IELTS Writing Question Type (13) Writing Argumentative Essay

NeoTips for writing argumentative essay
An argumentative essay takes one single opinion and proves it with arguments throughout the essay. It presents your own point of view only.

Task 2:
Some people think that human history has been a journey from ignorance to knowledge.
Do you agree or disagree?

Essay plan  Introduction:  Creating a background link Arguments in favour: media/internet, etc. allow for knowledge to be shared much more easily / better education system means most people are much better educated than ever / we have so many more material things / our standard of living is so much higher / our life expectancy is so much higher / we have developed very complex societies. Arguments against: often ancient technologies have been lost, only to be rediscovered thousands of years later so not all knowledge is retained by the next generation / the ancients were not ignorant of their own world – they had the knowledge they needed at the time /millions of people in the world still live in poverty, are uneducated and have little opportunity to benefit from technological achievements / we’ve created the technology to destroy the planet – does that make us intelligent or stupid? Conclusion: Your clear-cut personal opinion

Answer:

Some people argue that people in the modern world are in possession of much more knowledge than people of ancient cultures. Others believe that this ignores the accomplishments of the past and places too much emphasis on present achievements.

While it is undoubtedly true that modern technologies, such as the internet could not have been imagined in ancient cultures, it is a mistake to view these ancient cultures as ignorant. Few would argue that the builders of the Sphinx were mere primitive cavemen, for example.

People at that time had the knowledge they needed to understand and deal with their world and in fact one argument that is sometimes put forward is that, even with all we know today, we do not have the technology to build the Pyramids of Egypt.

Even if we do accept that modern society is richer in technological terms, it is undoubtedly poorer in spiritual terms. Our societies have become so complex that people often become victims to the lifestyles they lead and must face a whole new variety of widespread modern-day problems, such as stress and obesity which affect people in developed countries worldwide. Furthermore, the number of uneducated people still living in poverty with little opportunity to benefit from technological achievements suggests that our modern society is not so advanced after all.

In my view, however, there is no comparison between what we can achieve today and what people even two hundred years ago could achieve as we now know so much more. The vast majority of people in developed countries are able to benefit from an education system, standard of living, healthcare and life expectancy that are so much more advanced than ever before. It is my personal opinion that although we must remember and respect ancient cultures, modern day achievements have brought us to the peak of human civilization.  
(308 words)