Nowadays, litter and rubbish on the street and sidewalks is becoming a problem. Some people feel that the best way to solve this problem is to fine people who throw rubbish on the floor. Do you think this would be effective? What other methods could be used to solve the problem of litter?

Many people may feel that littering is not a big problem in today’s world, but too much litter and rubbish on the street and sidewalk will make an area less attractive. People who litter are in some way showing that they do not care what their neighborhood looks like and that they do not feel a sense of pride in their area. If an area has too much litter, it is very probable that the number of pests like rats rise markedly. It is clearly a good idea to encourage people not to throw rubbish on the ground.

 Some people suppose that fining people is the most effective strategy to urge them not to leave waste paper, cans etc. on the ground in a public place. The idea is that if someone is caught littering by the police, they will have to pay a certain amount of money as a punishment. This would certainly discourage that person from scattering litter again. However, there are not enough police to monitor all areas of a city, and there are more important issues for the police to deal with. If only a handful of people get fined, then only a handful of people will stop littering.

  There are some other methods that could be applied in addition to giving fines in order to encourage people to stop leaving their rubbish in public places. Firstly, the city should put up more rubbish bins. If there is a garbage bin on every street or every corner, people will have a place to put their trash. Posters and television ads could also highlight the problem and show people why littering should be stopped. For instance, in my country officials have started to set a culture via broadcasting educational cartoons for school kids concerning plastic pollution that is a matter of concern these days.

  In conclusion, what I recommend is employing more people to sweep or clean the sidewalks and streets in the places where many people walk every day. Once people get used to having rubbish-free streets and sidewalks, they will start to notice litter more and accept it less.

 Analysis

A. Task response:

1. This essay has covered all parts of the given topic most probably because the candidate has spent enough time on comprehending the topic before he/she started to write.

2. The candidate has stated his own opinion definitely regarding the topic.

3. The central paragraphs of the essay have been supported with a range of techniques like examples

4. This candidate has applied 370 words, which has far exceeded the mentioned standard

B. Coherence & cohesion:

1. The candidate has managed to express his/her position clearly and successfully because of applying correct & appropriate linkers like if, however, but, …

۲٫ This piece of writing is both coherent (ideas have been arranged logically) & cohesive.

C. Grammar:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of structures including conditional, compound sentences, …; more importantly, they are correct which mean the candidate has shown an excellent command of English structures by making mistakes in neither basic ones nor  advanced ones .

2. The candidate has paid special attention to punctuation.

D. Vocabulary:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of appropriate & different words whose collocations are correct, for instance scatter, highlight, litter, broadcast, handful, …

۲٫ There is no sign of repetitive words or contractions in the essay; also, spelling and capitalization have been taken care of flawlessly.

 Examiner’s final comment:

Totally, this essay seems good enough to be worthy of IELTS Band 7 because of the above-mentioned plus points. 

With all the troubles in the world today, money spent on space exploration is a complete waste. The money could be better spent on other things. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

 The question of whether space exploration budget could be more usefully applied to tackle other crises around the world rather than space research is not only a controversial issue but also a matter of considerable public concern. There are, therefore, people on both sides of the argument who have feelings either for or against it.

On the one hand, there are people who subscribe to the belief that space exploration budget should be spent to solve food crisis and AIDS in Africa and South Asia. Drought, for example, has left Africa with famine. Based on the latest statistics issued by Harvard Research Center every 30 seconds an African child dies of either malnutrition or AIDS both of which have their roots in poverty. Medicines, for instance, are extremely expensive; as a result of which poor governments cannot afford to pay for the treatment of those who are suffering from preventable diseases. Considering the above mentioned facts lots of people contend that investing in space research is definitely a waste of money.

However, there are those who oppose the former argument. They claim space research has brought enormous benefits to mankind. Take NASA as an example, if it weren’t for launching satellites to predict both hurricanes and earthquakes, millions of people would have died. Besides, had it not been for the space exploration, we would not have been able to invent lots of the gadgets we are using now including Teflon that is a type of plastic which is often used to coat pans so that food does not stick to it.

From what has been discussed above we may draw the conclusion that both points of view have their own merits. However, being a humanitarian, I myself am of the opinion that as long as there are people whose biggest wish is to be able to buy a loaf of bread not to die, we’d better stop all space projects that may or may not help us live better in future.

  Analysis

A. Task response:

1. This essay has covered all parts of the given topic most probably because the candidate has spent enough time on comprehending the topic before he/she started to write.

2. The candidate has stated his own opinion definitely regarding the topic.

3. The central paragraphs of the essay have been supported with a range of techniques like statistics and examples

4. This candidate has applied 290 words, which seems to be professional.

B. Coherence & cohesion:

1. The candidate has managed to express his/her position clearly and successfully because of applying correct & appropriate linkers like not only, but also, however, besides, …

۲٫ This piece of writing is both coherent (ideas have been arranged logically) & cohesive.

C. Grammar:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of structures including compound/complex sentences, …; more importantly, they are correct which mean the candidate has shown an excellent command of English structures by making mistakes in neither basic ones nor advanced ones.

2. The candidate has paid special attention to punctuation.

D. Vocabulary:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of appropriate & different words whose collocations are correct, for instance gadget, humanitarian, malnutrition, …

۲٫ There is no sign of repetitive words or contractions in the essay; also, spelling and capitalization have been taken care of flawlessly.

 Examiner’s final comment:

Totally, this essay seems good enough to be worthy of IELTS Band 7.5 because of the above-mentioned plus points.

Animals should not be used for the benefit of human beings, unless there is evidence that the animals do not suffer in any way.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

There are a lot of controversies about using animals for human needs. Animal rights activists are trying to stop all modern and traditional activities, which involve killing animals or cause their suffering. Traditionalists, on the other hand, are trying to convince the community that using living creatures for men’s needs is natural and cannot be avoided in everyday life.
Activists, who defend animal rights, are telling the world that people should not be allowed to use animals in any way. Moreover, they say that animals should have exactly the same rights as humans do. The reason is that people and animals are both living creatures and there shouldn’t be any difference in treating them. So- called extreme vegans are refusing to eat any food of animal origin, even milk or honey. They are trying to persuade people to do the same as an argument that killing animals and keeping them in captivity cause them suffer; besides, it is inhumane.
Traditionalists disagree with the statement that humans should stop killing animals or using them to fulfill their needs. From the very beginning of human civilization there has been a tradition and vital need to use animals as food and their parts in traditional crafts. Without proteins and vitamins of animal origin human body wouldn’t receive all nutrients it needs. Besides, had it not been for testing some medicines on animals, lots of diseases could have not been eradicated.
The main conclusion to be drawn from this discussion is that people have the moral right to use animals to their benefit, to some extent. I personally am of the opinion we should not make them suffer and die for our fun. Although using animals for food is natural for humans, as civilized city dwellers we should make sure to apply only humane methods to treat them.

 Analysis

A. Task response:

1. This essay has covered all parts of the given topic most probably because the candidate has spent enough time on comprehending the topic before he/she started to write.

2. The candidate has stated his own opinion definitely regarding the topic.

3. The central paragraphs of the essay are not well-supported.

4. This candidate has applied 300 words, which has exceeded the mentioned standard

B. Coherence & cohesion:

1. The candidate has managed to express his/her position clearly and successfully because of applying correct & appropriate linkers such as which, moreover, although, besides, …

۲٫ This piece of writing is both coherent (ideas have been arranged logically) & cohesive.

C. Grammar:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of structures including passive, complex sentences, …; more importantly, they are correct which mean the candidate has shown an excellent command of English structures by making mistakes in neither basic ones nor advanced ones .

2. The candidate has paid special attention to punctuation.

D. Vocabulary:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of appropriate & different words whose collocations are correct, for instance humane, civilized, convince, …

۲٫ There is no sign of repetitive words or contractions in the essay; also, spelling and capitalization have been taken care of flawlessly.

 Examiner’s final comment:

Totally, this essay seems good enough to be worthy of IELTS Band 7 because of the above-mentioned plus points.

Popular events like the football world cup and other international sporting occasions are essential in easing international tensions and releasing patriotic emotions in a safe way. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

 The World Cup football match and the Olympics are held worldwide with great national support and expectations. Fans of those competitions support the idea that sporting events can be necessary for international relations and national unity, yet others believe downsides of such events cannot be ignored.

From proponents’ perspective, the main advantage associated with the World Cup, Olympics and other international games is easing tensions among different nations. For example, South and North Korea have football games regularly which give two nations a chance to understand each other deeply. In fact, in the mid-1990s, hundreds of North Korean supporters came to South Korea with the footballers and they were very excited during the sporting events. Even if it sounds ridiculous, many South Koreans were quite surprised at that moment when North Koreans shouted and cried during the match. We all realized that they were very normal sports fans even though they were occasionally very secretive. Through the sports, two divided nations could reduce their political and ideological tensions and could feel the patriotic unity.

On the other hand, critics of the above-mentioned idea concede sports matches can make international relations worse. For instance, football or baseball games between Korea and Japan are always big matches in two countries in which tensions overflow. Sometimes, after the matches, the two rivals blame each other and their patriotic emotions explode in an aggressive way. Even much worse scenario is the troubles caused by losing games that affect the players directly. As far as I know, a couple of Korean players in Japan suffered from invisible discrimination after the match between two countries.

In conclusion, I think that global sporting occasions can be one of the surest strategies to relieve tensions or to release patriotism safely.

 Analysis

A. Task response:

1. This essay has covered all parts of the given topic most probably because the candidate has spent enough time on comprehending the topic before he/she started to write.

2. The candidate has stated his own opinion definitely regarding the topic.

3. The central paragraphs of the essay have been supported with a range of techniques like examples

4. This candidate has applied 280 words, which seems to be professional.

B. Coherence & cohesion:

1. The candidate has managed to express his/her position clearly and successfully because of applying correct & appropriate linkers like yet, if, …

۲٫ This piece of writing is both coherent (ideas have been arranged logically) & cohesive.

C. Grammar:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of structures including conditional, complex sentences, …; more importantly, they are correct which mean the candidate has shown an excellent command of English structures by making mistakes in neither basic nor advanced ones .

2. The candidate has paid special attention to punctuation.

D. Vocabulary:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of appropriate & different words whose collocations are correct, for instance associate, invisible, tension, critic, patriotism, …

۲٫ There is no sign of repetitive words or contractions in the essay; also, spelling and capitalization have been taken care of flawlessly.

 Examiner’s final comment:

Totally this essay seems good enough to be worthy of IELTS Band 7+ because of the above-mentioned plus points.

As a rule, the longer you continue to study, the better and more lucrative job you are likely to attain in the end. To what extent do you agree with this opinion?

 There appears to be a general assumption that if an eighteen-year-old chooses the option of continued education, as opposed to leaving school to seek work, they will automatically reap financial and professional rewards in the future, so many students are encouraged by their parents to follow degree courses at university before joining the workforce, yet there are those who do not agree with such an assumption.

Many may argue that gaining practical experience is more valuable to career development than further academic qualifications. A junior position in a large company with an opportunity to benefit from in-house training may lead just as swiftly to professional status. In addition, it is important to recognize the fact that many young people will be more suited to manual or semi-skilled work. For them, further education may prove stressful and wholly redundant. Therefore, the argument for continuing education is not always justified.

In support of the argument, the point of going to university is not only to gain a paper qualification by undergraduates but also to learn practical skills and will meet and share stimulating ideas with other students and with tutors. Both factors will help prepare them for the workplace. In addition, statistics prove that having a university degree leads to a better chance of employment. According to statistics issued by a London-based research center currently in Britain, fifty percent of students who left school at sixteen may be unemployed, whilst only one in ten graduates is without work. This suggests that time at university is well-spent.

In summary, it is clear that both options have their own advantages. Leaving school early may lead to finding an equally challenging and well-remunerated job in the longer term but a university degree almost guarantees one. Consequently, in my opinion, if a student has the academic ability to follow a degree course, they should not hesitate to commit to it.

 Analysis

A. Task response:

1. This essay has covered all parts of the given topic most probably because the candidate has spent enough time on comprehending the topic before he/she started to write.

2. The candidate has stated his own opinion definitely regarding the topic.

3. The central paragraphs of the essay have been supported with a range of techniques like statistics

4. This candidate has applied 350 words, which has far exceeded the mentioned standard

B. Coherence & cohesion:

1. The candidate has managed to express his/her position clearly and successfully because of applying correct & appropriate linkers such as so, yet, in addition, therefore, consequently, …

۲٫ This piece of writing is both coherent (ideas have been arranged logically) & cohesive.

C. Grammar:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of structures including passive, compound, …; more importantly, they are correct which mean the candidate has shown an excellent command of English structures by making mistakes in neither basic ones nor advanced ones.

2. The candidate has paid special attention to punctuation.

D. Vocabulary:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of appropriate & different words whose collocations are correct, for instance assumption, well-remunerated, …

۲٫ There is no sign of repetitive words or contractions in the essay; also, spelling and capitalization have been taken care of flawlessly.

 Examiner’s final comment:

Totally, this essay seems good enough to be worthy of IELTS Band 7 because of the above-mentioned plus points.

As a rule, the longer you continue to study, the better and more lucrative job you are likely to attain in the end. To what extent do you agree with this opinion?

 There appears to be a general assumption that if an eighteen-year-old chooses the option of continued education, as opposed to leaving school to seek work, they will automatically reap financial and professional rewards in the future, so many students are encouraged by their parents to follow degree courses at university before joining the workforce, yet there are those who do not agree with such an assumption.

Many may argue that gaining practical experience is more valuable to career development than further academic qualifications. A junior position in a large company with an opportunity to benefit from in-house training may lead just as swiftly to professional status. In addition, it is important to recognize the fact that many young people will be more suited to manual or semi-skilled work. For them, further education may prove stressful and wholly redundant. Therefore, the argument for continuing education is not always justified.

In support of the argument, the point of going to university is not only to gain a paper qualification by undergraduates but also to learn practical skills and will meet and share stimulating ideas with other students and with tutors. Both factors will help prepare them for the workplace. In addition, statistics prove that having a university degree leads to a better chance of employment. According to statistics issued by a London-based research center currently in Britain, fifty percent of students who left school at sixteen may be unemployed, whilst only one in ten graduates is without work. This suggests that time at university is well-spent.

In summary, it is clear that both options have their own advantages. Leaving school early may lead to finding an equally challenging and well-remunerated job in the longer term but a university degree almost guarantees one. Consequently, in my opinion, if a student has the academic ability to follow a degree course, they should not hesitate to commit to it.

 Analysis

A. Task response:

1. This essay has covered all parts of the given topic most probably because the candidate has spent enough time on comprehending the topic before he/she started to write.

2. The candidate has stated his own opinion definitely regarding the topic.

3. The central paragraphs of the essay have been supported with a range of techniques like statistics

4. This candidate has applied 350 words, which has far exceeded the mentioned standard

B. Coherence & cohesion:

1. The candidate has managed to express his/her position clearly and successfully because of applying correct & appropriate linkers such as so, yet, in addition, therefore, consequently, …

۲٫ This piece of writing is both coherent (ideas have been arranged logically) & cohesive.

C. Grammar:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of structures including passive, compound, …; more importantly, they are correct which mean the candidate has shown an excellent command of English structures by making mistakes in neither basic ones nor advanced ones.

2. The candidate has paid special attention to punctuation.

D. Vocabulary:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of appropriate & different words whose collocations are correct, for instance assumption, well-remunerated, …

۲٫ There is no sign of repetitive words or contractions in the essay; also, spelling and capitalization have been taken care of flawlessly.

 Examiner’s final comment:

Totally, this essay seems good enough to be worthy of IELTS Band 7 because of the above-mentioned plus points.

In today’s world, subjects like math and science are the most important for children to learn in school. School curricula should focus on these subjects more and reduce the time spent on music, literature, art and history. Only in this way can we adequately prepare students for life in the modern world. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Many people today regard school subjects like math and science as the most important subjects taught in school, for mastery of these subjects will allow a student to go on to study economics, engineering or many other highly valued university majors, which will lead to better job opportunities in the future, yet others disagree with this and claim subjects such as arts or music are as significant as math and science.

 That is not to say that these less practical subjects should be entirely ignored. To their mind, main goal of primary and secondary school is not to prepare students for future work, but to prepare them to be well-rounded adults. Art, history and literature may not have direct applications in the most popular jobs, but an understanding of these subjects will help a child develop a sense of place in his or her culture. In addition, subjects like music do much to develop a child’s way of thinking.

 Some people might argue that those who are interested in arts or literature will have time later on to take these subjects up as a hobby once they start working. This may be true, but by denying a child exposure to these subjects when they are young virtually guarantees that he or she will not develop an interest in these subjects and are therefore unlikely to pick them up later on as a hobby. An illustration of this is my cousin who can’t stand literature at all since in his childhood he was encouraged to focus just on math.

 In conclusion, I contend while it is reasonable for schools to want to help students in their future careers by focusing on math and science, it is not reasonable for schools to deny students’ access to other subjects. Most people would want to see our cultural heritage passed on to the next generation, and educating students about literature, art, music and history is the best approach to fulfill such a goal.

 Analysis

A. Task response:

1. This essay has covered all parts of the given topic most probably because the candidate has spent enough time on comprehending the topic before he/she started to write.

2. The candidate has stated his own opinion definitely regarding the topic.

3. The central paragraphs of the essay have been supported with a range of techniques like examples

4. This candidate has applied 300 words, which has exceeded the mentioned standard

B. Coherence & cohesion:

1. The candidate has managed to express his/her position clearly and successfully because of applying correct & appropriate cohesive devices such as for, yet, therefore, …

۲٫ This piece of writing is both coherent (ideas have been arranged logically) & cohesive.

C. Grammar:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of structures including compound sentences; more importantly, they are correct which mean the candidate has shown an excellent command of English structures by making mistakes in neither basic ones advanced ones.

2. The candidate has paid special attention to punctuation.

D. Vocabulary:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of appropriate & different words whose collocations are correct, for instance well-rounded, contend, heritage, literature, applications, exposure, …

۲٫ There is no sign of repetitive words or contractions in the essay; also, spelling and capitalization have been taken care of flawlessly.

 Examiner’s final comment:

Totally, this essay seems good enough to be worthy of IELTS Band 7+ because of the above-mentioned plus points. 

Only formal examinations, written or practical, can give a clear picture of students’ true knowledge and ability at university level. Continuous assessment like course work and projects are poor measures of student ability.

How far do you agree with this latter statement?

 The debate about how to assess students at university has been raging as long as such institutions have existed. In one group, there are those who believe the only sure way to test the ability to study or achievement is through regular evaluation during the course, yet others do NOT agree that the mentioned-idea would be an effective alternative to get to know about pupils’ information and understanding about an academic subject, so they suggest formal examinations. In my point of view, each approach has its own merits and demerits.

 To begin with, although steady assessment seems to have been a fair method, it is argued the increased use of the internet has shown the difficulty that teachers have in assessing their students’ course work. For instance, scholars can download vast amounts of material from the web which is highly unlikely for a teacher to mange to check whether the student did, in fact, do the work themselves or not. The student may have done part of the work for a project; nonetheless, it is difficult for the tutor to assess the student properly. The problem then is that if the teacher ignores the possibility that the student stole the idea from somewhere else, a body of workers will be produced who are not really up to the job.

Nevertheless, in the other group are those who feel judging a student’s work by looking at what they have achieved during the semester is not proper, yet final formal written exams are much more reasonable; however, based on recent statistics issued by Stanford University Research Center 45% of students do not perform well under pressure in exams. They may know the information that they are asked to write about very well, but it is probable their performance does not reflect their knowledge; hence, it would be wrong to destroy someone’s future just because they get anxious while taking a test. An illustration of this is my wife. If it weren’t for the steady evaluations, she would have failed most her exams due to feeling uneasy during the formal tests.

 The answer, I feel, lies somewhere in the middle. A university degree should be based on a combination of both forms of assessments. The proportion of marks given to each type of assessment could depend on the nature of the course. For example, a particular course, say an MA, may be more research based work, which would be better assessed by course work like essays etc. In this case however, it is still wise to have an examination like an oral or a viva where the student is examined in detail about the content of what they have written.

 In summary, it is clear that both options have their own advantages. As a university lecturer who has been teaching for more than 15 years I should concede for an evaluation system to be reliable it ought to be continuous.

 Analysis

A. Task response:

1. This essay has covered all parts of the given topic most probably because the candidate has spent enough time on comprehending the topic before he/she started to write.

2. The candidate has stated his own opinion definitely regarding the topic.

3. The central paragraphs of the essay have been supported with a range of techniques like examples

4. This candidate has applied 400 words, which has far exceeded the mentioned standard

B. Coherence & cohesion:

1. The candidate has managed to express his/her position clearly and successfully because of applying correct & appropriate linkers such as who, yet, so, hence, nonetheless, to begin with, ….

۲٫ This piece of writing is both coherent (ideas have been arranged logically) & cohesive.

C. Grammar:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of structures including adjective clause, complex/compound sentences, …; more importantly, they are correct which mean the candidate has shown an excellent command of English structures by making mistakes in neither basic ones nor advanced ones .

2. The candidate has paid special attention to punctuation.

D. Vocabulary:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of appropriate & different words whose collocations are correct, for instance assess, proportion, reliable, demerit, …

۲٫ There is no sign of repetitive words or contractions in the essay; also, spelling and capitalization have been taken care of flawlessly.

 Examiner’s final comment:

Totally, this essay seems good enough to be worthy of IELTS Band 7.5 because of the above-mentioned plus points.

In some countries, young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this idea.

 Taking a “gap year” off between high school and university has become a popular option among many young people. Although some argue students can use this opportunity to do something hands-on and refreshing which enables them to learn more about themselves, there are critics who believe drawbacks of such a gap outweigh its advantages.

The benefits of taking a year off are plentiful. On a personal level, students who travel away from home develop their independence and self-confidence. On a cultural level, they learn about viewpoints, traditions and perspectives different from their own. Professionally, students get a taste of diverse workplaces, which might inspire a possible career interest. Intellectually, they examine their own beliefs and ideas in relation to those of others in a new environment. All these advantages combine to make a strong case for taking the one-year break.

Nevertheless, there are also dangers involved in taking such a long break. Academically, the main drawback is that students can get sidetracked from their studies. A year is a long time and students could lose the good study habits and sense of discipline they had when they were in a formal academic structure. If they begin working, they could also be deluded into thinking that they’re making a lot of money as a result of which they could lose the benefit of college or university education and the chance to earn a higher income all their lives. An illustration of this is my uncle who would be a PhD holder now, had it not been for starting a business during the gap year.

In conclusion, whether to take a year-long break or not is an individual decision. What I personally assume is that each young person should consider his or her motivations carefully and decide on what’s most desirable. Time is a precious resource and people of all ages, including young people, should treat it with respect.

 Analysis

A. Task response:

1. This essay has covered all parts of the given topic most probably because the candidate has spent enough time on comprehending the topic before he/she started to write.

2. The candidate has stated his own opinion definitely regarding the topic.

3. The central paragraphs of the essay are not well-supported.

4. This candidate has applied 280 words, which is good.

B. Coherence & cohesion:

1. The candidate has managed to express his/her position clearly and successfully because of applying correct & appropriate linkers such as although, nevertheless, which, if , …

۲٫ This piece of writing is both coherent (ideas have been arranged logically) & cohesive.

C. Grammar:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of structures including adjective clauses, noun clauses, conditional, complex sentences, …; more importantly, they are correct which mean the candidate has shown an excellent command of English structures by making mistakes in neither basic ones advanced ones .

2. The candidate has paid special attention to punctuation.

D. Vocabulary:

1. This candidate has used a wide range of appropriate & different words whose collocations are correct, for instance enable, outweigh, intellectually, delude, discipline, …

۲٫ There is no sign of repetitive words or contractions in the essay; also, spelling and capitalization have been taken care of flawlessly.

 Examiner’s final comment:

Totally, this essay seems good enough to be worthy of IELTS Band 7+ because of the above-mentioned plus points.