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IELTS Outweigh Essay

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What is an Outweigh Essay?

This IELTS Task 2 essay asks whether the advantages or disadvantages are stronger. The prompt always includes:
“Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?”

You must take a clear side and explain why one is stronger than the other. You are not giving a balanced view.

What Do These Questions Look Like?

You’ll often come across questions like:

  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of…

  • Discuss the benefits and drawbacks…

  • What are the advantages and disadvantages, and which do you think is more important?

This type of essay asks you to decide which side of the argument is stronger. You need to state your opinion clearly in the conclusion, showing which side you believe “outweighs” the other.

Use This Fixed Structure Every Time

This structure is important to follow, but don’t worry — it’s simple once you get the hang of it.

  • Don’t change the order.

  • Stick to the sentence starters — they’re designed to guide you.

Introduction:

  • Paraphrase the statement.

  • State your opinion clearly:
    In my opinion, <topic> can bring about larger problems for <group>, compared to any advantages it may offer.

Body Paragraph 1 – Weakening the Advantages:

  • So, why do I feel this way?

  • Admittedly, there are some basic benefits of <topic>.

    • Firstly, Point. Extend.

    • Secondly, Point. Extend.

    • Thirdly, Point. Extend.

Body Paragraph 2 – Strengthening the Disadvantages:

  • Nevertheless, despite the advantages above, I believe that

    • Point. Extend.

    • Another obvious issue is Point. Extend.

    • Finally, Point. Extend.

Conclusion:

  • In conclusion, the <strong disadvantage idea> outweighs any minor benefits that could result from it.

Extra Tip:

You can choose which side to argue, but if you focus on the disadvantages, it might make things a little easier. You’ll only need to structure one side really well instead of both, so you can save time when studying. Don’t worry too much about your opinion being marked — just make sure your reasons for why the disadvantages are stronger are clear and easy to follow.

Band 9 Essay Sample

Task Question:
Thanks to budget airlines, many people can travel abroad.
Do the advantages that tourists bring to the countries they visit outweigh the disadvantages?

Essay:
Large numbers of people are able to fly overseas due to the impact of budget airlines. In my opinion, tourism can bring about larger problems for local communities compared to any advantages it might bring.

So, why do I feel this way? Admittedly, there are some basic benefits of international travel.Firstly, with increasing levels of tourism comes an increasing amount of employment opportunities for local people. Many communities, for instance, suffer from a lack of vacancies which local people can fill, but if an area opens to tourism, there may be more opportunities for work.
Secondly, as tourists spend money in local areas, so the authorities can gain more revenue to spend on education, which means that extra schools could be constructed to improve educational outcomes for local children.Thirdly, an investment to encourage tourism might also bring about new infrastructure such as hospitals and roads. While these may be built for tourists, they could possibly be used by local people and therefore potentially breathe new life into communities.

Nevertheless, despite the advantages above, I believe that work in the tourist sector can be seasonal and also poorly paid. Although people may find work, the jobs offered often do not provide long-term stability and will trap people in poverty.Another obvious issue is that in many communities, local homes are used to cater for tourists. Whereas previously families would have a choice of homes to move to, tourism means that, inevitably, they will have to move to areas away from home.Finally, the ease of international travel means that diseases can be spread with great ease across the globe. Whenever large groups of people travel, they carry diseases which will impact local communities.

In conclusion, the potential for transmission of life-threatening diseases and the break-up of communities caused by tourism outweighs any of the minor benefits that could result from it.

Ready to Practise?

Text:
Try this question:
In many cities, more people are choosing to live in big cities.
Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?

Stick to the structure above. Use the fixed sentence stems.
Keep your tone neutral, clear, and realistic.