Task 2 · · 18 samples

An increasing number of people are choosing to have cosmetic surgery in order to improve their appearance. Why do people have operations to change the way they look? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

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Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

Ideas to explore

  • Explain how cultural or spiritual beliefs, including beliefs about luck, can influence decisions about facial features.
  • Discuss the potential benefits of improved confidence and surgery following an accident or medical condition.
  • Balance those benefits against medical risks and pressure to conform to a narrow beauty ideal.

Suggested structure

  1. Introduce the trend and state a qualified overall opinion.
  2. Explain key motivations, linking cultural beliefs and social beauty standards to the decision to have surgery.
  3. Present benefits with a personal-confidence example and a medical or reconstructive example.
  4. Discuss risks and social pressure, then conclude by stating the conditions under which the development is positive.
Useful vocabulary & examples
evolving beauty standards
Changing social expectations about what appearance is considered attractive.

Evolving beauty standards can influence how people judge their own appearance.

feel compelled to
Feel strongly pressured or obliged to do something.

Some people feel compelled to change their appearance to meet a narrow ideal.

realistic expectations
Beliefs about likely outcomes that are sensible and achievable.

Patients should have realistic expectations before deciding on cosmetic surgery.

reinforce insecurity
Make a person’s doubts or lack of confidence stronger.

A procedure may reinforce insecurity if it is chosen mainly to satisfy social pressure.

Sample answers

AI-completed learning example

350 words · Illustrative target band

The majority of people favor surgical procedures that might improve their appearance as per their expectations. In my opinion, while every situation has a beneficial and adverse effect, cosmetic surgery should not be a preference as it does not make people appreciate their natural features and several surgeries can go incorrect in the process. Although some individuals hope for more confidence, social pressure remain…

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AI-completed learning example

343 words · Illustrative target band

It is widely acknowledged that plastic surgery has proliferated relentlessly in recent years. In the light of this, more and more individuals opting to undergo surgical operations pursuit of ideal physical appearances has emerged as a general topic of interest. In this answer, I will look at both pros and cons of this tendency before reaching an overall judgement. One reason is that people compare themselves with id…

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AI-completed learning example

348 words · Illustrative target band

The decision to undergo cosmetic surgery is increasingly prevalent as individuals seek to enhance their aesthetic appeal. This essay explores the rationale behind this growing trend and considers whether this is a positive or negative development. The primary motivation leading individuals to consider cosmetic surgery is the quest to boost their self-confidence. In contemporary society, people often compare their fea…

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