Essay: Watching TV is a complete waste of time

Further Practice Tests - Test 1 - Part 2 - Option 4

Read the following ideas, which are part of a student's plan for this essay. Place them in the correct column. Decide if some ideas are not relevant.

1  stops people doing other things e.g. children should be playing or reading instead of watching TV

2  books are more educational than TV

3  keeps you up to date with what is going on e.g. news coverage from all over the world, nice way to relax after a busy day i.e. variety of programmes, comedies and dramas, '

4  most programmes that people watch, especially young people, have little or no educational value e.g. reality shows

5  video games encourage violence

6  can be very important for people on their own e.g. elderly people

7  pets can provide good company for people on their own

8  can be educational e.g. documentaries

9  TV can be bad influence e.g. programmes can be violent, contain a lot of foul language

Suggested reasons why TV is not a waste of time / Suggested reasons why TV is a waste of time

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ANSWERS AND DISCUSSION

Suggested reasons why TV is not a waste of time / Suggested reasons why TV is a waste of time
ü  can be very important for people on their own e.g. elderly people
ü  keeps you up to date with what is going on e.g. news coverage from all over the world, nice way to relax after a busy day i.e. variety of programmes, comedies and dramas, '
ü  can be educational e.g. documentaries / ü  stops people doing other things e.g. children should be playing or reading instead of watching TV
ü  TV can be bad influence e.g. programmes can be violent, contain a lot of foul language
ü  most programmes that people watch, especially young people, have little or no educational value e.g. reality shows

Not relevant:

ü  books are more educational than TV

ü  video games encourage violence

ü  pets can provide good company for people on their own

Possible approaches to the task:

1) Balanced approach

Introduction

Agreeing with title

Disagreeing with title

Personal conclusion

2) Opinion approach (this is one option: you could write against television too)

Note how some counterarguments – and even some of the statements marked as irrelevant – have been incorporated, but always with the emphasis on why TV is not a waste of time. Also note how the conclusion summarises the main point of each paragraph in the same order in which they are discussed in the essay.

Some people think that watching television is a waste of time. However, I personally believe that it can have many benefits.

First of all, although it is often heard that television can be a bad influence, it cannot be denied that it keeps you up to date with what is going on. Nowadays, thanks to the news coverage from all over the world, it is easy to follow international events almost in real time.

A further benefit is that it can be very important for people, for example the elderly, who are on their own. It is true that pets can keep better company, but then some people are allergic to animals, and not everybody is fond of them.

The main benefit in my view is that television provides an endless source of entertainment. It offers an extensive variety of programmes, such as comedies and dramas, and the opportunity to see classic films. If some people choose to watch only reality shows, television is not to blame, but they are.

To sum up, television provides information, company and entertainment. It is one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century, and is certain to enjoy immense popularity for a very long time.

(200 words)

So as to stick to the prescribed number of words, only four paragraphs is the best option. The essay above is a little too long to illustrate different techniques and structures.