Is life now better than it was 100 years ago? Some Essay Ideas

Is there no better time to be alive than now?

Agree

Disagree

·       A wider range of entertainment is available than ever before ( ex: cinema, computer games, sport etc.) ·       Life expectancy has increased due to advances in medicine and hygiene ·       Better quality of life: transportation, access to the information through technology (the Internet, mobile phones, plasma TV screens) ·       People of different cultures mix more with each other and there are more opportunities to travel and learn about different cultures ·       The evolution of people’s mentalities and greater equality for women, minorities and so on (although not everywhere in the world)

·       Life is more stressful; there is more pressure and competition in school and at work ·       More pollution and serious environmental issues threatening our future ·       Societies are more alienating and atomised: there is less of a sense of community than in the past – people are lonelier, there are more marriage break-ups ·       Crime and violence have increased? ·       People have less time to spend with friends and families – human communication is often reduced to social networking online, which is far less fulfilling than face to face interaction

Some Time Expressions

Spare time

Time seems to speed up

To last an eternity

To have time on your hands

(time) is a liuxury I can’t afford

In next to no time

To have the time of your life

Time passes in the blink of an eye

The past is another country

To make the most of every moment of it (time)

It seems brief, fleeting

a bygone era

current/contemporary ideas

to maintain the status quo

in retrospect

with the benefit of hindsight

with immediate effect

Some language for describing experiences

thoroughly: exciting,, memorable, outstanding, impressive
highly: favourable, positive, rewarding, impressive
totally/absolutely: remarkable, fantastic, outstanding, wonderful, marvellous, exhilarating


a rewarding experience
an unforgettable moment
a bizarre incident
a memorable trip
a formal occasion
a nerve-racking experience
an exhilarating experience
a humbling experience

Conditional Sentences for Task 2 IELTS Writing

FIRST CONDITIONAL (REAL):

If + present simple,    will + infinitive

SECOND CONDITIONAL (UNREAL):

If + past simple,    would + infinitive

Example: The UK should leave the European Union.

If the UK leaves the European Union, it will have an impact on the global economic system.

If the UK left the European Union, it would cause an economic crisis.

1. If the sale of cigarettes was banned, it would create a civil war and an increase in black market sales.
   If cigarette sales are banned, it will decrease health problems.
2. If cars are not allowed to enter city centres, people will enjoy the space more.
   If cars were banned from city centres, people would get used to public transport.
3. If we voted for the party which lowered taxes, people would have more purchasing power/disposable income.

If taxes were lower, the government would have less money for spocial services, healthcare, education and defence.

4. If university/tertiary education was free, there would be a drop in standards (and more prestigious universities would be indistinguishable from lower level ones).
If university was free, the number of people who would have access to it could increase.

Meet Some Word Families

Verb	Noun	Adjective
suspect	suspicion	suspicious
decide	decision	Decisive
compare	comparison	Comparative
lengthen	length	long
age	ageing	Aged/middle-aged
memorize	memory	memorable

Some Business Vocabulary

A: Types of Business

Manufacturer, Multinational (corporation), Retailer, Service Industry

B: Success and Failure in Business

Bankruptcy, Debt, Loss, Profit

C: Economics

Currency, Debt, Gross National Product, Inflation, Recession

Energy Collocations

Produce	Generate	energy
Use	Consume
Need	Require
Save	Conserve
Provide	Supply
Capture	Harness

Tast 1 Writing: Man-made Process Sample

The diagram shows that in order to produce black and white photographs, a dark room and four pieces of equipment are needed, namely a camera, a development tank, a chemical bath and an enlarger.

In the first stage, images are captured by the camera and recorded onto a film in the camera. After the film is removed from the camera, it is developed in a development tank in a dark room. After producing the negatives, they can be viewed in an enlarger, where the images can be enlarged and edited. Subsequently, these are printed onto sheets of photographic paper. Once the prints are developed, washed and dried, the finished black and white photographs can be removed from the dark room.

Black and white photographs can either be developed by a professional photographer or at home. Alternatively, they may be developed at a pharmacy as well.