GT-T2-223 General Training · Task 2 · intermediate · 40 min · 250+ words Advantages and Disadvantages Technology

Digital ID Cards for Public Services

The question

Some governments propose a single digital identity card that citizens would use to access healthcare, tax records, banking and other public services. What are the advantages and disadvantages? Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

Instructions

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. • Cover both the advantages and the disadvantages with relevant detail. • Say whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and why. • Use clear topic sentences so the reader can follow your structure. • Finish with your own conclusion, supported by a concrete example.

How to approach this advantages and disadvantages question

An advantages and disadvantages essay weighs both sides. Some questions also ask whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages: then you must pick a side.

Introduce the trend and say what you will cover.
One paragraph on the advantages, with an example.
One paragraph on the disadvantages, with an example.
If asked "do the advantages outweigh...?", give your answer in the conclusion and the introduction.

How to plan this answer

Structure

Introduction: paraphrase the proposed digital identity card and state your answer: the advantages outweigh the disadvantages if strong safeguards are in place.
Body 1: the advantages, with a clear topic sentence, covering convenience, fewer documents to carry and reduced fraud through stronger identity checks.
Body 2: the disadvantages, with a clear topic sentence, covering the risk of a large central database being breached, privacy concerns and people who cannot access digital services.
Body 3: a judgement on whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, explaining what safeguards such as decentralised data and legal limits would make this true.
Conclusion: restate your answer and finish with a concrete example, such as a patient booking an appointment or a pensioner who cannot use a smartphone.

Idea bank

One secure login that gives access to tax records, healthcare and banking, which replaces many separate passwords.
A central database that, if breached, could expose the personal records of millions of people in one incident.
An older person without a smartphone or internet access who could be shut out of services that move entirely online.
Reduced identity fraud through stronger verification, which protects people from criminals who open accounts in their name.
Privacy concern: a single identity card could allow the state to track which services a person uses and when.

Useful vocabulary

to verify identity: A digital card would let services verify identity quickly and securely.
a single point of failure: A central database becomes a single point of failure if it is hacked.
a data breach: A data breach could expose sensitive medical and financial records.
to be excluded from: Citizens without a smartphone could be excluded from essential services.
to centralise: Centralising records makes them easier to manage but more attractive to criminals.
to pose a privacy risk: A detailed profile of every citizen would pose a serious privacy risk.
to outweigh: In my view, the convenience of one login outweighs the risks only with strong safeguards.
to streamline: The scheme would streamline applications for benefits and healthcare.
to safeguard: Strict laws must safeguard personal data from misuse.
opt-in: An opt-in system would let citizens choose whether to link their accounts.

Common mistakes

Listing advantages and disadvantages without stating which outweighs the other and why.
Leaving out the concrete example in the conclusion, which the task asks for.
Confusing an identity card with identity theft, which is the crime the card would help to prevent.
Making claims about specific countries' digital ID systems without being certain of the details.

Examiner tip: Use topic sentences that name the point and its significance, such as 'The main risk is a single breach,' so the reader can follow your structure without rereading.

Model answers by band score

Written for this question to show what changes from one band to the next. Try the task yourself first, then compare.

Band 6 answer

Some governments want to introduce one digital identity card for each citizen, which will be used for healthcare, taxes, banking and other services. This essay will discuss the advantages and disadvantages, and I think the advantages are bigger. The first advantage is that it is very convenient. Today people have many different cards and passwords for the hospital, the bank and the tax office, and they often forget them. With a single digital card, people can do everything with one thing, so it saves a lot of time. For example, in Estonia the citizens can pay tax and see their medical records on the internet in few minutes. Another advantage is that the government can reduce the fraud because it is more difficult to make a fake digital card than a paper document. However, there are also some disadvantages. The most important is the privacy. If all the information is in one system, the hackers can steal it and use it for crime, and this will be very dangerous for the people. Also the government could watch what every citizen is doing, and many people do not like this. Another problem is that old people or poor people may not have a smartphone or a computer, so they can not use the services, and they will be left behind. In my opinion, the advantages are more important than the disadvantages. The problem of security can be reduced if the government use strong technology and make strict laws. For the people who have no technology, the government can give them help in the offices. In conclusion, a digital ID card is a good idea because it make life easier and also reduce the crime, but the government must protect the data and the people who cannot use it.

Why this is band 6

Covers advantages, disadvantages and a clear answer to 'do the advantages outweigh', with an example (Estonia).
Ideas are relevant but general ('very convenient', 'very dangerous') and linking is simple ('The first... Another... However').
Errors are noticeable ('in few minutes', 'the government use', 'it make life easier') though meaning stays clear, and vocabulary is repetitive.
Band 7 would develop each point with consequences, vary the vocabulary (e.g. 'streamline', 'data breach') and control agreement more reliably.

Band 7 answer

Several governments are proposing a single digital identity card that would give citizens access to healthcare, tax records, banking and other public services. This essay will examine the benefits and drawbacks of the scheme, and I will argue that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, provided that safeguards are introduced. The main advantage is convenience. At present, people must remember separate passwords and carry different documents for each service, which is time-consuming and often frustrating. A single card would streamline these procedures. In Estonia, for example, citizens can file their taxes, renew prescriptions and vote online within minutes. A second advantage is that digital identity can reduce fraud, since biometric data and encryption make impersonation harder than with paper documents, and this protects both individuals and public funds. The disadvantages are nevertheless significant. The first concerns privacy and security. If so much sensitive information is held in one system, a successful cyber-attack could expose the records of millions of people at once, and critics also fear that the state might monitor its citizens' activities. A second problem is exclusion, because elderly people or those on low incomes may lack smartphones or digital skills, so they could be unable to reach essential services. Despite these risks, I believe the benefits are greater. Security threats can be reduced through strong encryption, independent oversight and clear laws restricting how data may be used, while people without technology could be given alternative access through offices or paper-based options. These measures would address the weaknesses without sacrificing the efficiency the system provides. In conclusion, a digital identity card would make public services faster and more secure, and with proper protection and support for vulnerable groups, its advantages clearly outweigh its disadvantages.

Why this is band 7

Clear structure with advantages, disadvantages, and a direct answer to the second question, backed by the relevant example of Estonia.
Good range of vocabulary and structures ('streamline', 'impersonation', 'independent oversight') with few errors.
Ideas are generally well supported, but the Estonia example is brief and the solutions in paragraph four are somewhat stated rather than argued.
Band 8 would explain consequences more precisely (e.g. cost of a single breach) and use more natural, varied cohesion.

Band 8 answer

A growing number of governments are considering a single digital identity card that citizens could use to reach healthcare, tax records, banking and other public services. Although the scheme raises genuine concerns, I believe that its advantages ultimately outweigh its disadvantages. The most obvious benefit is convenience. People currently juggle numerous passwords, forms and documents, and a single credential would remove much of that friction, saving time for citizens and administrative costs for the state. Estonia offers a persuasive precedent: its residents can file tax returns, collect prescriptions and sign contracts online in a matter of minutes. A second advantage is security against fraud. Biometric verification and encryption make it considerably harder to impersonate someone than does a paper document, which reduces benefit fraud and identity theft alike. The drawbacks are real, however. Concentrating sensitive data in one system creates a tempting target, and a single breach could expose a person's medical, financial and tax records simultaneously. There is also the question of surveillance, since a unified database could, in the wrong hands, allow the state to track individuals' activities. Finally, there is a risk of digital exclusion: elderly or low-income citizens who lack smartphones or confidence online might struggle to claim services to which they are entitled. Nevertheless, these problems are largely a matter of design rather than inevitable flaws. Strong encryption, independent audits and legal limits on data sharing can limit the dangers, and keeping assisted or paper-based alternatives available would protect those who cannot go online. Given these precautions, the gains in efficiency and fraud prevention clearly outweigh the risks. In conclusion, a well-regulated digital identity system would improve public services considerably, so long as governments treat privacy and inclusion as essential features rather than afterthoughts.

Why this is band 8

The introduction answers the question directly, and each paragraph begins with a clear topic sentence ('The most obvious benefit...', 'The drawbacks are real, however').
Developed, well-selected support: Estonia's online services, a 'single breach' exposing medical, financial and tax records at once.
Vocabulary is precise and flexible ('friction', 'a tempting target', 'a matter of design') and errors are rare.
Band 9 would integrate the argument more seamlessly, avoiding the neat list-like sequence of points, and weigh the trade-off with even more insight.

Band 9 answer

Several governments now propose replacing today's patchwork of passwords and paperwork with a single digital identity card, through which citizens would reach healthcare, tax records, banking and other public services. Although the scheme carries genuine risks, I am convinced that its benefits outweigh them, provided it is properly safeguarded. The case for the card begins with convenience. At present, individuals must juggle numerous logins, forms and documents, a burden that wastes time for citizens and money for the state. Estonia shows what a unified system can achieve: its residents file tax returns, collect prescriptions and sign contracts online within minutes. Security is a second advantage, since biometric checks and encryption make impersonation far more difficult than with a paper document, curbing both benefit fraud and identity theft. Against this, the drawbacks are considerable. Consolidating sensitive data in one place creates an attractive target; a single breach could expose a person's medical, financial and tax records simultaneously. Centralisation also raises the spectre of surveillance, because a comprehensive database could, under a less scrupulous administration, be used to monitor citizens' lives. Finally, the card risks excluding those least able to adapt, such as the elderly or low-income households without smartphones, who might find essential services harder to claim rather than easier. Yet these weaknesses stem from design choices rather than from the technology itself. Robust encryption, independent audits and strict legal limits on data sharing can reduce the likelihood and consequences of misuse, while retaining assisted, face-to-face channels would ensure that no one is shut out. With such conditions in place, the gains in efficiency and integrity clearly outweigh the dangers. In sum, a digital identity card is a sound investment for governments, but only if privacy and inclusion are built in from the outset, not added later as afterthoughts.

Why this is band 9

The introduction frames the issue vividly ('patchwork of passwords and paperwork') and gives a clear, qualified position, which is fully sustained.
Support is developed and precise, linking each disadvantage to a concrete consequence and each solution to a specific safeguard.
Language is sophisticated and natural ('the spectre of surveillance', 'stem from design choices') and error-free.
Cohesion is effortless: the 'Yet... With such conditions in place... In sum' sequence moves the argument forward rather than merely listing points.

Band levels are our estimate against the public IELTS criteria; they are not official scores.

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