Writing Task 2: Two-Part (Direct) Question Essay: Question 5
Syllabus W.task2
In many countries, the average length of time people keep their smartphones and laptops before replacing them has increased significantly over the past decade, even though manufacturers continue to release new models every year.
Why is this happening? Is it a positive or negative development?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.
Show worked solution Hide worked solution
Worked solution
Examiner notes: why this is a band 9 response
Task Response
The introduction paraphrases the trend and previews both answers precisely: the reasons (diminishing returns, cost and repairability) and a firm opinion (“a positive one”). The first body paragraph fully answers the “why” question with two developed causes and a concrete example, Ferrow Repair Co.’s battery and screen replacements. The second body paragraph fully answers the opinion question with a distinct line of reasoning (manufacturing emissions) supported by a separate example, AuroraTech’s extended software support, so the opinion is developed with new evidence rather than simply repeating the reasons paragraph.
Coherence & Cohesion
Topic sentences flag which question each paragraph answers (“The most significant reason is…”, “I view this development as…”), and the semicolon in the first body paragraph cleanly joins a cause to its supporting evidence. Reference such as “this shift” and “its lifetime carbon footprint” ties later detail back to the point it supports.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is precise and topic-appropriate: “diminishing returns”, “flagship phones”, “carbon footprint”, “software support”. Near-synonyms avoid repeating “keep” (e.g. “little reason to spend heavily on a replacement”, “choosing to keep a working device”), and collocations are accurate (“mining rare metals”, “meaningfully lowers”).
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
The response shows confident control of complex structures: a colon introducing an explained cause, a semicolon linking two closely related clauses, and a reduced relative clause (“the emissions attributed to each year of use”). There are no errors of tense, agreement or word form anywhere in the response.
Common pitfalls specific to this task
See commonMistakes above: the most damaging is explaining the reasons devices are kept longer in detail while leaving the “positive or negative” opinion vague or unstated. A band 9 two-part response must give each question its own clear, fully developed answer.