The news is a source of knowledge about the world. How much can we trust the journalists? What are the qualities a good journalist should have?
Sample Response
It is undeniable that news media has been an indispensable part of our life, displaying a much colourful world in front of us than ever before. Thanks to the development of the news media technology and the profession of journalists, we no longer feel unfamiliar about the other side of the planet. While enjoying the broadwide knowledge provided by reportersbrought by the reporters, we should also take suchthis news with a pinch of salt as some information seems to be enticing but may not be based on factually accuratethe truth of the fact. As we all know, most news companies operate for profitrun to make profits, which is likely to make some journalists distort their reports to attract audiencesdistort their reports to earn ratings. Meanwhile, many news media are controlled by some powerful institutes including the government, which would cause the journalists reporting tendentious news for they want to be in favour of the government rather than the public. Informing the public about the worldSpreading knowledge of the world for the public rather than promotingbut not propagandising for a certain powerful organisation is the central responsibility of a journalistthe main quality a journalist should have. A journalist should at leastHe should at least possess the following qualities: firstFirst of all, he should be unbiased and not easily swayed by any party or group, reporting the news as accurately as possibleas factual as it is. Second, journalists need to report news of such varied fields assuch various fields of society, science, geology, medicine, and entertainmentmedicine, entertainment etc.; it would be difficult for a journalistit would be tough for him to handle this job well if he is not versatile. Also, the most important personal qualitythe most important personality of a journalist is that he must be brave and bold enough because there must be serious obstaclestough barriers waiting for him to break down. In conclusion, we should remain critical of the newskeep a clear head for the news reported by the journalists and a good journalist should possess a multifaceted personality.
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response answers both questions directly, explaining why commercial and political pressures justify caution and identifying impartiality, versatility, and courage as important journalistic qualities. Its main weaknesses are the lack of paragraphing and frequent awkward or inaccurate language that sometimes blurs otherwise relevant ideas. Prioritise a clear trust-versus-qualities structure and revise comparative, reporting, and collocational forms for greater precision and authority.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both parts are addressed with relevant reasons and a clear set of qualities, although several claims would benefit from fuller explanation or examples.
State the degree of trust explicitly and illustrate how one named quality protects the public from commercial or political distortion.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument progresses from reasons for caution to journalist qualities, but one long paragraph and list-like sequencing limit organisation.
Use separate paragraphs for trustworthiness and professional qualities, grouping each quality with its explanation.
Lexical Resource
The response shows a broad vocabulary, including unbiased, versatile, and tendentious, but numerous unnatural collocations weaken accuracy.
Replace phrases such as wide knowledge, truth of the fact, earn ratings, and most important personality with natural equivalents.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex sentences is attempted, but comparative forms, clause patterns, pronoun consistency, and punctuation are frequently inaccurate.
Correct structures such as a much more colourful world and could cause journalists to report biased news.
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
The news is a source of knowledge about the world. How much can we trust the journalists? What are the qualities a good journalist should have?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.