Some people believe they should keep all the money they have earned and should not pay tax to the state. Do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
I disagree with the statement that individuals should not pay taxes to the state. The government runs the country from the taxes it collects. Taxes are collected only from those who earn above a certain minimum limit. It is our moral duty to pay taxes.
Tax money collected by government is used to fund basic amenities, provide various services to citizens and for government administration and projects, running of jails and defense system, and many other operations. It is not wrong to say that “taxes run a country.” Thus, it is very important for a government to make people pay taxes.
Let us analyze why people do not want to pay taxes. The main reason is their dissatisfaction with government in serving them. They blame government for things like lack of infrastructure, poverty and unemployment, but they are not completely wrong as tax revenue is misused in some or the other way in every country. In developed countries, however, because of higher satisfaction from government’s functioning, citizens may be more willing to pay taxes. Another factor generating dissatisfaction is the tax structure itself. Often the tax system is complex and it drives people away from paying taxes. It is also felt that the tax rates are high and tax slabs are unequal. So they feel it is not unethical if one goes for tax avoidance or tax evasion.
Not paying taxes can drastically affect a country’s revenue generation, my own country, India, for that matter. But then, it is equally desired that government come up with a fair tax structure and also make people aware where the taxes are being diverted. Even lowering the tax rates can help a country increase its tax collection as it would increase compliance among the taxpayers. Tax reform should also be fast so that no public grievance or non-compliance remains for long. A proper tax system backed up with strict tax laws can produce the best results.
Summing up, I reiterate my opinion by saying that it is the duty of every citizen to pay tax and the duty of every government to use it appropriately in public interest.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Fix preposition Original: from Suggested revision: using Why it matters: 'Using' correctly expresses the means by which the government funds its work.
- 2. Fix clause structure Original: dissatisfaction with government in serving them Suggested revision: dissatisfaction with how the government serves them Why it matters: The embedded 'how' clause correctly expresses the cause of dissatisfaction.
- 3. Add definite article Original: They blame government Suggested revision: They blame the government Why it matters: A specific country's governing institution requires the definite article.
- 4. Use standard idiom Original: some or the other way Suggested revision: one way or another Why it matters: 'One way or another' is the standard idiomatic expression.
- 5. Use natural collocation Original: satisfaction from government’s functioning Suggested revision: satisfaction with the government's performance Why it matters: 'Satisfaction with' and 'government performance' are the natural collocations here.
- 6. Clarify the reference Original: it drives people away from paying taxes Suggested revision: this complexity discourages people from paying taxes Why it matters: Naming 'complexity' makes the causal link explicit and avoids a vague pronoun.
- 7. Use precise terminology Original: tax slabs are unequal Suggested revision: tax brackets are inequitable Why it matters: 'Tax brackets' is the standard term, while 'inequitable' expresses unfairness more precisely.
- 8. Fix verb pattern Original: if one goes for tax avoidance or tax evasion Suggested revision: to engage in tax avoidance or tax evasion Why it matters: 'Engage in' is the appropriate formal verb pattern for these activities.
- 9. Fix impersonal structure Original: it is equally desired that government come up Suggested revision: it is equally important for the government to develop Why it matters: The revised structure uses a natural adjective and supplies the required article.
- 10. Remove redundancy Original: minimum limit Suggested revision: threshold Why it matters: A threshold is already a minimum level, so the original phrase is redundant.
- 11. Use direct phrasing Original: It is not wrong to say Suggested revision: It is reasonable to say Why it matters: The direct adjective avoids an unnecessarily indirect negative construction.
- 12. Use formal wording Original: make people pay taxes Suggested revision: ensure that people pay taxes Why it matters: 'Ensure that' conveys the policy aim more formally and precisely.
Suggested Rewrites
- from using
- dissatisfaction with government in serving them dissatisfaction with how the government serves them
- They blame government They blame the government
- some or the other way one way or another
- satisfaction from government’s functioning satisfaction with the government's performance
- it drives people away from paying taxes this complexity discourages people from paying taxes
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response presents a clear, consistent position and supports it with a well-organized discussion of public services, dissatisfaction with taxation, and possible reforms. Its main limitation is occasional imprecision and awkwardness in wording and grammar, especially articles, prepositions, and sentence structure. The highest-priority improvement is to tighten the supporting arguments and edit each paragraph for more natural, precise academic phrasing.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The position is clear throughout, and relevant reasons are developed with explanation and a considered discussion of tax reform.
Strengthen the argument further by linking the discussion of taxpayer dissatisfaction more explicitly to the duty to pay taxes.
Coherence and Cohesion
Paragraphing is logical and progression is clear, with generally effective use of referencing and connective language.
Tighten a few transitions so that each paragraph's supporting details remain directly focused on its central claim.
Lexical Resource
A sufficient range of topic-specific vocabulary conveys the argument precisely overall, despite occasional awkward collocations.
Refine phrases such as where taxes are diverted and tax reform should be fast into more natural academic wording.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex structures with generally clear control, though article, preposition, and sentence-construction errors remain noticeable.
Proofread especially for articles before government-related nouns and revise awkward or loosely joined clauses.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people believe they should keep all the money they have earned and should not pay tax to the state. Do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.