The key to solving environmental problems is simple: the present generation is to accept a less comfortable life for the sake of the future generation. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
Admittedly, people who advocate that the present generation should sacrifice their comfortable life do have a point. One of the reasons why we should do so is that the environment has been impacted by human activities to a large extent. When we start to alter our current lifestyle and live in a simpler way, such as cycling or taking public transit more instead of travelling around by private cars, sorting and recycling refuse whenever possible, consuming only locally produced goods to avoid long distance delivery, and using less air-conditioning and heating systems for the sake of saving energy, environment problems can be mitigated considerably. What can serve as a compelling example is that people have been forced to take part of the aforementioned measures during the outbreak of COVID-19, with plants and animal species thriving in the sound natural environment.
However, the above arguments are quite short-sighted, indicating that behind such practice are more drawbacks. The most distinct one is that taking those actions will bring both economic growth and technology advancement to a standstill. More accurately, accepting a less comfortable life to a large extent means compelling this generation to enjoy less convenience brought by advancing technology and thus working in a rather lower efficiency, which, in the long term, will demotivate researchers to implement scientific research for technology progresses and shackle the industrial growth. By stark contrast, if people maintain their current lifestyle, both economic and technology development will be spurred, offering better prerequisites to resolving environment crisis. This will lead to a win-win result with both this generation and their offspring enjoying a better living environment.
In the light of the above, the final verdict is quite crystal-clear. The pros of the current generation’s sacrifice of a comfortable life pale into insignificance when set against the cons.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use a general plural Original: life Suggested revision: lifestyles Why it matters: The plural noun agrees more naturally with the general plural subject people.
- 2. Complete the comparison Original: cycling or taking public transit more Suggested revision: cycling or taking public transit more often Why it matters: More needs often to express increased frequency clearly.
- 3. Use natural phrasing Original: travelling around by private cars Suggested revision: travelling by private car Why it matters: The revision is the conventional expression for this mode of transport.
- 4. Fix the quantity phrase Original: less air-conditioning and heating systems Suggested revision: less air conditioning and heating Why it matters: Less correctly modifies the uncountable activities rather than plural systems.
- 5. Use concise purpose Original: for the sake of saving energy Suggested revision: to save energy Why it matters: The infinitive states the purpose more directly and naturally.
- 6. Use adjective form Original: environment Suggested revision: environmental Why it matters: Environmental is the adjective required to modify problems.
- 7. Correct the collocation Original: take part of the aforementioned measures Suggested revision: adopt some of the aforementioned measures Why it matters: People adopt measures; take part of is not a valid collocation here.
- 8. Clarify the description Original: the sound natural environment Suggested revision: a healthier natural environment Why it matters: Healthier states the intended environmental improvement more clearly than sound.
- 9. Fix clause structure Original: behind such practice are more drawbacks Suggested revision: this practice has more drawbacks Why it matters: The replacement supplies a clear subject-verb-object structure after indicating that.
- 10. Use correct adjective Original: distinct Suggested revision: significant Why it matters: Significant describes the relative importance of a drawback, whereas distinct means separate or recognizable.
- 11. Use adjective form Original: technology Suggested revision: technological Why it matters: Technological is the adjective required to modify advancement.
- 12. Signal elaboration clearly Original: accurately Suggested revision: specifically Why it matters: The sentence elaborates the preceding claim rather than correcting its accuracy.
Suggested Rewrites
- life lifestyles
- cycling or taking public transit more cycling or taking public transit more often
- travelling around by private cars travelling by private car
- less air-conditioning and heating systems less air conditioning and heating
- for the sake of saving energy to save energy
- environment environmental
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response presents a clear final position and develops both the environmental benefits of lifestyle sacrifice and an alternative technology-led argument in a logically sequenced structure. Its main limitation is that the claim that reduced comfort would halt research and growth is asserted too broadly, and some collocations sound forced. The priority is to make the counterargument more evidence-based and use more natural, precise phrasing.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response addresses the issue directly, considers both sides, and maintains a clear final disagreement, though its main counterargument is somewhat speculative.
Explain with a concrete mechanism or example how technological progress could solve environmental problems without requiring substantial lifestyle sacrifice.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument is logically organised and progresses clearly from qualified agreement to the writer’s opposing case and conclusion.
Reduce formulaic signposting and break up the longest supporting sentences so the reasoning is easier to absorb.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a broad range of topic-specific and less common vocabulary, although several collocations are awkward or imprecise.
Use more natural phrases such as technological advancement, work less efficiently, and environmental crisis while avoiding inflated expressions.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response demonstrates varied complex structures with generally good control, and errors rarely interfere with meaning.
Check articles, prepositions, and parallel forms within long sentences to eliminate the remaining local inaccuracies.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
The key to solving environmental problems is simple: the present generation is to accept a less comfortable life for the sake of the future generation. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.