IELTS Writing Correction Service
Writing Samples
Band 9

Some people believe that public libraries are no longer necessary because the internet now provides all the information people need. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

9.0 / 9
Band scoreView breakdown ↓
✍️ Want to check your own essay?Write on this topic →
Introduction
In an age when almost any fact can be found in seconds on a phone, many argue that the public
library
Use synonyms
 has become an expensive relic.
While
Linking Words
 I accept that online sources have replaced the
library
Use synonyms
 as the quickest route to information, I largely disagree with
this
Linking Words
 view, because libraries serve purposes that no website can fulfil, particularly for those with the least money and the fewest alternatives.
Body paragraph 1
Admittedly, the internet has taken over much of what libraries once did. Searching a database is faster than walking between shelves, and digital archives hold more material than any building could store. A student in Fez,
for instance
Linking Words
, can now read journals from universities across the world without leaving her room, a privilege that only a handful of national institutions offered a generation ago. Closely linked to
this
Linking Words
 is the matter of cost, since maintaining a building, its staff and its collection is far more expensive than paying for an online subscription that thousands can use at once.
Body paragraph 2
Nevertheless
Linking Words
, treating the
library
Use synonyms
 as merely a store of books misunderstands what it provides. The most important point is that it serves people whom the digital world leaves behind. Many elderly citizens, low-income families and new migrants have no reliable connection at home, and for them the
library
Use synonyms
 is the only free place to apply for jobs, complete school assignments or contact relatives abroad.
Moreover
Linking Words
, a
library
Use synonyms
 offers something the internet never can: a quiet, shared space with trained staff who help visitors find reliable material amid an ocean of misinformation. In Casablanca,
for example
Linking Words
, the reading rooms are full every afternoon with pupils whose homes are too crowded for study, and,
consequently
Linking Words
, closing them would damage precisely the children who most need support.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the internet has rightly become the first place most people look for information, yet public libraries remain essential for those without access, and as trusted spaces for learning. On balance, the two should complement rather than replace each other.

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.

task response
Your view is clear from the start: you mostly disagree. Keep this clear view in every part of the essay. You could make the limit of your agreement even more direct by saying that the internet is best for speed, but libraries are still needed for equal access and help.
task response
Your main ideas are well chosen and fully explained. The points about people with no internet, quiet study space, and staff support all answer the question well. For an even stronger answer, you could add one short line on why free internet access at a library is not the same as having a phone or home internet.
task response
The examples from Fez and Casablanca fit your points and make the essay feel real. Make sure such examples are clearly used as examples, not as facts that must be proved. You can use phrases such as “for example” or “in many cities” when needed.
coherence and cohesion
The essay has a very clear shape: the first body part accepts the good side of the internet, and the next body part gives the main reasons for keeping libraries. Keep using this kind of clear order in future essays.
coherence and cohesion
Your linking words guide the reader well, especially “Admittedly”, “Nevertheless”, “Moreover”, and “In conclusion”. Do not add too many more links, as the writing is already smooth. Let clear ideas, not only linking words, show how each point connects.
coherence and cohesion
Each paragraph stays on one main point, and the last paragraph sums up your view well. In the second body paragraph, you could split the long idea about access and the idea about trained staff into two smaller parts if you want the flow to be even easier to follow.
task response
You answer every part of the question and give a clear, well-supported view. The essay does not simply say that libraries are useful; it explains who needs them and why.
task response
Your examples are relevant and support the main ideas well. They help show the real effect of closing libraries on students and people without home internet.
coherence and cohesion
The opening gives a clear direction, the body paragraphs develop the two sides in a natural order, and the ending gives a strong final view.
coherence and cohesion
The links between ideas are natural and easy to follow. The contrast between the speed of the internet and the wider role of libraries is especially clear.
What to do next:
Look at other essays: