Choose any one of the 17 essays below. The selected essay will open with the full question, complete sample essay, writing suggestions, sentence formation patterns, and a simple structure formula together in one place.
Many aspects of the way people dress today are influenced by global fashion trends. How has global fashion become such a strong influence on people's lives? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?
Nowadays, global fashion trends have deeply influenced what people wear. I believe online shopping plays a vital role in this process, and it is a positive development that generates economic growth.
The development of online shopping has contributed to the huge influence that global fashion has on people's clothing choices. Before online shopping rose in popularity, people usually purchased clothes in physical, offline stores, which were often limited to domestic clothing brands. However, the emergence of online shopping has exposed customers to clothes from international brands and designers. For example, when Chinese TikTok users watch short videos, they are presented with influencers from countries such as France and Italy showcasing and selling the latest global fashion trends, and the more they see these trends, the more likely they are to be influenced by them. This shift in exposure from domestic fashion to global fashion has significantly accelerated the spread of worldwide style trends.
This transition to global styles has a positive impact on society because it boosts economic growth. Global fashion trends change consistently. Take Shein as an example. It releases new designs almost every day, which requires different types of clothes to be designed, produced, and delivered. Hence, this industry creates a vast number of jobs, such as clothing designers, factory workers, and transport drivers, all of which provide incomes for individuals, leading to higher expenditures in their daily lives. As a result, this economic activity increases government tax revenues and ultimately boosts the nation's GDP.
In conclusion, fashionable styles all over the globe have dramatically influenced people's lives, in which online shopping is a crucial contributor, and given its economic benefits, I am convinced this tendency has a positive impact on society.
Despite better access to education, many adults today still cannot read or write. In what ways are they disadvantaged? What can governments do to help them?
Even with increased access to education, illiteracy remains a widespread problem among many adults today, which can adversely impact their social and work lives. However, the government can help tackle this issue by providing free literacy training programs.
Illiteracy can severely impact a person's social life. In social situations, individuals may need to read and write messages to friends and family, and the inability to do so can make communication a challenge, causing them to lose touch with loved ones.
In addition to social isolation, illiteracy can significantly affect job performance. In today's knowledge-based economy, even low-skilled roles may require a certain level of literacy skills. For example, fast- food workers may require these skills to read food orders or safety instructions, and not having them can prevent them from performing basic tasks effectively. This can lead to poor job performance and decreased job satisfaction, causing individuals to struggle to provide for themselves and their families.
To increase literacy rates, the government can offer free training programs specifically tailored for illiterate individuals. These programs can be developed in collaboration with employers to provide on-the- job training and support, as well as language programs to improve workers' skills. With improved reading and writing skills, individuals can perform their jobs more effectively and communicate better with family and friends.
In conclusion, illiteracy can have serious implications for a person's social and work life. However, the government can work with employers to provide free literacy training programs that help enhance job skills and communication abilities for illiterate individuals. This can lead to greater social integration, job satisfaction, and overall well-being for individuals who struggle with literacy.
Nowadays some consumers are less influenced by advertising. What are the reasons for this? Is it a positive or a negative development?
Advertising has been losing its influence on some consumers in recent years, and I believe this is mainly because of consumers' short attention spans and the influence of online product reviews. This shift in consumer behavior should be seen as a positive trend, as it reduces impulsive purchases.
People's attention span has decreased significantly. With the vast amount of content available across different platforms, people today have more things to consume, which leads to shorter periods of focus and attention. This means that when they see an advertisement, they might either completely ignore it or watch it for only a few seconds, making it unlikely for them to be influenced by the advertisement.
The rise of online product reviews also adds to the decline in advertising's influence. In the past, if a consumer was interested in a product that was advertised on TV, they might go to a brick-and- mortar store and purchase it without much research. However, with the prevalence of online shopping, consumers now have access to a wealth of product reviews before making a purchase. This means that if a consumer sees an advertisement for a product and then discovers negative reviews online, they are unlikely to place an order.
The trend towards consumers being less swayed by advertisements can have positive financial effects. When individuals are easily influenced by advertising, they may make impulsive purchases of items they desire but do not truly need. For example, they may buy a new pair of sneakers because their favorite celebrity promotes them in a commercial when they already have many sneakers that are in good condition. This can result in unnecessary spending and potentially accumulation of debt. However, these negative outcomes can be avoided when advertising becomes less effective.
In conclusion, the decline in advertising's effectiveness may be due to shorter attention spans and negative online reviews, but it leads consumers to buy things less impulsively and therefore is a positive trend.
Some people say the main way to be happy in life is to have a lot of money. How might having a lot of money make people happy? What other things in life can make people happy?
Some people argue that having a large amount of money is the key to living a happy life. Perhaps this is because money can make a person's life easy and comfortable. Although money is important, a satisfying career and meaningful relationships also help to create happiness in life.
Wealth allows a person to own expensive things and live comfortably. For example, faced with high housing prices, many people must work extremely hard to rent a tiny apartment. Two or three family members crammed into such a small space after a hard day at work is neither easy nor comfortable. Wealthy people, in contrast, can easily buy a big house with several bedrooms, home offices, and indoor gyms, all of which bring ease, convenience, and comfort to their lives.
Thinking further, isn't job satisfaction another facet of life that can contribute to a sense of happiness? Doing unpleasant, distasteful work just to make ends meet makes life lack passion and purpose. However, those who love their work are often very fulfilled. They may feel that their work coincides with their passion and also allows them to make a positive impact on other people's lives.
Don't meaningful relationships bring happiness, too? When a person has friends and family to share all the ups and downs of life, they feel supported and well-loved. Imagine getting promoted to a dream position, but no one cares. Despite the wealth that comes with the new job, think about how sad and empty someone would be when there is nobody to share their achievement.
In conclusion, although money can guarantee a comfortable life that may increase happiness, life is not all about money. Job fulfillment and meaningful connections are at least two other factors that can lead to happiness.
In some countries, more and more people are hiring a personal fitness trainer, rather than playing sports or doing exercise classes. What are the reasons for this? Is this a positive or a negative development?
Personal fitness trainers are becoming more and more popular in some countries. I believe this is mainly because people in these countries are becoming wealthier and busier with work. Unfortunately, this is a negative development because it prevents people from making more friends through sports.
Some countries have significantly developed. Take China, for example. It used to be mainly a manufacturing economy. There was no way poor Chinese factory workers could afford gyms, let alone enjoy the luxury of personal trainers. They played sports in public spaces for free to exercise. Now, China has grown to be the second biggest economy in the world. It has more and more high-paying workers who have the money to splurge on expensive personal coaches.
Another reason might be that people today are more occupied with their jobs. The good old days when people only needed to work eight hours a day and five days a week are gone. Some countries now have a "996" work culture that often requires employees to work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. This means that they wouldn't be able to show up for a yoga class that starts at 7 p.m. on weekdays or play basketball with friends on Sundays. Their best option would be to hire a private trainer who can accommodate their busy work schedule.
This can be bad for people's social lives. Playing sports or attending group classes is a great way for people to meet those who share the same interests as themselves. This can make exercising more interesting and therefore easier to get through. Certainly, a person can develop a good relationship with their trainer, but this relationship will probably end once they stop being a client.
In conclusion, some countries are becoming richer and their workers are required to work longer hours. This gives rise to the growing popularity of private fitness trainers. However, it can be harmful to a person's social life and therefore should be seen as a negative trend.
In the future, people may no longer be able to pay for things in shops using cash. All payments may have to be made by card or using phones. Do you think this will happen one day? Why do you think some people might not be happy to give up using cash?
In the future, there may be no cashiers in stores. People may have to pay with a card or mobile app instead of cash. I believe this will undoubtedly become a reality as cashier-less store technology matures. However, some people may be unhappy about it because it denies them the opportunity to interact with other people.
Sooner or later, cashier-less technology will be in every shop. Amazon has already been testing and perfecting this technology in its Amazon Go stores, where customers enter, take the products they want, and just walk out without scanning or interacting with a cashier. This technology will eventually mature and by that time Amazon will be able to license it to other retailers. With inflation and rising labor costs, eventually all retailers will adopt this technology to maximize profit.
Sadly, not all shoppers will welcome cashierless stores where there is little to no human interaction. Many people visit physical stores because they enjoy interacting with the staff there. Consider lonely working-from-home workers who go to their local Starbucks stores every day because the baristas there warmly greet them whenever they visit and know their coffee preferences so well. Imagine that one day they won't be able to engage with their favorite baristas. They just grab their coffee and leave. How sad is that!
In conclusion, cashier-less technology will eventually arrive at every retail store and this means that people won't be able to pay by cash anymore. Unfortunately, some people might not be happy about this transformation because it will eliminate social interaction.
Some children spend hours every day on their smartphones. Why is this the case? Do you think this is a positive or a negative development?
Some children and teenagers use their 4 phones for hours each day. This, in my opinion, results from social media platforms' exceptional ability to keep users' attention. It should be viewed as a negative development because it can be harmful to children's mental health.
Social media algorithms are extremely good at providing people with content that holds their attention. They track user behavior like search history and engagement and use machine learning to analyze the data gathered. This process allows them to offer users an endless stream of postings optimized to keep their interest. Since children tend to lack self- control, they may be unable to resist such personalized content and wind up wasting too much time on their phones.
Unfortunately, hours of phone time every day can harm children's mental health. Perfectly filtered pictures and staged videos on social media create an unrealistic world for children scrolling through their feeds. Consuming too much content like this may make them unhappy with who they are. Consider the body image issues that Instagram has caused in teenage girls. After seeing post after post of fitness influencers who appear to have perfect lives and bodies, some adolescent girls may find it very difficult to refrain from comparing themselves to those influencers. It is not surprising that so many start worrying about their physical attractiveness.
In conclusion, some children spend a large amount of time on their phones every day because social media constantly presents them with content designed to keep their attention. Sadly, this can take a toll on their mental health.
In many countries today, crime novels and TV crime dramas are becoming more and more popular. Why do you think these 4 books and TV shows are so popular? What is your opinion of crime fiction and TV crime dramas?
In many countries, there is a rise in the popularity of novels and TV dramas about crime. I believe this is because they do a good job keeping the audience engaged. In general, they are good because they can act as a warning of potential danger.
You are actively engaged with the suspense created in a crime book or show. Unlike other types of books and TV series where you just passively watch plots continue, crime books and dramas keep you thinking and guessing. You are like a detective, analyzing clues and unfolding mysteries. Did the husband murder his wife because she found his money-laundering secret? Or did the neighbor next door kill the wife because he wants to hide their affair? Suspense like this really gets you strongly involved in the story and wanting more of it.
Crime novels and dramas can warn you of potential dangers. Many crime dramas on TV are based on true stories. Crime novels might also be loosely based on real cases. They inform you of methods real-life criminals might use. For example, a Netflix show depicts a serial killer pretending to have mobility issues by walking with a cane. He asks his victims to help him carry things to his car. Once the victims are leaning into his car, he hits their head with a crowbar. This educates you that exploiting the trusting nature of people is a method that criminals might use to lure you and that you should never fully trust someone you've only just met.
In conclusion, crime novels and dramas are so popular in many countries because they keep the audience engaged. They can be educational because they can warn of potential dangers.
Some people say that now is the best time in history to be living. What is your opinion about this? What other time in history would be interesting to live in?
Some people feel that we are living in the best time of all (You could also use "the best of all times"). I completely agree with this point of view because of the long life expectancy we have. However, a more interesting time to live would be the post-World War II era, in the U.S.
We now live much longer lives thanks to advances in medical science. Before the 21st century, people often died from infections that can easily be treated today. However, now, even cancer could be cured. Take those with kidney failure. They could get a kidney transplant and go on to live for another five or even ten years. What could be better than having a second chance at life?
However, the best time to be alive doesn't mean the most interesting time to be alive. I think we would have much more fun living in the U.S. after World War II. At that time, the U.S. economy experienced unprecedented growth. Suddenly, blue-collar Americans could afford things once considered high- class. Imagine you are a factory worker living in that era. All of a sudden, you own a television and a car. During off-hours, you can watch your favorite TV shows at home or drive to your favorite places to have a blast. How interesting your life has become!
In conclusion, we are living longer and this makes now the best time to be alive. However, a more interesting time to live would be postwar America because, all of a sudden, you could afford so many things that would have been too expensive to buy.
As most people spend a major part of their adult life at work, job satisfaction is an important element of individual wellbeing. What factors contribute to job satisfaction?How realistic is the expectation of job satisfaction for all workers?
Job satisfaction plays an important role in workers' well-being. I believe, to feel satisfied at work, a person needs to do what they love and also make a positive impact on other people's lives. Sadly, it is totally unrealistic to expect job satisfaction for all workers.
A key factor in job satisfaction is whether a person's job coincides with their passion. When people are pursuing careers they love, they always look forward to going to work in the morning rather than living for the weekend. They tend to view difficult tasks as opportunities to learn and develop rather than as sources of stress. This can be best illustrated by scientists who work long hours and encounter countless failures in their research yet still find fulfillment in their work.
Job satisfaction can also be affected by the impact you have on other people's lives. Take software engineers. The products they build may be used by people all over the world, making people's lives better in some way, perhaps easier or more productive. How exciting!
Unfortunately, it is completely impossible for all workers to have a satisfying job. This is because many of them refuse to change. They would rather stay in a job they hate than put in the effort to reskill to get a better one. They would expect their employers to raise their pay and improve their working conditions but do nothing to become more valuable employees. All they could get is low-paying, physically-demanding jobs, which would never give them much, if any, satisfaction.
In conclusion, What contribute most to job satisfaction could be whether or not a person is doing something they are passionate about and whether or not their job role allows them to make a positive impact on other people's lives. Unfortunately, satisfaction at work cannot be guaranteed for everyone because many people are too lazy to change the status quo.
Increasing the price of petrol is the best way to solve growing traffic and pollution problems. To what extent do you agree or disagree? What other measures do you think might be effective?
Traffic and pollution problems are becoming worse and worse. I completely disagree that raising petrol prices is the best method to solve these problems. I believe it would be more feasible to impose high charges for workplace parking and to encourage working from home.
Increasing the price of petrol only moderately would not have a great impact on car use. This is because people who use their car to commute and go to the shop every day have already developed a habit of doing so, and it is scientifically proved that once a habit is formed, it is hard to get rid of it. Therefore, they may well continue to use their car as a major means of travel unless petrol prices become extremely high. However, I think hiking fuel prices sharply is politically infeasible because it would hurt the entire economy since goods are now mainly transported by petrol-powered vehicles.
Instead, high workplace parking fees should be introduced. Unlike petrol prices, workplace parking charges would not affect the economy and so could be set at a price that is so high that people would leave their cars at home and opt for public transport. Additionally, companies could encourage their employees to work from home if possible. This policy could mean that many workers would not need to commute at all. The two methods mentioned above could significantly reduce road traffic in the rush hour since car commuters are the main cause of heavy traffic at this time. With fewer cars on the road, car emissions would decrease as well.
In conclusion, increasing petrol prices is not politically feasible and, therefore, is not the best way to cope with growing road traffic and pollution. It would be more effective to impose high workplace parking fees and encourage remote work.
Some people spend most of their lives living close to where they were born. What might be the reasons for this? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Some people live close to their birthplace most of their lives, possibly due to the risks involved in moving far away. While it's true that they can easily get the necessary support from their family if they remain at home, they may miss other opportunities because of it.
All changes come with risks. Some people may be afraid that if they move to another place, they won't be able to, for example, get a new job or make new friends. It's much safer to keep everything the same and not venture into an unforeseeable future. Plus, some people simply don't have money to relocate. They might be living in a small town or working a low-paying job. It's unlikely that people in these situations would be able to afford the steep rental prices of large cities.
Support from family can be the greatest advantage that a person can have when living close to their birthplace. Their parents may live in the area and be able to help them with things like childcare. Another benefit is that a person gets to keep all the relationships they've developed over the years: their classmates, colleagues and neighbors. These relationships probably have made and would continue to make their lives more colorful.
However, a person may miss great opportunities if they don't leave their hometown. How are they supposed to grow their career and meet new people if they don't venture out? Apart from that, staying in the same place for too long can also make a person lose their passion for life. According to science, novelty produces chemicals that make humans feel happy. That is to say, a person may easily become tired of their lives if they live in the same place, do the same job and go to the same grocery store every single day.
In conclusion, some people do not relocate because they're put off by the risks involved. Although this brings some benefits such as family support, it can result in them missing many of the opportunities that life has to offer.
Plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic packaging are bad for the environment. What damage does plastic do to the environment? What can be done by governments and individuals to solve this problem?
Nowadays, almost everything we buy is packaged in plastic, a material that damages the environment. I believe plastic pollutes the land and the oceans and, to solve this problem, product packaging should be more efficient.
Plastic wastes cause land and sea pollution. This is because they are difficult and expensive to recycle and therefore most of them are sent to landfill sites, sitting there for thousands of years before decomposing. Plastic wastes can also find their way to the sea. The ones discarded on the beach may be blown into the oceans. Even those thrown on the streets and sitting on landfill sites may be blown into gutters and discharged with sewage into rivers and then reach the oceans, threatening the survival of marine animals.
To reduce plastic waste, a more efficient design of packaging should be encouraged. Governments can help by giving tax subsidies to manufacturers that use less plastic in packaging. With the removal of excess air and water, products require less packaging. At scale, these small differences in product size can lead to significant plastic reductions. Consumers can also contribute, by choosing not to purchase products packaged in unnecessary large plastic containers. For example, do not buy protein powder that comes in a big bottle that is one-third empty. To respond to consumer concerns, more and more brands would start using sustainable packaging, which could keep millions of tons of plastic materials out of landfills every year.
In conclusion, plastic is bad for the environment because it does damage to the land and the sea. To address this issue, governments and consumers should support products that have less packaging.
In their advertising, businesses nowadays usually emphasise that their products are new in some way. Why is this? Do you think it is a positive or negative development?
In their advertising, businesses today often promote the idea that there is something new in their products. I believe they do this because it can help them beat their competitors. It should be seen as a positive development because new features are there to respond to consumers' new needs.
By emphasizing novelty, brands can increase their chances of staying ahead of their competitors. No matter what product a company sells, there are always hundreds, if not thousands, of similar ones on the market that consumers can choose from. If the company does not inform consumers through its marketing that the product is innovative in some way, it will just be one of the many out there, rather than one that is different and grabs consumers' attention. For example, in an iPhone commercial, Apple effectively delivers the message that the latest version of iOS allows users to disable cross-app tracking. This new feature which no other smartphone has can definitely help Apple attract new buyers since nowadays people are becoming more and more concerned about their online privacy.
I think this is a positive development because consumers have new requirements that need new products to satisfy them. For example, with all the digital devices at their fingertips, people nowadays want to limit their screen time more than they did a decade ago. Noticing this change, Amazon has launched a screenless fitness band called the Amazon Halo. This screenless feature is something existing fitness trackers such as Apple Watches and Fitbits cannot offer.
In conclusion, emphasizing the newness of their products in advertising is an effective way for brands to stand out from the competition. This is a positive development because new features can meet customers' new needs.
In education and employment, some people work harder than others. Why do some people work harder? Is it always a good thing to work hard?
In schools and workplaces, some people put in more effort than others. I believe this is because of the inequality that exists in today's society, and those who work too hard may have regrets in life.
People are not all born equal. Black people are usually perceived as less intelligent and competent than white people. Thus, a black person with equivalent skills has to work much harder than a white person to climb the corporate ladder. Also, disadvantaged children have to study much harder than privileged children to earn the same educational opportunities. For example, Ivanka Trump was able to study at the Wharton School of Finance without the usual academic qualifications because her father is rich and famous. However, if kids from low-income families want to get into that same college, they have to study extremely hard to meet the scholarship standards because there is no way their parents could afford such an expensive private school.
However, overwork can lead to regrets later in life. In general, people work hard not only for themselves but also for their loved ones. They want to get their kids good educations, they want to buy bigger houses for their families. However, often what their loved ones want is simply more time together, which is hard to achieve when people work more than ten hours a day. Once their kids are grown-ups and their parents passed away, they cannot get those years back anymore. All they can do is regret having put career before family.
In conclusion, disparities in education and employment are the main reason why in these two sectors some people have to work harder than others. However, this is not always a good thing because it can cause regrets later in life.
In some countries owning a home rather than renting one is very important for people. Why might this be the case? Do you think this is a positive or negative situation?
In some nations, people think it is very important to be a homeowner rather than a renter. I believe the primary cause of this phenomenon is that becoming a homeowner changes how a person's financial status is evaluated by others. However, it should be seen as a negative situation for homeowners since they may become less happy as a result of mortgage loans.
Owning a home means higher perceived financial status. Nowadays, house prices are extremely high, which means a home is not something someone in the lower middle class or working class can afford to buy. That is to say, if a person owns a home, others will think that this person has a high-paying job and is doing very well financially. For example, in China, many women will only consider marrying men who own their own homes because they think these men have enough money to provide a comfortable family life.
However, I think purchasing a house or an apartment can make a person less happy. Many people have borrowed hundreds of thousands of dollars from their bank to buy a home. After paying their mortgage every month, they may not have much money left to spend on activities they enjoy, such as visiting another city and dining in a nice restaurant.
In conclusion, the main reason why home ownership is important for people in some countries is that these people think it can increase their perceived financial standing. Nevertheless, it can lead to a decrease in happiness and as a result is a negative situation for them.
Nowadays many people choose to be self-employed, rather than to work for a company or organization. Why might this be the case? What could be the disadvantages of being self-employed?
Today many people choose to work for themselves rather than for others. I believe this is because the corporate world offers little work/life balance. However, self-employment may lead to even more workloads and stress.
People doing a corporate job often find it hard to balance their work and personal lives. In a world that is changing so fast, a company is unlikely to remain relevant and competitive if its employees work only the standard 40- hour work week. For instance, to compete with the rising social media star TikTok, Facebook required its engineers to work during the weekend to develop Reels, which is Facebook's new short video feature. As a result, many people have made the leap to self-employment, hoping they can have more control over their time.
However, workloads can be even heavier for the self-employed. Being the only one in the business, a self-employed person often has to wear several hats at once. They have to, for example, do the marketing and accounting, and be the customer supports. An employee, on other hand, normally has only one job role.
Being one's own boss can also be very stressful. This is because a person's own business is like their own child. They put their heart and soul into it and thus may keep thinking about it every single minute. Take YouTubers for example. Many of them are constantly checking how many views, likes, and comments their videos have gotten, and become super depressed when the videos they spent hours and hours creating do not perform well.
In conclusion, many people become self-employed in an effort to keep their work and personal lives in balance. Nevertheless, self-employment is not an easy path; it can mean greater workloads and stress.