Many governments think that economic progress is their most important goal. Some people, however, think that other types of progress are equally important for a country. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Sample Response
People have different views about how governments should measure their countries’ progress. While economic progress is Deleteof course essential, I agree with those who believe that other measures of progress are just as important.
There are three key reasons why economic growth is seen as a fundamental goal for countries. Firstly, a healthy economy results in job creation, a high level of employment, and higherbetter salaries for all citizens. Secondly, economic progress ensures that governments have more money availablemore money is available for governments to spend on infrastructure and public services. For example, a government with higher revenues can invest in the country’s transport network, its education and healthcare systemsits education system and its hospitals. Finally, a strong economy can strengthenhelp a country’s standing on the global stage, in terms of its political influence and trading power.
However, I would argue that other forms of progressvarious other forms of progress are just as significant as the economic factors mentioned above. In particular, we should consider Deletethe area of social justice, human rights, equality and democracydemocracy itself. For example, the treatment of minority groups is often seen as a reflection of the moral standards and a society’s level of developmentlevel of development of a society. Perhaps another key consideration when judging the progress of a modern country should be how well that country protects the natural environment, and whether it is moving towards environmental sustainability. AdditionallyAlternatively, the success of a nation could be measured by assessing the healthlooking at the health, well-being and happiness of its residents.
In conclusion, the economy is obviously a key marker of a country’s success, but social, environmental and health criteria are equally significant.
Why this response received Band 8.5
The response is strongest in its lucid, balanced treatment of both perspectives, with a consistent opinion and highly controlled language throughout. Its only notable limitation is that several non-economic measures are presented in quick succession rather than explored as deeply as the economic case. The best refinement would be to develop one or two of those alternatives with fuller causal explanation while preserving the essay's concise focus.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both views and the writer's position are addressed directly with relevant, well-supported reasoning.
Develop one or two non-economic measures more fully instead of listing several briefly.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress seamlessly through a clear paragraph structure, with cohesive devices used naturally and unobtrusively.
Maintain this controlled progression while making the internal links among the alternative measures slightly more explicit.
Lexical Resource
A wide and precise vocabulary conveys abstract economic, social, and environmental ideas with strong flexibility.
Refine the occasional slightly broad formulation by choosing even more exact wording for categories of national progress.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A broad range of complex sentence forms is used accurately and with excellent control throughout.
Continue varying clause patterns while retaining the same consistently accurate punctuation and agreement.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Many governments think that economic progress is their most important goal. Some people, however, think that other types of progress are equally important for a country. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.