IELTS Writing Task 2
Video Games: Good or Bad?
Essay Topic As seen in an IELTS test
Saudi Arabia, April 2012
海外大学教师谢振礼投稿


>Computer games are supported by some families because of their advantages, while other parents are against them. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Example Writing
By Jeenn Lee Hsieh


Healthy video games, like healthy diets, are good for children. There is continuing concern that playing violent video games may increase the risk of aggression in players, while less is discussed about the possibility that this activity, if properly monitored by parents, may promote certain positive developments. It may be advisable to reframe the debate in reference to potential costs and advantages.

Obviously, some families are over-worried about the bad effects on kids and teens who have the habit of playing video games, particularly those with violent (or adult) content. To start with, it may be true that children learn their attitudes about violence at a very young age and unfortunately these attitudes tend to last. It is possible that often boys rather than girls are taught to use fighting instead of self-control to handle problems or conflicts. Needless to say, most parents are increasingly aware of their children's poor school performance probably being linked to an addiction to heavily playing video games whose nature is unknown. What is more, it goes without saying that spending too much time in front of the screen is harmful to children both physically and mentally. Further, according to a number of unconfirmed research reports on behavior, some of these undesirable consequences might cause signs of fatigue during the day and nightmares during the night.

To no small an extent, many families actually support video games for having positive effects, including one known as visual-spatial cognition. For one thing, the dispute on video game violence has arguably been narrow in that it assumes that all video games would encourage violence. Contrary to this argument, playing video games may, among other things, help children to practice visual-spatial cognition, a skill needed to solve a math problem or complete a jigsaw puzzle. It should be noted that since few studies examine non-violent games specifically, it is easy to overlook the overall impact of these games. Apart from being entertaining and stress-relieving, many such games prove valuable as learning tools, at minimum related to visual-spatial abilities. Accordingly, to be on the safe side, it behooves parents and children alike to have a wise choice in whether to accept such positive values.

It can be seen that, more often than not, research findings about the effects of playing video games are biased, being focused only on the negative side, or making a claim by seeing some trees without having a wider perspective of the forest . For parents, therefore, the thing to do is to distinguish between good and bad video games, and to limit the screen time for the best interests of the younger generation. After all, video games are not unlike foods of different values; some are tasty and good for health while others, although tasty as well, are not suitable for immature minds.


Supporting Evidence to Prove a Thesis: 红色论证——支持主题
Reasons+Examples+Details=(RED) Evidence=理由(R)+例子(E)+细节(D).

真题大意：有些家庭赞成孩子玩电子游戏，另外有些父母却反对。讨论两种不同的立场，并提出你自己的观点。

（题外指示——说出你的理由，同时也从你个人的知识与经验中，举出任何相关的例子来正是你的道理何在。）

一。主题：你回答试题的立场就是主题：赞成玩电子游戏。
（作者偏向支持孩子玩电子游戏，因为有其教育价值，反驳反对者的看法窄小，尽是针对有暴力内涵的产品，等于以偏概全，所以立场站不住脚。）

二。结构：起(thesis)承(evidence)转(evidence)合(thesis)。组织3-6-6-3共18句，是为【隐形模板】。

三。内容：Introduction(申论主题)+Body A(红色论证)+Body B(红色论证)+Conclusion(重申主题)

起——申论主题》集中焦点》话分两头. 句子1-2-3 （倾向赞成）
承——支持主题（一头要点+红色论证）句子4-9 （反对立场）
转——支持主题（一头要点+红色论证）句子10-15 （赞成立场）
合——重申主题《还原焦点《二合为一. 句子18-17-16 （倾向赞成）


谢振礼老师讲解：

有关电子游戏对于儿童的负面影响，试题不断重现世界各地雅思考区。较多的真题提到有“暴力”内含的游戏，弊端种种，但是请注意这一题并没有出现“暴力”字眼。作者以为一般好玩的益智游戏，好处多多。这是答题的立场，也是这一篇范文的主题。

考题要求讨论正负两方面的观点，考生应该照章行文，不可以忘记检验相对的立场。也不可以忽略提出自己的看法。只有完整答题, 纳入逻辑连贯才能作文提分。当然，更重要的是英文的修辞效率，句法变化，字汇适当。除此之外，成功的议论文也必定具有精彩动人的"RED"论证(supporting evidence=reasons, examples, details)。

论证的内容大致落在中体的承段与转段。红色论证是为了支持主题的立场，少不了举出相关的理由，例子，细节。论证的资源来自个人的知识或经验，或阅读，或观察。假设资源不足，则辅以类比推理，利用抽象逻辑来证明立场。比方说，把健康的游戏比喻为健康食物，或把反对者的偏见比喻为见树不见林。诸如这种类比逻辑，不解自明。

议论文的主旨就是说服读者（考官），不明不白的论证方法只会令人莫名其妙，实际上毫无说服力，肯定难以服人。话又说回来，逻辑思维无非是作文的习惯，习惯成自然。英文文法的应用才真是像逆流行舟，力争上游。写作的船桨就是造句, 一桨一桨的往上划过多重山，则必能考试提分于不知不觉中。