Nowadays technology is increasingly being used to monitor what people are saying and doing (for example through cellphone tracing and security cameras). In many cases the people being monitored are unaware that this is happening. Do you think the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

WRITING TASK 2

You should spend around 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

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

Write at least 250 words.

Nowadays technology is increasingly being used to monitor what people are saying and doing (for example, through cellphone tracing and security cameras). In many cases, the people being monitored are unaware that this is happening. Do you think the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

Despite the fact that digital technology has lent a hand to law enforcement to nab criminals, I believe that the possible demerits of keeping citizens under surveillance overwhelms any benefit it bestows. First, unscrupulous agents may target unsuspecting internet users to elicit money. Second, such technology in the hands of the government may be dangerous for a healthy democracy.

To begin with, it is often argued that spying is a form of investigation used by law enforcement agencies. We know that police use hidden cameras and microphones or trace the cellphone location of suspects in order to obtain incriminating evidence. For example, it was reported in The Kathmandu Post last week that the Nepal Police had been able to apprehend the mastermind behind the 2011 bombings of Janakpur city by monitoring the calls of some suspects.

Nonetheless, there is a high probability of abuse of surveillance technologies. Such risks come from spammers, hackers and social networking sites which keep tabs on users over the internet. Unless an internet user is alert, which is not the case for most individuals, he shares all his private data via the internet. In extreme instances, naive people may be scammed for their money as happened last year in Nepal in the Mobpay app scandal.

Besides, there is also the risk that the tyrannical aspects of the government may be bolstered, if it starts developing and using surveillance methods against its own citizens. The party in power may monitor the activities of the population with the purpose of quelling dissent. Because of scientific breakthroughs and overarching government power, tapping phone conversations and reading emails has become easy. We can look at the dictatorial regime of North Korea, where political dissidents are spied on and persecuted.

All in all, even though authorities can arrest absconding criminals by legally surveilling them, we should be on guard about such technology. This is because our online data can be recorded and misused by fraudsters as well authoritarian states.

How to score 7.0 or more in IELTS Writing Task 2?

In IELTS exams, an essay that can get you a score of 7.0 or higher needs to have certain prescribed features.

First of all, the essay has to answer all parts of the question in logically-developed and well-supported argumentative paragraphs.

Secondly, it needs to use discourse markers and cohesive devices for coherence.

Thirdly, there should a wide range of sophisticated vocabulary.

And lastly, the essay should be composed of error-free sentences, including some complex grammatical structures.

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• IELTS Writing Evaluation Explained

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