Writing question
It is as important to spend time by yourself as it is to spend time with other people.
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Practise this exact question with personalised feedback on your writing.
Understand the task
Compare the benefits of solitude with those of companionship. Answer “to what extent” with a qualified judgement rather than a simple list of pros and cons.
- balanced argument
- evaluation
- examples
- clear conclusion
Requirements to keep in mind
Explain how far you agree that time alone matters as much as time with others.
Plan your response
- Explain the benefits of friendship and quiet time.
- Use examples from school or home.
- Consider the difference between solitude and loneliness.
- Make your final judgement clear.
Check your response against the task requirements. Leave time to review sentence clarity, punctuation and spelling.
Original atoply example response
Written by atoply, not an official school answer or mark scheme. Other successful responses are possible.
Reveal example and teaching notes
Why We Need Both Company and Quiet
I strongly agree that spending time alone can be just as important as spending time with other people. Both experiences help us in different ways, and neither should replace the other entirely.
Being with friends and family teaches us to listen, cooperate and understand other viewpoints. For example, working with a team on a school project can show us how someone else’s idea improves our own. Shared experiences also create happy memories and support us when we feel worried.
However, time alone has special benefits. After a busy school day, reading a book or drawing quietly can help us relax. Solitude gives us space to think about our feelings without being interrupted. It can also encourage independence: when there is nobody else to entertain us, we must use our own imagination.
Of course, being alone is not the same as feeling lonely. Someone who has no choice about being by themselves might feel unhappy. Similarly, spending every moment in a crowd can be tiring, even for a sociable person.
For these reasons, I think balance matters most. Good friendships make life richer, while peaceful moments help us understand ourselves. We need both connection and quiet to feel truly content.
Learn from the example
- The response connects a central idea to reasons or qualifications, creating a line of thought rather than a list of opinions.
- In a full response, develop the supporting examples and address a different view before reaching a conclusion that answers the question.