A small number of languages, particularly English, are becoming dominant in business and education worldwide.
A full IELTS Writing Task 2 answer to this question, with a paragraph plan, ideas you can use, and the vocabulary that fits this topic.
The question
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
A small number of languages, particularly English, are becoming dominant in business and education worldwide.
Is this a positive or negative development?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
How to read this question
The useful distinction is between a shared second language and a replacing first language. A common language for international dealings costs almost nothing; a language that displaces the local one in universities and professions costs a great deal. Deciding on that basis lets you give a real verdict instead of balancing "communication is useful" against "diversity is valuable".
Paragraph plan
Introduction — Paraphrase, then give the verdict: positive as a shared second language, negative where it displaces national languages in high-status domains.
Body 1 — Why positive — a single lingua franca lowers the cost of cooperation enormously, and the alternative is not equality but fragmentation.
Body 2 — The cost — domain loss, and the unearned advantage handed to native speakers in every negotiation and application.
Conclusion — Net positive, provided national languages retain their high-status domains; the danger is displacement, not coexistence.
Model essay
Band 8.5–9.0 model essay
335 words
A small number of languages, particularly English, are becoming increasingly dominant in international business and education, a shift accelerated by the internet and the global reach of English-language media. In my view, this trend is largely beneficial for global communication, although it poses a genuine risk to linguistic diversity.
To begin, the widespread use of a single dominant language considerably simplifies international collaboration and reduces communication barriers. To clarify, when professionals and academics across different nations share a common working language, negotiations, scientific research, and international agreements can proceed far more efficiently than when reliant on constant translation. Moreover, proficiency in this dominant language grants individuals from non-native backgrounds access to global opportunities, including international employment and higher education, that would otherwise remain largely inaccessible. In addition, multinational companies increasingly favour English as their working language precisely because it lowers coordination costs across global offices. Additionally, scientific journals and international conferences increasingly operate exclusively in English, meaning researchers who lack fluency risk being excluded from global academic discourse. For instance, students who master English can pursue postgraduate study at renowned universities worldwide without needing extensive translation support.
However, this dominance also threatens the survival of smaller, less widely spoken languages. This is attributable to the fact that younger generations, incentivised by the professional and academic advantages of the dominant language, increasingly prioritise its acquisition over their native tongue, particularly in multilingual regions. Consequently, many minority languages are gradually falling out of everyday use, and with their decline, entire bodies of cultural knowledge, oral tradition, and unique modes of expression risk disappearing permanently within only a few generations. Furthermore, as fewer people converse in these smaller languages daily, subsequent generations may struggle even to communicate fluently with their own grandparents. Moreover, once a minority language ceases to be used in formal education or media, its long-term survival becomes considerably less likely.
To conclude, although the dominance of English facilitates global communication and expands opportunities, I believe this trend can only be considered fully positive if governments actively support the preservation of minority languages alongside it.
Created by a Band 8.5–9.0 IELTS Writing achiever — Premium. Sign up free to read the rest of this essay and unlock every model on the site.
This is a positive or negative development question. The essay above shows you what a strong answer looks like when it is finished. What it cannot show you is how to get there from a blank page in forty minutes.
That is what our Writing Study Library is for: the structure we teach for this exact question type, the paragraph pattern that goes with it, and the sentence openers for each stage — so the essay is planned before you start writing rather than assembled as you go.
Introduction: Paraphrase English's growing dominance in business and education and state the opinion that it aids communication but threatens linguistic diversity.
Body 1: Argue that a shared dominant language simplifies international collaboration, research and access to global education and employment opportunities.
Body 2: Argue that this dominance pushes younger generations away from minority languages, risking permanent loss of cultural knowledge and oral tradition.
Conclusion: Restate that English's dominance is fully positive only if governments actively support preserving minority languages alongside it.
Word or phrase
Meaning
Used in a sentence
coordination costs
the expense and effort required to organise cooperation across teams or locations
multinational companies increasingly favour English as their working language precisely because it lowers coordination costs across global offices
academic discourse
formal discussion and exchange of ideas within scholarly communities
researchers who lack fluency risk being excluded from global academic discourse
proficiency
a high level of skill or competence in something
proficiency in this dominant language grants individuals from non-native backgrounds access to global opportunities
prioritise
to treat something as more important than other things
younger generations... increasingly prioritise its acquisition over their native tongue
multilingual
involving or able to use several languages
particularly in multilingual regions
oral tradition
cultural knowledge and stories passed downthrough spoken word rather than in writing
entire bodies of cultural knowledge, oral tradition, and unique modes of expression risk disappearing permanently within only a few generations
preservation
the act of keeping something safe from decline or loss
I believe this trend can only be considered fully positive if governments actively support the preservation of minority languages alongside it
Created by a Band 8.5–9.0 IELTS Writing achiever — Premium. Sign up free to see the ideas and vocabulary for this topic and unlock every model on the site.
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Common questions
How do I make a distinction the organising idea of an essay?
State it in the introduction as the thing your verdict depends on, then give one body paragraph to each side of it. Here, additive versus replacing does all the structural work. A single well-chosen distinction is more effective than three separate arguments.
Is it appropriate to mention the advantage native speakers have?
Yes, and it is a mature point that few candidates raise. Frame it structurally — an advantage nobody earned, with consequences for whose work is taken seriously — rather than as a grievance, and it strengthens the essay considerably.
Should I write about my own language?
Only as a brief illustration of a general mechanism. "Technical vocabulary stops developing" is the argument; your language can exemplify it in a sentence. Extended discussion of one country tends to narrow the answer without deepening it.
