Samples / Task 2 essay / Advantages and disadvantages / Band 7

Television: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Personal Perspective

An IELTS Academic Task 2 essay discussing the pros and cons of television globally, written at a Band 7 level with typical candidate errors.

The question

Television is now watched by people in almost every country. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of television, and give your own opinion.

Nowadays, television has become an essential part of daily life, and it is watched by people in almost every country. While some people believes that television has a negative effect on society, others argue that it brings many benefits. In my opinion, although there are certain drawbacks, television is a valuable tool for education and entertainment.\n\nOn the one hand, there are several advantages of television. Firstly, it is a great source of information and education. Through news channels and documentaries, people can learn about different cultures and global events without leaving their homes. For instance, many children are interested on educational programs that teach them science and history in an entertaining way. Secondly, television provides cheap entertainment for families. After a long day of work or school, watching a movie together can help family members to relax and bond, which strengthens their relationships.\n\nOn the other hand, television also has some significant disadvantages. The main concern is that it promotes a sedentary lifestyle. Many people spend hours sitting on the sofa instead of participate in physical activities, which can lead to health problems like obesity. Furthermore, some researches show that watching too much television can reduce the attention span of young children, making it harder for them to focus at school. Another issue is the content of some programs, which may contain violence or inappropriate behavior that is not suitable for young viewers.\n\nIn conclusion, although television can lead to health issues and expose people to negative content, I believe its advantages outweigh these problems. If people watch television in moderation and choose their programs carefully, it remains a very useful and enjoyable technology for everyone.

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This answer was written by a language model to a real exam question, then scored by Bandly against the four public band descriptors. The band is a software estimate. No examiner has marked it, and the band a real examiner would award may differ. Scored with google/gemini-3.5-flash on 2026-09-08.

Estimated overall

Mean of the four criteria, rounded the way the exam rounds it.

Task Response 8

You are at Band 8 because you clearly cover both advantages and disadvantages, state a consistent opinion, and support your ideas, but the development is not quite deep or varied enough for Band 9.

Coherence and Cohesion 7

You have logically organised your ideas with clear progression, and your use of cohesive devices is generally appropriate, though there are some instances of mechanical use.

Lexical Resource 6

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, but occasional inaccuracies in word choice and word formation prevent a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy 7

The response uses a variety of complex structures and produces frequent error-free sentences, but a few errors in grammar and punctuation prevent a higher score.

What would take this higher

To improve your lexical resource score, you should focus on correcting minor errors in word formation and collocation. For instance, changing 'interested on' to the correct collocation 'interested in' and replacing the incorrect plural noun 'researches' with 'research' or 'studies' would demonstrate greater vocabulary control. Making these precise adjustments to your word choices throughout the essay could help elevate this specific criterion to a band 7.

Find out what this essay would score

Paste your own answer and Bandly returns an estimated band for each of the four criteria, with the sentences that pulled the score down. Under a cent an essay, about six seconds.

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