Is Following the News a Waste of Time? — 15.05.2026

Task 2 Topic

Some people think the news has no connection to people's lives, so then it is a waste of time to read the news in the newspaper and watch television news programs.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?

1Task analysis

Item	Detail
Essay type	Opinion (agree / disagree — to what extent)
Main topic	Whether reading and watching the news is pointless because it has nothing to do with people's lives
Keywords	the news · no connection to people's lives · a waste of time · newspaper · television news programs
Task focus	Judge whether the news is irrelevant to ordinary people and therefore a waste of time
Required position	Say clearly how far you agree or disagree and keep the same position in every paragraph
Plain-English meaning	Some people say news stories do not affect our lives, so reading or watching the news is useless. Do you agree?
Hidden trap	The statement has two parts: a claim (no connection to people's lives) and a conclusion (a waste of time). Disprove the claim with concrete ways news affects daily life
Chosen stance	Strongly disagree. Current affairs shape everyday circumstances and underpin informed citizenship; the real problem is low-quality news consumption, not the news itself
Main-idea plan	BP1 → news has tangible relevance through prices, health, safety and policy · BP2 → informed citizenship and accountability depend on news; quality, not quantity, is the issue

2Idea generation

Body 1 — The tangible relevance of current affairs

Policy, prices and public health shape daily life ✓ strongest
Distant events have local consequences
Emergency information saves lives dự phòng

Body 2 — News as the foundation of informed citizenship

Democracy and accountability depend on an informed public ✓ strongest
Investigative journalism exposes wrongdoing
Selective, high-quality consumption avoids overload dự phòng

✓ strongest = ý dùng trong bài mẫu · dự phòng = ý thay thế, không có trong bài mẫu.

3Skeleton

Introduction

General statement: Constant headlines, people stop
Paraphrased task: Rewrite: current affairs unrelated → waste of time
Thesis: Strongly disagree

Body 1: Policy, prices, health; distant events → local effects

Body 2: Informed citizenship, accountability; choose quality sources

Conclusion: Restate the opinion → summarise both reasons → final thought

4Plan & write your paragraphs

How to use: Read the main idea, tap the cue words to add them to the box, then write your own sentence. Your essay is built automatically at the bottom and saved in this browser.

Introduction(50–70 words)

0 words

Goal: Topic → rewrite the statement → give your opinion.

General statement

Main idea: Constant headlines, people stop

Starter: With the constant stream … ·

Tap a cue word to insert it at the cursor.

Paraphrased task

Main idea: Rewrite: current affairs unrelated → waste of time

Starter: They argue that current … ·

Tap a cue word to insert it at the cursor.

Thesis

Main idea: Strongly disagree

Starter: I strongly disagree, as … ·

Tap a cue word to insert it at the cursor.

Body Paragraph 1 — The tangible relevance of current affairs(100–125 words)

0 words

Goal: Reason 1: explain it and give an example.

Topic sentence

Main idea: Assumption fails

Starter: The assumption that news … ·

Tap a cue word to insert it at the cursor.

Explanation 1

Main idea: Decisions shape daily life

Starter: Decisions reported in the … ·

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Example

Main idea: Remote events, local consequences

Starter: Even events that seem … ·

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Explanation 2

Main idea: Last to understand

Starter: Those who ignore such … ·

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Further development

Main idea: Context for decisions

Starter: Far from being irrelevant … ·

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Link

Main idea: Not neutral

Starter: Ignoring it is rarely … ·

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Body Paragraph 2 — News as the foundation of informed citizenship(100–125 words)

0 words

Goal: Reason 2: explain it and give an example.

Topic sentence

Main idea: Essential to citizenship

Starter: More fundamentally, following the … ·

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Explanation 1

Main idea: Accountability needs journalism

Starter: In a democracy, voters … ·

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Example

Main idea: Investigative reporting exposes

Starter: Investigative reporting has, for … ·

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Explanation 2

Main idea: Volume can feel unproductive

Starter: Admittedly, the sheer volume … ·

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Further development

Main idea: Select, don't abandon

Starter: The solution, however, lies … ·

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Link

Main idea: Well invested

Starter: Time spent this way … ·

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Conclusion(40–55 words)

0 words

Goal: Repeat your opinion, sum up both reasons, final thought. No new ideas!

Restated thesis

Main idea: Strongly disagree

Starter: In conclusion, I strongly … ·

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Summary

Main idea: Tangible impact + accountability

Starter: Current affairs have a … ·

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Final thought

Main idea: Quality matters

Starter: What matters is the … ·

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📝 My essay

✓ saved

5Language bank (Band 6.5-8.0)

Mỗi đoạn có bảng collocation riêng. ✓ = có trong bài mẫu · + = cụm mở rộng để học viên tự dùng. 7.0 = nền tảng · 8.0 = nâng band.

Introduction

Collocation	Form	Vietnamese	Band	Bài mẫu
the constant stream of headlines	noun phrase	dòng tiêu đề tin tức liên tục	8.0	✓
competing for attention	verb phrase	cạnh tranh sự chú ý	7.0	✓
stopped following the news	verb phrase	ngừng theo dõi tin tức	7.0	✓
current affairs	adj + noun	thời sự	7.0	✓
bear little relation to	verb phrase	ít liên quan đến	8.0	✓
television bulletins	noun + noun	bản tin truyền hình	8.0	✓
shape private lives	verb phrase	định hình đời sống cá nhân	8.0	✓

Body Paragraph 1 — The tangible relevance of current affairs

Collocation	Form	Vietnamese	Band	Bài mẫu
does not withstand scrutiny	verb phrase	không đứng vững khi xem xét kỹ	8.0	✓
changes in tax rates	noun phrase	thay đổi thuế suất	7.0	✓
public health regulations	noun phrase	quy định y tế công cộng	8.0	✓
direct local consequences	noun phrase	hệ quả trực tiếp tại địa phương	8.0	✓
an oil-producing region	noun phrase	khu vực sản xuất dầu	7.0	✓
fuel and food prices	noun phrase	giá nhiên liệu và thực phẩm	7.0	✓
within weeks	prep phrase	trong vài tuần	7.0	✓
their circumstances	noun phrase	hoàn cảnh của họ	7.0	✓
the context for countless personal decisions	noun phrase	bối cảnh cho vô số quyết định cá nhân	8.0	✓
a neutral choice	adj + noun	lựa chọn trung lập	7.0	✓

Body Paragraph 2 — News as the foundation of informed citizenship

Collocation	Form	Vietnamese	Band	Bài mẫu
responsible citizenship	adj + noun	quyền công dân có trách nhiệm	8.0	✓
hold governments accountable	verb phrase	buộc chính phủ chịu trách nhiệm	8.0	✓
reliable journalism	adj + noun	báo chí đáng tin cậy	7.0	✓
investigative reporting	adj + noun	báo chí điều tra	8.0	✓
exposed corruption	verb + noun	phanh phui tham nhũng	8.0	✓
unsafe products	adj + noun	sản phẩm không an toàn	7.0	✓
hidden from the public	passive phrase	bị che giấu khỏi công chúng	7.0	✓
the sheer volume of	noun phrase	khối lượng khổng lồ của	8.0	✓
sensational content	adj + noun	nội dung giật gân	7.0	+
trustworthy sources	adj + noun	nguồn đáng tin	7.0	✓
well invested	adv + adj	được đầu tư xứng đáng	7.0	✓

Conclusion

Collocation	Form	Vietnamese	Band	Bài mẫu
In conclusion	linker	tóm lại	7.0	✓
a tangible impact	adj + noun	tác động hữu hình	8.0	✓
prices, policies and safety	noun phrase	giá cả, chính sách và an toàn	7.0	✓
an informed public	adj + noun	công chúng có hiểu biết	8.0	✓
those in power	noun phrase	những người nắm quyền	7.0	✓
the quality of news	noun phrase	chất lượng tin tức	7.0	✓

Useful structures

Not only + auxiliary + subject + verb, but … also … (inversion for emphasis)
Participle clause, + main clause (Having / Being / Faced with …)
It is + adj + that + clause (cleft / evaluative structure)
Were / Should + subject + verb, + would … (formal conditional)
Noun phrase + which / whose + clause (dense non-defining relative clause)
The more …, the more … (comparative correlative)

6Self-check before you submit

Task Response: Clear position (Strongly disagree) in the thesis, kept in both body paragraphs and restated in the conclusion; every reason is explained and supported by a realistic exampleCoherence & Cohesion: One reason per body paragraph, both supporting the same position; linkers In conclusion, For example, For instance, However, AdmittedlyLexical Resource: Topic collocations from the Language bank; paraphrase the key words of the question (the news, no connection to people's lives, a waste of time)Grammar: Wide range of complex structures (inversion, participle clauses, conditionals) used accurately and naturallyFit for band: Realistic examples, no invented statistics, about 290–320 words in total

7🔒 Model Essay (Band 8.0)

Hãy viết bài của em trước. Khi đủ 270 từ, ô mật khẩu sẽ mở — xin mật khẩu từ giáo viên để xem bài mẫu và so sánh.