IELTS Writing Task 2 (Exercises): The Impact of Social Media on Face-to-Face Communication Skills

The Impact of Social Media
on Face-to-Face Communication Skills

Useful Vocabulary and Phrases

• deteriorate (v) – to become worse
• interpersonal skills (n) – skills used to communicate with others
• digital interaction (n) – communication via electronic devices
• face-to-face communication (n) – direct, in-person communication
• superficial (adj) – shallow, lacking depth
• screen time (n) – time spent looking at phones, tablets, computers
• social isolation (n) – feeling of being disconnected from others
• non-verbal cues (n) – body language, facial expressions, tone of voice
• over-reliance (n) – dependence on something too much
• distracted (adj) – unable to concentrate

Exercises:

Task 1: Write sentences from given cues. Make changes to the cues when needed.

People / spend / more time / social media / than / face-to-face communication.

Social media / cause / decline / ability / read / non-verbal cues.

Excessive / screen time / affect / attention span / negatively.

Face-to-face communication / important / build / emotional bonds / strong.

Task 2: Vocabulary list for fill in the blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the list above.

Social media has changed the way people communicate in many ways. An increase in (1) ____________ and time spent in (2) ____________ has led to concerns that (3) ____________ are starting to (4) ____________. Many individuals become (5) ____________ during conversations because of frequent notifications and multitasking on devices. Furthermore, reliance on digital communication can result in (6) ____________ relationships, which lack depth and emotional connection.

In addition, face-to-face communication allows people to pick up on important (7) ____________ such as body language and tone, which are often missed in online messages. Excessive (8) ____________ may cause social withdrawal and increase feelings of (9) ____________. Experts warn against the (10) ____________ on social media for communication and encourage people to practice in-person social skills regularly.

Answer Sheet

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Task 1:

1. People tend to spend more time on social media than on face-to-face communication.
2. Social media can cause a decline in the ability to read non-verbal cues.
3. Excessive screen time negatively affects attention spans.
4. Face-to-face communication is important for building strong emotional bonds.

Task 2:

1. screen time
2. digital interaction
3. interpersonal skills
4. deteriorate
5. distracted
6. superficial
7. non-verbal cues
8. screen time
9. social isolation
10. over-reliance