GT Writing Task 2 / Essay Sample # 98
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of three of the following as media for communicating information. State which you consider to be the most effective.
- comics
- books
- radio
- television
- film
- theatre
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answer:
Media plays a paramount role in communicating information. There are several media such as comics, books, radio, television, film and theatre to name but a few. This essay will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of books, film and television, and then state that television is a relatively efficient form of communicating information.
Books are great for communicating information. They allow readers to imagine the backdrop, situation, characters and their disposition. That is to say that books allow readers to become a part of the story as they have insight into the characters’ feelings and thoughts. Books also convey information from generation to generation. However, with books, there is no special effect or sound to make it appealing to ordinary readers. With the films, on the other hand, viewers can easily understand all the character’s perspectives and see facial expressions as well. But movies leave viewers little imagination. In short, while reading book spurs our imagination, a film helps us visualize everything.
In my opinion, however, television exceeds all other media in terms of its importance as the media for communicating information. It can reach to a large number of mass people. And people form opinions on many issues by watching programmes and news on TV. Besides, it is a robust medium for governments to disseminate information to the mass population. Moreover, many programmes broadcast people’s view on controversial topics, which in turn helps governments formulate policy. On the contrary, television suffers from two major drawbacks – many a time, governments transmit politically biased messages so as to control people and many television programmes expose violence, thereby desensitizing society.
To conclude, books, movies, and televisions have both positive and negative impacts as media. And taking everything into consideration, television is the most powerful medium for circulating information.