Reading Fiction: Beneficial or a Waste of Time?
A complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 question with a model answer of 307 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 argue that reading fiction is beneficial for adults because it develops imagination and empathy. Others believe it is a waste of time, and that adults should spend their reading time on non-fiction that delivers useful knowledge. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. Write at least 250 words.
How to approach it
- 01Address both views in separate body paragraphs before giving your own opinion
- 02Use specific, credible examples — research findings, professional contexts, genres
- 03Make your opinion clear in the introduction and reinforce it in the conclusion
- 04Avoid clichés like 'reading is the key to success' — use precise, evidence-based claims
- 05Use a range of discourse markers: 'however', 'in my view', 'by contrast'
- 06Keep each paragraph focused on one controlling idea
Model answer
307 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.
In an age of overflowing inboxes and infinite information feeds, how adults should spend their limited reading time has become a genuine question. While some dismiss novels as escapism that adds nothing to professional or intellectual life, I believe fiction delivers cognitive and emotional benefits that non-fiction simply cannot replicate, and that the strongest reading diets combine both.
Those who favour non-fiction make a reasonable case. Biographies, popular science, history, and business books deliver verifiable knowledge that readers can apply directly to their careers, finances, or health. In a competitive economy, time spent reading about negotiation or coding arguably yields more measurable returns than time spent following the fortunes of an imaginary character. For busy professionals trying to learn a new field quickly, a well-chosen non-fiction title is often the most efficient teacher.
However, the case for fiction is stronger than it first appears. Research published in journals such as Science has shown that reading literary fiction improves theory of mind — the ability to infer what others are thinking and feeling. This is precisely the skill that managers, doctors, teachers, and parents need most. Fiction also exposes readers to lives, eras, and moral dilemmas they will never personally encounter, which broadens judgement in ways no textbook can. Even the slowness of a novel — its insistence on sustained attention — is increasingly valuable in a world engineered for distraction.
In my view, framing the choice as fiction versus non-fiction is misleading. Adults benefit most from a balanced diet: non-fiction to acquire specific knowledge, and fiction to deepen empathy, attention, and imaginative range. A reader who only consumes self-help books may become competent but narrow; a reader who only consumes novels may become reflective but uninformed.
In conclusion, both genres have distinct strengths, and dismissing fiction as a waste of time underestimates its quiet but profound effects on the mind.
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.
16 more than the median answer for this task type
8 words at the shortest, 35 at the longest
1 fewer than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 20.5 words and vary by 6.8 words either side of that, running from 8 words to 35. 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. 7 of the 15 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
5 in total, spread across 4 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
arguably
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 84 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 74 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 4 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, consistent opinion
Coherence & Cohesion
Logical structure with effective discourse markers
Lexical Resource
Academic vocabulary on reading, learning, and cognition
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Range of complex sentences with consistent accuracy
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