Some believe that history has little to teach us about today while others think that the study of the past helps us to understand the present. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Sample Response
Many feel that the study of the past does little to inform the present while others believe it can help aid understanding. In my opinion, history certainly holds insights but they are so deeply woven into a specific context so as to be as misleading as enlightening.
Those who argue in favour of learning from history can point to the importance of understanding a culture. A frequently cited example of this is the war between Vietnam and the United States in the mid 1960s to early 1970s. Both before and during the war, the United States President and his advisors understood little about the history of Vietnam with its successive invasions from foreign nations including China and Japan. A deeper understanding of the unity and resilience of Vietnam might have led them to make different decisions regarding splitting the country in half and the escalation of ground troops. Mistakes born of ignorance take place all the time in international relations and even domestic politics.
Regardless, history only holds lessons for the keenest observors. Every historical moment passes through a complex set of circumstances, many of which are hidden from history books, and cannot be reduced to simple lessons. For example, the Vietnam war is often summed up with the platitude that it is impossible to invade and occupy a foreign nation. This ignores the myriad reasons that led to defeat and supposes that other conflicts are identical. After the invasion of Iraq proved to be a quagmire, many relished the historical lessons of Vietnam without considering the very diverse set of circumstances that led to failure in each country. There are certainly insights to be gained from studying past conflicts, but they will rarely result in fixed, black and white rules applicable to every new situation.
In conclusion, history is not a simple road map for the future. Those who are too avid to accept seemingly apparent lessons are doomed to lead themselves astray and make new mistakes.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Remove redundant verb Original: help aid understanding Suggested revision: aid understanding Why it matters: “Help” and “aid” express the same function, so using both is redundant.
- 2. Lowercase the job title Original: President Suggested revision: president Why it matters: A generic job title is not capitalized when it does not directly precede a person’s name.
- 3. Clarify historical relationship Original: history of Vietnam with its successive invasions from foreign nations including China and Japan Suggested revision: Vietnam’s history of successive invasions by foreign powers, including China and Japan Why it matters: The revision uses the correct agent preposition and makes the historical relationship easier to follow.
- 4. Use concise formal wording Original: regarding splitting the country in half Suggested revision: about dividing the country Why it matters: This wording is more concise and appropriate for an academic discussion.
- 5. Restore parallel structure Original: the escalation of ground troops Suggested revision: escalating the deployment of ground troops Why it matters: The gerund phrase now runs parallel to “dividing the country” and clarifies what was escalated.
- 6. Correct spelling Original: observors Suggested revision: observers Why it matters: “Observers” is the correct spelling.
- 7. Improve historical collocation Original: passes through a complex set of circumstances Suggested revision: arises from a complex set of circumstances Why it matters: “Arises from” more naturally expresses how a historical moment is shaped by circumstances.
- 8. Capitalize the proper name Original: war Suggested revision: War Why it matters: The formal name of the conflict requires capitalization.
- 9. Correct the collocation Original: avid Suggested revision: eager Why it matters: “Eager to accept” is the natural collocation for readiness to believe an idea.
- 10. Sentence rewrite Original: In my opinion, history certainly holds insights but they are so deeply woven into a specific context so as to be as misleading as enlightening. Suggested revision: In my opinion, history certainly offers insights, but these are so deeply tied to specific contexts that they can mislead as much as they enlighten. Why it matters: The rewrite fixes the awkward repeated comparative structure and clarifies the pronoun reference.
Suggested Rewrites
- help aid understanding aid understanding
- President president
- history of Vietnam with its successive invasions from foreign nations including China and Japan Vietnam’s history of successive invasions by foreign powers, including China and Japan
- regarding splitting the country in half about dividing the country
- the escalation of ground troops escalating the deployment of ground troops
- observors observers
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response is strongest in its nuanced position, sustained analysis, and effective use of the Vietnam and Iraq examples to test both sides of the debate. Its main limitation is a small number of awkward or inaccurate word choices and constructions, including a spelling error, which slightly weaken an otherwise sophisticated style. The highest priority is to edit for idiomatic precision while retaining the depth and balance of the argument.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The essay discusses both views, maintains a clear nuanced opinion, and develops its reasoning through detailed, relevant historical examples.
Make the conclusion slightly fuller by restating how historical study remains useful when its lessons are interpreted cautiously.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument progresses naturally from the value of historical knowledge to its limitations, with cohesive links that rarely draw attention to themselves.
Use a more explicit transition into the counterargument than Regardless to clarify the precise relationship between the two perspectives.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is wide, sophisticated, and generally precise, with strong expressions such as resilience, quagmire, platitude, and myriad reasons.
Correct observors and refine less natural choices such as too avid to accept and can help aid for greater idiomatic precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response displays a wide variety of complex structures with consistently strong control and only occasional awkwardness.
Revise densely layered sentences to remove redundant patterns such as so deeply woven and so as to be, while preserving their nuance.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some believe that history has little to teach us about today while others think that the study of the past helps us to understand the present. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.