Cambridge IELTS 15 Test 2 Writing Task 2: The Future of Print
Cambridge IELTS 15 · Test 2 · Academic Writing Task 2Opinion (agree or disagree)Technology
The statement claims that in the future nobody will buy printed books or newspapers, because people will be able to read everything they want online for free. Candidates must say to what extent they agree or disagree with this prediction.
The question
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. In the future, nobody will buy printed books or newspapers because they will be able to read everything they want online without paying? To what extent, do you agree or disagree with this statement? Write at least 250 words.
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How to read the question
- This is an opinion essay: To what extent do you agree or disagree requires a clear position in the introduction that stays consistent until the conclusion.
- The statement is absolute: nobody will buy printed books or newspapers. Extreme words like nobody and everything make it easy to challenge, and a strong or partial disagreement is a natural position.
- There are two separate claims to examine: that print will disappear, and that everything will be available online without paying. The second is questionable because publishers and newspapers increasingly use paywalls and subscriptions.
- Books and newspapers may have different futures. Printed newspapers have declined much faster than printed books, so distinguishing between them makes the answer more precise.
- The question is about the future, so use prediction language such as will, is likely to and may, but support it with present evidence and trends.
- Avoid drifting into a general essay on the advantages of the internet or on whether reading is declining.
Suggested position
Although online reading will continue to grow, I largely disagree with this prediction, because printed books and newspapers still offer advantages that screens cannot fully replace, and high-quality content is unlikely to be available online without payment.
Paragraph plan
- 1
Introduction
Paraphrase the claim that free online reading will make printed books and newspapers obsolete, then give a clear position: largely disagree, while accepting that digital reading will keep expanding, especially for news.
- 2
Body paragraph 1: why the prediction has some basis
Concede that many people already get news free on their phones, printed newspaper sales have fallen sharply, and e-books and online libraries make reading cheap and convenient. Newspapers are the most vulnerable.
- 3
Body paragraph 2: why print will survive and online will not be free
Argue that many readers prefer paper for comfort, concentration and less screen time; printed books are valued as gifts and collections, and children's books are mostly printed. Then explain that quality journalism and books cost money to produce, so publishers rely on paywalls, subscriptions and paid e-books.
- 4
Conclusion
Restate that printed material will become less common, especially newspapers, but will not disappear entirely, and that reading everything online for free is unrealistic.
Ideas and arguments
- News is already widely available free on websites and social media, and many local newspapers have stopped printing.
- E-readers and tablets can store thousands of books, which is convenient for travel and saves space.
- Online content is updated instantly, whereas a printed newspaper is out of date within hours.
- Many readers find paper easier on the eyes and better for deep concentration, and some prefer to limit screen time before sleep.
- Printed books have emotional and aesthetic value: people give them as gifts, collect them and keep them on shelves.
- Parents and schools often prefer printed picture books for young children.
- Writers, editors and journalists must be paid, so quality content is increasingly behind paywalls or sold as subscriptions and paid e-books.
- Free online content is often funded by advertising and may be less reliable than edited printed sources.
Band 8+ model answer
290 words · An original model answer written for ieltswrites, not an official answer. It stays in English, as in the exam.
It is sometimes predicted that printed books and newspapers will soon become obsolete, since people will be able to read whatever they want on the internet free of charge. While I accept that digital reading will continue to expand, I largely disagree with this view, as print still offers advantages that screens cannot fully replace, and high-quality content is unlikely ever to be entirely free.
Admittedly, there is some evidence to support the prediction, particularly in the case of newspapers. Many people now read the news on their phones each morning, and the circulation of printed papers has fallen so sharply that numerous local titles have stopped printing altogether. E-readers have also made books cheaper and more convenient, allowing travellers to carry an entire library in a single device.
However, the claim that nobody will buy printed material is far too sweeping. Many readers find paper more comfortable and easier to concentrate on, and with screen fatigue becoming a common complaint, some deliberately choose a physical book to switch off from their devices. Printed books also have a value beyond their content: they are given as gifts, collected and kept for years, and most parents still prefer paper picture books for young children. More importantly, the assumption that everything will be available online without payment ignores economic reality. Writers, editors and journalists must be paid, which is why a growing number of newspapers have introduced paywalls and digital subscriptions, and new books are rarely free in electronic form.
In conclusion, although printed newspapers in particular are likely to become less common, I do not believe that print will disappear completely. Paper and digital formats will probably coexist, and readers will continue to pay for quality content, whatever form it takes.
Why this answer scores highly
- Task Response
- The essay takes a clear position of largely disagreeing, concedes the strongest points for the statement, and challenges both parts of the claim, that print will disappear and that content will be free.
- Coherence and Cohesion
- The concession paragraph and the counter-argument paragraph each have a clear focus, and devices such as admittedly, however, more importantly and which is why link ideas logically.
- Lexical Resource
- Topic-specific vocabulary such as paywalls, circulation, quality journalism and screen fatigue is used accurately, and the question words are paraphrased as printed publications and digital formats.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- The answer uses future forms and modals of prediction, present perfect for current trends, relative clauses and conditional structures with accuracy and variety.
Useful vocabulary
- printed publications
- books, newspapers and magazines produced on paper
- digital format
- a form that can be read on a computer, phone or e-reader
- e-reader
- a small electronic device designed for reading books
- paywall
- a system that stops people reading online content unless they pay
- subscription
- a regular payment for continuing access to a service or publication
- obsolete
- no longer used because something newer has replaced it
- circulation
- the number of copies of a newspaper sold or distributed
- quality journalism
- carefully researched and edited news reporting
- screen fatigue
- tiredness of the eyes or mind from looking at screens for a long time
- tangible
- physical and able to be touched
- sweeping prediction
- a claim about the future that is too general or extreme
- coexist
- exist together at the same time
- in decline
- becoming smaller or less common
Common mistakes
- Ignoring the second half of the statement, that everything will be free online, and writing only about print versus screens.
- Accepting the extreme words nobody and everything without comment, instead of using them to show why the prediction is too sweeping.
- Treating books and newspapers as exactly the same, when the evidence suggests newspapers are declining much faster.
- Writing a general essay about the advantages and disadvantages of the internet rather than answering the prediction.
- Not stating a clear position, or saying both sides have merits without explaining to what extent you agree.
- Inventing precise statistics such as 80% of people no longer buy newspapers to support an argument.
Frequently asked questions
- Which Cambridge book is this question from?
- This question about whether people will stop buying printed books and newspapers because everything will be free online is Writing Task 2 of Test 2 in Cambridge IELTS 15 Academic, published in 2020.
- Do I need to discuss both books and newspapers?
- Yes, both are in the statement. You can treat them together, but noting that newspapers are declining faster than books makes your answer more precise and convincing.
- Can I completely agree with this statement?
- You can, but it is difficult to support because of the absolute words nobody and everything. A partial or strong disagreement is usually easier to argue with convincing examples.
- How many words should I write for this Task 2?
- Write at least 250 words; about 270-310 words is usually enough to develop your position fully in 40 minutes.
Free and timed, with a live word count, just like the computer-delivered test. Then get an instant AI band score.
The exam simulator runs on a computer. Open this page on a laptop or desktop to practise.