Write at least 250 words · 40 minutes
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Ideas to get you started
- Competition from games, videos and social media
- Letting young people choose books they enjoy
- Reading clubs, library events and audiobooks
A plan for this question
- Introduction: paraphrase the situation and answer both questions in one sentence each: digital entertainment is the main reason; choice and making reading social would help.
- Body 1 (why): games, short videos and social media are instant and effortless; reading linked to exams and set texts.
- Body 2 (what could be done): free choice of books, including graphic novels; book clubs, author visits, library events and online reading communities; audiobooks.
- Conclusion: repeat both answers briefly.
Model essay
286 words
It is widely reported that fewer young people now read books for enjoyment. This essay will argue that the main reason is competition from digital entertainment, and that giving young people more choice and making reading more social could encourage them to read more.
The most obvious reason is the competition for young people’s attention. Video games, short videos and social media are available at any moment on a phone, and they offer instant entertainment that requires little effort. Compared with this, a book can seem slow, especially for a teenager who is used to switching to something new every few seconds. A second reason is that reading is often linked with schoolwork. When books are mainly experienced as set texts that must be analysed for an exam, many students come to see reading as a duty rather than a pleasure.
Several steps could help to change this. First, schools and parents should let young people choose what they read, whether that is a fantasy series, a graphic novel or a book about football, because enjoyment matters more than the "right" kind of book. Second, reading can be made social. Book clubs, author visits and library events give young people a chance to talk about stories with friends, and online communities where readers share recommendations can make books feel as current as any video. Finally, audiobooks deserve to be encouraged, since they let busy students enjoy stories while travelling or exercising.
In conclusion, young people read less for pleasure mainly because digital entertainment is easier and more immediate, and because reading is too often associated with study. Offering free choice, making reading social and accepting audiobooks could help a new generation rediscover the pleasure of books.
Written by Acedmi to show what a high-band essay looks like. It is not an official IELTS sample, and your own ideas can be different.
Useful vocabulary
- for pleasure
- For enjoyment, not for work or study.
- “Few teenagers read for pleasure now.”
- instant entertainment
- Fun that starts immediately, with no effort.
- “Phones offer instant entertainment.”
- attention span
- How long you can concentrate on one thing.
- “Short videos may shorten attention spans.”
- set text
- A book students must study for an exam.
- “Set texts can make reading feel like homework.”
- graphic novel
- A long story told in comic-book form.
- “Graphic novels can lead reluctant readers to books.”
- reluctant reader
- Someone who does not like reading.
- “Free choice helps reluctant readers.”
- audiobook
- A recording of a book being read aloud.
- “He listens to audiobooks on the bus.”
- rediscover
- Find something again and enjoy it.
- “Book clubs help students rediscover reading.”
Common mistakes
- Answering only the first question. "What could be done" needs its own developed paragraph.
- Absolute claims such as "young people never read". Use careful language: "fewer young people", "many students".
- Vague solutions such as "the government should do something". Say who should do what, and how it would help.
What the examiner marks
Four criteria, equally weighted: Task Response (answer every part of the question with a clear position), Coherence and Cohesion (logical paragraphs and linking), Lexical Resource (range and accuracy of vocabulary) and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. An essay under 250 words loses marks for Task Response.