In this post: A worked example of a "largely positive but with a concern" essay, the most common mistakes, a 30-minute writing plan, a self-check list and three exercises with answers.
Positive/negative essays · 3 parts
- 1. Question type, position, introduction
- 2. Reasons, concession and conclusion
- 3. Worked example, mistakes, practice (you are here)
✦ In this post
7. Worked example: writing a “largely positive but with a concern” essay
Question (my paraphrase): more and more people order meals through food delivery platforms instead of cooking or eating at restaurants. Is this a positive or negative development?
First, use the four questions to think about a position:
| Question | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Who does it affect? | Office workers and people with limited mobility; delivery riders gain a source of income | Delivery riders’ working conditions; the environment (single-use packaging) |
| Long term or short term? | Saving time is a long-term change in lifestyle | Packaging waste builds up over time |
| Can it be managed? | — | Regulations can require less packaging, and laws can protect riders |
| Easy to illustrate? | Getting a hot meal after working late; older people not having to go out | Several plastic boxes for a single meal |
The positive reasons are more concrete and affect more people, and the negative problem “can be managed”, so I choose “largely positive but with a concern” and a five-paragraph structure:
| Paragraph | Content |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Paraphrase the question + largely positive, previewing two reasons and one concern |
| Body 1 | Saving time: busy office workers don’t have to shop and cook after work |
| Body 2 | Creating flexible jobs: students and people between jobs can choose their own delivery hours |
| Body 3 (concession) | Single-use packaging creates a lot of waste → it can be reduced through regulations and reusable containers |
| Conclusion | Despite the packaging problem, the trend is positive overall; a suggestion that responds to the concession |
Example (introduction): In many cities, a growing number of people now order meals through food delivery apps instead of cooking or eating out. I believe this trend is largely positive because it saves busy people a great deal of time and creates flexible jobs, although the packaging it produces is a real concern.
Example (concession paragraph): Admittedly, food delivery generates a large amount of waste. A single order may come with several plastic boxes, bags and disposable cutlery, most of which are thrown away within an hour. However, this problem can be reduced. Governments could require platforms to offer a “no cutlery” option by default, and some cities already encourage restaurants to use reusable containers that are collected later. With such measures, the environmental cost would be far smaller than the benefits the service brings.
Example (conclusion): In conclusion, although food delivery apps create packaging waste, I believe their overall impact is positive, since they save people time and offer flexible work. If stricter rules on packaging are introduced, this trend could become even more beneficial.
Notice three things. The introduction previews the concern with “although”, but the main clause says “largely positive”. The concession paragraph downgrades the problem with “However, this problem can be reduced”, and its last sentence weighs the drawback against the benefits. The suggestion in the conclusion only responds to the packaging problem from the concession paragraph and adds nothing new.
8. Common mistakes
| Common mistake | Example | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Writing an advantages/disadvantages essay and concluding “there are good and bad sides” | Two advantages, two disadvantages, and a conclusion saying both sides have merits | State your position in the introduction; the other side can only be a concession |
| No position word in sentence 2 | This essay will discuss this trend. | Sentence 2 must contain positive / negative |
| Two reasons that are really the same thing | “Imported food produces carbon emissions” and “imported food causes global warming” | Change the group or angle: environment vs economy, countryside vs cities |
| A concession so long that it becomes a “discuss both views” essay | The concession paragraph is longer than the reason paragraphs | Keep the concession to 25–40 words (four paragraphs) or 60–80 words (five paragraphs), and downgrade it |
| No downgrading after the concession | Admittedly, … has benefits. (and nothing more) | Follow with However, this benefit is … / this problem can be reduced … |
| Overstated examples | lose the whole market share; suspiciously neat research figures | Use a large share, often, many |
| The conclusion’s tone differs from the introduction’s | negative development in the introduction, poses a threat to the society in the conclusion | Use the same position word throughout |
| Skipping steps in the reasoning | Emphasis on family background → nobody works hard → national development declines | Fill in the missing steps, or narrow the claim (some young people) |
9. A 30-minute writing plan
| Time | What to do |
|---|---|
| 0–2 min | Confirm that it is a positive/negative question (a single question, or one part of a two-question essay) and underline the trend described |
| 2–5 min | Use the four questions (who it affects, long or short term, whether it can be managed, whether you can give examples) to decide your position: fully positive, fully negative, or largely… |
| 5–8 min | Choose two reasons from different groups or angles; if you need a concession, choose an opposing point that “can be downgraded” |
| 8–11 min | Introduction: paraphrase the question (without changing the places or groups) + position + preview of the two reasons |
| 11–24 min | Two reason paragraphs: topic sentence with the position word → mechanism → example or contrast → link back; then the concession (if any) |
| 24–27 min | Conclusion: the same position word + the two reasons; add a suggestion only if you wrote a concession |
| 27–30 min | Check: comma splices, absolute words, a consistent position word |
10. Self-check list
- ☐ I have confirmed that the question asks for an overall judgement (positive or negative), not just advantages and disadvantages
- ☐ I used the four questions to decide my position, and chose the side for which I can write two concrete reasons
- ☐ The second sentence of the introduction contains a position word and previews the two reasons
- ☐ The two reasons come from different groups or angles
- ☐ Each reason paragraph’s topic sentence links back to my position
- ☐ If I made a concession, I downgraded it afterwards (However, …)
- ☐ The concession is not longer than the reason paragraphs
- ☐ My examples avoid overstated words such as always, the whole and definitely
- ☐ The conclusion uses the same position word as the introduction and adds no new reasons
11. Practice (with answers)
Exercise 1: decide a position and write sentence 2
Use the four questions to judge the two trends below, choose a position, and write the second sentence of the introduction:
- (Paraphrased) More and more people buy books online rather than in bookshops. Is this a positive or negative development?
- (Paraphrased) In many countries, older people now work until the age of seventy before retiring. Is this a positive or negative development?
Answer
- Question 1 (suggested: largely positive): It affects readers (lower prices, more choice, access even in remote areas) and bookshops (lost business). The bookshops’ problem can be partly eased if they adapt (talks, café spaces).
I believe this trend is largely positive because it makes books cheaper and more accessible to people in remote areas, although it puts pressure on local bookshops. - Question 2 (suggested: fully positive or largely positive): It affects older people themselves (income, social life, health) and society (the workforce, pressure on pensions). If you choose fully positive:
In my view, this is a positive development, as it allows older people to remain financially independent and helps ease labour shortages.
You could also choose largely positive, with the concession that young people have fewer chances of promotion, then downgrade it by saying this can be eased through part-time or advisory roles.
Exercise 2: fix the concession
The question is “more and more people get their news through social media”, and the writer’s position is negative. What is wrong with this concession?
Admittedly, social media allows people to get news very quickly. Breaking news can reach millions of users within minutes, and people can share their opinions immediately. This is very useful, especially during emergencies such as earthquakes, when people need information as soon as possible.
Answer
The problem: it only admits the point and never downgrades it, and the last sentence, “This is very useful…”, actually strengthens the positive side, so it reads as if the writer supports the other view. To fix it, keep the first idea and end with a downgrade:
Example: Admittedly, social media allows people to get news very quickly, which can be useful during emergencies. However, speed often comes at the cost of accuracy, and false reports can spread just as fast as true ones, which is why I still consider this trend a negative one.
Exercise 3: spot the repeated reason
The question is “more and more people are moving to big cities”, the position is negative, and the two reasons are below. What is the problem, and how would you fix it?
Reason 1: cities have too many people, so traffic is very congested.
Reason 2: there are more and more cars in cities, so commuting takes longer.
Answer
Both reasons are about city traffic; reason 2 is just a result of reason 1, so they are really the same point. You can change the place, as Essay 6 did: keep the city for reason 1 (traffic congestion, rising house prices), and move reason 2 to the countryside (young people leave, schools and clinics close, and the older people who stay behind lack care).
Further reading
- How to Write an IELTS Two-Question Essay: One Question, One Paragraph, Two Points
- How to Write an IELTS Agree/Disagree Essay: Full vs Partial Agreement, with Seven Real Essays
- IELTS Task 2 Band 7 Sample: Is Moving from the Countryside to Cities Positive or Negative?
- IELTS Task 2 Band 7.5 Sample: Food from All Over the World in Our Supermarkets
- IELTS Task 2 Band 7.5 Sample: Why Owning a Home Matters, a Two-Question Essay with GRA 8
- The IELTS Task 2 Essay Framework: Introductions, Topic Sentences, Logic Chains and Conclusions
- Streamlining my essay structure: the tutor who helped me go from 400 words to 300 (in Chinese)
- IELTS study notes overview (in Chinese)
This is the last part of “Positive/negative essays”. To start again, go back to Part 1.
IELTS Notes in English · Task 2 Structure (post 9 of 9)
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✦ Target Your Future
Some days you practise for hours and the score still does not move. I hope these notes remind you that the setbacks are part of the road: every recording you replayed, every essay you rewrote and every sentence you finally dared to say is progress you have already made.
I wrote this down so the next person can take fewer detours. You do not have to follow my method exactly. Find a rhythm that works for you, rest when you need to, and come back for the next small step.
I hope what you take away is more than a number on a score report: a little more confidence in yourself, and the courage to step a bit closer to the world.
— Ting
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