Nowadays it is easy to apply for and be given a credit card. However, some people experience problems when they are not be able to pay their debts back. In your opinion, do the advantages of credit cards outweigh the disadvantages?
Sample Response
It is all too easy to obtain a credit card and then to run up debts which are difficult to repay. In my opinion, the disadvantages of credit cards far outweigh the advantages.
Many people consider only the benefits of owning a credit card. It is true that a credit card gives you access to money and the facility to pay it back later, like a loan. This could be useful for emergencies or something expensive, like a holiday. In addition, having a credit card is more secure than carrying money around with you. If you lose your wallet or purse, or if you are mugged in the street, a quick phone call to the bank means that the card will be instantly refused if anyone tries to use it.
On the other hand, credit cards encourage people to spend money they do not have. I would never have a credit card for this reason. Debts can build up and leave people in real financial difficulties. When people cannot pay their debts back, everyone suffers: those in debt may lose their homes, the banks lose money, and the whole economy suffers. The enticing message of ‘spend today, pay tomorrow’ should not seduce US into embracing this philosophy. As my mother used to say: it will end in tears.
In conclusion, listen to the advice of the older generation. Do not be tempted by the ease of using a credit card, because it may result in mounting debts which cannot be paid back.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Improve parallel structure Original: then to run up debts Suggested revision: then run up debts Why it matters: Removing the repeated infinitive marker makes the coordinated verbs more concise.
- 2. Use academic register Original: gives you access to money Suggested revision: gives users access to funds Why it matters: Users and funds avoid direct address and create a more formal tone.
- 3. Clarify repayment meaning Original: the facility to pay it back later Suggested revision: the option to repay the amount later Why it matters: This wording states the repayment option more precisely.
- 4. Use precise example Original: something expensive, like a holiday Suggested revision: a large expense, such as a holiday Why it matters: Large expense is more precise and such as is more formal than like.
- 5. Use concise comparison Original: more secure than carrying money around with you Suggested revision: safer than carrying cash Why it matters: This version expresses the security comparison more concisely and precisely.
- 6. Fix banking collocation Original: the card will be instantly refused Suggested revision: the card will be blocked immediately Why it matters: A bank blocks a card; it does not refuse the card itself.
- 7. Choose precise modifier Original: real Suggested revision: serious Why it matters: Serious describes the severity of financial problems more precisely than real.
- 8. Use concise verb Original: cannot pay their debts back Suggested revision: cannot repay their debts Why it matters: Repay expresses the same meaning more concisely and formally.
- 9. Correct capitalization Original: US Suggested revision: us Why it matters: The object pronoun should not be written in capital letters.
- 10. Use restrained wording Original: embracing this philosophy Suggested revision: adopting this attitude Why it matters: Attitude refers more precisely to the spending mindset described in the quoted slogan.
- 11. Sentence rewrite Original: As my mother used to say: it will end in tears. Suggested revision: As my mother used to say, it will end in tears. Why it matters: A comma more naturally introduces this short reported saying than a colon.
Suggested Rewrites
- then to run up debts then run up debts
- gives you access to money gives users access to funds
- the facility to pay it back later the option to repay the amount later
- something expensive, like a holiday a large expense, such as a holiday
- more secure than carrying money around with you safer than carrying cash
- the card will be instantly refused the card will be blocked immediately
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response’s strongest feature is its direct, persuasive comparison, with specific benefits and clearly developed financial risks supporting a consistent position. Its main limitation is a slightly conversational closing and one or two imprecise lexical choices, which modestly reduce the otherwise polished academic tone. The highest-priority improvement is to express the final judgment analytically and preserve the same precise register throughout.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The question is fully addressed through a clear judgment and well-developed, relevant consideration of both advantages and disadvantages.
Make the conclusion explicitly summarize why the financial risks outweigh the practical benefits instead of shifting into direct advice.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument is easy to follow, with focused paragraphs, natural progression, and cohesive devices used effectively.
Maintain the analytical progression through the conclusion by linking the final claim directly to the comparison developed above.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is wide, precise, and often natural, with strong control of topic-specific and idiomatic expressions.
Refine rare imprecise choices such as a card being “refused” and avoid accidental capitalization that interrupts the polished register.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence structures is handled flexibly and accurately, with errors extremely rare and meaning consistently clear.
Preserve this high control by checking punctuation and typographical slips during a final proofread.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Nowadays it is easy to apply for and be given a credit card. However, some people experience problems when they are not be able to pay their debts back. In your opinion, do the advantages of credit cards outweigh the disadvantages?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.