IELTS Academic Model, Writing Task Part 2 Sample Essay — What sorts of jobs would get replaced by computers?
Topic:
As the world becomes technologically advanced, computers are replacing more and more jobs.
Describe some job positions that may be lost becaue of computers, and discuss at least one problem that may result.
Paragraph 1: introduction
As computer technology continues to advance in leaps and bounds, computers, machines often capable of performing complex calculations within a very short space of time and equipped with superhuman memory, are gradually rendering human labour superfluous. Computers have become more and more able to subsitute humans in their jobs. As a result, certain job positions may grow antiquated due to computers.
Paragraph 2: first type of jobs: jobs that involve manual labour,
First of all, jobs that involve manual labour could be easily replaced by computers as well as machines. For example, workers who are responsible for staffing the cashier of a supermarket could be forced out of their jobs because the tasks they performm involve limited creativity and are simple and repetitive. These days, machines dealing with payments are already by no means an uncommon spectacle in supermarkets. Some supermarkets can even get rid of human staff members entirely. Face to face and personal comunications can be superceded by customers’ “interaction” with a computer instead, which receives commands and perform tasks accordingly. The only difference between a human-to-human transaction and a human-to-machine transaction is that the former involves verbal communication while the latter involves pressing a few buttons.
Paragraph 3: second type of jobs: intellectually demanding jobs
Secondly, jobs are that repetitive in nature and involve limited creativity may also be replaced by computers. Experts in artificial intelligence and futurists have speculated that even positions like accountants and lawyers can be replaced by artificially intelligent computers because they are able to solve complex problems in a fraction of the time their human counterparts require. For example, a computer will be able to conduct a quick search of its database of case laws and ordinances right after it has analysed the issues in a legal problem. Artificial intelligence could even learn on its own sophisiticated rules in financial accounting and perform tasks in book keeping and tax planning and become as knowledgeable and skilful as an accountant. Following the same vein of reasoning, computers may even be able to replace jobs like doctors and nurses because it will gain the capacity to make complex diagnoses and difficult judgments.
Paragraph 4: problem that may result: unemployment and boredom
A problem that may arise as a result of the replacement of humans by computers at their job is, obviously, unemployment and boredom. Some might think that by the time computers are smart enough to replace most humans at their jobs, humans’ livelihood would be affected and the economy would plummet. I do not believe this would be the case, as wealth would flow to humans who are in control of the technology of artificial intelligence. However, human labourers and workers, be they blue-collar or white-collar workers, might have to face up to the threat of boredom. They will have to deal with a perpetual sense of ennui and purposelessness and even depression due to their lack of occupation and excitement. Should they fail to find ways to occupy themselves, they might risk feeling that their existence is pointless and even ponder putting their lives to a premature end.
Paragraph 5:
To conclude, computers are indeed a big threat to our economic goal of full employment. Their growing prominence are forcing us to change our notion of how humans can be meaningfully occupied apart from getting a job. If humans do not manage to find a meaningful occupation apart from working, they would risk feeling bored, finding their lives without a meaning and depressing.