In many cities there is a lack of space to develop and as a result, in order to modernize, old buildings are demolished and replaced with new buildings.
What are the disadvantages of knocking down old buildings?
Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
Intro (Sample Answer)
City-planners have always been grappling with the issue of accommodating increasing numbers of urban population. For this, they have to constantly change the city landscape by demolishing old and spacious buildings and replace them with new ones. This essay will discuss the pros and cons of bulldozing old buildings.
Advantages
New architecture that is suitable for environment
Free space for public transport and less congestion
More people can be accommodated
opportunities for small businesses as commercial activities increases in proportion to the rising population
space can be utilized to build new schools, hospitals and other things for the welfare of city-dwellers.
Disadvantages
a city loses its monumental buildings that are part of its cultural heritage
this takes its toll on the heritage industry that suffers badly
demolishing buildings is a risky job that requires skilled professionals and advanced equipment
Nowadays children watch a lot of TV and play video games. However, some people think that theses activities are not good for a child’s mental health.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Intro (Sample Answer)
Video games and television are popular means of entertainment among children during their leisure time. But research has shown that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities which ultimately leads to deteriorating effects on a child’s psychological health. In my opinion, a developing brain of a child is adversely affected by video games and television.
Agree (TV & video games are bad)
kids see violent acts on TV and become more aggressive
for example, an average American child sees roughly around 20000 violent acts on TV by age 18.
kids suffer from nightmares and sleeping disorder if they are exposed to too much violence on TV screens
a frightened child will less likely to be focused on studies and other activities that help his mental development.
smoking and substance abuse problems happen when they see movie-stars doing that on TV screens
Research shows that children ,who play video games too much, become addicted to it. And this addiction causes behavioral problems and withdrawal symptoms when children cannot feed their addiction.
Some people think that employers should ensure a supportive and pleasant work environment where each employee is respected and valued equally while others think employers should focus instead on providing better facilities and equipment.
What is your opinion?
Intro (Sample Answer)
Better productivity and large profits are the watchwords of employers everywhere. To achieve this some ascertain that their employees get better amenities and advanced equipment, while others believe in creating an environment where each employee is valued and honored equally, whatever his position in the company. In my opinion, equal and respectful treatment towards each employee is conducive to better productivity.
Opinion (Employee should be valued)
A happy and positive work environment equals a more productive workforce.
When employees are treated with courtesy, they become more loyal and motivated to perform efficiently
Good equipment for workers is helpful to increase productivity, but not useful is the employer doesn’t show his gratitude for the hard work by employees
if employees are insulted by employers every now and then, it decreases employee retention
Company’s reputation as a good place to work suffers
A hostile work environment, even with latest equipment, is counterproductive to the employer’s interests.
IELTS Speaking Task (Helping a child)
Describe a time when you helped a child
You should say
- When it was
- How you helped him/her
- And how you felt about it
In my opinion, we must do our best to help others when they themselves can’t do anything about the difficult situation they are in.
And we should not think that we are helping someone. Instead, we should understand that it is God Almighty who has given us the opportunity to do some good deeds.
Also I would like to add here that we must not boast about whatever charity works we do. And we must never write any posts on social media about the kindness we show to the needy people. Because this is very humiliating for them.
But, as you are asking me to narrate a particular experience then here is my story.
My neighbor Mr. John Simpson is a very kind-natured gentleman.
He runs a small bakery-shop in the shopping complex that is quite near to our colony.
Although he is an honest and upright man, his small business doesn’t help him much to support his family that consists of his wife and his 4 children. The youngest is a girl named Katy who is just 6 years old.
Last year it was Christmas festival and there were celebrations going around.
My own kids were quite excited , and they were playing their new toys that my brother-in-law Suresh had bought for them.
But, the Christmas festival was not a day to celebrate for the Simpsons.
They couldn’t even afford to buy new clothes for their kids.
I was passing by their house and I saw little Katy crying for a new dress. Her mother was scolding her for throwing tantrums for a dress they couldn’t afford.
At that moment, I decided to bring smile to this little girl’s face.
I immediately went to the market to buy new clothes for this girl and her siblings.
Luckily, I found a nice shop where it was a Christmas sale was going on.
I bought a beautiful red dress for Katy, and I bought gift coupons from that store so that Katy’s siblings can select clothes for themselves.
That evening when I reached home, I saw Katy playing with her sister.
I asked her to come over to my house and when she came, I gave her the gift.
She instantly dissolved into laughter and I could see happiness and excitement on her face.
I also gave her those gift coupons and told her to give them to her siblings.
She thanked me profusely and went to her house to give the good news to her siblings.
The next morning her father Mr. Simpson came to my house, and as he was about to say thanks to me, I stopped him and requested him not to mention that thing again.
I know I could not wipe away all the tears that Katy and the other kids have to shed when they don’t get their favorite toy or a new dress.
But on that day, I could make at least one child happy. And that was a very satisfactory thing for me.
Do you often help kids? How?
I love kids, and making them happy is like worshiping God for me.
I like to give them toys on their birthdays, I am talking about the kids living in my neighborhood.
I often donate to charity organizations that work for the welfare of kids living in slum-areas.
Why is it necessary to do volunteer service?
We all have been given some special gifts by God. It can be anything. Some of us have wealth, some of us have knowledge, and some of us have the capability to serve as volunteers and do social service.
When we volunteer for a social cause, we get to experience the miserable lives of poor people. It makes us humble. And then we start feeling gratitude for the things that we have.
What can schools do to develop students’ awareness of volunteering?
Schools can organize talks by motivational speakers , newspaper columnists, writers , and other famous people who can inspire students to serve the community.
And the tried and trusted tool is the ‘elocution competition’ on the subjects such as ‘Importance of Volunteering’ and ‘Benefits of Volunteering’. Here, students themselves do the research and find out for themselves the importance of volunteering.
Who benefits more from the volunteer services, the volunteers or the people helped?
As far as I am concerned, the person who is volunteering gets more benefits.
I’ll tell you why.
Suppose a child needs new shoes and I buy him new shoes.
The child will be happy and I will also feel good after seeing his happy face.
For that child, this can be a happy memory, and perhaps he may forget it after a while.
But we can’t forget that moment of happiness that we get from helping others.
And we feel motivated to amplify that joy by keeping on helping others.
Thus a little act of kindness and service transforms us and makes us better human beings.
Describe a long walk you ever had
You should say:
- When this happened
- Where you walked
- Who you were with
- And explain how you felt about this walk
Walking is the best exercise, and our Mahatma Gandhi would often enumerate the virtues of brisk walking in his speeches.
My father is a staunch follower of Mahatma Gandhi, and he always asks us to follow in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi.
But, it is not possible to spare some time every morning to walk for a mile or two. Because we all have our hectic work-schedules and professional duties to fulfill.
Then, last year we all went to our ancestral village called Rampur. It’s a quaint little village that is nestled in the Aravalli Hills.
We went there by bus, and in the village there are no means of transportation , except bullock carts and a few jeeps or trucks by wealthy land-owners.
And the village is so small in area that you don’t feel any need to have some vehicle for going from one place to another.
But, one day my father’s friend Mr. Ramesh Patel came to meet us at our house in the village.
Mr. Patel lives in the village called DharamPur. DharamPur is just next to our village.
On the outskirts of DharamPur, there is a big temple of Lord Shri Nathji.
It is just a few kilometers from my village, and people usually go there on foot.
So Mr. Patel and my family decided to go there to visit that temple on the next day.
Mr. Patel had a small Toyota car. But it was not big enough to accommodate my family that had 6 members.
So my family decided to go to that temple on foot. As I mentioned, it was not a distant place and we thought we could make it in an hour or two.
It was a fine winter morning, and cool wind was blowing that was a refreshing experience for us.
My father and I were walking together while the other family members were following us in their own groups.
While walking to the temple, my father and I reminisced about old days when I was quite young and my father had brought me to the village for the first time.
We could see some old houses and wells. We observed that nothing had changed during those many years.
Though we were walking fast and outpaced others now and then, we all finally reached the temple together.
Mr. Patel was already there to welcome us. Then we offered prayers to Lord Shri Nathji and had morning lunch with Mr. Patel’s family at his house in DharamPur on the return journey.
Overall, it was a very beautiful experience for me as I walked in the countryside with my loving father.
What outdoor activities do people like?
People usually like jogging, swimming, playing badminton very much.
Men usually prefer playing cricket whereas women like badminton in the country where I live.
Some adventurous people go to mountains for trekking. Some prefer a long drive with loved ones or friends.
What are the differences between the outdoor activities children did in the past and now?
Today the outdoor activities happen in an artificial environment where everything is controlled. Today kids play sports in the indoor stadiums that have a central air-cooling system.
This protects them from the exposure to sunlight during a hot summer afternoon.
A few years ago, this was not so.
Children played in the big grounds and never cared for excess heat or heavy rains.
Is leisure time important to everyone? why?
Yes, we all need to take a small break. Leisure time is just like recharging the battery of our smart-phone.
We can read, reflect and relax during this time that makes us ready for the challenges at the workplace.
Do women have more leisure time than men?
It is a completely false notion that women have more leisure time.
In fact, they do more work even during their leisure time.