IELTS Writing Task 2
Video Games: Good or Bad?
Essay Topic As seen in an IELTS test
Saudi Arabia, April 2012
海外大學教師謝振禮投稿


>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: 紅色論證——支持主題
Reasons+Examples+Details=(RED) Evidence=理由(R)+例子(E)+細節(D).

真題大意：有些家庭贊成孩子玩電子游戲，另外有些父母卻反對。討論兩種不同的立場，并提出你自己的觀點。

（題外指示——說出你的理由，同時也從你個人的知識與經驗中，舉出任何相關的例子來正是你的道理何在。）

一。主題：你回答試題的立場就是主題：贊成玩電子游戲。
（作者偏向支持孩子玩電子游戲，因為有其教育價值，反駁反對者的看法窄小，盡是針對有暴力內涵的產品，等于以偏概全，所以立場站不住腳。）

二。結構：起(thesis)承(evidence)轉(evidence)合(thesis)。組織3-6-6-3共18句，是為【隱形模板】。

三。內容：Introduction(申論主題)+Body A(紅色論證)+Body B(紅色論證)+Conclusion(重申主題)

起——申論主題》集中焦點》話分兩頭. 句子1-2-3 （傾向贊成）
承——支持主題（一頭要點+紅色論證）句子4-9 （反對立場）
轉——支持主題（一頭要點+紅色論證）句子10-15 （贊成立場）
合——重申主題《還原焦點《二合為一. 句子18-17-16 （傾向贊成）


謝振禮老師講解：

有關電子游戲對于兒童的負面影響，試題不斷重現世界各地雅思考區。較多的真題提到有“暴力”內含的游戲，弊端種種，但是請注意這一題并沒有出現“暴力”字眼。作者以為一般好玩的益智游戲，好處多多。這是答題的立場，也是這一篇范文的主題。

考題要求討論正負兩方面的觀點，考生應該照章行文，不可以忘記檢驗相對的立場。也不可以忽略提出自己的看法。只有完整答題, 納入邏輯連貫才能作文提分。當然，更重要的是英文的修辭效率，句法變化，字匯適當。除此之外，成功的議論文也必定具有精彩動人的"RED"論證(supporting evidence=reasons, examples, details)。

論證的內容大致落在中體的承段與轉段。紅色論證是為了支持主題的立場，少不了舉出相關的理由，例子，細節。論證的資源來自個人的知識或經驗，或閱讀，或觀察。假設資源不足，則輔以類比推理，利用抽象邏輯來證明立場。比方說，把健康的游戲比喻為健康食物，或把反對者的偏見比喻為見樹不見林。諸如這種類比邏輯，不解自明。

議論文的主旨就是說服讀者（考官），不明不白的論證方法只會令人莫名其妙，實際上毫無說服力，肯定難以服人。話又說回來，邏輯思維無非是作文的習慣，習慣成自然。英文文法的應用才真是像逆流行舟，力爭上游。寫作的船槳就是造句, 一槳一槳的往上劃過多重山，則必能考試提分于不知不覺中。