Band 9 Essay Sample about the Adverse Effects of Increasing Use of Computers and Smart Phones

Essay topic

Some people think that the increasing use of computers and mobile phones nowadays has unwanted effects on young people’s reading and writing skills. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Band 9 essay sample

Electronic gadgets like mobile phones or computers have become an integral part of our lives and it is now impossible to imagine a life without them. Some people, however, argue that the overuse of these devices has an adverse effect on the language skills of young people. I partially agree with this view.

Nowadays most students spend a great deal of time on their tablets and smart phones. They have become addicted to these devices. Since these devices are small, they only have a small keypad to type in messages. So most youngsters now only use acronyms when they send messages to their friends. Worse, they find the SMS lingo quite ‘cool’. As a result, many of them don’t know the spelling of even common words. In addition, they use smileys and stickers to express their emotions. While this might look harmless, it can actually affect their ability to communicate feelings in words. What’s more, most word processors now have spell-checkers. Since these programs automatically correct the spelling of misspelled words, students don’t even have to learn spelling to get good marks in their exams.

On the flip side, digital equipments can also improve the reading and writing skills of youngsters. There are numerous websites and mobile applications that allow students to learn and improve their language skills. Dictionary apps are particularly helpful for finding the origin and pronunciation of words. Devices like e-book readers actually develop reading habits amongst youngsters. Thanks to their compact size we can carry them around and read whenever we want to.

To conclude, modern devices like mobile phones or tablets have positive and negative aspects in equal measures. It is up to us to decide whether we want to benefit from them or allow them to destroy our language and cognitive skills.

 

Manjusha Nambiar

Hi, I'm Manjusha. This is my blog where I give IELTS preparation tips.

Leave a Reply