Some people think history has little to tell us, but others think studying past history can help us better understand the present. Discuss both views.

IELTS Writing Task 2 (Essay): Hints and Sample Answers
Stories of USA Today
Materials for Reading & Listening Practice
 IELTS Academic Essay Answers - #6066
Question:
Some people think history has little to tell us, but others think studying past history can help us better understand the present. Discuss both views and give your opinion, citing examples from your experience.
Answer Hints:
First, you should state the reasons for both sides equally. Then, it would be best to choose the 'others' viewpoint to follow the question. It means you agree studying history can help us better understand the present. Many examples support it, like the recent pandemic and a similar one in 1918 influenza.

Support
  • No two drops of water are the same; every day is different. People must treat the future positively, with new times and new things.
  • The future isn't a mirror of the past. Even if there is one similar thing before it happens, how do we know when and where?
Object
  • Much knowledge comes from experiences. History is one of them.
  • The present and future are from the past; they are connected. The past stories will impact the current and future certainly.
  • Human benefits greatly by studying history, such as inventing the solar calendar.
  • When facing the current puzzles, people or governments look for answers in history. E.g., we see some solutions in the recent pandemic are similar to the 1918 influenza.
Answer 1
People have different opinions about the value of studying history. Some believe that history has little to tell us because it focuses on events that happened in the past and may not relate to modern life...

On the one hand, some people think that history is not very useful in modern society. They argue that the world has changed greatly due to technology, economic development, and social progress...

On the other hand, studying history can help people better understand the present. Historical events often explain how societies, governments, and cultures developed over time...

In conclusion, some individuals believe that history has little relevance to modern life, while others think it helps people understand the present more clearly...
Band: 7.5
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Word Statistics
GroupWord NumberDistinctPercent
All Words31614044%
Top 300 Words135 (42%)49 (35%)36%
300 - 1000 Words95 (30%)37 (26%)38%
Over 1000 Words86 (27%)54 (38%)62%
Other Comments (rickymorley)
Link Words: 25 (including link phrase: 2)
Sentences: Number: 17; Average Length: 121 characters; Words/Sentence: 18
Suggestions:
IELTS Essay Format:
-You should avoid using common words repeatedly, and show your grammatical range and accuracy as possible. The essay has history(11), people(9), that(9), and(8), modern(6), some(5), events(5); try to decrease duplicated words.
-High-ratio basic sight words may degrade your writing; suggest rephrasing some.
-Suggest using a few rare or uncommon words to demonstrate your vocabulary range and level.
Answer 2
People who do not study history are condemned to repeat it. Some people claim that, but the opponents of the former argue that history does not have a beneficial role in people's lives...

To embark upon our lifestyle, culture, traditions, conventional wisdom, and so forth stemming from history...

On the other hand, with the advancement of technology, we can access information in the blink of an eye while surfing the internet...

Based on those above, although many people overlooked historical roles in modern life, it seems that they played a fundamental role in our lives, so the opponent's historical standpoint does not stand scrutiny and thus is indefensible...
Band: 6
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