Some People Enjoy Change, They Look Forward to New Experiences - IELTS Task 2 Sample Essays (Band 9)

Achieve your dream score with our detailed IELTS eBooks - your complete guide!

Sample Essay 1

Change divides people: some chase novelty, others cherish routine. I believe a life that actively welcomes change—anchored by a few stable habits—best sustains growth and well-being. I will argue that embracing new experiences builds adaptability and opportunity, while judicious routine should serve as a platform, not a cage, for that exploration.

Those who lean into change become adaptive, and adaptability compounds into advantage. New experiences widen information channels, update assumptions, and prevent the “path dependence” that traps people in obsolete choices. Consider work: industries now pivot with dizzying speed; the individuals who learned data skills, remote collaboration, or AI-assisted workflows did not merely survive upheaval but advanced during it. Psychologically, novelty disrupts autopilot thinking, sharpening attention and creativity; the brain’s plasticity thrives on varied inputs. Even risk management improves: experimenting in small, reversible ways—changing a study method, trialling a side project, volunteering for an unfamiliar role—yields feedback cheaply, before stakes escalate. By contrast, clinging to sameness invites hidden fragility; when the context shifts, yesterday’s competence can calcify into today’s liability. In short, change-seekers become “antifragile”: volatility educates them.

Still, the value of routine cannot be dismissed; it is the scaffolding for consistent execution. Well-designed habits conserve cognitive bandwidth for higher-order tasks, much as pilots rely on checklists so they can focus on judgment. Mastery is built upon repetition: musicians drill scales; researchers maintain precise protocols; athletes run the same drills daily. Yet routine should be instrumental rather than ideological. A routine that resists evidence becomes ritual, not discipline. The highest performers pair a stable core—sleep schedule, exercise, deep-work blocks—with an experimental edge: they systematically test, measure, and refine. This “explore-exploit” balance allows people to keep what works while retiring what no longer does. Thus, routine is most valuable when it accelerates, rather than obstructs, deliberate change.

To conclude, while routine offers necessary rhythm, a principled bias toward change delivers resilience, insight, and opportunity. I therefore favour an approach that welcomes new experiences on a foundation of a few steady habits—keeping life flexible enough to evolve, and structured enough to excel.

Achieve your dream score with our detailed IELTS eBooks - your complete guide!

Sample Essay 2

Human beings differ in how they view stability and novelty: some find comfort in routines, while others eagerly embrace change. In my view, pursuing new experiences is a more rewarding approach because it broadens one’s worldview and creates resilience against uncertainty. This essay will argue that change fosters intellectual and cultural enrichment, and also equips individuals with psychological strength to handle the unpredictability of modern life.

The first reason why change is valuable is that it exposes individuals to broader perspectives and deeper knowledge. People who repeatedly seek out new experiences—whether by travelling abroad, switching careers, or even exploring unfamiliar hobbies—gain insights that those confined to routine often miss. For example, a student who studies in a different country not only acquires academic knowledge but also develops cultural sensitivity, an asset in today’s globalized world. Similarly, professionals who step outside their comfort zones by learning new technologies or industries often become innovators, precisely because they are not constrained by narrow thinking. A static lifestyle, by contrast, can lead to intellectual stagnation; when the same routines are endlessly repeated, curiosity diminishes and creativity withers. Thus, change acts as a catalyst that keeps both the mind and outlook alive.

Another equally compelling reason to favour change is its role in strengthening psychological resilience. Life is rarely predictable, and those who rigidly cling to routine often struggle when faced with disruption. By contrast, individuals accustomed to embracing change learn to adapt quickly and even thrive under pressure. Consider the global pandemic: many people who had previously welcomed change shifted smoothly to remote work, online education, or digital entrepreneurship, while those fixated on their old routines found themselves disoriented. Beyond external crises, even personal challenges—such as losing a job or moving to a new city—are easier to navigate for people who have trained themselves to see change as opportunity rather than threat. In this way, change functions almost like a mental muscle: the more it is exercised, the stronger and more flexible it becomes.

In conclusion, while routine may provide temporary security, it is change that truly enriches life by expanding knowledge and fortifying resilience. Therefore, I firmly prefer a life oriented toward new experiences, as it prepares individuals not just to survive in a shifting world but to flourish within it.

Achieve your dream score with our detailed IELTS eBooks - your complete guide!