Even though modern technology makes global communication easy, many business people still travel a lot for meetings. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
Stance: While in-person meetings offer unique advantages for complex business interactions, the cost and time efficiency of remote communication mean its benefits generally outweigh the drawbacks of business travel.
This 6.5 version supports each side with one clear reason (cost/access for technology, trust/security for travel) and a single personal example, using plain linkers ('On the other hand', 'In my opinion'), but the weighing-up paragraph is only a brief restatement rather than the fuller cost-benefit reasoning of higher bands.
Even though modern technology makes it easy to communicate across the world, many business people still travel a lot for meetings. In my opinion, the advantages of using technology for communication are generally greater than the disadvantages of travelling less.
The main advantage of communication technology is that it saves both time and money. Video-calling apps like Zoom or Google Meet let companies hold meetings without paying for flights or hotels, so businesses can use that money for other important things. Technology also allows people who cannot travel easily, because of cost, distance, or health, to still take part in meetings. For example, during Tết, I spent three days teaching my grandmother in Cần Thơ how to use video calls on Zalo. Now she calls her family several times a week and feels much closer to everyone, even though they live far apart.
On the other hand, there are also some real disadvantages to relying only on remote communication. Meeting someone in person often helps to build trust, especially when discussing something important or sensitive, and this can be harder to do through a screen. It is also easier to misunderstand someone's tone or body language during a video call than in a face-to-face meeting. In addition, sending important company information online can sometimes create security risks.
In my opinion, although these disadvantages are important, they do not outweigh the benefits of saving time, saving money, and allowing more people to join meetings. Businesses can still travel for the most important meetings while using technology for everyday communication.
In conclusion, although meeting in person still has its own value, I believe the advantages of modern communication technology, such as saving money and connecting more people, are greater than the disadvantages of travelling less for business.
Collocations
Examiner Notes
- TR“In my opinion, the advantages of using technology for communication are generally greater than the disadvantages of travelling less.” — States a clear, direct opinion in the introduction that directly answers the question.
- CC“On the other hand, there are also some real disadvantages to relying only on remote communication.” — A simple but clear linker signals the shift from advantages to disadvantages.
- LR“saves both time and money” — A correct, common collocation, though more general than the more specific 'financial outlay and time commitment' used at higher bands.
- GRA“during Tết, I spent three days teaching my grandmother in Cần Thơ how to use video calls on Zalo” — Correctly uses a fronted time phrase with a gerund object, though the sentence is structurally simpler than the higher-band version with an embedded relative clause.
- TR“Businesses can still travel for the most important meetings while using technology for everyday communication.” — Offers a practical middle-ground point, though it is stated briefly rather than developed further.
This 7.0 version weaves in a relative clause on the grandmother's example and frames its weighing-up paragraph analytically ('Weighing these points'), moving beyond the 6.5 version's flatter restatement, but it still gives each side a single line of reasoning rather than the layered detail — three separate risks, a concrete practical compromise — found in the 7.5 answer.
Despite the ease with which modern technology allows people to communicate across the globe, many business people continue to travel frequently for meetings. In my view, although such travel has clear benefits, the advantages of using technology for communication generally outweigh its disadvantages.
The clearest advantage of communication technology lies in its efficiency and accessibility. Platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet significantly cut the cost and time that business travel usually requires, freeing up resources that companies can direct elsewhere. This technology also allows people who might otherwise be excluded, whether by distance, cost, or physical limitations, to take part in conversations they would previously have missed. On a personal level, I experienced this myself during Tết in Cần Thơ, when I spent three days teaching my grandmother, who lives alone, how to make video calls on Zalo; she now calls relatives several times a week and feels far more connected to the family despite the distance.
On the other hand, relying entirely on remote communication does carry real disadvantages. Face-to-face meetings tend to build a level of trust that is difficult to replicate on a screen, which matters greatly when negotiating sensitive deals or forming long-term partnerships. Non-verbal cues can also be easily lost or misread during a video call, leading to potential misunderstandings. Beyond this, sharing sensitive company information through digital platforms raises legitimate concerns about data security.
Weighing these points, I believe the disadvantages, while genuine, do not outweigh the substantial benefits of reduced costs, saved time, and wider inclusivity that technology provides. In practice, many companies now reserve business travel for the most important negotiations while handling routine communication remotely, striking a reasonable balance between the two approaches.
In conclusion, while in-person meetings retain a valuable role, particularly for building trust, the efficiency and broader access offered by modern communication technology mean that its advantages ultimately outweigh the drawbacks of reduced physical interaction.
Collocations
Examiner Notes
- TR“In my view, although such travel has clear benefits, the advantages of using technology for communication generally outweigh its disadvantages.” — States the position with an embedded concession, giving a more nuanced introduction than a flat opinion statement.
- CC“On the other hand, relying entirely on remote communication does carry real disadvantages.” — A clear discourse marker pivots from the advantages paragraph, with 'does carry' adding a touch more emphasis than a plain 6.5-level transition.
- LR“freeing up resources that companies can direct elsewhere” — A more precise, business-appropriate phrase than the simpler 'use that money for other things' style typical of band 6.5.
- GRA“when I spent three days teaching my grandmother, who lives alone, how to make video calls on Zalo” — A non-defining relative clause embedded within a time clause shows increased subordination compared to the simpler sentence used at 6.5.
- TR“Weighing these points, I believe the disadvantages, while genuine, do not outweigh the substantial benefits of reduced costs, saved time, and wider inclusivity that technology provides.” — Explicitly frames the paragraph as a weighing-up of both sides, giving the reasoning a clearer analytical structure than a brief restatement.
The 7.5 answer distinguishes itself by layering three distinct disadvantages (trust, non-verbal cues, security) rather than one, and by folding a vivid, specific family anecdote into a single sentence with a fronted time adverbial and embedded relative clause, giving the essay a personal texture the 6.5 and 7.0 versions only sketch.
Despite the widespread availability of digital tools that facilitate global communication, many professionals continue to undertake frequent business trips for meetings. While such travel offers specific benefits, I contend that the advantages of leveraging modern technology for communication generally outweigh the associated disadvantages.
The primary benefits of technology-driven communication revolve around efficiency and accessibility. Video-conferencing platforms drastically reduce the financial outlay and time commitment traditionally associated with business travel, allowing companies to reallocate resources to other strategic areas — a shift many Vietnamese firms accelerated after the pandemic normalised tools like Zoom and Google Meet for cross-provincial and international meetings alike. Moreover, this technology enables participation from people who might otherwise be excluded due to geographical or physical limitations. In my own experience, this accessibility is transformative on a personal level too: during Tết in Cần Thơ, I spent three days teaching my 80-year-old grandmother, who lives alone, how to make video calls on Zalo. Now she proactively calls family members three or four times a week, and on her birthday this year, all twelve relatives sang to her over a single video call, making her feel far closer to everyone despite the distance.
Conversely, the disadvantages of relying solely on remote communication for business are equally salient. Face-to-face interactions foster a level of trust and rapport that virtual meetings often struggle to replicate, especially when negotiating sensitive deals or building long-term partnerships. Non-verbal cues, crucial for understanding nuanced intentions, can be lost or misinterpreted through a screen. Furthermore, security concerns regarding data breaches and the confidentiality of proprietary information remain a significant drawback of digital platforms, potentially exposing companies to undue risk.
Ultimately, while the nuances of human interaction and security considerations present valid arguments against the complete abandonment of business travel, the overwhelming benefits of cost reduction, time savings, and enhanced inclusivity offered by modern communication technologies tip the scales. The capacity to connect globally — or simply across provinces — without physical presence empowers a broader range of people and conserves valuable resources.
In conclusion, although in-person meetings retain an important role, the efficiency and widespread access afforded by contemporary digital communication tools render their advantages more significant than the drawbacks of reduced physical interaction.
Collocations
Examiner Notes
- TR“I contend that the advantages of leveraging modern technology for communication generally outweigh the associated disadvantages.” — States a clear, direct position in the introduction that the rest of the essay is built to support.
- LR“drastically reduce the financial outlay and time commitment” — Precise, formal collocations ('financial outlay', 'time commitment') appropriate to a business-focused argument.
- GRA“during Tết in Cần Thơ, I spent three days teaching my 80-year-old grandmother, who lives alone, how to make video calls on Zalo” — A sentence combining a fronted time adverbial with an embedded non-defining relative clause shows controlled complexity.
- CC“Conversely, the disadvantages of relying solely on remote communication for business are equally salient.” — The discourse marker 'Conversely' cleanly signals the shift to the counter-argument paragraph.
- GRA“while the nuances of human interaction and security considerations present valid arguments against the complete abandonment of business travel, the overwhelming benefits of cost reduction, time savings, and enhanced inclusivity offered by modern communication technologies tip the scales” — A long concessive sentence balancing two clauses of similar weight demonstrates sophisticated command of complex structure.