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Sample task
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Present a written argument to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic:

Television has had a significant influence on the culture of many societies. To what extent would you say that television has positively or negatively affected the cultural development of your society?You should write at least 250 words
Use your own knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.
Your task
Complete the task 2 exercise above. Spend only 40 minutes on the task, then look at the notes and sample answer below.
Sample answer
It has been around forty years since television was first introduced into Australian households and people today still have mixed views on whether it has a positive or a negative influence on the society.

Many people believe that television damages culture. It promotes the stronger cultures of countries such as Britain and North America and weakens the cultures of less wealthy countries. This is because the stronger, wealthier countries are able to assert their own culture by producing more programs that are shown widely around the world. These programs then influence people, particularly young people, in the countries where they are shown.

Also, because television networks need to attract large audiences to secure their financial survival, they must produce programs which are interesting to a broad range of people. In Australia this range is very broad because we are a multicultural society and people of all ages like to watch television. To interest all these different people, most television programs are short in length, full of action and excitement, do not require much intelligence or knowledge to understand, and follow universal themes common to all cultures, such as love and crime. Television programs which concentrate on or develop themes pertinent to one particular culture are not so successful because they interest a smaller audience.

Nevertheless we much acknowledge that television does have some positive effects on the cultures within a society as well. People who do not live within their own culture can, in a limited way, access it through the multicultural station on the television. For example, Aboriginal children who have grown up in white families, or migrants and international students living in Australia, can watch programs from their own culture on the television.

In conclusion, I hold the view that television promotes and strengthens those cultures that are wealthy and influential while it weakens the cultures that are already in a weakened position.


Teacher's comments
Here is what a teacher said about the sample answer:
The essay has a clear introduction which poses the problem. Three paragraphs which makes relevant points on the topic and a conclusion which sums up the main point of the whole essay. The grammar and vocabulary are rich and varied. It is therefore a very good answer.
Strategies to improving IELTS score
The style of essay required for Task 2 of the IELTS writing test is standard to academic courses. There are several published textbooks available to assist you to improve your writing skills for this part of the test.

Structure and cohesion should be evident at the essay level, within and between paragraphs and within and between sentences. Structure and cohesion have a very important effect on the readability and clarity of your essay as a whole.

The structure of your essay should show a clear development from introduction, through your points and on to the conclusion. Your essay needs to have an introduction, body and conclusion.

Structure and cohesion should also be apparent within and between paragraphs. Each paragraph will typically contain a topic sentence which states the main point of your paragraph. The topic sentence is usually the first one. This will be followed by the evidence which supports the point of the paragraph. The final sentence will typically lead into the point of the following paragraph.

A good essay will also have structure and cohesion within and between sentences. It is important that you are confident using linking devices such as relative clauses, connectives and transition signals.