Choose any one of the ten essays below. Each tab contains the original sample essay from your document, followed by practical writing points and reusable sentence-formation patterns.
Some people have decided to reduce the number of times they fly every year or to stop flying altogether. Do you think the environmental benefits of this development outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses?
Some individuals have made the decision to reduce the number of times they use an airplane each year or to completely stop taking flights. I believe such action could alleviate global warming, thereby outweighing any possible disadvantages for individuals and businesses.
On the one hand, many individuals and companies may lose precious business opportunities if air travel is reduced. The main issue is that companies often require their employees to visit corporations in other cities or countries to facilitate business collaborations. If their employees choose to use other slower modes of transport, such as trains, rather than airplanes, they may lose the chance to get involved in big projects on time, which could affect potential promotion opportunities. As for businesses, they might fail to sign contracts on those big projects before their competitors. However, this should not be seen as a major disadvantage due to the fact that employees could rely on conferencing platforms to make business deals with companies in foreign cities or countries, making the time advantage that air travel offers less significant.
On the other hand, global warming can be mitigated if individuals choose to fly less or not fly at all. Most plane travel is long-distance and therefore emits more carbon dioxide during a single trip than other forms of transport that serve shorter-distance travel. Fewer flights means less long-distance travel, which can lead to a significant decline in greenhouse gases caused by long-haul transport. This represents a major advantage owing to the fact that global warming has a detrimental impact on everyone's life. It could result in more injuries and deaths when natural disasters, such as earthquakes or tsunamis, happen more frequently than ever.
In conclusion, I hold firm to the belief that a reduction in flying could diminish global warming, far outweighing any possible disadvantages for individuals and businesses, such as the risk of missing out on business opportunities.
In many countries, people are now living longer than ever before. Some people say an aging population creates problems for governments. Other people think there are benefits if society has more elderly people. To what extent do the advantages of having an aging population outweigh the disadvantages?
In many countries, the elderly population is growing at an unprecedented rate, presenting both challenges and opportunities for governments. Although older generations can promote workplace diversity, they create an enormous burden on healthcare systems, which, in my opinion, far outweighs any possible advantage.
On the positive side, older individuals can bring valuable contributions to the workforce, particularly in terms of diversity. Their wealth of experience and unique perspectives can enhance innovation and problem-solving within organizations. It is not uncommon to see seasoned professionals occupying top positions in renowned companies such as Apple and Google. However, it is important to note that this only applies to a small fraction of the workforce. In many cases, elderly workers may struggle to match the productivity levels of their younger counterparts. Challenges such as meeting deadlines or responding swiftly to emerging issues can diminish the added value they bring to the team.
Conversely, an aging population places significant strain on healthcare systems. As individuals age, they are more prone to develop age-related health conditions, necessitating increased medical attention, long-term care, and assistance with chronic ailments. The mounting demand for healthcare can be seen as a major disadvantage to society because it potentially diverts resources away from other crucial sectors like business subsidies, education, and infrastructure. Consequently, the overall quality of life in a country may decline due to the overwhelmed healthcare system.
In conclusion, while older individuals can foster workplace diversity, I believe that the burden they place on healthcare systems greatly outweighs this advantage because the need to allocate substantial funds to meet the growing healthcare demands of an aging population can have detrimental effects on other vital areas of society.
It is important for people to take risks, both in their professional lives and their personal lives. Do you think the advantages of taking risks outweigh the disadvantages?
It is important to make some risky moves in career as well as in personal life. Although this may harm a person in the short term, it allows them to create new opportunities and I believe this advantage far outweighs any potential disadvantages.
Making a risky move may hurt a person short term. Take, for example, adults who are psychologically controlled by their parents because they still receive financial support from them. If they stop relying on their parents so that they can be free to go after their dreams, they may face the short-term downside of losing the comfort their parents' money provides. The same can be true for making a career change that involves a big pay cut. However, I do not think that a short-term sacrifice should be seen as a major disadvantage in life because it can pay off greatly in the long run.
On the positive side, risks bring opportunities. For instance, if Priscilla Chan's grandparents hadn't been courageous enough to move to the US from Vietnam, Chan wouldn't have had the opportunity to study at Harvard, let alone meet and marry Mark Zuckerberg. If Mark Zuckerberg hadn't dropped out of Harvard to focus on building Facebook, it could have probably been another platform, rather than Facebook, that became the world's biggest social media giant. I think that opportunities like these are extremely important because they can be life-changing.
In conclusion, although taking risks may harm people in the short term, I believe this downside is greatly outweighed by the upside that the risks they take can create life-changing opportunities for them.
In the future all cars, buses and trucks will be driverless. The only people travelling inside these vehicles will be passengers. Do you think the advantages of driverless vehicles outweigh the disadvantages?
In the future, all vehicles will be autonomous. Passengers will be the only people inside them. I believe businesses can cut costs by using driverless cars, and this advantage far outweighs any potential disadvantages.
One downside of self-driving cars might be that they could lead to large employment losses. Nowadays, in many countries, a great number of people are making a living by driving, be they truckers, bus drivers, or delivery couriers. Imagine all these people are made redundant by autonomous cars. That would raise the unemployment rates in these countries significantly. However, I think this can be avoided if drivers reskill to get themselves a job in a new sector.
On the positive side, driverless cars could help businesses reduce operating expenses. This is because, with these cars, they would not need to hire drivers to deliver their products or services to their customers. For example, the American logistics company UPS currently has hundreds of thousands of truck drivers and pays them an average of 60,000 dollars per year, which adds up to tens of billions of dollars annually. Replacing these drivers with autonomous cars would mean that these huge salary payments could be eliminated. I think this could create a great advantage for society as a whole because companies could devote the money they save on labor to other aspects of their business, which could mean cheaper, better goods for consumers.
In conclusion, although self-driving vehicles would result in many job losses, I believe this downside is greatly outweighed by the upside that these vehicles could help businesses save operating costs.
Many famous sports players advertise sports products. Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?
Many well-known sports people promote sports products. I believe the upside of this phenomenon far outweighs its downside because these people can help brands boost sales.
On the one hand, product endorsements from sports personalities can lead to compulsive buying behavior among sports fans. Sports fans want to be like their favorite athletes, using the same products as they do. Thus, if a sports star promotes certain sports gear by posting pictures of themselves on social media using it in their everyday training, their fans may very likely want and buy some even if they already have something similar. However, I do not think this is a great disadvantage for sports fans because, unlike luxury items, most sports products are not very expensive. That is to say, it is unlikely that a fan will get into debt as a result of buying too many of them.
On the other hand, sports companies can boost sales by hiring sports celebrities as their spokespeople. These celebrities are those at the top of their game. If they say that a certain product plays a role in their success, many of their raving fans will use that product to improve their athletic ability as well. For example, many swimming enthusiasts wear TYR suits at practice because they are what world record holders such as Katie Ledecky wear to compete at the Olympic Games. I think this brings great benefits to society because when a brand sells well, it can offer many job opportunities for people nationwide or even worldwide.
In conclusion, even though sports lovers may purchase a product compulsively after seeing a sports star promoting it, I believe this disadvantage is greatly outweighed by the advantage that famous sports figures can help brands increase sales.
Many museums charge for admission while others are free. Do you think the advantages of charging people for admission to museums outweigh the disadvantages?
Many museums require an admission fee, while others do not. I believe the advantage of this fee far outweighs its disadvantage because, without it, many museums wouldn't be able to protect their collections well.
On the one hand, entrance fees may discourage people from visiting. For example, in China, all public museums are free to Chinese citizens. So, low-income families who cannot afford places, such as amusement parks and movie theaters, often take their children to museums to spend their weekends. They may stop visiting them if they have to pay to enter. However, according to my observation, most of them go there not to appreciate the exhibits but to enjoy the free air-conditioning. They create noise and overcrowd museums. Therefore, I think a reduction in visitor numbers would not be a bad thing.
On the other hand, admission charges allow museums to better protect their collections. Due to climate change, natural disasters are happening more and more frequently. By charging for admission, museums can afford to use high-tech methods to minimize the impact of these disasters. For instance, with revenue from entrance charges, New York City's Whitney Museum of American Art was able to build an up-to-date flood wall, which protects its works from potential flooding of the river nearby. I think this is a great advantage for museums because some of their works are masterpieces from the past. Keeping them in good condition is important for our cultural heritage.
In conclusion, although a paid-admission model may deter visitors, I believe this disadvantage is greatly outweighed by the advantage that the money raised helps to fund the upkeep of museums' collections.
Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
Some experts believe that starting learning another language at primary level is better than at secondary level. I think the downside of this outweighs the upside because young pupils may have a great workload as a result.
On the one hand, young children are better language learners than older ones. Primary school-aged children are at an early stage of learning, and therefore tend to be very open to new ideas. That is to say, they are less likely to find the different pronunciation and grammar of a foreign language strange and difficult to learn than their counterparts at secondary school. However, I do not think this gives them a major advantage in life because many people have become successful, either professionally or financially, without mastering a second language.
On the other hand, studying a new language at primary level can greatly increase young pupils' workloads. One more language to learn means more classes to take and more schoolwork to do. Take China, where English is compulsory at all primary schools. Chinese schoolchildren often spend about half an hour every weekday just on their English homework. And to outperform their peers, many of them enrol in weekend English classes. I think this puts young children at a great disadvantage because at their age, they should spend more time enjoying leisure activities rather than burying themselves in endless academic tasks.
In conclusion, although primary school-aged children tend to be good at acquiring a foreign language, I believe this advantage is far outweighed by the disadvantage of the heavy workloads that come with it.
At the present time, the population of some countries includes a relatively large number of young adults, compared with the number of older people. Do the advantages of this situation outweigh the disadvantages?
Today, in some countries, young adults account for a comparatively large proportion of the population compared with older people. I believe the upsides of this situation far outweigh its downsides because young people are the main drivers of economic growth.
One disadvantage of having large numbers of young people may be that it can lead to high unemployment among them. Most older people already have their careers figured out. They either have stable corporate jobs or run their own businesses. In comparison, many young adults, especially those who just graduated from university, are still looking for jobs. When there are too many of them competing for the same positions, their chances of securing one can be very low. However, I do not think this is a major disadvantage for young people as long as they make the leap to self-employment.
On the positive side, young people are the driving force of an economy. This is because they tend to be more productive and creative than older people and thus are more likely to bring change and innovation to their countries. Take for example the highly innovative trillion-dollar U.S. tech industry. Most employees in this industry are only in their late 20s. I think this creates a great advantage for a country because a strong economy offers people high standards of living.
In conclusion, although large numbers of young adults can mean high jobless rates among them, I believe this disadvantage is greatly outweighed by the advantage that they can drive an economy to grow.
Many people work long hours, leaving very little time for leisure activities. Does this situation have more advantages or more disadvantages?
Many people have experienced a loss of leisure time due to having to work long hours. It is my opinion that this loss of leisure time has more negative than positive effects because it is bad for mental and social well-being.
Firstly, overworked people are prone to mental health issues. Consider cyber security incident responders. As the number of hacks worldwide has gone up significantly, many of them are required to work nights, weekends and holidays to respond to the increasing incidents. This leaves them no time to participate in any leisure activity they enjoy in which they can get relaxed and recover from work. The result is that many feel stressed and suffer associated side effects such as anxiety and sleep problems.
Additionally, little leisure time also has a great impact on social well-being. Leisure activities are very important for developing and strengthening relationships outside of the context of work. Many people use the time outside of work to have meaningful experiences with people they care about, whether that means a romantic dinner with their significant other or a movie night with a close friend. Without such activities to bond, they may become distant from each other
Despite these facts, there is one advantage to working long hours and sacrificing leisure time. Putting a lot of hours into anything will eventually make a person more skilled at that activity and more skilled workers are more likely to receive a raise or be promoted to a better position.
In conclusion, a loss in leisure time for people who overwork is largely disadvantageous because it leads to worsened mental and social well-being. That said, working harder and becoming a more skilled employee might increase their chances of earning a raise or promotion.
In many countries, paying for things using mobile phone (cellphone) apps is becoming increasingly common. Does this development have more advantages or more disadvantages?
Using cellphone apps to pay for goods and services is quickly becoming more popular in many countries. I believe that this has more benefits than drawbacks because it is convenient and ensures accurate payment handling.
Firstly, using mobile payments can save people a lot of time because it allows them to be able to pay ahead of time for things that they need. For example, the Starbucks coffee smartphone app allows customers to place and pay for their coffee order before arriving at the store. This can sometimes mean that, upon arriving at the location, the customer's coffee will be ready and that they do not have to wait at all.
Additionally, using a smartphone app to pay also ensures that the correct amount of money is paid for products and returned to customers after the purchase. Smartphone app payments are automatic: instead of relying on the worker to calculate the total cost and the customer to supply the correct amount of money by hand, they do it automatically.
Although there are benefits to paying with a smartphone, one negative aspect of the practice is that it makes it easy for people to buy things impulsively. When a person gets an idea that they want to buy something they might not need, it's as easy as pressing a button on their smartphone screen and forgetting about it. This can lead to them running out of money and being unable to afford important bills.
In conclusion, paying for things using a smartphone is largely advantageous: it saves people time waiting in line and guarantees that they pay only what is due and nothing more. However, it also makes it easy to spend money unnecessarily, resulting in impulse buying and poor financial health.