Advances in technology and automation have reduced the need for manual labour. Therefore working hours should be reduced. To what extent do you agree?

In many production-oriented factories, machinery has evolved to such a degree that the demand for physical labour has considerably reduced, leading to the suggestion of a reduced working week. However, there are several factors that need to be considered.

Primarily, the long-term impact of shorter working weeks needs to be considered. Although less time at work may sound appealing, the reality is that people may find that they have too much free time. Fewer working hours would presumably mean less income, so a situation arises where employees have more leisure time than their income can support. This has the potential to result in feelings of boredom, frustration or anxiety, all of which have potential side-effects for society as a whole.

Connected with this comes the social factor of self-esteem. Working less is one thing; working less because robots can complete the tasks you were assigned is another. A solution that would benefit all those concerned would be to utilise the time no longer required for manual labour for something more productive. Instead of simply reducing the working week, a combination of industry and government support could allow for employees to receive further education and training, thus giving those employed in manual labour the academic tools to find different employment. Even automated factories still require technicians, mechanics and designers to maintain and improve production.

To summarise, until such time as automation has reduced the working week for all types of employee, it would perhaps be counter-productive to reduce the hours of those involved in manual labour without providing an alternative simply because they are replaceable.

Patrick Bourne, author of IELTS High Impact and director of IELTStestONLINE:

One of the strongest points in this essay is the way that the essay has been structured using a variety of linking words and phrases. The first body paragraph opens with ‘Primarily’, and the last sentence of the paragraph begins with the reference word ‘This’. The following paragraph links with ‘Connected with this’ and uses linking words like ‘thus’.

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Individuals should not be allowed to carry guns. Do you agree or disagree.

There are some who hold the opinion that gun ownership should be restricted, as it is in many countries, and that people in general should not be permitted to keep them. There are a number of reasons to agree with this point of view, as will now be discussed.

A major reason why governments should not allow people to have guns is because of the potential for accidents. In America, for example, you can legally shoot people if you find them robbing your house, but this can lead to people dying over cases of mistaken identity. In addition, there are crimes where people act rashly or in anger, so guns that were intended for defence are often used aggressively.

There is also the intentional damage caused by guns. It is statistically evident that the number of gun-related crimes is higher in countries where firearm ownership is legal. Countries like America, for example, suffer from a disproportionately high number of fatal shootings in comparison with most other countries.

Some people, however, argue that shooting is a sport, thus being prevented from owning their own firearm is both unjust d a violation of our rights. Yet this must be balanced with the overwhelming number of people who use guns for criminal purposes.

To sum up, it is clear that the proliferation of guns leads to injury and death both intentionally and unintentionally. Although there are points to support gun ownership, they are weak in comparison with the rising tide of gun crime, a situation which will only continue to worsen.

Patrick Bourne, author of IELTS High Impact and director of IELTStestONLINE:

There are a number of strengths to this essay, but perhaps the most important is that all of the arguments are logically laid out, with one point being presented in each paragraph. The topic sentence of each paragraph is clear, and each paragraph is built with an appropriate amount of development and support for a 250 word essay.

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