Some people say that your first impressions when you meet someone are always right. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Sample Response
Two lines of thought exist when it comes to the significance of first impressions, and many people use first impressions as the basisfor many, they form the basis for judging someone’s personality and background. I believe that first impressions are important to some extent; however, my support is in the favour of knowing the person better instead of establishing judgments just on looks and items of clothing as I support the more holistic way of getting to know people.
To begin with, I believe that first impressions give just a glimpse of somebody’s character and not the whole picture. There could be a variety of underlying factors that explain whyunderlying factors and reasons for which a person might behave in a particular way. If someone, for example, does not initiate a conversation and does not smile at a party where guests are expected to mingleat a party where it is required to mingle, it could be because the person is ill or has some sort of personal crisis going on. Judging by first impressions, that person can be easily labelled as arrogant and unfriendly. However, if someone makes an effort to get to know the personmakes an effort to know the person and why they are withdrawn at the partythe reason behind being a recluse in the party, the initialformer judgment is entirely reversed. In addition, appearances changeouter appearances change and evolve but the inner personality remains almost the same. People who form their perceptions on the basis of fleeting outer appearances are often mistaken.
HoweverOn the contrary, in some instances, such as a job interviewfor example, a job interview, first impressions are particularly importantof foremost importance. Recruiters are specifically trained to screensort potential employees based on first impressionsbased on the first impression. The initial impression includes not onlynot only includes the way a person dressesthe way of dressing but also the way a person speaks and carries themselveshimself. In such a case, judging someone by a first impressionjudging someone from the first impression is justified.
To conclude, although there are instances where first impressions matter and needmatter, and need to be taken into account, I strongly believe that it is always prudent to get to know a person better before jumping to a conclusion.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response presents a clear, nuanced position and develops its central argument effectively through a relevant example about misreading behaviour at a party. The contrasting job-interview point is considerably briefer and rests largely on assertion, while several collocations are awkward. Develop that counterpoint with fuller reasoning and refine word choice so the argument feels equally precise throughout.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The essay directly answers the extent question with a consistent position and relevant support, although the job-interview qualification is less fully developed.
Explain more precisely why an initial impression in an interview can be reliable enough to justify a hiring judgment.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically through a clear introduction, contrasting body paragraphs, and a conclusion that restates the position coherently.
Strengthen the transition into the interview example so the concession connects more explicitly to the central argument.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and often precise, but awkward combinations such as ‘support is in the favour’ and ‘establishing judgments’ reduce naturalness.
Replace forced formal expressions with idiomatic alternatives such as ‘I favour getting to know someone better’ and ‘forming judgments’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex structures with good control, despite occasional awkward construction and unnecessary punctuation.
Edit sentence boundaries and embedded examples carefully, particularly the sentence introducing job interviews and the comma in the conclusion.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people say that your first impressions when you meet someone are always right. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.