Some people think that mobile phones should be banned in schools. Do you agree or disagree?
Short answer
Yes — but with a limit. The strongest position is not "ban phones completely", but "phones must be off and out of sight during lessons". This gives you a clear thesis, two solid arguments and an easy counterargument to answer.
Model essay (≈200 words, exam level)
Almost every teenager now owns a smartphone, and schools are struggling to decide what to do about it. In my opinion, phones should not be banned completely, but they should be switched off and put away during lessons.
The main reason is that phones destroy concentration. Even a phone lying face down on the desk vibrates, lights up and pulls attention away from the teacher. A ban during lessons solves this: pupils can still contact their parents before and after school, but nothing competes with the explanation on the board.
Secondly, phones create unfairness and privacy problems. Not everyone can afford the latest model, and a ban removes that pressure. It also makes cheating in tests and filming classmates without permission much harder.
Opponents of a ban usually say that phones are useful learning tools and essential in an emergency. This is partly true, but a teacher can always allow a phone for a specific task, and in a real emergency the school office phone works just as well.
To sum up, a total ban would be impractical, but a ban during lessons is reasonable: it protects concentration, fairness and privacy while keeping the benefits of technology under the teacher's control.
Why it is built this way
| Part | Job | What I did |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Paraphrase the topic + thesis | "not banned completely, but off during lessons" — a position with a limit |
| Body 1 | Strongest argument + concrete example | concentration → phone vibrating on the desk |
| Body 2 | A different type of argument | social (money) + practical (cheating, filming) |
| Counterargument | Show the other side, then answer it | "This is partly true, but…" |
| Conclusion | Restate the thesis, no new ideas | repeats "concentration, fairness, privacy" |
The key principle: one idea per paragraph, each paragraph starts with a topic sentence and contains at least one specific detail.
Useful phrases
- Opinion: In my opinion… / I would argue that… / Personally, I believe…
- Adding: What is more… / Secondly… / Another point is that…
- Conceding: Admittedly… / This is partly true, but… / Opponents usually say that…
- Concluding: To sum up… / All things considered…
Avoid "In my opinion, I think" (one is enough) and avoid a list of arguments with no examples.
Check your own essay
- Is the thesis in the introduction and does the conclusion say the same thing?
- Does every paragraph have one clear idea, stated in its first sentence?
- Is there an example or detail for each argument?
- Is there a counterargument with a reply to it?
- 200–250 words, 4–5 paragraphs, linkers in each one?
How to do a similar task
- Choose your stance in one sentence (agree / disagree / partly).
- Brainstorm 2 arguments of different kinds — e.g. learning, health, money, safety, social life.
- Write the counterargument as "Some people say… This is partly true, but…"
- Fill the skeleton: intro → argument 1 → argument 2 → counter → conclusion.
Обсуждение
4 сообщенияМожно и 100 слов просто сделай
Можно и 100 слов просто сделай
Версия на ~100 слов
Almost every teenager has a smartphone today, and schools must decide how to deal with it. In my opinion, phones should not be banned completely, but they should be switched off during lessons. First, phones ruin concentration: even a silent phone on the desk distracts pupils from the teacher's explanation. Second, a lesson ban makes cheating and filming classmates much harder. Opponents say phones are useful for learning and emergencies, but a teacher can always allow them for a specific task, and the school office phone works in an emergency. To sum up, phones should be off in class, not banned completely.
97 слов — влезает в лимит «около 100».
Что осталось от полной версии: тезис с ограничением («не запрещать, а выключать»), два разных аргумента, короткий контраргумент с ответом и вывод. Убраны только третий аргумент (про деньги) и развёрнутые примеры.
Короткое эссе (~105 слов)
Almost every teenager owns a smartphone, and schools must decide what to do about it. In my opinion, phones should be switched off during lessons, though not banned completely.
Firstly, phones destroy concentration: a phone on the desk vibrates and pulls attention away from the teacher. Secondly, they create unfairness, because not everyone can afford the latest model, and they make cheating easier.
Some people say phones are useful for learning and in emergencies. This is partly true, but a teacher can allow a phone for a specific task, and the school office phone works in an emergency.
To sum up, a ban during lessons protects concentration and fairness.
Что осталось от большого варианта: своя позиция с ограничением («не запрещать совсем, а выключать на уроках»), два разных аргумента (концентрация + честность/равенство), ответ на контрдовод и вывод в одну строку.
Что убрано, чтобы уложиться в 100 слов: второй пример про съёмку на телефон, вступление-контекст и таблица. Логика не пострадала — можно сдавать в таком виде.
