Some People Support Development of Agriculture- IELTS Writing Task 2

Some people support development of agriculture like farming and scientific creation of fruits and vegetables, while others oppose. Discuss both the views and give your opinion.

Outline

Essay Type

Discussion Essay

Introduction

Sentences 1&2 – Paraphrase the topic with the use of synonyms to create a base understanding of it.

Sentence 3 – Elucidate that the essay will discuss both the sides of the topic.

Body Paragraphs

Paragraph 1 – Talk about how scientific advancements have helped agriculture – talk about HYV seeds, machinery, new irrigation techniques etc. to explain the positives of the same.

Paragraph 2 – Explain the opposing point of view in the form of organic farming – what it is and why it is gaining prevalence in today’s time.

Conclusion

Summarise the previous paragraphs and state your views.

Sample Essay

Ever since humans started to practice agriculture, we have developed newer, more coherent ways to facilitate a better crop yield. In recent times, this trend takes help from chemical and synthetic materials, which has drawn some flak and ire from people worldwide, while the remainder rejoices the same. This essay will try to understand the point of view of either side of this discussion.

To begin with, the introduction of scientific advancements in agriculture has reaped supreme returns. Through these advancements came drip irrigation, chemical fertilizers, insecticides, tractors, etc., that have multiplied crop yield. Moreover, scientists have “farmed” meat in the utmost recent developments. In other words, they have grown meat in laboratories from tissues and cells, which means that if practiced widely, animal and bird slaughter can become a thing of the past.

On the other side, organic farming is also gaining colossal pace. It simply means practicing agriculture without resorting to any chemical or synthetic products. That is to say, right from seeds to manure, everything is 100% natural. It is done because chemicals have a drastic impact on the environment as they can seep into the groundwater and contaminate nearby water bodies, affect humans negatively, and defile the quality of the soil.

To summarise, one cannot ascertain in absolution whether scientific advancements are better than organic farming or vice versa. Both have positives and pitfalls, and both of their implementations vary. Nevertheless, both have helped humanity in their own ways, and both still seem to be doing largely good deeds to people across the world.

Vocabulary

• Flak  

Meaning – strong criticism.
Example – Even Einstein was called a madman, his theories getting flak from every one.

• Ire 

Meaning – anger.
Example – The plan to cut down a forest to create highways has provoked the ire of locals.

• Reaped

Meaning – receive (something, especially something beneficial) as a consequence of one’s own or another’s actions.
Example – His father had bought a piece of land about twenty years ago. He sold it last month and reaped the monstrous profit of it.

• Contaminate  

Meaning – make (something) impure by exposure to or addition of a poisonous or polluting substance.
Example – The industrial waste has contaminated the river.

• Ascertain 

Meaning – find (something) out for certain.
Example – How can a person ascertain if ice cream is better than cake?

• Coherent

Meaning –  logical and well-organized
Example – During the interview, he spoke in a coherent way which impressed the judges.

• Slaughter

Meaning – cruelly and unfairly kill a lot of people or animals
Example – Do you remember when the king planned to slaughter his whole kingdom in the war?

• Colossal

Meaning – extremely large
Example – Our Principal took a colossal step in opening the school gates for the needy people during the flood.

• Pitfalls

Meaning – problem that is likely to happen
Example – Do not be afraid of pitfalls in your life; because once you overcome them, you will always rise.

• Defile

Meaning –  to make foul, dirty, or unclean; pollute
Example – The man, unknowingly, defiled the temple grounds.