Are Video Games Educational or Harmful?
A complete IELTS General Training Writing Task 2 question with a model answer of 289 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 40 minutes. Write at least 250 words.
Some people believe that video games are educational and beneficial, while others argue that they are harmful, particularly for young people. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. Write at least 250 words.
How to approach it
- 01Address BOTH views fully before stating your own opinion
- 02Use specific game titles or studies as evidence — vague claims score lower
- 03Don't moralise; analyse benefits and harms in a measured way
- 04Make your opinion clear from the introduction and consistent at the end
- 05Use varied vocabulary: 'cognitive', 'sedentary', 'compulsive', 'engagement'
- 06Conclude with a balanced, conditional position rather than an extreme one
Model answer
289 words in 5 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
Few modern pastimes provoke as much disagreement as video games. Supporters celebrate their educational potential, while critics warn of damaging effects on health and behaviour. In my view, both sides capture part of the truth, but with sensible limits, the benefits clearly outweigh the harms.
Proponents argue that well-designed games are powerful learning tools. Puzzle and strategy titles such as Minecraft and Civilization develop spatial reasoning, planning, and resource management, while cooperative online games teach teamwork and rapid decision-making under pressure. There is also growing evidence that games can support specific skills: surgical trainees who play action games demonstrate measurably faster reaction times, and language-learning games help children acquire vocabulary far more effectively than traditional flashcards. Many games also expose players to history, science, and storytelling in ways that textbooks rarely can.
Critics, however, point to genuine concerns. Excessive play is linked to disrupted sleep, declining school performance, and a sedentary lifestyle that contributes to obesity. Some games contain graphic violence or encourage compulsive in-game spending, which can be especially harmful to children. The rise of "loot boxes" has drawn comparisons with gambling, and a small minority of players develop patterns of use that meet the World Health Organization's definition of gaming disorder.
In my view, the key lies not in the games themselves but in how, when, and how much they are played. A child who spends an hour a day on Minecraft, supervised by engaged parents, will likely gain creative and social skills; a child who plays violent, monetised games for six hours unsupervised may suffer real harm.
In conclusion, video games are neither inherently educational nor inherently damaging. With thoughtful regulation, parental involvement, and age-appropriate choices, they can be a positive force in young people's lives.
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 69 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
2 fewer than the median answer for this task type
6 words at the shortest, 36 at the longest
1 fewer than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 19.3 words and vary by 8.9 words either side of that, running from 6 words to 36. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 9 of the 15 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
5 in total, spread across 3 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
however, while
such as
in conclusion
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 86 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 76 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 3 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Response
Discuss both views fully and give a clear personal opinion
Coherence & Cohesion
Logical paragraphing with strong topic sentences
Lexical Resource
Use varied vocabulary on technology, health, and education
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Use accurate complex structures with appropriate punctuation
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