How to read the question

• This is a two-part question, so both parts need a full answer: the reasons why children use smartphones for so long, and your opinion on whether this is positive or negative.
• The first part asks for causes, not effects. Reasons might include cheap and widely available phones, apps designed to be addictive, parents wanting to stay in contact and the social pressure to be online.
• The second part asks for a clear judgement. Positive or negative development means you must decide which it is overall, even if you accept that there are some benefits.
• The key words are children and hours every day. The question is about heavy daily use by children, not about smartphones in general or adults' use of technology.
• A clear structure is to give one body paragraph to the reasons and one to your evaluation, and to state both your causes and your opinion briefly in the introduction.
• Avoid spending most of the essay on solutions such as banning phones in schools; a brief recommendation in the conclusion is enough because solutions are not asked for.

Suggested position

Children now spend long periods on their smartphones mainly because the devices are easily available, designed to hold their attention and central to their social lives, and on balance I consider this a negative development.

Paragraph plan

1. 1

   Introduction

   Paraphrase the situation that many children spend several hours a day on their phones, then say that you will explain why and that you believe it is mainly a negative development.

2. 2

   Body paragraph 1: why this happens

   Give three reasons: phones are cheap and parents provide them for safety and contact, apps and games are deliberately designed to keep users online through notifications and rewards, and children increasingly socialise through group chats and social media.

3. 3

   Body paragraph 2: why it is mainly negative

   Concede that educational apps and contact with friends can be useful, then explain the greater harms: less time for outdoor play, reading and sport, disrupted sleep, and exposure to cyberbullying and unrealistic images that can affect self-esteem.

4. 4

   Conclusion

   Summarise the reasons and repeat that the trend is negative overall, adding briefly that parents and schools should set limits on daily use.

Ideas and arguments

• Smartphones have become cheaper, so many children receive one at a young age, often because parents want to contact them and know where they are.
• Apps, games and video platforms are designed to be addictive, using notifications, rewards and endless scrolling to keep young users engaged.
• Much of children's social life now takes place in group chats and on social media, so children without phones may feel left out.
• Busy parents sometimes use phones to keep children quiet and occupied, which turns long screen time into a habit.
• On the positive side, educational apps and online videos can support learning, for example in languages or revision.
• Hours of screen time replace physical activity, outdoor play and reading, which can affect fitness and concentration.
• Using phones late at night disrupts sleep, which is important for children's development and performance at school.
• Social media can expose children to cyberbullying and unrealistic comparisons with others, which may contribute to anxiety and low self-esteem.

Band 8+ model answer

298 words · An original model answer written for ieltswrites, not an official answer. It stays in English, as in the exam.

Why this answer scores highly

Task Response

Both questions are answered fully: one paragraph explains three clear reasons and another gives a consistent, well-supported judgement that the development is negative, with the position signalled in the introduction and confirmed in the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion

The essay follows the order of the two questions, each body paragraph has a clear topic sentence, and sequencing and contrast signals such as firstly, finally, admittedly and however make the progression clear.

Lexical Resource

Topic-specific vocabulary such as absorbed in, endless scrolling, excluded, disrupts sleep and self-esteem is used precisely, and the word smartphone is often replaced with devices or phones to avoid repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

The answer combines passive forms, relative clauses, so that clauses of purpose and concessive structures, with accurate use of tenses and articles throughout.

Useful vocabulary

screen time

the amount of time spent looking at a phone, tablet, computer or television

addictive

making people want to keep doing something and find it hard to stop

endless scrolling

continuously moving through online content that never ends

notifications

alerts on a phone that tell the user about new messages or activity

peer pressure

pressure from people of the same age to behave in a similar way

feel left out

feel excluded from a group or activity

sedentary lifestyle

a way of life involving a lot of sitting and little physical activity

disrupt sleep

prevent someone from sleeping well or for long enough

cyberbullying

bullying that happens through phones, messages or social media

self-esteem

the confidence and value a person feels about themselves

attention span

the length of time a person can concentrate on something

set limits on

put controls on how much of something is allowed

on balance

after considering all the facts and arguments

Common mistakes

• Answering only one part, for example giving a long opinion about whether smartphones are good or bad without explaining why children use them so much.
• Explaining effects in the first body paragraph when the question asks why, which mixes up causes and consequences.
• Failing to say clearly whether the development is positive or negative, or giving a different answer in the introduction and conclusion.
• Writing about technology or the internet in general instead of children spending hours on smartphones every day.
• Spending a whole paragraph on solutions, which are not asked for and take space away from the two required parts.
• Using invented statistics, such as 90% of children are addicted to phones, which sounds unreliable and does not improve the score.

Frequently asked questions

Which Cambridge book is this question from?

This question about why some children spend hours every day on their smartphones and whether this is positive or negative is Writing Task 2 of Test 2 in Cambridge IELTS 17 Academic, published in 2022.

How many paragraphs should I write for this two-part question?

Four paragraphs work well: an introduction, one body paragraph explaining the reasons, one giving your opinion on whether it is positive or negative, and a conclusion.

Can I say it is both positive and negative?

You can mention both sides, but you should decide which is stronger overall, for example that it is mainly negative despite some educational benefits. Leaving the judgement unclear weakens Task Response.

How many words should I write for this Task 2?

Write at least 250 words; about 270-310 words is usually enough to answer both questions fully in 40 minutes.