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
First impressions, without a doubt, are highly importanthave great importance, but they do not always reveal the real characteristics of a person, and I believe that first impressions are not always accurate. This essay discusses why first impressions may often be deceptive and insufficient for judging someonedeceptive and less important in judging someone.
To begin with, first impressions may reveal some information about a person, but this is not a reliable indication ofsolid testament to someone's personality and character. We can judge others byfrom the way they dress, speak, start a conversation and express their views, but these impressions can often be ambiguous or even deceptivebut this can often be ambiguous or even deceptive. For instance, my experience has taught me that people who become friends very quickly are less committed to a long-term friendshipless serious about a long-term friendship though they give thean opposite impression aton their first meeting. I have also learned that people try to show compassion and helpfulness on their first encountercounter with others even if they are not genuinely compassionate or helpfultruly not compassionate and helpful enough.
Moreover, people try to behave modestly, act friendly, show compassion and display their positive qualitiesexhibit their positive sides when they meet someone for the first time. Only long-term observationOnly a long-term observation can revealexpress their true nature and intentionsintention. So, I would not agree with the view that my initial impressions ofabout someone are always right. I believe we can learn about a person only when we spend time with themspend time with the person and can understand their true colourscolour when we observe them closely for a long time.
To conclude, people are one of the greatest mysteries in the world and judging someone at the first meeting is somewhat irrationalkind of irrational. No doubt, some informationNo doubt some information about someone cancould be learned from the first encounter, but such information is not always accuratethis is not always right, at least not in my experience.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response maintains a clear disagreement and explains persuasively that people can manage their initial presentation, using personal experience and the value of long-term observation as support. Its main limitation is that the two body paragraphs substantially repeat the same deception argument, alongside a few awkward lexical choices; the priority is to develop a distinct second reason and refine collocations for greater precision.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
A clear position is maintained and supported with relevant explanation and personal experience, though the two main reasons overlap considerably.
Develop a distinct second reason, such as the effect of unusual circumstances or cultural differences on initial behaviour.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response is organised into clear paragraphs and easy to follow, but repeated claims about deceptive behaviour limit progression between the body paragraphs.
Give each body paragraph a separate controlling idea and use referencing to avoid repeating first impressions and a person.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is sufficiently varied to discuss personality and judgement, although several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward.
Use natural phrases such as reliable evidence, judge by appearance, first encounter, and reveal their true character.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex sentences is generally controlled, with only occasional awkward clause construction and reference.
Tighten long sentences by checking that each pronoun has a clear referent and each contrast joins complete ideas.
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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.