Many students ask: “can I write an essay which is in the same topic area but not directly related to the topic?” Well, the answer is no! You will lose marks if your essay doesn’t answer the question because it will be off topic.
The IELTS Most Common Topics ebook is full of ideas and vocabulary for 36 of the most common topic areas in the IELTS test – but you must choose only the relevant information for your essay.
Just because a question is related to technology, for example, does not mean that any essay about technology would be relevant.
Look at the difference between these two topics:
“Technology has an increasingly important impact on modern day life. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of this development.”
“In the past, lectures were the traditional method of teaching large numbers of students. Nowadays, technology is being used to teach students. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this new approach?”