IELTS Writing Task 2: "Independence" Question
Example Answer by Jeenn Lee Hsieh
ielts360toefl@hotmail.com 海外教师 谢振礼
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#IELTS writing topic and task":
>Some people say that in the modern world people are more dependent on each other, while others think that people have become more independent. What is your opinion.
>People in the past used to be more dependent on one another, whereas nowadays they lead a more independent life. Do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience (to support your opinion).
#Example essay (谢振礼原创):
As the modern world is rapidly globalized, people are becoming more dependent nowadays than in the past. It is indeed in the shelter of each other that people live as a society and as an economic community. The argument is that people are probably "forced" to be more dependent than ever, both socially and economically.
It may be said that today's society is defined by dependence under disguise of freedom, rather than by independence. As the world seems smaller, it is more difficult for people to live an independent life the way it used to be before the Industrial Revolution. Since then, there has been a steady rise in the numbers of people moving freely from rural areas to cities, and this has caused the society to change, slowly but surely, toward a lifestyle characteristic of mutual dependence. It is not that people cannot live or work independently like long time ago, but that generally they can do a better job collectively. Of course, there is a feeling of greater freedom in the modern social life, which is often misunderstood as independence. However in the social context, freedom is one thing and independence is another because every soul on earth is dependent on others.
Globalization means at least one thing: global economic dependence. Now more than in the past, people are motivated to rely on one another for economic benefits. Today's market system further illustrates cooperation at all levels because people need to play different tunes in a big orchestra. It is as if there were "an invisible hand" in directing the supply and demand of products and services, which implies that self-reliance is not the road to economic success in the modern world. To put it strongly, dependence on one another is almost a fate due to the pressure of globalization. So, those who think that people have become more independent economically, think again.
While there may be reasons to argue to the contrary, the mainstream stresses the importance of social and economic dependence. That is to say, people are actually less independent today than before. With social change and economic globalization gaining force, how can we expect people to become more independent? (Essay created by Jeenn Lee Hsieh iels360toefl@hotmail.com )
