-operate
+ A classroom is not conductive for individual teaching
+ Some of the topics that are not covered in the class or which
requires supplementary reading could very well be done in the tuition
hour
+ From the examination point of view, some may seek tuition
- The abuse of private tuition
+ Tuition may lead to too much of pampering and may kill the self
effort of the student
+ There are also pupils adopting devious means through the tuition
masters to get a pass
+ Tuition cannot be thorough learning and the best there can only be

nibbling of the learning process as the student has the recourse for
likely questions that may come in the examination through the tuition
teacher
UNIT13: Some people think that they can learn better by themselves
than with a teacher. Other thinks that it is always better to have a
teacher. Which is your prefer?

State that it’s better to have a teacher (learn sth complex, need a teacher),
for 3 below reasons:
1. Help u learn in the way is best 4 u:
- Different people, different learning styles
- Help u follow your learning style.
2. Help u focus on what u r learning:
-Prevent distraction.
-Show u the important points.
3. Teachers bring their own knowledge into the lesson.
-They have other point of view
- Provide the sources of information, ideas.
UNIT 14: Some people believe that university students should be
required to attend classes. Others think that going to classes should
be optional 4 students. Which point of view do you agree with
State that student should be required to attend classes, for 3 below reasons.
1. Benefit from teacher’s knowledge:
- They draw students into discussion of the material.
- They present their point of view.
2. Chance to work w/ other ppl:
- Students can present ideas
- Learn to work in groups.
3. Develop the students’ responsibility.
- Must be at particularly place, at particularly time.

UNIT 15: People attend university or college 4 many reasons (...)
Why do u think people attend university or college, use specific
reasons and examples to support your ideas.
State that the most common reasons are prepare for the future career, to
have new experience and to increase their knowledge.
1. Career preparation is the primary reason:
- Job market is very competitive.
- Model jobs (related to tech) ask 4 new workers.
2. New experiences:
- Can meet people from many places.
- Become more independent, learnt to live their own and to take care
of themselves.
3. Increase knowledge:
They decide what they want to study, purpose and interact w/
classmates, so they learn much about themselves.
- Learn many subjects at classes.
- Skills and knowledge related to their future career.
UNIT 16: Do you agree or disagree w/ the follow statement “Parents
are the best teacher”
Begin: Parents teach their children values, interest, they develop the
emotional ties w children. However, they are not the best teacher.
1. Parents may be too closed to their children emotionally:
- May limit the freedom of the child in the name of safety.
Ex. not allow child to go camping because afraid of the child getting
hurt.
2. Sometimes, expect their children’s interests to be similar to their own.
Ex. Parents like sport, hope their child join a team, but what is the
child prefer book.
3. Pass on their value to their children:
- Children is growing up in a world different from their parents’

- Sometimes parents can’t keep up w/ the social or technological
changes, may have a narrow view.
To sum up: Parents are very important teacher but not the best.
UNIT 17: Some people believe that a college or university education
should be available to all students. Others believe that higher
education should be available to only good students. Discuss these
views. Which view do you agree with? Explain why.
Some pp believe that but I don’t because
1. Academics are not the only purpose of a university
- Learn about you
- Learn to be independent and make decisions about ur future
2. Higher edu should be available to only good sts because:
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- A waste of money
- A big investment of time
3. I don’t agree this position above:
- Every sts deserves the opportunity to try it
- Having the opportunity to make decisions is part of a good education
4. Conclusion
- All sts who want to should be given the chance to go to a college or
university
UNIT 18: School should ask sts evaluate their teachers. Do you
agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support
your answer.
Good ideas:
1. Good for teachers
- Get a lot of useful information
- Help teachers improve their classes
2. Good for school administrators
- Work better with the teachers

- Work together to improve the school program where necessary
3. Good exercise for sts
- Have to organize their thoughts about their teacher
- Give sts a chance to develop honesty and responsibility worthwhile
Conclusion: This is ideal solution
UNIT 19: Examination
1. Examinations are a series of hurdles to be jumped until the weary student
finally reaches the winning post- a job
2. There are two kinds of examinations
- The private ones:
+ Held in school or college and the public oases
+ Show whether or not a student has worked well during a term
- The public ones:
+ Stepping-stones to more advanced fields of education
+ To the student, it seems an endless vista of study-an intellectual
“rat-race” in these competitive modern times
- In Greek and Roman times, public examinations also showed this
3. There is always some suspicion of favoritism or unfairness
4. The question arising, “is an examination a fair test of ability?”
The answer, generally is, “yes, it is”
There are children and young people whose minds “go blank” in the
examination room and those who suffer from nerves or whose techniques
is bad
But too often this talk of “exam nerves” id a cloak for laziness or
ignorance
5. The last questions “are examinations fair in themselves.”
“Yes”
6. There are helpful points that all gain marks such as neatness, good spelling
paragraphing, planning the paper at the beginning and so on
7. Conclusion: Examinations need never be feared

UNIT 20: Should one’s aim of education be the development of
talents in such as music, art, drama?
1. One aim of education should be to develop talent ability, whatever that
ability may be
2. The pressure from education theorists today is to concentrate teaching on
preparation for employment
- Parents feel that the priority for their children is to become equipped to
earn a good living
- Governments urge concentration on certain subjects, so that a poor of
labor can be formed which can move easily into specialized training
3. Both governments and parents discourage arts today
- Modern education has spawned a sense they are totally unproductive
and a brood of these non-subjects
- They are the necessary enrichment of the culture of all countries in
successive generations
4. The greatest concept of education originates in the European cultural
Renaissance in Italy, and dates back to the late Middle Ages
- It is the development of the whole person, even attention to sports
training
5. It is clear that Music, art and drama should be encouraged:
- Every country has it’s own artistic heritage
- Artistic pursuits have now become international and offer brilliant
careers to gifted young people of every country
UNIT 21: Some people think that children should begin their formal
education at a very early age and should spend most of their time on
their school studies. Others believe that young children should
spend most of their time playing. Compare these two views. Which
view do you agree with? Why?
1. Author’s viewpoint: Children’s time spending on studying and playing
depends on the quality of the play and the quality of the school.

2. Body: 3 main ideas
- Schools are not the same
+ Children sit quietly and memorize things
+ Children participate in activities
- Children play differently
+ Some watch TV or play video games
+ Some play physical games with others, or use their imagination
- Children have similar requirements for learning
+ Children can learn wherever they are
+ Children can learn whenever they can
3. Conclusion:
- Children can learn a lot from both playing and studying
- Parents’ role: Make children’s play time and studying time quality
time
Unit 22: Currently there is a trend toward the use of alternative
forms of medicine. However, at best these methods are in effective,
and at worst they may be dangerous.
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
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• Author’s viewpoint: Disagree. Both alternative and conventional
medicines are supposed to be useful.
• I don’t understand what the main point of the author in each
paragraph is. Besides, some of his information is wrong.
Unit 23: Most developed countries spend a large proportion of their
health budges on expensive medical technology and procedures.
This money should be spent instead on health education to keep
people well.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
1. Author’s viewpoint: Agree.
2. Body: 2 main ideas

- Educating people to care about their health will save money
+ Educate people to prevent expensive health problems will
reduce the health budget
+ Patients lack advice from doctors
- Why is health care expensive?
+ People want the best medical when they get ill
 Modern diagnostic equipments are required
+ When health problems are dangerous
Complex operations are necessary
The request of intensive nursing care and hospitalization
3. Conclusion:
- “Health dollar” is limited
- Direct more resources towards the prevention of ill health is rational
Fewer people would become ill
Save the country money
UNIT 24: “Prevention is better than cure”. Out of a country’s health
budget, a large proportion should be diverted from treatment to
spending on health education and preventative measures. To what
extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
1. Author’s viewpoint: Agree.
- In recent years, more resources are putting into health education
and preventative measures
- The ignorance should be combated
2. Body: 2 main ideas
- Cure as soon as possible
- What is the proportion of the budget should be diverted?
It should be made on the basis of an acceptable health service
model.
3. Conclusion:
There is a need for a rigorous process of evaluation to measure the

effectiveness of the health education campaigns in both medical and
financial terms.
UNIT 25: A number of different medical traditions are now widely
known are used: Western medicine (using drugs and surgery),
herbal medicine, acupuncture (using needles at certain points of the
body), homoeopathy (using minute doses of poisons), and so on.
How important is the patient’s mental attitude towards his/her
treatment in determining the effectiveness of treatment?
1. Intro: A wide range of medical treatments is available today.
2. Body:
- Good attitude
+ Go to hospital (expert care, conventional services): Complete
trust  unsatisfactory result.
Ex: Side effects of the drugs
+ Alternative treatments: Confident  Disillusioned
Ex: Less rigorous qualification standards 
ineffective/damaging device
- Bad attitude
+Treatments based on diet and lifestyle changes: Suspicious 
Notice the improvement.
3. Conclusion: Disagree.
UNIT 26: People do many things to stay healthy. What do you do for
good health? Use specific reasons and examples to support your
answer.
1. Intro: Health is the only thing that we really have in this world. Without
it, we’ll die.
2. Body:
- Eat healthfully: avoid foods high in fat, really eat meat. Eat a lot of
fruits and vegetables.
- Exercise regularly: Ride bike, tennis, jogging or go to the gym.

- Keep up social life: Connect with friends  reduce stress 
emotionally healthy.
3. Conclusion: Should do those things. Apply to ur own situation.
UNIT 27: People’s access to good health care should not depend on
social factors such as their level of income or social status.
1. Intro: This statement: Theory = agree but Reality = not actually true.
2. Body:
- Health care systems: For rich people only.
Ex: In U.S., poor people cannot afford health insurance.
- Government’s responsibility: limited resources.
Ex: Cannot spend money on expensive medical procedures
such as cancer research.
- Money spent on preventing disease is more than repaid by money
saved in not having to treat that disease at a later time.
Ex: Programs to eradicate diseases such as typhoid and
smallpox for all people regardless of income or social status.
3. Conclusion: Agree.
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UNIT 28: Should parents be obliged to immunize their children
against common childhood diseases? Or do individuals have the
right to choose not to immunize their children?
1. Intro: The problem turns to as a member of society, whether parents
have the right not to immunize their children.
2. Body:
- Preventative medicine has been proved to be the most effective way
of reducing the incidence of fatal childhood diseases.
- If the number of parents choosing not to immunize increased, there
would be a similar increase in the risk of the diseases returning.
- Better living standard  less care
Ex: Dysentery has been wiped out  nobody would suggest

reversing good condition environment for preventing the disease.
3. Conclusion: Disagree. For the sake of the whole society, individuals do
not have the right to stand aside the immunization program.
UNIT 29: Travel with a companion or alone? Which is preferred?
Traveling alone is the only way to travel.
1. Meet new people:
- Travel with a friend  do everything with that friend
- No friend → spend time looking for new friends (tourists and local
people), have coffee together or share a meal...
2. Have new experience:
- Travel with a friend  my routine is predictable
- No friend → adapt myself to the customs of the place (go to club
and dance)
3. Learn more about myself:
- Travel with a friend → take care together
- No friend → encounter difficult situation → find out solutions → learn
how to react in new or strange situations
UNIT 30: Why do you think people visit museum?
1. A museum tells about the culture of those places:
- Show history of the places
- Show what art the locals think is important.
2. Museum is fun:
- Hands-on exhibition: push a button to hear more about what you‘re
looking at or create your own work of art.
3. Museum have unusual subjects:
- A museum devoted to the potato: art made out of potatoes, history
of potatoes, sell unusual items such as potato dolls
UNIT 31: What benefit can traveling bring to you?
1. Physical benefits:
- To live amongst the nature, to inhale the clean air and fresh-breeze

- To take long walks, to run, to jump... → develop physically healthy
bodies
2. Social benefits:
- To relate to people, exchange ideas and gain friends
- To form good habits: sharing consideration
3. Mental benefits:
- To develop knowledge and supplement what we learn from books
and teachers
- To learn about our beautiful country, historical relics... →turn to
know and love our country more
UNIT 32: Tourism is a modern form of colonialism. It distorts local
economics, causes environmental damage and ruins the places it
exploits. Support or reject?
It is not true that tourism distorts economics, cause environmental
damage and ruins the places it exploits.
1. Tourism is good for local economics:
- Bring to government much money
- Seems to be the most important income source in lots of regions.
2. Tourism is good for local environment:
- Tourism make local people rich → the local government and people
can use the money to solve problems given by natural sources
3. Tourism brings both other civilization and regional culture to that place:
- Tour will boom off lands of culture instead of ruining them
UNIT 33: The rising levels of congestion and air pollution found in
most of the world‘s cities can be attributed directly to the rapidly
increasing number of private cars in use. In order to reverse this
deadline in the quality of life in cities, attempts must be made to
encourage people to use their cars less and public transport more
- The increasing number of cars  traffic jams, air pollution, longer
commuting periods.

- Government’s solution: Encourage the use of transport in urban areas 
decreasing dependence on the car.
- To stimulate public transport use = to make private car use more
expensive and inconvenient.
+ Tolls – urban motorways
+ Permits for parking – high-priced
+ Restriction of parking
Commuters: abandon their cars in favor of buses or trains.
- Public transport use: less punishing ways of spurring
+ Construct free car parks at suburban train stations
Commuters: drive part of the way & take public transport into the
central.
 Making public transport more comfortable and convenient – attracts
more commuters and decrease traffic congestion  less congestion on
city streets.
UNIT 34: There is an excessive number of cars on your roads today
and this leads to many problems. Individuals and Governments
should ensure that public transport plays a more important role in
modern life in order to tackle these problems. To what extent do you
agree with this statement?
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- The increasing number of cars  air pollution, a higher accident rate,
more traffic congestion.
- Public transport – a greater role  certain actions should be taken.
- 2 important changes to make more people use public transport
+ Travel by train – have to be reduced
+ Public transport services – Need improving
- Higher car taxes, congestion charging, better public transport services:
some individuals off driving
- However Attraction of the private vehicle – too powerful: convenient and

total independence.
UNIT 35: The private motor vehicle has greatly improved individual
freedom of movement. Moreover, the automobile has become a
status symbol. Yet the use of private motor vehicles has contributed
to some of today’s most serious problems. How can the use of
private motor vehicles be reduces?
- Private motor vehicle – freedom, travel swiftly, safely, displaying wealth
- Disadvantages: pollutes the atmosphere, serious accidents, blocks roads
and chokes cities.
- How to reduce:
+ Reduce access to parking spaces
+ Increase the quality and availability of public transport
+ Ban cars from certain parts of the city, forcing people to walk or to
use public transport.
+ Raise the expense of buying and running a car (such as: high
purchase price, high road tax, high insurance premiums, substantial
fines…)
+ Reduce the price of public transport.
- Encourage the super rich to look at other ways of demonstrating their
wealth.
 Reduce the number of cars  reduce the problems of pollution and the
congestion which can bring the cities to a standstill
UNIT 36: The burning of oil for transport, especially in private cars,
is wasteful and environmental irresponsible. Taxation on petrol and
diesel fuel should be increase to very high levels to discourage the
use of private cars
- The increasing dependence of the public on the car  air pollution,
environment damage.
- Suggestion: Increase the taxes on petrol and diesel fuel.
- Raising taxes  people could no longer afford to use so much petrol 

emissions of toxic fumes would fall  air pollution – at a more acceptable
level
- Fewer cars  less traffic congestion, people walk  healthier and fitter.
- Tax – be imposed on cars entering the center of cities & parking charges
– be raised  lower congestion.
- However people from country town’s ability to move would be restricted.
Transportation costs increase
raising levels of unemployment.
 Imposing higher taxes on fuel would not be an effective way of
reducing the usage of private cars, government should upgrade the public
transport with lower fares and more frequent services.
UNIT 37 We know that cars cause pollution and other problems.
Many city centers now have car free areas, and in some countries
drivers have to pay a pollution tax. However, the car is still very
popular as it is the cheapest and most comfortable way to travel.
- Cars cause pollution and other problems (twin evils, cost and danger...)
- The economic costs of cars are high for society: the continuing upkeep
of road network and the health care. But the damage and dangers are
more serve:
+ Car exhausts – atmosphere pollution
+ disturb
+ Respiratory problems: pollution, accidents
- However, it is still popular choice in virtually all travel situations
+ Swift
+ Comfortable, comparatively cheap
+ go everywhere
- Unfortunately, it is use so much. There are so few viable alternatives
+ Rail networks: replaced by motorways
+ Air travel – expensive
Sum up: should choose car for what it offers to the driver.

UNIT 38: Young drivers are careless and overconfident, and many
are killed in accidents. To eliminate this problems, we could teach
children the skill of safe driving while they are at school. To what
extent do you agree of disagree with that statement?
- Accidents caused by
+ Careless, over confident, attitudes and mentality – immature
+ Alcohol, maximum volume of music
+ Speed, races with cars
+ Ignorance, unknowledge of rules
- Solution:
+ be aware of the extend of the serious pro.
+ have right attitude against accidents (respect to life and to be
responsible)
+ teach traffic rules at schools; impose on taxes those who cause
accidents, or landler sanctions.
UNIT 39: Should Governments spend more money on improving
roads and high ways, or should Governments spend more money on
improving public transportation (buses, trains, subways)? Why? Use
specific reasons and details to develop your essay.

- Governments should spend more money on improving all form of public
transportation. The use of private cars accuses serious pro: depletion of
natural resources, increase pollution, loss of sense of community
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