IELTS Essay, topic: Some people believe that the problem of illegal drugs can be solved by legalising all drugs (agree/disagree)

This is a model response to a Writing Task 2 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is likely to score IELTS Band 9.

Set 3 General Training book, Practice Test 12

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Some people believe that the problem of illegal drugs can be solved by legalising all drugs. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

Answer

Illegal drugs have become a worldwide problem in modern day society. The trading of drugs is widespread in nearly all countries and the number of people consuming drugs worldwide is high. It has been suggested simply to legalise all recreational drugs to solve the problems associated with them. I personally agree partially with this proposal, because I can see many advantages, yet also many disadvantages.

One positive aspect of legalising these drugs would be that the number of criminal activities committed to obtain them would decrease. Fewer people would therefore be imprisoned and have a criminal history that prevents them from progressing in life. Additionally, essential police resources would be freed up and devoted to other areas. Finally, high taxes could be imposed on the legal product, allowing governments to have better resources to improve the infrastructure of their countries.

Although legalising all illegal drugs could result in several positive effects, there are many negative effects that could be possible. As a result of the legalisation, I personally believe that it would become acceptable to use drugs and people would no longer pay attention to the damage that drugs cause. Schools might no longer educate teenagers and adolescents about the negative effects drugs have on people, resulting in more teenagers experimenting with them, as they would believe that this is a normal aspect of life. This would result in a higher number of drug addicts and potentially in more deaths, because it would be easier to obtain a large amount of illegal drugs and therefore the chances of overdosing would also increase.

In conclusion, I partially agree with the proposed action. Nonetheless, I think that an age restriction should be placed on drug use, as teenagers and adolescents could easily become addicted if all illegal drugs are legalised. This group of people is highly at risk of becoming addicted and potentially dying as a result of drug use and therefore should only be allowed to consume drugs after reaching a certain age.

Go here for more IELTS Band 9 Essays

Related posts:

1. IELTS Band 9 essay, topic: Some people believe that everyone has a right to access to the Internet and governments should provide it free (agree/disagree) This is a model response to a Writing Task 2...
2. IELTS Band 9 essay, topic: Increases in fuel prices are the only way to reduce world consumption of fuel (agree/disagree) This is a model response to a Writing Task 2...
3. IELTS essay, topic: People should not work beyond the retirement age (agree/disagree) Some believe that people should not continue to work once...
4. IELTS essay, topic: Many people support animal testing while others believe it isn’t appropriate (discuss) Many people support use of animals for testing medicines for...
5. IELTS essay, topic: Some people think that public health in a country can be improved by government making laws regarding nutritious food (agree/disagree). Some people think that public health within a country can...

https://ift.tt/1yra8oP
from IELTS-Blog https://ift.tt/2Vl3HDT
via IFTTT

How to go from Band 6 to Band 7 in the IELTS Speaking Test

The most frequently asked questions we get from people preparing for the IELTS Speaking test are

1. What am I likely to get for Speaking in the real test?

and

2. How can I score higher?

And fortunately, we have the answers!

In today’s video Hugo, a student from Taiwan and a native Chinese speaker, is taking our interactive IELTS Speaking test.

You will see the examiner ask questions and Hugo answer them, and you can learn from that, but wait – it gets better. After Hugo finishes his Speaking test, Adam (our Speaking examiner) shows his estimated Speaking score and explains why that is what Hugo would get in IELTS. And here comes the best part – Adam explains what Hugo needs to start doing to go from Band 6 to Band 7.

If you missed last week’s video, let us introduce Adam. Adam was an active IELTS Speaking examiner for 10 years and has an enormous amount of experience in assessing test takers’ Speaking ability. His feedback gives you a very rare opportunity to see how you are being assessed and scored in IELTS.

When you understand what your problems are and what you need to fix to get a higher score, it has an amazing effect on your exam preparation. It gives you a clear goal to work towards, and you don’t have to guess anymore!

The breakdown of Hugo’s score by the 4 IELTS criteria (Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation) is shown at the end of the video, and also in his evaluation report here.

The questions are shown on the screen while Hugo answers them. You will see that every question has a number (Q1, Q2, etc) and the examiner in his evaluation report is referring to Hugo’s little mistakes in every question. It’s great to watch the entire video first, including Adam’s commentary where he talks about Hugo’s performance and score, and then go back to the specific questions as you read the evaluation report. It will help you understand what exactly the examiner means when he says something like

Q7 – ‘it brings me surprise’ – is not quite accurate, try ‘it always surprises me’ or ‘there is always something surprising to experience each time’

Download Hugo’s speaking evaluation report here.

Try and answer the same questions in your own words, and perhaps even record yourself. It will provide an opportunity to listen to your pronunciation and see what needs work.

If you’d like to get your Speaking evaluated just like Hugo did, you can – go here to learn how.

Related posts:

1. IELTS Examiner Explains How Speaking Test is Scored For most IELTS test takers the only time they get...
2. IELTS Speaking Band 7.5 Full Test with Examiner’s Feedback The video you are about to watch features a Polish...
3. IELTS Speaking Band 6 Full Test Video with Examiner’s Feedback It’s not too hard to estimate your IELTS score in...
4. IELTS Speaking Band 8.5 Full Test with Examiner’s Feedback The video you are about to watch features a Swedish...
5. IELTS Speaking Band 8 Sample Test with Examiner’s Feedback Do you know what score you would get in the...

https://ift.tt/1yra8oP
from IELTS-Blog https://ift.tt/2YgfLIs
via IFTTT

IELTS Essay, topic: Nowadays celebrities earn more money than politicians, what are the reasons for this?

Nowadays celebrities earn more money than politicians. What are the reasons for this? Is it a positive or negative development?

Sample Essay

Nowadays celebrities make more money compared to people working in politics. This essay will look at the possible causes of this tendency and explain why, in my opinion, this is a negative development.

There are two main reasons why celebrities generate more income than politicians. One of them is that with the advent of the Internet, there are more ways available for celebrities to earn money, such as online streaming services. For example, singing a song in a YouTube video with some advertisements enables them to easily make a few million dollars. Another cogent reason for this is the growing global concerns over excessively high remuneration for political leaders, which can easily lead to public discontent. In response to such criticism, many governments have decided to reform the reward system for lawmakers, sending their salaries on a downward trend.

I personally believe that this development is relatively negative for several reasons, with the main one being the potential corruption scandals this issue can create. The enormous salary gap between celebrities and political leaders might discourage the legislators from putting in work or even motivate them to commit crimes such as money laundering. In addition, the relatively low salary for stressful jobs of governors may deter people with foresight on politics from becoming politicians. This is particularly undesirable because it would result in low level of citizens’ loyalty to their incompetent government, creating unstable society with more crime and other social problems.

In conclusion, the fact that celebrities are paid more than political leaders now is caused by a wider variety of income sources available to them, and supported by the social norm that a politician should not be a profit driven professional. However, I believe this is a negative trend which may lead to more political corruption and less talented governments.

Click here to see more IELTS essays of Band 8

Related posts:

1. IELTS essay, topic: Nowadays more and more people want to live by themselves, why is this happening? Nowadays more and more people want to live by themselves....
2. IELTS essay, topic: Nowadays people waste a lot of food, why is this happening and how to reduce waste? Nowadays people waste a lot of food that was bought...
3. IELTS essay, topic: Many believe that international tourism is bad for their country (reasons and solutions) Many people believe that international tourism is a bad thing...
4. IELTS essay, topic: Nowadays families move to different countries for work and some think it has a negative effect on children (agree/disagree) Nowadays families move to different countries for work. Some people...
5. IELTS essay, topic: Nowadays many people choose ready-made food and refuse to cook at home, why and what are the advantages/disadvantages? Nowadays many people choose ready-made food and refuse to cook...

https://ift.tt/1yra8oP
from IELTS-Blog https://ift.tt/2ACmuUk
via IFTTT

IELTS Examiner Explains How Speaking Test is Scored

For most IELTS test takers the only time they get to see their Speaking examiner is during their Speaking test. And then, your interaction is limited to the actual testing – there is no chance to chat or ask the examiner what he/she thought of your performance and why. All you get after the Speaking test is your overall score, and you don’t get an explanation why.

Today you have a very rare chance to see feedback from a real Speaking examiner where he explains the exact reasons why Alina (the test taker in this video) got her scores in each criterion, and how her overall score was worked out.

First, a short introduction: everyone, meet Adam. Adam was an active IELTS Speaking examiner for 10 years and has an enormous amount of experience in assessing test takers’ Speaking ability. You can be confident that his estimate is very close to your real IELTS score, and in the last 5 minutes of this video he is explaining what scores Alina would get in the real test and (the most useful part!) the reasons why. This is the kind of feedback you would NEVER get in an IELTS test, but learning from it can make ALL the difference to scoring higher!

Adam said, “I’m pleased to be working with very reputable professionals at IELTS-Blog.com. I was a speaking and writing examiner for 10 years and I’ve taught IELTS for 12 years. This video was made to show why Alina received a 5.5 and ways for her to improve. While you’re watching try to guess why she received a 5.5. Remember there are four categories, Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation. We will do more of these videos with speakers from other countries and scores, so you can better understand what is expected before the next time you sit an IELTS Speaking test.”

In the video you’re about to watch Alina, an IELTS test taker from Russia, is taking an interactive Speaking test online. You will see the questions Adam is asking and Alina’s answers to them.

The breakdown of her score by the 4 IELTS criteria (Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation) is shown at the end of the video, and also in her evaluation report here.

The questions are shown on the screen while Alina answers them. You will see that every question has a number (Q1, Q2, etc) and the examiner in his evaluation report is referring to Alina’s little mistakes in every question. It’s great to watch the entire video first, including Adam’s commentary where he talks about Alina’s performance and score, and then go back to the specific questions as you read the evaluation report. It will help you understand what exactly the examiner means when he says something like

Q4 – ‘family banding’ should be ‘family bonding’

Download Alina’s speaking evaluation report here.

It would be a good exercise for you to make a list of any mistakes or inaccuracies you hear while watching this video, and then compare your notes to the examiner’s feedback. What would you do better? What vocabulary could you use instead?

Try and answer the same questions in your own words, and perhaps even record yourself. It will provide an opportunity to listen to your pronunciation and see what needs work.

If you’d like to get your Speaking evaluated just like Alina did, you can – go here to learn how.

Related posts:

1. IELTS Speaking Band 6 Full Test Video with Examiner’s Feedback It’s not too hard to estimate your IELTS score in...
2. IELTS Speaking Band 8 Sample Test with Examiner’s Feedback Do you know what score you would get in the...
3. IELTS Speaking Band 8.5 Full Test with Examiner’s Feedback The video you are about to watch features a Swedish...
4. IELTS Speaking Band 7.5 Full Test with Examiner’s Feedback The video you are about to watch features a Polish...
5. Full IELTS Speaking Test, Free Sample #1 (with Examiner’s Commentary) Today we’re happy to share a resource that so many...

https://ift.tt/3cRxQkl
from IELTS-Blog https://ift.tt/2MSQk9i
via IFTTT

IELTS Essay, topic: Should governments or teachers be responsible for what is to be taught in schools (opinion)?

This is a model response to a Writing Task 2 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is likely to score IELTS Band 9.

Set 3 General Training book, Practice Test 11

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Should governments or teachers be responsible for what is to be taught in schools?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

Answer

In modern day society, it is essential for a child to be educated in order for him or her to have success later on in life. Children are typically educated in schools, which are run by the government. The government officials therefore decide what is taught to the children and what is not. Personally, I believe that it is better if governments are responsible for the subject matter covered in school and not the teachers.

It is a common goal to supply all children with the same opportunities in life, meaning that the same core knowledge should be taught to all children to offer them the same benefits. Naturally, some children will be better at certain subjects than others and will therefore obtain a more detailed degree of knowledge, yet every child should be taught the same core knowledge. Education provides opportunities, because certain types of education will enable children to pursue certain careers later on in life.

Supplying the same core knowledge is an essential concept, yet it has not been put into action in several countries. In Germany, for example, the syllabus taught depends on the region of the country. In certain regions, children attend school for thirteen years and in other regions for twelve years. This raises the question whether or not the children obtain the same degree of knowledge and that the children attending school for thirteen years are at an advantage compared to those attending school for twelve years. Already one can see that problems arise when the regional government decides upon the core knowledge taught to students. If teachers had a say in what knowledge should be taught to students, the subject matter would become even more complex. The core knowledge would not only vary from region to region, yet also from school to school, providing unfair advantages and disadvantages for certain students.

In conclusion, the government of a country should decide upon what knowledge is taught in schools, as the situation would become too complex if all teachers were responsible for this aspect.

Go here for more IELTS Band 9 Essays

Related posts:

1. IELTS Band 9 essay, topic: Some people believe that teaching music in schools is vital, while others think it is unnecessary (opinion) This is a model response to a Writing Task 2...
2. IELTS essay, topic: Some people think that sport in schools is a waste of time and resources, while others believe it is a vital part of education (opinion) This is a model response to a Writing Task 2...
3. IELTS Band 9 essay, topic: Should teachers be required to conform to a dress code? This is a model response to a Writing Task 2...
4. IELTS Essay, topic: Teachers are more responsible for social and intellectual development of students than parents (agree/disagree) School teachers are more responsible for social and intellectual development...
5. IELTS Band 9 essay, topic: Schools should teach their students how to survive financially in the world today (agree/disagree) This is a model response to a Writing Task 2...

https://ift.tt/1yra8oP
from IELTS-Blog https://ift.tt/3czAISO
via IFTTT