Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? When doing research, it is better to use printed materials such as books and articles than it is to use the Internet. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

It is critically important that students use the best available resources when they do research. In my opinion, it is far better to use printed materials than online sources. I feel
this
way for two reasons, which I will explore in the following essay.
To begin
with, printed materials
such
as
books
and
articles
are more reliable than websites.
This
is because websites can be edited by anyone in the world, regardless of whether or not they are qualified academics.
As a result
of
this
, even
articles
in popular online encyclopedias often contain incorrect and biased information. My own experience demonstrates the danger of relying too heavily on online sources of information. Two semesters ago, I was assigned a research paper in a freshman biology
class
. I cited data that I found on Wikipedia which later turned out to be completely incorrect.
This
data was so hopelessly wrong that my professor spotted it immediately, causing me to fail the assignment and receive a fairly low grade in the
class
at the end
of the semester. If I had taken the time to compare what I had read online to a book or a scholarly article, I would not have included it, and would not have received
such
a terrible score in the
class
.
Secondly
,
books
are superior to online
articles
because they cover topics in much detail. Textbooks are significantly longer than online
articles
, so they are more useful to students. Students who use them when doing projects can
also
look at the detailed indexes which they include to focus on very specific topics.
For example
, I was assigned an essay
last
semester in a history
class
and the very first book that I consulted contained a long description of both the underlying causes and long-term effects of the historical event I was writing about.
In contrast
, most of the online
articles
that I consulted contained little more than superficial facts and dates. I based my research on the book rather than these
articles
, so I was able to write a very insightful paper. In conclusion, I strongly believe that printed information is more useful than online resources.
This
is because
books
and printed journals are less likely to be biased or contain errors and because
books
provide a superior level of detail.
Submitted by susanna.alberto084 on

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Writing9 with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Word Count

IELTS says that you should write a minimum of 250 words in writing task 2. If you go under word count you will lose marks in task response.

A very long essay will not give you a higher band score.

Aim for between 260 to 290 words in writing task 2. This will ensure a concise essay and will be realistic in terms of time management. You have only 40 minutes to write the essay and you need around 10 minutes of planning time, so you will not be able to write a long essay in 30 minutes.

Discover more tips in The Ultimate Guide to Get a Target Band Score of 7+ »— a book that's free for 🚀 Premium users.

What to do next:
Look at other essays: