IELTS Writing Task 2/ Essay Topics with sample answer.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample 102 - The mass media have great influence in shaping people's ideas

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IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:

You should spend no more than 40 minutes on this task.

As part of a class assignment you have to write about the following topic.

The mass media, including television, radio and newspapers, have great influence in shaping people's ideas.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons and relevant examples to support your answer.

You should write at least 250 words.

Model Answer 1:
The mass media have a powerful influence in shaping our lives. We have come to depend on them for information and entertainment, and in doing so we let them affect important aspects of our lives.

The undeniable usefulness of the media in almost instantly providing information about events around the world is largely taken for granted. But in our dependence on the media, we have allowed them to mould our notions and opinions of events, places and people. Though few of us probably think about it, our conceptions of, say, our elected officials spring from television images and newspaper stories. Most of us will never meet prime ministers or presidents, but anyone who is regularly exposed to the media will have an opinion of them. When it is time to cast our vote, we will make our decision based on how the media portray the candidates. We are similarly swayed by coverage of wars. The media, representing the values of their owners, societies and governments, tend to report wars with a bias; which is the 'good' side and which the 'bad' is determined for us by reporters, editors and commentators, and sure enough the public begins to form opinions that reflect the coverage they see, hear and read in the major media.

The media are also influential in the way they facilitate the spread of culture and lifestyle. The so-called 'global youth culture', in which one finds young people around the world displaying a common interest in music, clothing styles and films, is an example of the media's enormous sway in this regard. A popular figure such as Michael Jackson would never be so well known were it not for the media's extensive reach into every society on the globe.

Thus I would argue that the mass media's influence is certainly great. Indeed, technological advancements, such as the Internet, is bringing more forms of electronic media to our homes and workplaces. It is likely that the media's influence will grow even stronger with the passage of time.

(Approximately 332 words)

(This model answer has been prepared by the site developer. However, please note that this is just one example out of many possible answers.)

Model Answer 2:
“People react according to the perspective they hold in any situation" is a well-known and accepted fact around the world. Of course, perspective is highly influenced by the information people receive through communication channels like TV, radio and newspapers. Hence, as expected, to control the burgeoning of people's thoughts, many countries have regulated the freedom of media.  

Firstly, nowadays, media plays a vital role in forming our perspectives towards our country's current politics, sports and other issues as it is an important part of our everyday life. Almost all of us use some sort of media to get updated about the world. In fact for many of us, a day starts with a newspaper. Since media persons are highly revered, accordingly, we truly trust the information we receive from media. For example: during the world war II, Hitler used the German media to spread false news about atrocities over German people living in other European countries to mentally prepare everyone in Germany to gear up for war.    

Secondly, media also shapes our minds to understand each other's cultural values and perspectives. Media brings us views of different people over the same issues and based on the circumstances we react, oppose and even embrace these different views. Also, media brings all of us at a single platform where we learn about multicultural aspects. So, the vital impact of media cannot be disregarded. For example, in a multi-cultural city like Toronto, media plays a prominent role in unifying people from different nations and pumps in nationality.

In conclusion, I believe media is having a tremendous impact on people's mind and perspectives. Hence, it is equally important to ensure the freedom of media and publication of unbiased news.

(Approximately 285 words)

(Written by - Rahul Rashu)

Model Answer 3:
In this day and age, mass media have become an epidemic all around the world. So that, people in different ages follow and use them, such as television, newspaper and the internet have become more popular among individuals. On the contemporary worlds, whether the influence of mass media in shaping people's life is a controversial issue. One group of people believes that media have no effects on people's lifestyle, while others are the advocate of many powerful influences of mass media in our lives. I personally agree with the latter group, because of two main reasons which are elucidated below.

First group claims that mass media cannot have an effect on our decisions and believes; since it has been taken for granted. Of course, they are right to some extent, but I think they considered this issue superficially.

First of all, mass media have a profound impact on cultures. It causes to eliminate the boundaries of cultures among people and creates globalisation. The globalisation is a good instance to depict the effect of mass media because individuals now can see what is happening in other countries or how they are dressed and how their culture is different. As a result, they usually imitate what others do.

Secondly, mass media are a source of information. It informed people about daily events or new discoveries. This information sometimes is used to change people's opinion. For example, in a presidential election, the fan of different candidates advertise in media like, television or the internet for them, and absorb attention to elect any person that they want.

In conclusion, as I mentioned above, the influence of mass media is undeniable, and it can change our beliefs and our ideas.
(Approximately 277 words)

(Written by Sanaz Golmakani)

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 4.00 (32 Votes)

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Sankalpa Tiwari
Essay Topic: The mass media, including television, radio and newspapers, have great influence in shaping people's ideas.To what extent do you agree or disagree?Sample Essay: The broadcasting system, including television, radio, newspaper, directly or indirectly impacts people's belief. Some people agree with this statement while some still maintain to deny it. I personally believe that public media affect people's way of thinking to a great extent.Scientifically, it has been claimed that perceptions of mass people can easily be reset or altered by the ideas presented in media. This is because people easily trust the opinions stated in electronic media. As people tune in to TV channels that they trust or read a newspaper they pay for, they would accept anything they are constantly shown or presented with. For instance, fashion flash or political propaganda on media are adopted by people without thinking twice. Therefore these media can shape up the opinion of people to a great extent.By contrast, mass media are not always trusted by people and this is more prevalent in this era or fake news. The emergence of fact-checking options often deters educated and conscious readers and viewers to explore further before trusting a piece of news or information. Thus violent scenes or politically motivated news often are disregarded by a great number of people these days. Regrettably, the number of such informed and intelligent readers and viewers are still tiny. There is no denying that we are prone to believe something we hear or read several times, especially if this information is from a media we trust. Thus consciously and unconsciously our perception is being shaped by the powerful media which are all around us.
Haseeb
Totally out of context... The question doesn't ask for advantages and disadvantages!
M G
The mass media, including television, radio and newspapers, have great influence in shaping people's ideas.To what extent do you agree or disagree?It is undeniable that the media plays an important role in shaping our minds and perceptions. Most of the people use at least one of the means of media such as television, radio, newspapers, etc., and the influence of media on shaping our thoughts is even more prevalent in this age of technology. In the first place, we can no way deny the advantages of the media for information, entertainment and social awareness. In addition, it provides many means of communication for people from different cultures, religions, races and regions. For all these advantages, most of us rely on such media heavily and sometimes blindly. But this oblivious inclination has negative outcomes. Some patrons of media we rely upon often alter or fabricate the truth for political interests, profit or personal gains. It puts poison in honey. For instance, a few years ago prominent media in our country encouraged people to demonstrate protest in order to save their legal and consumer rights and happily abandoned mass people afterwards when they needed the media-support the most. Some from the protest were either injured or jailed and media professionals used us to make a profit. It is interesting to note that most of the media have their own political views and often owned by business tycoons or politicians. This single aspect makes them biased towards a view and deters them from revealing the truth. To truly give the freedom of media, we need to make sure they work for the truth and greater good, not for a particular organisation or political agenda. In conclusion, the media are often considered a furnace where our minds and characters are played with. So the government and international institutions must enact strict laws against any means of media which exploit people for personal or political interests.
Delsan Khami
Thanks for your great sample. But I think you must have written your opinion.
Joyce
Hi, IETLS Mentor,Firstly, thank you for marking my poor essays. May I know if I write so during the exam, what band can I score? Thanks.
Joyce
IELTS Essay Topic: The mass media, including television, radio and newspapers, have great influence in shaping people's ideas.To what extent do you agree or disagree?Sample Answer: In this contemporary era, mass media and online social media play a crucial role in our lives by providing latest information and news. It is easily accessible and the fastest way to grasp the news through newspapers, television or social media likes Facebook, Twitter and so on have become widely popular. Many people are deeply suspicious about the quality and authenticity of the news and it is true that it influences our mindset to a certain extent. Thus, I personally agree that mass media has a significant impact on people's opinions as well as on the society. Firstly, a tremendous change could be observed in the way news get published these days. Reporters and journalists can release their personal thoughts, analyse any event, or even criticise people and a group openly. Sometimes their reporting are quite authentic and helpful but often they are not! But people rely on the information provided by media and believe that all are genuine. Thus, the transparency and freedom of media are sometimes abused and the reliability and quality of news become questionable. For instance, the United State Presidential Election 2016, in which many celebrities and famous people declared their statuses and opinions via media publicly and ridiculed another party. Due to their prestige and fame, it absolutely manipulates voters' decision and emulated what they did without a person's own judgement. Many newspapers are politically biased and they always favour a particular party or group. Thus people often get biased news instead of the truth. Thefore, it proves that media places a predominant position and affect society dramatically. Furthermore, fast access to those media is another reason why people receive latest world news and updates on global events instantly. With the online presence, newspapers are updated all the time, television and radio channels present programmes 24/7 and people love to watch television all around the world . Most youths are still under influences of those media and that shapes their opinions. Therefore, some of them could over-emphasize the fact relates to politic, ethnic, religion and others. In conclusion, newspapers, radio, television and other mass media have a great impact on the way they push news and opinions on people's mind. Since we are living in an era where media dominates the politics, sports, news, election, religious view, and so on, it is unavoidable that they will shape people's idea and opinion to a certain extent.
Joyce
Prince, you have written a very nice essay. I love your writing style.
Giorgia
Nowadays society is being exposed to the influence of mass media as people are relying heavily on these sources for news and information. Contrary to the past, young generation these days is subject to get attached with different forms of mass media since their youngest years and this exposure is greatly impacting their opinion and character. Every household own at least a TV and every car has a radio incorporated. Unfortunately, it has become a common practice for parents to use the TV as a babysitter and to place toddlers in front of the "box" to keep them busy. This is a clear example of how the young generations start their interactions with mass media at such an early age. While growing, others media can be added to the list, for example, radio, the internet and newspapers. Because of their young age, children and teenagers do not have enough maturity and mental development. Therefore, they might grow into thinking that, whatever information is fed to them through this media they are true and believable. The advancement of smart phone and widespread use of internet are also shaping the way we think, behave and interact with the outer world. The way we communicate and make friends are also shaped by the media we rely on. Adults are also being exposed to different mass media and their thinking pattern, political view etc. can be affected as well. Only a talented mind has the capacity to analyse, to doubt and to contradict messages received from mass media and therefore they will be less prone to be influenced. However, some people will believe whatever they are presented with. In conclusion, mass media can have a dramatic influence on the way young generation think and behave as they are more exposed to those mass media. In order to reduce negative impacts, adults should limit the time spent by youngsters browsing those media.
Dinesh Bajgain
In this day and age, mass media have become an epidemic all around the world. People in different ages follow and use them, such as television, newspaper and the internet which have become more popular among individuals. On the contemporary worlds, whether the influence of mass media in shaping people's lives is a controversial issue. One group of people believes that media have no effects on people's lifestyle, while others are an advocate of the powerful influence of mass media in our lives. I personally agree with the latter group, because of two main reasons which are elucidated below.First group claims that mass media cannot have an effect on our decisions and believes; since it has been taken for granted. Of course, they are right to some extent, but I think they considered this issue superficially.First of all, mass media have a profound impact on cultures. It causes to eliminate the boundaries of cultures among people and creates globalisation. The globalisation is a good instance to depict the affection of mass media because individuals can see what happen in other countries or how they dressed and what their culture is. As a result, they usually imitate what others do.Secondly, mass media are useful sources of information. It informs people about daily events or new discoveries. This information sometimes is used to change people's opinion. For example, presidential elections, the fan of candidates advertise in media like, television or the internet for them, and absorb attention to elect any person that they want.In conclusion, as I mentioned above, the influence of mass media is undeniable, and it can change our beliefs and our ideas.
Prashant Prince
Though with the ongoing technological advancement there are numerous vital sources for gathering information in this contemporary era, these media leaves their shadow on people. Some believe it changes our lifestyle, where other are advocate of powerful influence of mass media.Let’s throw some light on worthwhile effects of mass media: today everyone is depended on TV search for information and entertainment, our mind is always conscious for new data from different resources. Moreover, media instantly provide news about every event around the world, for instance, election results, wars, and also give us opinions about celebrities and veteran personalities. Eventually, media manipulate our mind, with global youth culture it provides the overseas lifestyle. Furthermore, reading newspaper listening to radio and watching television enhance the skill set of every human.Now let elaborate the detrimental effects of media, some people are addicted to it, they twenty-four seven watch TV which causes them major health problems likewise eye-site. Second to it, media provide information which sometimes true, but most of the times are wrong, which led people to think negatively. In addition, terrorist also takes advantage of live update best example in an attack on Taj-Hotel Mumbai, by watching this real time scenario on TV they handle full operation from Pakistan. Politicians and other powerful people use some of these media to brainwash people and to embarrass their opponent. While having a great variety of sources for information and news is advantageous, their negative effect cannot be denied. People have a tendency to believe what they read or watch on such media and this has many negative impacts on our society. In the final analysis, the influence of mass media is undeniable, and it can change our beliefs and our idea. Every rose has a thorn, but its cons by far outweigh its pros.