Trong bài viết ngày hôm nay IELTS Lingo sẽ hướng dẫn bạn cách viết dạng bài Advantages – Disadvantages trong bài thi Writing task 2, cùng tìm hiểu nhé!
Dạng Advantages and Disadvantages là gì?
Advantages & Disadvantages essay là dạng đề yêu cầu người viết phân tích một vấn đề hay hiện tượng một cách khách quan mà có thể không cần trình bày quan điểm cá nhân. Thông thường đề bài sẽ yêu cầu thảo luận Advantages & Disadvantages (pros & cons)
Cách phân biệt dạng Pros & Cons essay với những dạng khác thường thông qua yêu cầu đề:
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of …?
- What are the positive and negative effects of …?
- Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own opinion
Một số câu hỏi dạng Pros & Cons essay:
- Sample 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.
- Sample 2: Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary schools rather than secondary school.
Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
- Sample 3: Computers are becoming an essential part of school lessons.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own opinion.
Quy trình làm dạng bài Pros& Cons essay
Xét ví dụ sau:
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. |
1. Introduction
Áp dụng phương pháp paraphrasing đã được học ở Unit 3, ta có thể hình thành được một đoạn Introduction như sau:
→ It is the case that many youngsters have decided to work and travel for a year before enrolling in universities. While this decision may have some advantages, it also causes many drawbacks.
→ It is the case that some school leavers hold the belief that it is beneficial for them to have a year off to travel or work before enrolling in university. While there are some benefits related to this matter, I think that the drawbacks are much greater.
Lưu ý: nếu đề không yêu cầu nêu quan điểm cá nhân, không được sử dụng những cụm từ như:
- In my opinion,…
- I think …
- From my perspective,…
- Personally,…
Một trong những cụm có thể sử dụng cho câu thesis statement như:
|
2. Body –
Vẫn áp dụng các bước trong Constructing a Paragraph:
Topic sentence 1: there are some advantages in relation to students engaging in a gap year.
Step 1 – Brainstorm main ideas (topic sentences)
Body 1
Main idea 1
(2) gain experience / money
(3) HOW: earn money to cover the daily expense – support their future study
Main idea 2
(4) broadens their knowledge ® travelling
(5) EX: teaching English and learn new cultures in Vietnam
Topic sentence 2: The problems are much significant.
Body 2 –
Main idea 1
(7) negative attitude towards learning
(8) WHY: travel discourage teenagers from studying
Main idea 2
(9) negative influence on their studies
(10) HOW: use time to make more money, not study
Step 2 – Full essay
It is the case that some school leavers hold the belief that it is beneficial for them to have a year off to travel or work before enrolling in university. While there are some benefits related to this matter, I think that the drawbacks are much greater.
On the one hand, there are some advantages in relation to students engaging in a gap year. One of the most evident advantages is that they could gain vital experience to develop working manner. In fact, by applying for part-time jobs during this break, they could earn a certain amount/sum of money to cover the daily expense as well as support their future study at university. Another positive aspect that should not be overlooked is that traveling during a year off broadens their knowledge about other countries’ culture and society. For example, students in the USA and the western countries usually spend a year teaching English for children in some Asian countries, including Vietnam during their traveling. This has brought win-win benefits for both students and local people. While students can have a more profound exploration of the native culture, the locals could additionally develop a language.
On the other hand, I think that the negatively far-reaching impacts outnumber the benefits involved. To begin with, it is undoubted that a negative attitude towards learning formed by spending an excessive amount of time on traveling is the first risk. In other words, the unrestrained feeling from exploration could discourage teenagers from studying later on. Thus, they could not keep up with your studies compared to their peers. Another potential drawback is that while their temporary work may help them earn much money in a short time, it could lead to a negative influence on their studies. To be more specific, students may think that instead of attending lessons, they could use this time to make more money. As a result, they are probably less motivated to study further.
In short, although there are some potential benefits of traveling or working in a gap year, I would argue that the drawbacks in terms of study motivation are much more significant.
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Như vậy, dàn bài chuẩn cho một bài Pros & Cons essay có thể gồm các phần sau:
Introduction
(If personal opinion are required: While there are some benefits related to this matter, I think that the drawbacks are much greater.) Body
(If personal opinion are required: on the other hand, I think that …) Conclusion
(If personal opinion are required: Although there are several …, I would argue that …) |
PRACTICE
Exercise – Construct a complete Pros & Cons essay based on the hints provided below.
With a fast pace of modern life, more and more people are turning towards fast food for their main meals. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend? |
Body 1
Advantages
- Hint 1 tight working schedules → help save time on cooking.
- Hint 2 many choices → obtain new dining experience.
Body 2
Disadvantages
- Hint 1 fast food contains fat → risk of obesity, high blood pressure,…
- Hint 2 usually not clean → digestive problems
Sample Answer
It is true that nowadays many people are too busy to cook at home and inevitably switch to fast food as an alternative. However, I believe that the drawbacks of this trend eclipse the benefits it brings about.
There are some obvious advantages to eating fast food, which makes it favored by many people nowadays. Firstly, fast food can help busy people save time on cooking, which allows them to maintain their focus on their work. This is because modern life has put an enormous pressure on those people and in order to succeed, they need follow their tight working schedules. Secondly, there is a wide diversity in the type of fast food for consumers to choose. By eating these food, diners, especially those who love amusing themselves by altering usual meal flavor, can satisfy their hunger while obtaining new dining experience.
Nevertheless, I think that when people consume fast food on a regular basis, they are putting themselves at a high risk of health problems. The first problem is that junk food contains high percentage of calories and cholesterol, which are one of the key factors leading to obesity. Apart from this issue, fatty acids in this kind of food can also block arteries, resulting in high blood pressure and even stroke. Another problem is that they are likely to suffer from serious digestive problems such as food poisoning or stomachache. This is due to the fact that the ingredients used to produce fast food usually come from unknown sources, which cannot be guaranteed as to whether they are fresh and good for human’s digestive system.
In conclusion, although fast food is attractive for many justifiable reasons, I think that people really need to find out a way to spend time cooking at home more often if they do not want to suffer from health problems resulting from excessive consumption of fast food.
Homework
In some countries, most people prefer to rent their homes rather than buying them. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of renting a home and give your opinion. |
Sample Answer
Instead of purchasing a home for themselves, people in some countries are choosing to be lifelong tenants. While this trend can bring some certain drawbacks, I still believe that the benefits are more significant.
There are several disadvantages of living in rented homes, and the first obvious one is associated with financial problems. To be more specific, when people opt for renting a home, they must cover a massive amount of monthly expenses namely electricity and water bills, which are in fact, extremely expensive in Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam. Doing this might discourage them from saving money, which makes them struggle to earn their living and support their families. Besides, when agreeing to rent a home, people need to follow certain rules set out by the landlord. For this reason, they always have to ask for permission if they want to have guests coming over or put up decorations in their room. This not only can cause numerous troubles for tenants, but also take away their own freedom to do anything they like.
Nevertheless, I still think that the benefits brought outweighed such drawbacks. To begin with, it is undeniable that the price of real estate nowadays has become outrageously high, exceeding the financial ability of average people in some countries. Therefore, by choosing to rent an apartment rather than buying a house, people with low income do not need to spend almost 30 years trying to pay their bank loan. This helps to reduce financial pressure, which allows them to enjoy their life as much as they can. Another advantage of renting apartment is that tenants can be free from restriction, which means they are allowed to move from one place to another, especially those near their workplace. This is especially true of situations where people get stuck in troublesome neighborhood or suffer from financial crisis.
In short, although renting a place to live can be disadvantageous at some points, I would argue that the benefits are more obvious.
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