IELTS Writing Task 2: Printed Books vs Online (Band 9 Sample)

It is often claimed that free online content will make printed books and newspapers obsolete, with nobody willing to pay for them any longer. While digital reading is undoubtedly growing, I largely disagree with this prediction, as print retains qualities that many readers will continue to value and pay for.

1Why print will survive

To begin with, a printed book offers a physical experience that a screen cannot replicate. Many people enjoy the feel of paper, the absence of eye strain and the freedom from notifications, and they are happy to pay for a hardback they can keep, annotate or display on a shelf. For these readers, ownership matters as much as the words themselves.

Moreover, not all online material is free or trustworthy. Quality journalism is expensive to produce, so reputable newspapers increasingly place their content behind paywalls, and readers who want reliable, fact-checked reporting are willing to subscribe rather than trust unverified sources.

2The grain of truth in the claim

That said, the statement is not entirely wrong. Digital formats are cheaper, searchable and instantly available, and a whole generation has grown up reading on phones and tablets. Newspaper circulation has already fallen sharply, and it is reasonable to expect print runs to shrink further in the coming decades.

Even so, shrinking is not the same as disappearing. Vinyl records survived the arrival of streaming by appealing to enthusiasts, and printed books are likely to endure in the same way, as a valued minority choice rather than a dead one.

In conclusion, although online reading will keep expanding and printed newspapers in particular face decline, I do not accept that paid print will vanish altogether, because a significant number of readers will always prefer, and pay for, the physical page.