Writing Feedback / Should nations maintain old buildings. Ielts [3]

Many old buildings are protected by law because they are part of a nation's history. However, some people think old buildings should be knocked down to make way for new ones because people need houses and offices.

How important is it to maintain old buildings? Should history stand in the way of progress?

Almost in every country, there are some buildings which reflect the history of the nation through its age or outlook. However, in some countries buildings like those are not well looked after. Because of this, some people claim that they should be replaced by new ones in order to fulfil the inhabitants' needs of house and office. In my opinion, every nation should protect those buildings by law and maintain them.

First, those historical buildings cannot be treated as simple structures. No matter how useless they are, they symbolise the identity of the nation they belong to. Those which are protected by law are mostly the ones who has been through wars and seen through centuries. They can bring the visitors back to those years they were built. Morever, sometimes they are the reason why the country is visited by a large number of tourists. In Germany, there are numerous buildings that is protected by the government although they are located in an area where the population is high, nevertheless, they are used neither as housing nor business operation.

Second, there are many examples of historical buildings that are converted into offices or residential housing after restoration. There is no logical reason to replace those buildings by new ones as long as restoration is possible. Also those buldings can be used as museums by the aid of government funding.

Governments should not let those buildings be knocked down by private individuals or companies. As it is mentioned before, those buildings reflect the history of the nation, the wars they have stood through, regardless of victories or loses. Replacing those buildings with new ones may be a temporary solution for inhabitants but will certainly be the loss of a part of history permanently.

In conclusion, I believe that governments should look for new areas to provide housing and office for people, instead of knocking down buildings that reflect the history of a nation.

Writing Feedback / Access to information about the defendant criminal record - Ielts writing task [8]

Question: Under British and Australia laws a jury in a criminal case has no access to information about the defendant's past criminal record. This protects the person who is being accused of the crime.

Some lawyers have suggested that this practice should be changed and that a jury should be given all the past facts before they reach their decision about the case.

Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer.

It is juries duty to judge whether an accused one is guilty or not in a criminal case. In order to reach the right decision, they have to collect as much information as possible in the trial. However, in British and Australia laws it is not possible for jury to reach defendant's past criminal record. I believe that knowing this information may lead juries to have the wrong decision in a trial.

First, a jury has to give an impartial judgment. Knowing (about?) defendant's past criminal record, a jury may have bias against the defendant. If the defendant has committed a crime before, then jury might believe that he/she is more likely to commit the same or another crime again. Therefore they may reach a wrong decision about the trial because of the impact of the defendant's past criminal record on the jury.

Second, for juries, there is no benefit of having access to defendant's past criminal record. It is not possible to judge someone according to his/her past criminal records. Juries has to reach their decisions by the aid of evidences. Therefore, defendant's criminal records cannot be considered as an evidence. There has to be concrete evidences that shows whether the accused one committed the crime or not.

On the other hand, in some cases the accused one has committed the same crime s/he is accused of in the recent trial. In this case, the sanction should be severer. If the jury cannot reach defendant's past criminal records, then they will not know whether the accused one has commited the same crime before or not. Thus, the sanction will not be severer even though the defendant has committed the same crime before.

In conclusion, I believe that a jury should be able to access every information about the case, except the defendant's past criminal records. If they access to this information they might consider this information as an evidence itself and this might effect the decision they will reach.

333 words

Writing Feedback / Travel Versus Saving Money (IELTS test prep essay) [4]

Topic: It is better to spend money on travel than to save money for the future.

While some people prefer to spend money on future, some tend to spend money on travel in order to experience new enviorements and cultures. There are many advantages to gain by/from(?) travelling. In my opinion, one should rather save money than spend on travel, however.

First, people should save money considering the financial difficulties they might face in the future. Nowadays, it is hard to have a stable job regarding to financial crisis worlwide. It will be a wise decision for people to save money in case they lose their jobs. Therefore they might spend those saving and save time untill they find a new job. Otherwise one who spend money on travel instead of saving for future will struggle with financial difficulties

Second, it is essential for individuals to save money in order to handle unexpected situations they might face in the future. Most people, for example, save money particularly on health because it is hard to predict whether they will suffer with a disease or not in the future. Moreover, as they age, they may more likely to recieve medical care. Having a budget to afford those medical cares, they will feel more secure about facing unpredictable health conditions.

Third, parents with children have the responsibility of taking care of other members of the family relying on them such as their children. Therefore they should consider their future and save money in order to provide their needs such as good education. Saving their future should be their priority instead of spending money on travel.

As there are a number of benefits people might gain from travelling, saving money for the future should become their priority. As long as one becomes capable of having savings for main needs, one can spend money on travelling without worrying about the future.

(I guess this topic was used by another user of this website in one of previous threads. It is a 40 mins essay. I am cheking whether I improved my writing ability in given time in the exam. Thanks)

Writing Feedback / Ielts essay: living and studying overseas [6]

Topic: The idea of going overseas for university study is an exciting prospect for many people. But while it may offer some advantages, it is probably better to stay home because of the difficulties a student inevitably encounters living and studying in a different culture. To what extent do you agree or disagree this statement? Give reasons for your answer.

It is every student's desire to study at a good university and experience a new environment. While some students study and live overseas to achieve this, some prefer to study home because of the difficulties of living and studying overseas. In my opinion, one who studies overseas will gain many skills throughout this experience for several reasons.

First, studying at an overseas university gives individuals the opportunity to improve social skills by interacting and communicating with students from different origins and cultures. Compared to the peers studying in the home country, it will be more likely for the one who is living overseas to be successful in adapting himself/herself into new environments and situations in life.

Second, living and studying overseas is an irreplaceable experience when it comes to learn standing on your own feet. One who is living overseas will of course struggle with loneliness, living away from family and friends but those difficulties will turn into valuable experiences in the following steps of life. Moreover, the one will learn living without depending on anyone else.

Also, employers are mostly looking for people who have international and language skills. Becoming successful in this study will give the student an edge in job market. Therefore, one who has studied and lived overseas will become more eligible for the job than his/her peers.

In conclusion, there are many difficulties a student might face when studying and living overseas. However, living and studying overseas gives the individual a new perspective on the subject that is studied or in general life.

255 words.

I tried to finish this essay in 40 minutes. so it might be lacking strong evidence.
I am not sure if i can write 'him/her' or 'himself/herself in an essay. I did not know how to express it when I start a sentence with the subject 'one'.