IELTS task 1 marking criteria

Follow this  criteria to get higher mark.

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People who live in large cities face a range of problems in their daily life

What are the main problems people in cities face and how can these problems be tackled?

These days, more and more of us are living in big cities, and urban conurbation are expanding all the time. Although cities are vert attractive place to live, and they provide a wide range of work and leisure opportunities, there are also a host significant social problem affecting cities. This essay will examine some of these problems in detail, and then propose some solutions.

One of the biggest problems facing people who live in cities is the high property prices. In many cities, buying a house bear the centre is out of reach for people on the average salary and they are forced to lived outside the city and to commute into work.  In central London, for instance, the cost even a one- bedroom flat is prohibitive for many people.  To solve this problem, the government could put more resource into building affordable housing, which would allow more people to buy their own home. 

Another issue is traffic and air pollution.  Most big cities are overrun with cars, and there is a great deal  of traffic congestion.  The exhaust fumes from these cars cause air pollution and as consequence, more and more people are suffering from respiratory diseases such as asthma.  This problem could be addressed by introduction a congestion charge for cars entering the city center, thereby cutting the number of vehicles on the road.

Finally, another problem is the quality and cost of public transport.  That is to say, in most capitals, public transport is inefficient, and the infrastructure is old and inadequate.  At the same time, ticket prices are often to high, which puts people off using public transport.  The way forward must be to invest more money in trains and buses, to slash ticket prices.  This would encourage more people to use public transport.

To sum up, although it is clear that cities face range of problems, it is undoubtedly possible to start to tackle these issues, and improve the quality of life in cities.  Government and local councils must take the lead in dealing with these problems, otherwise city life will on get worse in the future.  

(352 words)

Globalization

Write about the following topic:

As mass communication and transport continue to grow, societies are becoming more and more alike leading to a phenomenon known as globalization. Some people fear that globalization will inevitably lead to the total loss of cultural identity.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

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

Write at least 250 words.

model answer:

Globalization means that in some ways people around the world are becoming more and more similar. We often eat the same food, watch the same TV programmes, listen to the same music and we wear the same clothes. Some of this at least can be blamed on the spread of multinational brands available all over the world.

On the surface, it may appear as if the global diversity of cultural identities is being lost. If, the argument goes, people in Tokyo and London look and dress the same, then that must mean that cultural differences are disappearing. However, I would argue that this is a very narrow definition of culture and that in fact cultural differences are as present as ever.

Cultural Identity is built on far more than just the films we watch or the jeans we wear. The foundation of cultural identity is shared values. When you look in detail at different cultures, you realize that the things that are important to one culture can be very different from the things valued by another culture.

Take my own culture, India, as an example and compare it to a very different culture, Japan. Although I have never visited Japan personally, I believe that it is a culture which places a lot of value on hard work and that people often work very long hours. The Indian people, in contrast, greatly value their leisure time and strive to spend as much lime with their family as they possibly can. Even if we consume the same products, I would argue that there are still some very deep-rooted differences.

To summarize, I do not accept that that total loss of cultural identity is inevitable, despite the influence of large companies and their products around the globe.

(294 words)

consumption

In most countries multinational companies and their products are becoming more and more important.
This trend is seriously damaging our quality of life.

Do you agree or disagree?

Write at least 250 words.

Writing Tip

In IELTS Writing Task 2, you might want to talk about a common opinion or fact. For example, you might say, Many people say that multinational companies and globalisation are making societies more open. However, if you want to be more formal, it is good to use the structure It + passive + clause: It is said that multinational companies and globalisation are making societies more open.

Verbs which are often used in this way are: say, agree, suppose, know, think, believe, expect, feel, report, estimate

Model answer

The writer has tried to avoid repeating the same words too often in the answer.
Read the sample again and find synonyms or phrases later in the answer with similar meanings to the underlined words.

Multinational companies nowadays find it easy both to market their products all over the world and set up factories wherever they find it convenient. In my opinion this has had a harmful effect on our quality of life in three main areas.

The first area is their products. Supporters of globalization would argue that multinational companies make high-quality goods available to more people. While this may be true to some extent, it also means that we have less choice of products to buy. When powerful multinational companies invade local markets with their goods, they often force local companies with fewer resources to go out of business. In consequence, we are obliged to buy multinational products whether we like them or not.

This brings me to my second point. It is sometimes said that multinational companies and globalisation are making societies more open. This may be true. However, I would argue that as a result the human race is losing its cultural diversity. If we consumed different products, societies all over the world would be more varied. This can be seen by the fact that we all shop in similar multinational supermarkets and buy identical products wherever we live.

Thirdly, defenders of multinational companies often point out that they provide employment. Although this is undoubtedly true, it also means that we have become more dependent on them, which in turn makes us more vulnerable to their decisions. When, for example, a multinational decides to move its production facilities to another country, this has an adverse effect on its workers who lose their jobs.

All in all, I believe that if we as voters pressured our governments to make multinational companies more responsible and to protect local producers from outside competition, we could have the benefits of globalisation without its disadvantages.

Modern lifestyles

Modern lifestyles mean that many parents have little time for their children. Many children suffer because they do not get as much attention from their parents as children did in the past.

Do you agree or disagree?

Write at least 250 words.

Writing Tip

In IELTS Writing Task 2, you might be asked to read a statement and state whether you agree or disagree with the opinion. Of course, you may only partly agree with it. You must explain your point of view and give reasons for it.

Model answer

Look at the words or phrases in capitals. Choose the word or phrase which sounds more formal. Rewrite the final paragraph in a more formal style.

People who SAY/ARGUE that nowadays parents give less attention to their children than in the past are FREQUENTLY/OFTEN looking back to a SHORT/BRIEF period of time in the twentieth century when MOTHERS/MUMS in middle-class families REMAINED/STAYED at home to look after their children. What these people are SUGGESTING/SAYING is that women nowadays should not go out to work.

THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT/ACTUALLY in MOST/THE MAJORITY OF families in the past both parents worked MUCH LONGER HOURS/MORE than they do nowadays. What has changed is that now in most countries their children ATTEND/GO TO school rather than also working themselves. In that sense they may SEE LESS OF/HAVE LESS CONTACT WITH their parents.

Nowadays, as a result of ACQUIRING AN EDUCATION/GOING TO SCHOOL, children come into contact with teachers who NATURALLY/OF COURSE have to explain why some of their students are failing. What teachers come up with are LOTS OF/FREQUENT stories of parents who are SIMPLY/JUST too busy for their CHILDREN/KIDS. And IF CHILDREN ARE NOT SUPERVISED BY THEIR PARENTS/IF PARENTS DON’T KEEP AN EYE ON THEIR CHILDREN, they will often DO BADLY/UNDERPERFORM at school. However, FAILURE AT SCHOOL/ACADEMIC FAILURE is nothing new even when one or both parents are at home. If children ARE NEGLECTED/DON’T HAVE ATTENTION GIVEN TO THEM by their parents, they will suffer.

I guess children probably had more problems in the past when they and their parents had to work non-stop just to get by. These days, the law looks after children and they can go to school, so children have lots more chances than they ever had before.

In my opinion opinion, children probably suffered more in the past when the whole family was obliged to work long hours just to survive. Nowadays children are protected by the law. Moreover access to education means that they have greater opportunities than ever before.

Salary

Some people feel that certain workers like nurses, doctors and teachers are undervalued and should be paid more, especially when other people like film actors or company bosses are paid huge sums of money that are out of proportion to the importance of the work that they do.

-How far do you agree?
-What criteria should be used to decide how much people are paid?

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

Write at least 250 words.

IELTS Tips

1) It is essential that you plan your essay before actually beginning to write your answer. Some students may want to begin writing immediately as they are afraid that they will run out of time. This will not allow them to produce a well-organised essay.

2) There is more weight to Task 2 when calculating your overall writing score, so time management is important.

3) You should introduce the issue in your introduction, but avoid coping directly from the prompt. Rather, you should paraphrase the question using your own words.

4) If you write less than 250 words for Task 2, you will be penalized in the Task Response criteria.

Model answer

Nobody can deny that there are certain professionals like nurses, doctors and teachers who are essential to the fabric of society, and who should therefore be rewarded accordingly. However, this is seldom the case. When we look at the salaries and fees commanded by certain film stars and actresses and people who run large companies, this does not seem fair.

First of all, not all film stars earn huge sums of money. In fact, at any one time in the UK, for example, roughly 80 per cent of actors are out of work and on top of that the number who are paid so-called ‘telephone number fees’ is even smaller. One must also remember that the career of many actors is very short and that therefore the money they earn has to be spread over many years. The same applies to company bosses.

Stating a set of criteria as to how much people should be paid is not easy. The idea of performance-related pay is very much in vogue at the moment. Rewarding people according to qualifications has long been used as a yardstick for paying people, but it is not a consistently good measure. Another is years of relevant experience, but there are many cases where a younger person can perform a task better than someone with lots of experience.

Whatever criteria are used to assess salaries, an on-going cycle will develop. This will create pressure in other areas. This considered, generally I feel that certain key professionals should have their salaries assessed by independent review bodies on an on-going basis so that they do not fall behind.