Some people think that the rapid changes in how we live are affecting family relationships. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
Stance: The advantages of rapid lifestyle change, particularly in communication, outweigh the disadvantages, since they primarily strengthen family bonds despite some risk of physical distance.
This answer stays at band 6.5 because each body paragraph relies on a single, simply-told example rather than layered reasoning, and it leans on basic linkers like 'on the other hand' and 'also' instead of a wider range of cohesive devices.
Nowadays, the way we live is changing very quickly, and this is having an effect on family relationships. Although there are some disadvantages, I think the advantages are bigger, especially because of better communication.
One good thing about modern life is that we can stay in touch with family even when we live far away. In Vietnam, many young people move to big cities like Ho Chi Minh City to study or work, so they cannot see their families often. But now, technology helps them stay close. For example, my grandmother is 78 years old and lives alone in a village. Before, she could only talk to us on the phone sometimes. Last year, I taught her how to use Zalo video call. Now she calls me almost every week, and we can see each other's faces even though we live far apart.
On the other hand, these changes also have some disadvantages. Because people move to different cities for work or study, families do not spend as much time together as before. They do not have as many meals together or visit each other as often. Also, phones can be a problem even when families are together. For example, sometimes when my family meets for dinner, everyone is looking at their phone instead of talking to each other.
In conclusion, even though rapid changes in lifestyle can cause some problems, such as less time together, I believe the benefits of better communication are more important. Because of technology, families can stay close no matter how far apart they live, so I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
Collocations
Examiner Notes
- TR“Although there are some disadvantages, I think the advantages are bigger, especially because of better communication.” — States the position clearly right away, though in simpler wording than a 7.5 thesis, directly answering the 'advantages vs disadvantages' question.
- LR“Zalo video call” — A simple, correct, locally relevant term, but the surrounding vocabulary stays basic ('good thing', 'helps them stay close') rather than reaching for richer collocations.
- CC“On the other hand, these changes also have some disadvantages.” — A basic but fully correct transition signal that opens the counterpoint paragraph, doing the same job as 'Conversely' in the 7.5 version but with a more common phrase.
- GRA“Now she calls me almost every week, and we can see each other's faces even though we live far apart.” — A correctly formed compound-complex sentence joining two ideas with 'and' and a concessive 'even though' clause, but it stays at a single layer of subordination rather than stacking several structures together.
- TR“so I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages” — The conclusion directly echoes the exact wording of the prompt's question, clearly closing the argument, though with less rhetorical build-up than the 7.5 ending.
This version reaches band 7.0 through more precise vocabulary and a two-layer subordinate sentence in the disadvantage paragraph, but it still uses only one example per side and simpler linking ('However', 'In addition') rather than the fuller reasoning and richer discourse control of the 7.5 answer.
The rapid pace of change in modern life is having a significant impact on family relationships. While this brings certain drawbacks, I believe that the advantages, particularly in the area of communication, outweigh the disadvantages overall.
One major benefit of modern life is that families can remain closely connected despite living far apart. In Vietnam, economic and educational opportunities are drawing young people away from their home provinces toward cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, but technology now means that this distance no longer has to mean losing touch emotionally. In my own family, for instance, my 78-year-old grandmother lives alone in a village in Nghệ An and used to depend on occasional, poor-quality landline calls. Last Tết, I spent a few days teaching her how to make video calls on Zalo using an old smartphone. She now calls me several times a week on her own, which has genuinely strengthened our relationship despite the distance between us.
However, these rapid changes also bring real disadvantages. As family members increasingly move away to pursue better jobs or education, everyday routines such as shared meals and regular visits become less frequent than they used to be. In addition, the same devices that help families stay connected across distances can also create distance within the home, since it is now common to see relatives sitting together at the table while each person is absorbed in their own phone.
Despite these genuine concerns about physical separation and reduced face-to-face interaction, I still believe that the ability to communicate instantly with loved ones, wherever they are, provides a level of closeness that outweighs these drawbacks. In conclusion, although rapid lifestyle changes have created new challenges for families, their positive effect on staying connected means that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages overall.
Collocations
Examiner Notes
- TR“I believe that the advantages, particularly in the area of communication, outweigh the disadvantages overall.” — A clear thesis that names the specific area (communication) driving the argument, similar in function to the 7.5 thesis but with a plainer sentence structure and no parenthetical aside.
- LR“occasional, poor-quality landline calls” — A specific, accurate collocation describing older technology, showing more precision than the 6.5 band's plain vocabulary but less vivid imagery than the 7.5 version's 'crackly landline calls'.
- CC“However, these rapid changes also bring real disadvantages.” — A standard discourse marker that pivots to the counterargument, doing the same cohesive job as 'Conversely' in the 7.5 essay.
- GRA“the same devices that help families stay connected across distances can also create distance within the home, since it is now common to see relatives sitting together at the table while each person is absorbed in their own phone” — A single sentence combining a relative clause and a causal 'since' clause plus a 'while' contrast, showing a wider grammatical range than 6.5 but with only two layers of subordination rather than the three or more found in the 7.5 version.
- TR“the ability to communicate instantly with loved ones, wherever they are, provides a level of closeness that outweighs these drawbacks” — Directly weighs the benefit against the drawbacks before the conclusion, echoing the persuasive move of the 7.5 essay though in a more compact form.
The 7.5 answer stands out for the long, multi-layered sentence recounting the grandmother's birthday video call (appositive + non-defining relative clause + quoted aside) and for weighing costs against benefits explicitly in the final body paragraph before the conclusion, rather than simply listing them side by side.
Rapid shifts in the way we live today are undeniably reshaping family relationships. While these changes introduce certain challenges, I believe the advantages — stemming chiefly from improved communication — ultimately outweigh the drawbacks.
One clear benefit of modern life is the newfound ability to stay closely connected across geographical distance. Economic and educational opportunities increasingly draw young Vietnamese away from their home provinces toward cities such as Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, yet technology now ensures that such moves no longer translate into emotional distance. In my own experience as an operations supervisor for a chain of coffee shops in Ho Chi Minh City, this held true within my own family. My 78-year-old grandmother, who lives alone in a small village in Nghệ An, used to rely on rare, crackly landline calls placed from the neighbourhood shop. Over three days during last Tết, I taught her to use Zalo video call on an old smartphone my cousin had passed down. She now calls me three or four times a week entirely on her own initiative, and for her birthday this year, all fourteen of us, scattered across four different provinces, joined a single video call to sing to her — which she said made her feel, in her own words, 'like everyone was still under one roof.'
Conversely, these rapid changes also carry genuine costs. The pursuit of better jobs and schooling now pulls family members apart far more often than in earlier generations, thinning out the everyday rituals — shared meals, weekend visits — that once anchored family life. Moreover, the devices that enable long-distance closeness can just as easily undermine closeness at home: it is now a common sight at family gatherings to see relatives seated around the same table, each quietly absorbed in a separate phone screen rather than in one another's company.
Despite these legitimate concerns about physical separation and screen-driven distraction, the sheer power of modern communication tools tips the balance firmly in favour of the positive. Being able to see and speak with loved ones instantly, wherever they happen to be, provides a depth of contact that eases the sting of distance far more than any drawback deepens it. In conclusion, although rapid lifestyle change has introduced new strains on family life, its overwhelmingly positive effect on how families stay in touch means the advantages, on balance, considerably outweigh the disadvantages.
Collocations
Examiner Notes
- TR“While these changes introduce certain challenges, I believe the advantages — stemming chiefly from improved communication — ultimately outweigh the drawbacks.” — A clear thesis with a parenthetical aside that previews the essay's central reasoning before the body paragraphs unfold it.
- LR“crackly landline calls” — A vivid, sensory collocation that evokes the limitations of older communication technology.
- GRA“She now calls me three or four times a week entirely on her own initiative, and for her birthday this year, all fourteen of us, scattered across four different provinces, joined a single video call to sing to her — which she said made her feel, in her own words, 'like everyone was still under one roof.'” — A long sentence with an embedded appositive, a non-defining relative clause, and a quoted aside, all controlled without losing clarity.
- CC“Conversely, these rapid changes also carry genuine costs.” — The discourse marker "Conversely" cleanly opens the counter-argument paragraph after the preceding paragraph of benefits.
- TR“Despite these legitimate concerns about physical separation and screen-driven distraction, the sheer power of modern communication tools tips the balance firmly in favour of the positive. Being able to see and speak with loved ones instantly, wherever they happen to be, provides a depth of contact that eases the sting of distance far more than any drawback deepens it.” — This sentence directly weighs the costs against the benefits, reaffirming the essay's overall position before the formal conclusion.