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Are Tablets and Computers Good for Children Essay

In this essay you have to discuss whether allowing children to use tablets and computers has more positive or negative impacts. 

As is usual with IELTS essay questions, this is a topical issue as it is something that you will commonly see debated in the media and amongst people generally. 

This is the question:

More and more parents are allowing their children to play on computers and tablets as they think that children should learn technology skills.

Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

Analysing the Question

The key part of this question is this part:

  • More and more parents are allowing their children to play on computers and tablets

Although it mentions why parents are allowing this (they think that children should learn technology skills) you don't have to focus on the issue of technological skills.

You should mention it as it's in the question, but you can write about any arguments for or against children using computers and tablets.

This is because you are not discussing whether there are more advantages or disadvantages of learning technology skills via computers and tablets. This is only something some parents think happens so it can't be treated as a fact - it may not actually be the case in your opinion. 

Organising the Essay

This essay says:

  • Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

In this type of essay it is best to discuss both pros and cons. This is because the question suggests there are both. You still though have to say which there are more of. 

In order to ensure your opinion reflects the structure of your essay, one good way to organise it is with three body paragraphs. You then have two of these focused on the side you support.

So for example, if you think there are more disadvantages of allowing children to play on computers and tables, then you could organise your essay as follows:

  • Opinion: Disadvantages outweigh the Advantages
  • Body 1: Advantage
  • Body 2: Disadvantage
  • Body 3: Disadvantage

Remember outweigh means more than (literally heavier than)! So in this case, there are more disadvantages than advantages. 

Now take a look at the model answer:

Sample Answer

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

More and more parents are allowing their children to play on computers and tablets as they think that children should learn technology skills.

Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer:

These days it is common to observe children spending significant amounts of time on electronic devices such as computers and tablets. In my opinion, the drawbacks of allowing children to do this outweigh any advantages. 

The benefit of this development is that it will keep children occupied. There is no doubt that raising children and taking care of them can be stressful at times for parents so allowing them to play on a device means that the parents can have a break and not have to continuously entertain them. This could potentially mean improved family relationships.

However, there are several disadvantages. Firstly, children's free time can be better utilised with other activities. Although they may learn some technological skills, they mostly just play games, and in any case computer skills are now taught in school. Of much more benefit is encouraging children to spend their free time interacting with other children, playing with normal toys, and playing other games outside, which will foster their creative, cognitive, and social skills.

In addition to this there is growing evidence that it can also have negative health impacts. Research reported in the media claims that it can possibly damage the eyes of a child when looking at screens for long periods. Studies also indicate children using these devices may have more difficulty sleeping, something which is crucial for mental development.

In conclusion, the drawbacks of allowing children to use computers and tablets outweigh the benefits. While it may give parents more time, it could damage their mental and physical development.

Words: 257

Comments

The essay would score a highly on all the the four criteria used for marking IELTS essays. 

Task Response: The essay answers all parts of the question, ideas are relevant and extended appropriately.

Coherence and Cohesion: The essay is well-organised and easy to read at the sentence and paragraph level and makes good use of linking words and connectors.

Lexical Resource: There is a wide range of accurate and topic relevant vocabulary and a good understanding of collocations and idioms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: There is also a good mix of grammatical structures that are accurate, and a good level of complexity in the grammar. 

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