IELTS Advantages and Disadvantages Essay: Structure, Tips & Sample Answers
In an advantages and disadvantages essay, IELTS Writing Task 2 describes a trend or a situation and asks you to look at both its good and bad sides. The key is to read the question carefully: some tasks only ask you to describe both sides, while others ask you to decide which side is stronger.
On this page you will learn how to recognise the two versions of the question, how to structure your essay, and how to plan it in a few minutes. You will also find a colour-coded band 7+ model essay, a real student essay corrected by an IELTS examiner, and practice questions to try yourself.
Marked by an IELTS examiner See a real student essay with every mistake corrected and explained Band 6, with the exact changes that would take it higher. Tap any correction to see why it was made.How to recognise an advantages and disadvantages question
The task always mentions both the good and the bad sides of something. What you must do depends on the last sentence:
| Wording in the task | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| What are the advantages and disadvantages of…? | Describe both sides. Your opinion is not required, although a short final view is fine. |
| Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? | Weigh both sides and say clearly which is stronger. This is an opinion, so give it in the introduction and the conclusion. |
| What are the benefits and drawbacks for…? | Check for whom. If the task says “for tourists”, write about tourists, not about local people. |
If the task asks whether a development is positive or negative overall, it works like an agree or disagree essay: you take one side and support it.
Quick check: which of these are advantages and disadvantages questions?
Decide for each task, then open it to check.
More people are working from home. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?Show answer
Yes. Weigh both sides and say which is stronger.
Some people think that zoos are cruel, while others believe they protect animals. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.Show answer
No. Discussion essay. These are two opinions held by different people, not the good and bad sides of one thing.
Many students now study online instead of attending classes. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?Show answer
Yes. Describe both sides. Your opinion is optional here.
Traffic in big cities is getting worse. What are the causes of this problem, and what can be done to solve it?Show answer
No. Problem and solution. You explain causes and suggest solutions.
In some countries, young people take a year off between school and university. What are the benefits and drawbacks of this for the students?Show answer
Yes. Benefits and drawbacks, and only for the students.
Structure of an advantages and disadvantages essay
Four paragraphs and at least 250 words: one paragraph for the advantages, one for the disadvantages. If the task asks whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, your answer must be clear from the introduction to the conclusion.
| Paragraph | What to write | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Paraphrase the situation. If the task asks which side is stronger, give your answer in one sentence. | 40–50 |
| Body paragraph 1 | The weaker side: one or two points, each with an explanation or example. | 90–100 |
| Body paragraph 2 | The stronger side: one or two points, explained and supported with an example. | 90–100 |
| Conclusion | Sum up both sides and, if asked, say again which outweighs the other. No new ideas. | 30–40 |
Writing about the weaker side first lets the essay build towards your answer, so the conclusion follows naturally from the last body paragraph.
Brainstorm and make an outline before you write
Spend the first few minutes thinking, not writing. List a few advantages and disadvantages, choose the two strongest on each side, and decide which side wins. Two well-explained points are worth more than five points with no explanation.
- 1
Read the last sentence
Do you only describe both sides, or must you say which outweighs the other? And for whom?
- 2
List both sides
Write quick notes: three or four advantages and three or four disadvantages.
- 3
Pick and outline
Choose the two best points on each side, decide which side is stronger, and give each point an example.
- 4
Leave time to check
Write for about 30 minutes, then use the last 5 to check articles, verb forms and spelling.
Write your ideas straight into the four paragraphs, as key words. Here is an example for this task:
Writing Task 2 Academic & General Training 40 minutes
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
In many countries, young people take a year off between finishing school and starting university, often to travel or work.
Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
A few minutes of planning could give an outline like this:
- Intro
- advantages greater
- Para 2
- Disadvantages: study habit, cost, debts
- Para 3
- Advantages: skills, maturity, motivation
e.g. hospital, medicine - Concl.
- good planning
Band 7+ model essay
This essay follows the outline above, paragraph by paragraph. The colours show the parts that make it work:
- Answer which side is stronger, at the start and the end
- Topic sentence one side per paragraph
- Example makes each point convincing
- Linking words guide the reader
It has become increasingly common for school leavers to take a year off before starting university, often to travel abroad or earn some money. Although a gap year carries certain risks, I believe its benefits clearly outweigh them.
Admittedly, a year away from education can have real drawbacks. Some students lose the habit of studying and find it hard to return to lectures and exams, while others enjoy earning a salary so much that they never go to university at all. In addition, travelling for a year is expensive, and a student who spends months abroad without a clear plan may come home with debts rather than useful experience. In such cases, the year simply delays a career without giving anything in return.
However, for most young people, a well-planned gap year is a valuable investment. Working or volunteering teaches skills that school does not, such as managing money, solving problems and dealing with people of all ages. For instance, a student who spends six months working in a hospital before studying medicine will have a much clearer idea of whether the career really suits them. As a result, students who take a gap year often start university more mature and more motivated, and they are less likely to change course halfway through.
In conclusion, while a gap year can lead to lost motivation and wasted money, these problems can be avoided with good planning, and the benefits are far greater. Young people who use the year wisely return to education with skills and a sense of direction that will help them for the rest of their lives.
Why this essay works: the question asks whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and the answer is clear in the first and last paragraphs. Both sides are taken seriously, but the disadvantages come first, so the essay builds towards the writer’s answer. Words such as Admittedly and However show the reader exactly when the essay turns from one side to the other.
Useful phrases for advantages and disadvantages
These are the phrases the model essay uses, plus a few alternatives. Learn two or three for each purpose, so you do not repeat the same one.
| Purpose | Phrases |
|---|---|
| Advantages | One major benefit of… is that… / The main advantage is that… / …is also beneficial because… |
| Disadvantages | The main drawback is that… / A further disadvantage is that… / One problem with… is that… |
| Admitting the other side | Admittedly,… / It is true that… / There is no denying that… |
| Weighing the two sides | The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. / On balance,… / These problems are minor compared with… |
| Concluding | In conclusion, while…, … / To sum up,… / Overall, I believe that… |
Try it yourself: practice questions
Now that you have seen how a band 7+ essay of this type is planned and written, try one yourself. Choose a question, set a timer for 40 minutes and follow the same steps: a few minutes of planning, about 30 minutes of writing and 5 minutes of checking.
- WorkMore and more people work from home rather than in an office. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
- EducationMany students now take courses online instead of attending classes in person. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?
- TechnologyChildren today often have their own smartphone from a young age. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
- SocietyIn many countries, people are getting married and having children later in life. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend?
- EnvironmentSome cities have banned cars from their centres. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
- TravelCheap flights have made international travel possible for many more people. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?
- HealthMany people now use apps and smartwatches to track their health. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
- ShoppingMore and more shopping is done online rather than in shops. What are the benefits and drawbacks of this for local communities?
More questions with model essays by topic: Education, Technology, Environment, Crime. All 84 questions by topic →
Your checklist for every advantages and disadvantages essay
Use it in the last five minutes of the exam, or each time you practise. Any point you cannot tick is your next thing to improve.
Then read the real student essay below: you will probably recognise some of its mistakes in your own writing.
A real student essay, corrected by an IELTS examiner
A student wrote this essay, and an IELTS examiner marked it. Mistakes are in red and crossed out, and the examiner’s corrections are in green right after them. Hover over a correction, or tap it on your phone, to see why it was changed. Read it first, then see the feedback below.
Writing Task 2 Student essay 40 minutes
Write about the following topic:
Today more and more tourists are visiting places where conditions are difficult, such as the Sahara desert or the Antarctic.
What are the benefits and disadvantages for tourists who visit such places?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Recently,Nowadays it seems to be boring for people to go to travel into some locations where we used to go, e.g. Japan or Europe. People would like to have some exciting experiences inon their trip, so they choose places like the Sahara desert or places wherethat ordinary people cannot even name. These places are using havinghave tough conditions. Therefore, there must be some good things and bad things if we travel to these places.
From an optimistic viewpoint, people would like to travel into these extraordinary places to experience something different, usually, the things they see or try in these locations are unique; they cannot find them in cities with tall buildings. For example, the artic light in the Antarctic arearegions. People who sawhave seen them all saidsay it wasis a once in a lifetime experience and they will not forget it till they die. And indeed, seeing these special sceneries is really unforgettable and no other places in the world have them. Besides sceneries, people can also experience some very different lifestyles and cultures which they have never seen whenif they live in a city.
However, there is also a bad side if people travel in these places. As the conditions are tough in these areas, e.g. they may experience extreme temperatures. People who are used to a city lifestyle may not know how to deal with them. In some severe cases, people may need immediate rescue, but as these areas are usually not ordinary residential areas, it is not easy for any rescue teamsemergency services to go for rescueaccess them. AndIt is very difficult to ask forget help from other people as there is no one around.
As aIn conclusion, it is necessary for people have to understand the risks before they visit these places, and after thorough consideration, if they still want to go, they have to make sure they get very well-prepared and go at their own risk.
(318 words)
6.0
Examiner’s band scorefor the essay as written, before the corrections
What this essay teaches you
The examiner gave this essay band 6. The writer answers the question: there is a paragraph on benefits and one on disadvantages, and both are about tourists, as the task asks. The ideas are relevant, but the mistakes are frequent enough to hold the score down. These types of mistake are common in many students’ essays, so they are worth learning:
| Pattern | In this essay | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| Prepositions of movement | travel | You travel, go and move to a place. Use in for where you already are. |
| Tenses | people who | Present perfect for experience up to now. Keep the tense consistent within a sentence. |
| Plurals | experiences, lifestyles, these areas | Countable nouns need a plural after some, these, many when you mean more than one. |
| Articles | in a city, a city lifestyle | A singular countable noun needs a or the. |
| Unnatural phrases | If you are not sure a phrase exists in English, use a simpler one you know. |
Quiz: the language of pros and cons
Writing about advantages and disadvantages means using the same words again and again: outweigh, benefit from, lead to, result in, an impact on. Small mistakes with them are very common. Choose the right word for each sentence. Every round picks 10 of 30 sentences at random, so play a few rounds.
Common mistakes in advantages and disadvantages essays
| Mistake | What to do instead |
|---|---|
| Not saying which side is stronger | If the task asks whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, answer that question clearly in the introduction and the conclusion. |
| Writing about the wrong people | If the task says “for tourists” or “for students”, every point must be about them. |
| Listing too many points | Two developed points on each side are better than five points with no explanation. |
| Mixing both sides in one paragraph | Keep advantages and disadvantages in separate paragraphs, so the examiner can follow your answer. |
| Giving advice in the conclusion | Sum up both sides and your answer. Advice that the task does not ask for is not a conclusion. |
Advantages and disadvantages essay FAQ
Quick answers to the questions students ask most.
Do I need to give my opinion?
Only if the task asks for it, for example “Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?”. If it only asks what the advantages and disadvantages are, describing both sides is enough, although a short final view is fine.
Should I write about the advantages or the disadvantages first?
Either works. If you have to say which side is stronger, write about the weaker side first, so the essay builds towards your answer.
How many advantages and disadvantages should I include?
Usually two on each side. Each one needs an explanation or an example, which is not possible with five or six points in 40 minutes.
What is the difference between this and a discussion essay?
Here you look at the good and bad sides of one thing. In a discussion essay, you explain two different opinions that people hold.
How many words should the essay have?
At least 250 words. Most strong essays have 260–300 words. Writing much more takes time you need for checking.
