Developing countries should be encouraged to implement high tariffs to grow their local industries. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
In recent years, there has been considerable debate regarding whether developing countries should impose high tariffs to protect and nurture local industries. While there are compelling arguments in favor of this approach, on balance, such a strategy may not always be the most effective solution for fostering sustainable economic growth.
On one hand, high tariffs can provide temporary relief to fledgling industries in developing countries. By imposing tariffs on imported goods, local businesses are protected from international competition, allowing them to grow and improve their productivity without the immediate threat of cheaper foreign products undercutting the market. For example, in countries like Vietnam, tariffs on foreign electronics and automobiles have given local manufacturers a chance to scale up their operations, improve technology, and create jobs for the local workforce. In such cases, tariffs act as a shield, fostering the development of domestic industries and enabling them to become more competitive in the global market over time.
However, high tariffs can lead to higher prices for consumers and impact core industries. In a developing economy, where many people already struggle with low wages, the imposition of tariffs can make essential goods more expensive, further exacerbating inequality. For example, in certain Southeast Asian countries, high tariffs on imported agricultural equipment have made it more expensive for local farmers to access modern machinery, limiting their productivity and overall income. Relatedly, if industries are protected from competition for too long, they may not innovate or improve their products and services, as they are not under the same pressure to compete with more efficient global companies. In some cases, this results in the growth of uncompetitive industries that fail to meet global standards. Despite high tariffs on foreign rice in countries like India, the local rice industry has struggled to modernize and remain competitive with other rice-exporting nations such as Vietnam and Thailand.
In conclusion, while high tariffs can offer short-term benefits for developing countries, I believe they should only be implemented cautiously and with a clear focus on long-term strategies. A balanced approach that combines targeted protection for emerging industries with efforts to increase global competitiveness.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Complete linking phrase Original: On one hand Suggested revision: On the one hand Why it matters: The fixed contrastive expression requires the definite article.
- 2. Improve tariff collocation Original: provide temporary relief to fledgling industries Suggested revision: provide temporary protection for fledgling industries Why it matters: “Protection for” more precisely describes the effect of tariffs on emerging industries.
- 3. Clarify what is undercut Original: foreign products undercutting the market Suggested revision: foreign products undercutting local producers Why it matters: Products can undercut competing producers or prices, while “undercut the market” is unclear here.
- 4. Use precise collocation Original: improve technology Suggested revision: upgrade their technology Why it matters: The possessive phrase and verb make the manufacturers' technological improvement more precise.
- 5. Remove redundancy Original: jobs for the local workforce Suggested revision: jobs locally Why it matters: The concept of jobs already implies a workforce, so the revision is more concise.
- 6. Specify negative effect Original: impact core industries Suggested revision: harm key industries Why it matters: “Harm” states the negative effect more precisely than the broad verb “impact.”
- 7. Clarify result link Original: further Suggested revision: thereby Why it matters: “Thereby” makes the cause-and-effect relationship explicit.
- 8. Use clear addition Original: Relatedly Suggested revision: Furthermore Why it matters: The next point adds a distinct disadvantage, so an additive transition is clearer.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: A balanced approach that combines targeted protection for emerging industries with efforts to increase global competitiveness. Suggested revision: Governments should adopt a balanced approach that combines targeted protection for emerging industries with efforts to increase global competitiveness. Why it matters: The original is a sentence fragment because the noun phrase has no finite main verb.
- 10. Separate disadvantage strands Suggested revision: Start a new paragraph at “Relatedly” so that consumer costs and long-term industrial competitiveness develop as distinct lines of reasoning. Why it matters: The current paragraph shifts between two disadvantages and their examples without a clear structural boundary.
Suggested Rewrites
- On one hand On the one hand
- provide temporary relief to fledgling industries provide temporary protection for fledgling industries
- foreign products undercutting the market foreign products undercutting local producers
- improve technology upgrade their technology
- jobs for the local workforce jobs locally
- impact core industries harm key industries
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response offers a nuanced, consistent position and develops both the protective value and economic risks of tariffs through specific, logically connected examples. Its principal weakness is the unfinished final sentence, which slightly weakens an otherwise polished conclusion; the highest-priority improvement is to complete that recommendation and state precisely how targeted protection should be combined with long-term competitiveness measures.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The question is directly answered with a clear qualified position and well-developed consideration of benefits and drawbacks.
Make the final policy recommendation fully explicit by specifying the limited extent and conditions under which tariffs are justified.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response is logically sequenced, with cohesive progression from temporary protection to consumer and industry costs.
Complete the concluding thought so the final paragraph closes the argument as decisively as the body develops it.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied, precise, and appropriately academic, with effective control of economic terminology and collocation.
Refine the few broad expressions, such as 'impact core industries,' by naming the exact economic effect intended.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately and flexibly, with one conspicuous sentence fragment at the end.
Turn the final noun phrase into a complete sentence with a finite verb and explicit subject-predicate relationship.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS Writing Task 2
Developing countries should be encouraged to implement high tariffs to grow their local industries. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.