Essay plan: advantages and disadvantages

A real IELTS Writing Task 2 question with the paragraph plan that fits it. Aim for 250 to 290 words in 40 minutes.

The question

More and more people are working from home rather than in offices. Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?

Your 4-paragraph plan

  1. Introduction (40-50 words). Paraphrase the topic and say whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
  2. Body paragraph 1 (80-100 words). The strongest advantage, developed with a concrete example.
  3. Body paragraph 2 (80-100 words). The main disadvantage, developed honestly, then weighed against the advantage.
  4. Conclusion (40-50 words). State your overall judgement: which side wins and why.

The trap in this question type

The question usually asks whether the advantages OUTWEIGH the disadvantages. Answer that comparison directly, not just a list of each.

Model answer for this question

Written for this exact question in the official format. Read it once for ideas, then write your own before comparing.

Remote work has moved from emergency measure to normal arrangement for millions. Weighing the gains against the losses, I believe the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages, though the balance depends on honest management of the drawbacks. The advantages begin with time. Commuting in a large city can consume three hours a day; returned to the worker, those hours become exercise, family dinners or simply sleep, and productivity rarely suffers. Employers gain access to talent regardless of address, so a skilled developer in a small town can work for a firm she could never have moved to. Companies also shrink expensive offices, and cities breathe more easily with fewer cars at rush hour. The disadvantages are real but manageable. Junior staff learn a trade by absorbing how experienced colleagues think, and that apprenticeship weakens over video calls. Home can also blur into office until the working day never truly ends, and some people find the isolation corrosive. Yet none of these harms is fixed: hybrid schedules, deliberate mentoring and clear boundaries about working hours address them directly, and firms that take these steps report satisfied, productive teams. In conclusion, working from home returns time to employees, widens opportunity beyond big cities and cuts costs and congestion, while its genuine downsides respond well to sensible policy. The advantages therefore outweigh the disadvantages, provided employers manage the arrangement deliberately rather than by accident.

Why this answer scores

  1. The question asks for a judgement about outweighing; the verdict appears in paragraph one and again at the end.
  2. Disadvantages are conceded honestly and then answered, which is stronger than pretending they do not exist.
  3. Numbers and concrete images (three hours a day, fewer cars at rush hour) do the persuading.

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