Individuals can do nothing to improve the environment. Only governments and large companies can make a difference. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Sample Response
Everyone is becoming aware that the environment is a serious issue. There is bad air and water pollution everywhere and we also know that the greenhouse effect is changing our weather and that the hole in the ozone layer is causing skin cancer. However, not enough is being done to solve these problems, because most people seem to think that they can do nothing. They think that only governments and large companies can combat this massive problem. I feel that the responsibility for protecting the environment must be shared by everyone. Individuals can and should do many things to help to solve the problem.
First of all people can make sure that they are responsible in the way that they dispose of waste. If people throw rubbish like plastic into rivers and oceans, it always stays there, and causes fish and sea-birds to die. It is also important to make sure that we do not buy goods that have too much wrapping on them, especially plastic wrapping, because if we do we are adding to the huge amounts of waste.
People also need to be responsible in the way that they use water. In some countries, like Australia, an enormous amount of water is wasted for swimming pools, washing cars and so on. Most countries are running out of fresh water. If people used their cars less this would help to prevent the greenhouse effect. Everyone can try to use public transport more, or use bicycles, or even walk, instead of using their cars for even short trips.
Finally, the most important thing that individuals can do is to let their governments know that they want something to be done about the environment. It is obvious that the governments will not do anything unless the people force them to.
It is therefore clear that individuals must take responsibility for the environment, otherwise it will soon be too late, and we and the next generation will suffer serious consequences.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use precise intensity Original: bad Suggested revision: severe Why it matters: ‘Severe’ is a more natural modifier for serious pollution than ‘bad’.
- 2. Remove unnecessary comma Original: problems, because Suggested revision: problems because Why it matters: A comma is unnecessary before this restrictive reason clause.
- 3. Add introductory comma Original: First of all people Suggested revision: First of all, people Why it matters: An introductory linking phrase should be followed by a comma.
- 4. Improve the collocation Original: responsible in the way that they dispose of waste Suggested revision: responsible for how they dispose of waste Why it matters: ‘Responsible for how’ expresses accountability more naturally and concisely.
- 5. Use a clearer example Original: rubbish like plastic Suggested revision: waste such as plastic Why it matters: This phrase identifies plastic as an example of waste more precisely.
- 6. Use concise wording Original: too much wrapping on them Suggested revision: excessive packaging Why it matters: ‘Excessive packaging’ is the conventional term for unnecessary product wrapping.
- 7. Fix preposition and parallelism Original: for swimming pools, washing cars and so on Suggested revision: on swimming pools, car washing and other uses Why it matters: ‘Water is wasted on’ requires ‘on’, and parallel noun phrases improve the list.
- 8. Separate conditional clause Original: cars less this would Suggested revision: cars less, this would Why it matters: A comma should separate the initial conditional clause from its result.
- 9. Improve adverb placement Original: their cars for even short trips Suggested revision: their cars even for short trips Why it matters: Placing ‘even’ before the prepositional phrase makes its focus clear.
- 10. Signal the topic shift Suggested revision: Use a clear transition before shifting from water conservation to reduced car use. Why it matters: The paragraph moves abruptly between two distinct environmental actions.
Suggested Rewrites
- bad severe
- problems, because problems because
- First of all people First of all, people
- responsible in the way that they dispose of waste responsible for how they dispose of waste
- rubbish like plastic waste such as plastic
- too much wrapping on them excessive packaging
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response presents a clear and consistent disagreement, supports it with several practical individual actions, and progresses logically from waste and resource use to civic pressure. Its main limitation is that some claims are broad and the water-and-transport paragraph moves between ideas without fully explaining their environmental impact; prioritise developing fewer examples with more precise cause-and-effect reasoning.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The position is clear throughout and is supported by several relevant actions that individuals can take.
Develop each main example with more precise explanation of how the action produces a meaningful environmental benefit.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically across clear paragraphs, although one body paragraph combines water conservation and transport rather abruptly.
Give each paragraph one controlling idea or add a clear transition that explains the relationship between its examples.
Lexical Resource
A varied environmental vocabulary conveys the argument effectively, with occasional broad or less precise choices such as references to wrapping and pollution.
Use more exact terms and qualified claims to sharpen the cause-and-effect relationships in the argument.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex sentences is used accurately, and the few punctuation or clause-control lapses do not impede meaning.
Refine comma placement after introductory phrases and around dependent clauses to make long sentences consistently polished.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Individuals can do nothing to improve the environment. Only governments and large companies can make a difference. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.