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A for and against essay

A teen girl and boy work together on some schoolwork

Look at the essay and do the exercises to improve your writing skills.

Instructions

Do the preparation exercise first. Then do the other exercises.

Preparation

Reading

Reality TV shows are good entertainment

Reality shows are a very popular form of entertainment on TV nowadays. There are dozens of different types of programmes such as singing contests, cooking competitions or going to live in the jungle.

Firstly, I think that there is a lot of variety in reality TV. People at home can choose which types of programme they want to watch depending on what they are interested in. Some people like watching singing or cooking competitions while others prefer watching programmes about building houses or travelling around the world. In addition, reality TV programmes are a great opportunity to discover talented singers, dancers or chefs. Several people who take part in these programmes get jobs as a result of being on TV. Another advantage is that the people on the shows have interesting experiences and meet new people.

On the other hand, some people think that reality TV is an easy way for them to become famous. However, most successful singers, actors or chefs have worked hard all their lives and are good at their job because of their hard work. Also, sometimes the people on the shows have to do really difficult or dangerous things. The competitions are very hard and there is only one winner. Another disadvantage is that some programmes always follow the same format and this can be boring to watch.

To sum up, I think that reality TV is good entertainment. There is lots of variety which means there is something for everyone and they are interesting to watch.

Top Tips for writing

1. Start each paragraph with a word or phrase so the reader knows what to expect, for example Firstly, On the other hand or To sum up.

2. Link your sentences with these words: In addition; Another advantage is that; However; Also; Another disadvantage is that.

3. Organise your essay in paragraphs.

  • paragraph 1 – introduction
  • paragraph 2 – arguments for the subject
  • paragraph 3 – arguments against the subject
  • paragraph 4 – conclusion

Worksheets and downloads

A for and against essay - exercises945.25 KB
A for and against essay - answers293.66 KB
A for and against essay - essay786.07 KB
A for and against essay - writing practice497.45 KB
Discussion

What are your views on reality TV? Are these types of shows popular in your country?

Language level
B1 Intermediate
Topics
reality TV
the media
writing
Average: 3.4 (32 votes)
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Comments

Profile picture for user IneedGodinMylife

Submitted by IneedGodinMylife on Thu, 04/18/2024 - 11:49

I think that someone should offer me to go on a reality tv show!

Submitted by pomelo on Mon, 03/20/2023 - 15:36

Reality TV doesn't have a script or set-up, just nature in it, I think reality TV is also quite popular in Vietnam

Submitted by FranklyWrittenWrong on Fri, 07/22/2022 - 03:42

I regularly watch reality TV shows when I am bored, regularly the more competitive ones.
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Submitted by anyaaa on Tue, 06/28/2022 - 10:20

I watch reality TV when I'm bored. I don't know how many reality shows there are in my country
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Submitted by bookishgirl on Fri, 04/01/2022 - 08:02

Reality shows are quite popular among especially young people. Almost every channel has a reality show. However are these shows good enough to watch? Firstly, reality shows are a part of amusement area. They enjoy us when we watch. Secondly, they have a reality point that can be seen on daily life. In addition, while watching them, we enjoy more than fictions. Because we feel like we watch our lifes. On the other hand, reality shows can be nonsuitable at some points. Firstly, reality shows can be extremely unreal sometimes. Furthermore, audience imagine to be witness of such anormal events and when they do not, they become disappointed. Secondly, reality shows' actors need to do very hard duties to deserve their well paid occupation. Thirdly, reality shows can be unsuitable for young people. Although they usually show over eighteen scenes, they are presented to all family members. All things considered, although reality shows has its benefits, I think that reality shows are not good enough to watch. Because they are presented as suitable for family despite their bad effects.

Submitted by Rhylan on Sun, 04/10/2022 - 12:11

What are your views on reality TV? Are these types of shows popular in your country? Reality TV in these days are very common activities who people do in free time. Does not mater in every country this is very popular. Yes in my country too. People are obssessed from realily show. Every evening my family watched this kind of shows. Personaly I don't believe in this shows, because this is not possible to stay without food or hause in bad whether or I don't know. But people have different eyes point.

Submitted by TheNewGuy on Mon, 07/05/2021 - 10:13

I think reality TV and TV in general has lost popularity since the rise of the Internet. It is much more convenient to go on Google and look up something you're interested in than to cycle through dozens of TV channels trying to find your favorite show. I do still think TV is a better platform than the Internet, especially when it comes to preventing misinformation and collection of personal data, which is why I think it will stay as a popular but somewhat niche source of entertainment and information.

Submitted by cedfil97 on Tue, 06/15/2021 - 09:33

I Don't have time to watch tv and I think it's boring to watch tv but I do it anywase. I watch the show called Svenska Hollywood fruar "Swedish Hollywood wifes" and its and disaster, poorly made.
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Submitted by Kostantinus on Sat, 01/30/2021 - 11:55

I am not familiar with any reality shows in Ukraine, because usually I don't watch a TV. I have a lot of things to do such as studing, learning English and computer science. I also have hobbies such as singing, jogging, boxing and athletics. So as you see I don't have time to watch reality shows on TV. Even if I would have had more free time, I hadn't watched it, because I think it's waisting my time.

Submitted by Msharymnn on Fri, 10/16/2020 - 15:11

playing video games are good envoriment video games doesn't have a good repetion because they always say bad things about it that is not ture video games can educate you even parents can use video games to let thier children do something like study and then you will play video games and something like that so video games are very good for enviorment

Submitted by Msharymnn on Fri, 10/16/2020 - 14:35

Bicycle is one of the best vehicles in the replace for its various aspects. The bicycle is made of two wheels, which consisting two tiers and tubes an iron frame. It has a paddle, handle, and brake to increase and decrease its speed. It has a seat cover and seat on which a rider sits and drives it. Sitting on the seat one has to press on the paddle, which is confined by a chain. Its driving system is very easy and maximum person of our country can drive it easier than other vehicles. It has a bell to aware the other passersby on the road. It costs a little and does not pollute the air. On a busy road in either town or rural area, we can drive it easily for having its brake. This is very useful for the service holders in the undeveloped area, where other vehicles will not be driven. We can buy it easily and its expense is too trifling. Sometimes a bicycle provides more than one to move on. It has a career, which contains our luggage. This can be driven in any place of the country so the rider must be conscious about its use. In a rural area, people do not know the rule of traffic and they move haphazardly on the road. Sometimes its tier and tube may burst then some money requires rules for repairing it. Man, of all ages, can drive it for their purposes. In villages, the students of schools and colleges like it very much. They feel interested in riding the bicycle. Village doctors and mail carrier use it for their service. Therefore, the bicycle is the very beneficial and useful vehicle, which makes no harm to our environment.

Submitted by emanuellyfurriel on Thu, 09/10/2020 - 14:14

Firstly, I like to watch some reality TV shows, especially if they are entertaining or humorous. The participants often get a new network of friends and they can also gain experiences or even gifts such as money, travels or even fame. In addition, lots of people approve them where I live, in Brazil. One of the most famous is called "Big Brother Brasil" and the players need to survive for approximately three months locked in a house. Since it frequently occurs arguments and challenges, it can be enjoyable and funny.

Submitted by Mamou1 on Fri, 08/14/2020 - 09:38

Good morning British council. .I encountered a problem with the comment. Yesterday I wrote a comment for this exercise "A Pros and Against Test" and I submitted they said your comment is awaiting moderation this is quite normal for this to happen when you write a new comment. before posting you need to check. the problem is when I open the British Council this morning I did not see my comment it is as if it had disappeared. I want to know if it is you who did not post it or it is a problem at my level because it is the second time that it happens. last week i also did an exercise and wrote a comment for reading skills the same happened. since I did not know what to do at the time, I decided to redo the same exercise and rewrite the same comment I still post and the next day my comment was posted. So when it happened this time again, I decided to write to you because it doesn't happen often. So I hope you can help me solve the problem and if I have to rewrite the comment there is no problem because I want to improve in English so writing these comments and doing the exercises helps me a lot Thank you for your help I await your answer.
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Submitted by JoModerator on Fri, 08/14/2020 - 15:45

Hi Mamou,

Thank you for posting comments on LearnEnglish Teens. Don't worry, it's quite normal if you don't see your comment immediately, or even for up to 48 hours.

Our team needs to read all of the comments before they are published, to make sure that the site stays safe for our users. Sometimes we have a lot of comments to check and it may take us some time. Thanks for your patience!

 

Best wishes

Jo (LearnEnglish Teens team)

Submitted by Mamou1 on Mon, 08/17/2020 - 09:10

Good morning Jo Thank you very much for your answer. And thank you for all those thing you did to helps us improve our English .

Submitted by Mamou1 on Thu, 08/13/2020 - 10:17

Reality TV like all the people says is a good entertainment Shows that if you watch you can laugh, cry, disgusted etc..... but is it always a good entertainment? Firstly, reality TV for me is a good entertainment. mostly the singing competition like Voice kids or revolution where I can see talented people giving all they have to be the champions it's really incredible. Then, reality TV is a way for the competitors to being famous. For example, if you are a singer, you sing in front of a lots of people. So, this people can see what you got, how your voice is amazing, and mostly you have a coach who can coaching you to helps you improve your skill to being a good singer. However, reality TV can be really boring and weird if the people do not know how to control themselves for example it can turn into collective quarrels, fights, argue insult that can question the image of the person. because as the name suggests "'reality," it's your real life, your habits ect . In addition, reality TV is a good opportunity to show your capacity, to be famous, to entertain people, but you need to be really careful because there is a camera.

Submitted by yeseniazr on Tue, 05/26/2020 - 23:25

Reality shows are very popular in my country. There are different types of reality shows, like singing and cooking competitions, documentaries, lifestyle where they do house renovations, etc. Firstly I like reality shows a lot, I watch them on netflix. Cooking competitions are my favorite ones. There is a reality show that is called ‘Sugar Rush’ where different couple teams make cakes, cupcakes and desserts against time. And the winner couple gets 10,000 dollars. Also, I like to watch “Cuarto Elemento” It’s a competition where they do a lot of extreme challenges like eat insects and get in a box full of snakes. I would like to be in a cooking competition, because I like baking and cake decoration a lot. An advantage would be that I would earn money and I probably get famous. A disavantage would be that if I lose, I would get embarrased.

Submitted by Miguelsec45 on Mon, 05/18/2020 - 18:24

know new things and talented people. They sometimes helps to boost my mood. Reality TV shows are now growing in my country. I like reality shows mainly of cars,fashion, cooking and dare games! That's it up0

Submitted by rain_ran_r on Wed, 04/29/2020 - 02:11

Now, because of the virous, we all stay at home and have online classes, comparing the online classes with school classes, I think school is a better place you can learn knowledge and urge each other to learn. You will meet many kinds of people and make friends in school. And also, it will help us manage our time wisely. Firstly, I think the school is full of knowledge. Teachers in school teach us useful method which will help us solve questions. They will assign works to help us understand the lessons they teach us better. At the same time, teacher supervises us finish the works on time and answer questions we have in the lesson. Also, students can focus their attention better. On the other hand, in the US, we have people from everywhere, Asia, Europe, and Africa. In making friend with them, we could know better with each other by sharing our cultures, religion beliefs, foods, etc. We can learn a lot from sharing and also, we can learn new things. School help us managing our time. They have exact timeline for school day, what time student have first class, second class...to when students leave school. It helps us combine exertion and rest, let us have a sense of time, so we could manage our time perfectly in future. To sum up, I think school is a better place to study, there are lots we could learn and help each other.

Submitted by grinch on Tue, 04/28/2020 - 06:18

I think this essay fully shows my opinion about reality shows. I agree with everything that is said in it. Sometimes I like to reality shows because it can be very interesting and funny.

Submitted by katya_12 on Mon, 04/27/2020 - 08:37

As for me, reality TV is quite entertaining. It's a great way to relax or forget about your troubls . It also can be really educational. If you watch cooking, travelling programmes, you can get to know a lot of new things about the world. These kinds of TV shows are extremely popular in my country, especially singing competitions and talent shows.

Submitted by Oxyr1s on Mon, 04/27/2020 - 05:25

As for my opinion, reality TV is very strange and I can never understand it. In my country reality shows are not very popular, but there are a lot of types of them.

Submitted by Goldenman765 on Mon, 04/27/2020 - 00:55

Nowadays, it is very popular to watch TV. Sometimes, it is very interesting and funny, but sometimes it is very boring. I like watching TV. First of all, the TV raises the mood and can be useful, for example, when watching documentaries or films about animals, etc. In my country, it is very to watch news on the first channel and the health program. On the other hand, scary movies can be shown on TV and this may not suit everyone. In conclusion, I want to say that despite the disadvantages of watching TV, you can learn a lot of new things when you watch it.

Submitted by peachygirl on Mon, 04/06/2020 - 09:42

Many people like to watch TV shows. Sometimes it is very interesting and funny, but also it can be boring and bad. My family like shows about cooking, adventures and sports programs. First of all, I think that TV shows it is cool because they make people fun and people can spend their free time. Also TV shows can be informative, for example: shows about natural world, science and many others things. On the other hand, TV shows can be bad and not interesting. For example, there are a lot of same shows, and it is not interesting. Also there are a lot of bad shows, where people can make strange things. To sum up, I think that TV shows can be as good and bad. It is up to their content. Watch TV shows what you like and be happy!

Submitted by dikle on Wed, 02/26/2020 - 17:54

In my country Reality TV shows aren't popular.Firstly, Reality TV show is very hard for people who take a part in it. In addition, some of them is dangerous, you may hurt yourself.On the other hand, performer can win prize.One of advantages of Reality shows is a viewer will be interested in it. To sum up, Reality TV show is fun to watch.

Submitted by Makam on Mon, 02/03/2020 - 17:00

I don't watch reality TV. However, in my country there are many of them.

Submitted by Elife on Sun, 02/02/2020 - 22:01

I don't usually watch reality TV, but I watch when I'm bored. In my country, the reality TV shows are popular.

Submitted by lancer on Wed, 11/20/2019 - 20:23

Money I am writing about money. Doese the people live for making money or earn money for living? Firstly, money is necessary for our life. Yep, It's right. Without money, we can't buy anything, can't go to place where we want, because we don't have the ticket to there. In addition, we can't eat. Also we can't work study. so we can never do all... On the other hands, It's said that money should be thought of as a stone. Money is a bad thing that currupts human. There are some people around which can do anything including crime. To sum up briefly, We need money but money isn't everything.

Submitted by Thu on Mon, 07/01/2019 - 05:53

In my views, reality TV shows are fun to watch.. Especially among teenagers like me. In my country, they like to watch a show that can entertain them and inspire them. For me, I love to watch a show called Running Man.

Submitted by khatch_shah on Sat, 01/26/2019 - 13:27

Good.
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Submitted by Youjiro on Wed, 01/16/2019 - 12:59

I like reality TV show . I watch "X Factor" on Youtube because TV company doesn't broadcast reality TV show. reality TV show was gone in 90's.However I love reality TV show .X Factor find new talented people , such as singer ,dancer ,performer . Firstly I think X Factor make drama that people excited develop new talent . We want to see new talented performer . In addition reality TV program teach us effort is best way to get success and it need everything . Another advantage is that people who watching TV come up with some new idea from TV. On the other hand ,we used to reality TV shows. witch mean people thing it is boring .TV program is same routing every time . However , performer makes difference and give us new idea . Another disadvantage is that , performer is always attend TV but some performer is not fun . to sum up I think reality TV is good TV program. I'd like to watch original reality TV show .
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Submitted by Samduykhanh on Wed, 06/06/2018 - 09:30

What does "Another advantage is that" mean?
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Submitted by Batgirl on Mon, 04/02/2018 - 18:24

I don't usually watch reality TV, but I think it's good to watch when you're bored. However, I don't like reality shows because some of them are foolish and they don't give you nice example.
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Submitted by KirGil on Thu, 02/15/2018 - 12:53

Hello! My favourite reality show is "Heads and Tails". Every weekend, the two presenters go to different cities in the world. According to the rules of program one of them has to live two days with only 100$, while the second has unlimited amount of money, which located on the golden card. Every time to decide who will live like a millionaire and who will learn to survive, they toss coin. This show is about different countries in the world and shows two different ways of life. Every episode the presenter with $100 tells how to save money and at the same time to have fun, and the rich one hides $100 somewhere in the city, which is visited, at the bottle for our tourists. Also, it is the most popular show in my country.
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