Smart Home Devices in Everyday Life

The question

How to approach this discuss both views question

A discuss-both-views essay asks you to explain two opinions fairly and then give your own.

1. Introduce both views and say you will discuss them.
2. Paragraph 1: the first view with reasons and an example.
3. Paragraph 2: the second view with reasons and an example.
4. State your own opinion clearly (in the introduction or conclusion) and keep it consistent.

How to plan this answer

Structure

1. Introduction: paraphrase the growth of voice-controlled, connected home devices and state that, for most households, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
2. Body 1: the advantages, covering energy savings from remote heating control, convenience and support for older or disabled residents.
3. Body 2: the disadvantages, covering privacy, security weaknesses, dependence on apps and ongoing costs.
4. Body 3: weigh the two sides by explaining that many risks can be reduced with updates, strong passwords and careful choices about data sharing.
5. Conclusion: restate your judgement and give a concrete example of a household that benefits while managing the risks.

Idea bank

• A heating system that a family can adjust from work, which avoids heating an empty house all day.
• A voice assistant that reminds an elderly relative to take medication, giving family members peace of mind.
• A connected door lock that lets a carer enter a home without a spare key being left under a plant pot.
• Counter-argument: devices that listen constantly or send data to companies raise serious privacy concerns.
• Risk of dependence: if the manufacturer stops supporting an app, a device can become useless in a few years.

Useful vocabulary

• to outweigh: For most families, the convenience outweighs the small risks.
• to be vulnerable to hacking: Cheap connected devices can be vulnerable to hacking if passwords are weak.
• to run on: Many smart devices run on a phone app, so the app must be kept up to date.
• to rely on: Households that rely on one app are exposed when that service fails.
• data harvesting: Some firms are criticised for data harvesting from family routines.
• to make life easier for: Voice controls can make life easier for people with limited mobility.
• to cut energy bills: Scheduling heating through an app can help to cut energy bills.
• a software update: A software update can close a security gap in a device.
• to be locked out of: A household can be locked out of its own devices after a connection failure.
• to be linked to: Each gadget is linked to a central account that stores personal data.

Common mistakes

• Writing a list of product features without evaluating whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
• Making technical claims, such as 'everything is encrypted', without a reason or example.
• Confusing smart devices with smartphones, which makes the examples less precise.
• Ignoring privacy entirely, even though it is the most common disadvantage candidates can discuss.

Examiner tip: Choose two or three devices and use them as examples throughout. A specific home scenario is more convincing than a general list of gadgets.