Traditional vs Modern Shopping

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 online shopping and its effect on high street stores, then state your overall view.
2. Body paragraph 1: explain the advantages of online shopping, such as convenience, price comparison and shopping at any time.
3. Body paragraph 2: explain the disadvantages, including the impact on traditional retailers and the environmental cost of packaging and returns.
4. Body paragraph 3: predict how shopping will change, using two or three developments and a reason for each.
5. Conclusion: restate your view and summarise the balance between present advantages and future change.

Idea bank

• Advantages: comparing prices quickly across several retailers, and buying at any hour without travelling.
• Retail impact: the closure of high street shops has cost jobs and reduced footfall in many town centres.
• Disadvantages: items cannot be tried on before purchase, which leads to returns, extra delivery journeys and packaging waste.
• Future trend: hybrid stores where customers can try products in person and then order online for home delivery.
• Future trend: augmented reality tools that let shoppers see furniture or clothing in their own space before buying.

Useful vocabulary

• brick-and-mortar: Brick-and-mortar stores are struggling to compete with online retailers.
• high street: Many high street shops have closed in the past decade.
• click and collect: Click and collect allows shoppers to order online and pick up in store.
• returns policy: A generous returns policy can encourage customers to buy items they have not seen in person.
• footfall: Lower footfall has forced some town centre shops to close.
• impulse purchase: Online shopping makes it easy to make an impulse purchase late at night.
• omnichannel: An omnichannel strategy links the online shop and the physical store.
• personalised recommendations: Personalised recommendations can help customers find products more quickly.
• packaging waste: Excess packaging waste is a growing concern for online retailers.

Common mistakes

• Describing only the advantages and forgetting the impact on traditional retailers, which the prompt asks you to discuss.
• Making predictions without giving a reason for each one.
• Treating 'brick-and-mortar' as a synonym for any shop, without linking it to the closures mentioned in the prompt.
• Giving a personal example that is too general, such as 'I buy things online', without detail.
• Ending without a clear stance on whether the trend is overall positive or negative.

Examiner tip: Keep present advantages and disadvantages separate from future predictions, and support each prediction with a reason rather than a simple list.