TOEFL iBT, Independent Writing, Change or Stability? -rewrite-

Writing Topic

There are some people who like adventure and new experiences. They are not afraid to take risks, and they enjoy change in their lives. Other people prefer stable and predictable lifestyles. They do not often change their habits, and they value safety. Compare these two approaches to life. Which approach do you prefer? Explain why.

☆Let’s think

This writing topic has three parts: 1) premises  2) a direction 3) a question.

1)    Premises: Introduction of two types of approaches to life: adventurous or safety-oriented.

2)    The direction: You are required to deal with both types and compare them.

3)    The question: The question is about your “preference” not “objective judgment.” Therefore, you can be subjective as well as objective when you make your choice.

In reality, an individual’s life is usually a mixture of both approaches. You try to protect what you have while you sometimes want change. Thus to not choose and to explain why you do not might be a way to answer a choice question while committing either would make the essay more interesting as this writing topic can be interpreted as a question about your view of life. Answering this type of question is like answering a friend’s question about your choice between a free bird and a pet dog as your reincarnation. You are expected to show what kind of person you are by your choice.

It might be a help to think of a specific choice like one between studying abroad and accepting a job you liked during the internship. Studying abroad would be exciting. You would meet new people with various backgrounds and visit many places as well as advancing your academic background but there is no guarantee that you can get a good job when you come home. You might lose contact with many of your friends and acquaintances. On the other hand, accepting the job promises stability of your life. You can make plans for the future, save money for retirement, and spend extra money to enjoy life. You can build long-lasting good relationships with the people in your company while maintaining relationships you already have. However, as is often the case, you might feel a little bored with the predictable nature of your life. You may regret that you did not take the chance twenty years from now.

☆Hints for points

♦Adventurous approach to life: varieties of experiences, encounters with many different kinds of people, strong interest in new things, life full of excitement and surprise, introducing new things into society, making unexpected discoveries, flexible, tolerant toward different ideas and tastes, progressive, often misunderstood by others, full of danger and loss, “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”

♦Safety-oriented approach to life: safe and peaceful life, focused on protecting the environment they are in, know one thing/person really well, skeptical of new things, can miss opportunities, old-fashioned, can be considered boring, cannot adapt to inevitable changes, You cannot say that you are really living if you keep avoiding new things: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” (Neale Donald Walsch)

♦Decisive reason for your preference: way of life (offensive / defensive), character (active / passive), role model (family member, the person you admire, famous people)

☆One-paragraph essay

Sample 1

【Introduction = Main Idea = Outline】 I welcome changes by nature.

【Adventurous approach to life】 Adventurous life is exciting but involves taking risks.

【Safety-oriented approach to life】 Living cautiously and steadily is wise but it could leave you behind time.

【Your preference】As for me, changes and adventure make me feel alive.

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】Appreciating changes would help make life more enjoyable.

Sample 2

【Introduction = Main Idea = Outline】 Ordinary life is what is most precious in today’s world.

【Reason 1】 I am an average individual who is happy to follow others.

【Reason 2】 Today’s world can throw you into a precarious life easily.

【About the other choice and my view about it】Sometimes I have an itch for changes, but I do not think following the desire is wise. Also, there are many ways to pacify such urges.

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】 Considering the circumstance I am in, I would not take a risk.

Your essay structure notes

Form 1

【Introduction = Main Idea = Outline】

【Adventurous approach to life】

【Safety-oriented approach to life】

【Your preference】

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】

Form 2

【Introduction = Main Idea = Outline】

【Reason 1】

【Reason 2】

【About the other choice and my view about it】

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】

☆Essay for ideas and expressions

It is true that some people have a more positive attitude toward change and anticipation of danger than others, who put more effort into maintaining what they already have. I think both are reasonable approaches to life, but I consider myself more on the side of the former because I cannot help trying something new by nature.

Adventurous people approach changes like a child spotting a new ride in an amusement park. They want to get the most out of life and feel that staying the same is the end of life. They are usually very interesting people and have the strength and grace of a person who has dared to take risks. They often bring about change to society. Entrepreneurs, explorers and probably the first humans who used fire are people of this kind. They contribute to evolution and revolution.

People who stick to their habits and value safety and stability can avoid big mistakes and embarrassment. They never gamble and lose money. They never stand out and become a target of bullying. These people are keenly aware of the negative effects of changes and human weakness―well-intentioned new attempts often go awry like the failure of communism in Russia. Their priority is to protect what has been proved secure and beneficial. They help retain culture and tradition.

Of course there are drawbacks in both approaches to life. Adventurous people often face great dangers and losses like bankruptcy or death, while safety-oriented people tend to lose opportunities, for luck and fun are often in the new and strange. In either case, whether you feel that you are really alive with the approach or not might count, and it seems to depend on personalities. Some find true joy of life in peaceful and warm everyday life, others feel alive only when facing something novel.

As for me, changes and adventure make me feel alive. I become full of energy and enthusiasm when changes come to my life and repetition makes me start thinking about something else. A new job always makes me focused and when I have established the routine of the work, I cannot stand following it and before I know I alter some part of it. I enjoy seeing more and more foreigners coming into my country just because they are people I am not familiar with, and I am all for new ideas and systems if I find them fundamentally good. In fact, if I could, I would keep traveling around the world or working for new projects of good causes.

Nothing stays the same forever. The essence of life is change. Then appreciating changes, rather than fearing or just accepting them, would help make life more enjoyable. Taking one step further and risking one’s existence in something for a good purpose, no matter how tiny an experiment it might be, will open the door to a meaningful moment of life.