TOEFL, iBT, Independent Writing,Technology can bring us more leisure time. -rewrite-

Writing Topic

Consider the following statement. Technology can bring us more leisure time. Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Support your response by including specific reasons and examples.

☆Let’s Think

(1) Let’s compare the following two sentences. What is the difference of what they mean?

1)　Technology has brought us more leisure time.

2)　Technology can bring us more leisure time.

(2) Name cases that technology has brought us more leisure time.

(3) Name cases that technology has not brought us more leisure time.

☆Hints for Points

Agree: It is society that keeps us busy. Technology has already freed us from most manual labor, and most people should have plenty of leisure time by now.

Disagree: However developed technology people may have, they use it to work more. Thus, technology has no power to increase our free time.

☆Essay Structure

A sample following the structure above

【Introduction = Outline】　Although it is not always the case in reality, I think it can be said that technology can increase our leisure time.

【Point 1】Electronic appliances shorten the time we spend for household work.

e.g. preparing for meals

【Point 2】Transportation provides possibility for leisure activities.

e.g. children in Africa who walk to school for three hours one-way

【Point 3 / Counterargument-treatment】Some claim that technology can even cause less leisure time such as transportation making it possible for students to go to cram schools after school or cellphone increasing calls from work place, but the problem is in the society or our values not in the technology itself. Even a microwave oven can be the cause of less leisure time for a devoted homemaker who diligently pursues better cooking whenever possible.

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】It is possible for technology to help us make spare time if we intend to do it.

♦Your Sample Essay Structure

【Introduction = Outline】

【Point 1】

【Point 2】

【Point 3 / Counterargument-treatment】

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】

☆Paragraph development

A paragraph of the body of an essay often develops its main idea as follows:

【Main Idea】Transportation provides possibility for leisure activities.

【Explanation】 Technology enables one to arrive at the destination faster than otherwise and leaves time for other activities.

【Detail / Example】 For example, the public transportation allows people to move around town more quickly and get their business done a few hours earlier than they do without it.

【More Specific Detail / Example】This is especially true with frail people. If an old person who has difficulty in walking needs to go to a hospital, he or she can take a bus or train to get there, come back by the time it gets dark, and rest or enjoy chatting with friends for a while in the coffee shop near the station before they do the grocery shopping and go home. In the old times, visiting a doctor must have been the only event for the day for those who are physically disadvantaged.

【Counterargument & Counter-counterargument】 It is true that in many cases, shortening transition time does not mean more leisure time as few people in modern society seem to enjoy plenty of spare time. However, this is because it is difficult for most of us to learn to be leisurely. Being assigned or self-assigning more tasks in proportion to the increase of spare time makes it seem that we still cannot go home early.

【Conclusion】Potential effect of the development of transportation on the increase of leisure time cannot be denied.

Your test paragraph development

Now let’s practice paragraph development. Choose one of the reasons you have come up with, make it the main idea, and develop it using the following form. As this is a tentative part of your real essay, use simple words and sentences for supporting details and focus on the logic and ideas.

【Main Idea】

【Explanation】

【Detail / Example in general】

【More Specific Detail / Example】

【Counterargument & Counter-counterargument】

【Conclusion】