Some people think that hosting an international sporting event is beneficial for a country, while others disagree. Do the advantages of hosting a major sporting event outweigh its disadvantages?
Sample Response
International sporting events are well-known for attracting a high level of attention because they give many people something to look forward to. Understandably, there are advantages and disadvantages for the host country, and careful consideration is required to determine whether a nation will benefit or lose from hosting a major sports championship.
Worryingly, the new infrastructure required for hosting a major sporting event often comes at the expense of local people. Their lives get disrupted by construction works and at times residents have even been evicted from their homes for stadiums to be built. Worse still, practice shows the expensive, gigantic buildings constructed for the sports event aren’t being used afterwards and fall into disrepair, leaving the country with high maintenance bills. The financial burden from hosting the Olympic Games, for example, is staggering and can run into tens of billions. Still, the question remains whether or not the pros outnumber the cons.
It is hard to underestimate the amount of influence on the country’s global status and prestige that comes with becoming a home to an international sporting event. New trade opportunities appear on the horizon, as it happened for many countries that hosted the Olympic Games. There is also a welcome increase in tourism, which gives the local economy a boost, injecting billions of dollars into the national budget. Construction of new stadiums, hotels and infrastructure such as new roads and rail links creates new jobs, further improving the country’s economy. Less tangible but still important is the aspect of national pride and the feel-good factor associated with hosting an international sports event.
All in all, it seems to me that an international sporting event can bring more good than harm to a country, especially if its potential dangers can be avoided or minimised. Hosting a World Championship is a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a country and an immense source of pride for its citizens.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Fix parallel structure Original: benefit or lose from hosting Suggested revision: benefit from or lose out by hosting Why it matters: The coordinated alternatives require their own correct prepositions and parallel verb phrases.
- 2. Use uncountable form Original: works Suggested revision: work Why it matters: Construction work is normally uncountable when referring generally to building activity.
- 3. Mark introductory phrase Original: at times residents Suggested revision: at times, residents Why it matters: A comma helps mark the introductory adverbial phrase and clarifies the sentence structure.
- 4. Use natural collocation Original: practice Suggested revision: experience Why it matters: Experience shows is the more natural expression for evidence drawn from previous events.
- 5. Align verb forms Original: aren’t being used afterwards and fall Suggested revision: are often left unused afterwards and fall Why it matters: This revision gives the coordinated verbs a consistent general-time meaning.
- 6. Use precise modifier Original: sports Suggested revision: sporting Why it matters: Sporting event is the standard expression for an organized athletics competition.
- 7. Use formal task language Original: pros outnumber the cons Suggested revision: advantages outweigh the disadvantages Why it matters: This phrasing is more formal and expresses the required comparison more precisely.
- 8. Remove unnecessary article Original: becoming a home to Suggested revision: becoming home to Why it matters: Home is used without an article in the fixed expression become home to.
- 9. Use precise measure Original: amount Suggested revision: degree Why it matters: Degree is the more appropriate measure for influence in this abstract context.
- 10. Use present perfect Original: it Suggested revision: has Why it matters: The present perfect links past host-country examples to the general claim being made now.
- 11. Fix economic collocation Original: budget Suggested revision: economy Why it matters: Tourism injects money into an economy, while a national budget refers specifically to government finances.
- 12. Use natural phrasing Original: aspect Suggested revision: sense Why it matters: Sense of national pride is the natural collocation for this intangible benefit.
Suggested Rewrites
- benefit or lose from hosting benefit from or lose out by hosting
- works work
- at times residents at times, residents
- practice experience
- aren’t being used afterwards and fall are often left unused afterwards and fall
- sports sporting
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response is persuasive and well controlled, with a clear conclusion and substantial development of economic, social, and reputational consequences. Its main limitation is that some supporting claims are asserted broadly and the comparison between benefits and costs is more implied than systematically weighed. The best improvement would be to qualify the large financial claims and explicitly compare their long-term significance before reaching the conclusion.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The question is fully addressed through well-developed disadvantages and advantages, with a clear judgment that the benefits can predominate.
Deepen the evaluation by directly weighing the scale and duration of the economic gains against construction and maintenance costs.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is sequenced smoothly in purposeful paragraphs, and cohesive devices guide the reader clearly through the argument.
Replace the rhetorical transition at the end of the disadvantages paragraph with a more direct bridge into the comparative evaluation.
Lexical Resource
A wide and precise vocabulary conveys nuanced ideas effectively, with only occasional slightly awkward collocations.
Refine isolated phrases such as "becoming a home to" to maintain consistently natural collocation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A broad range of sentence forms is handled accurately and flexibly, with only rare minor awkwardness.
Polish the few compressed comparative and example clauses so their grammatical relationships are completely effortless to follow.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people think that hosting an international sporting event is beneficial for a country, while others disagree. Do the advantages of hosting a major sporting event outweigh its disadvantages?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.