In some countries, a few people earn extremely high salaries. Some people think that this is good for a country, while others believe the government should control salaries and limit the amount people can earn. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Sample Response
Unequal economic distribution among the different sections of the population incites various sorts of repartee from people. While few consider that the gap between high salary and low earning is detrimental to the country, others speculate that the higher the income, the more progressive the nation will be. Therefore, in this discussion essay, both viewpoints will be taken into consideration to reach a final conclusion.
It is widely accepted that a bounteous emolument is always invigorating for any hard-working individual, especially an ambitious one. It is quid pro quo for the hard work and assiduous effort that the person puts in his/her work. As a result, high salaries are a stimulus for every human to keep on working. Secondly, high-salaried people can contribute to the burgeoning development of the country as the government works on the basic infrastructure like healthcare, housing, communication and commerce. For example, affluent people like Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Gautam Adani and others not only bestow economic support to the Indian economy but also create employment that aids a large section of the population of the country. Additionally, if the well-off earner is settled in a foreign country and invests in their native land, it is conducive to both nations. It is because it is increasing the national income of the country they live in through the taxes and offering more foreign revenue to their motherland.
Nevertheless, if the government imposes a limit on income, the economy may face certain consequences. Many people who are motivated to work for the money will lose interest in labouring with so little in return. The limitation on their income will also curb them to put in the cent percent effort, which might reduce the gross profit of the company. It will not only minimize the national income but also encourage people to migrate to foreign countries, welcoming them, aggravating the ‘brain drain’ situation. Moreover, honest people will tend to deviate from earning through honest means and also evade paying taxes for their own benefit.
Therefore, instead of controlling the modes of income and restraining high salaries, the government can counter this imbalance by levying a reasonable amount according to the income of an individual and validating that they pay it. It can also provide opportunities to the impoverished so that they can earn their livelihood and help in bridging the gap between rich and poor.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Name the issue precisely Original: economic Suggested revision: income Why it matters: The prompt concerns differences in earnings, so income distribution is the precise term.
- 2. Correct the word choice Original: incites various sorts of repartee from people Suggested revision: provokes a range of responses from people Why it matters: Repartee means witty conversation and does not describe public reactions to inequality.
- 3. Add the intended determiner Original: While few consider Suggested revision: While some people consider Why it matters: Few means almost none, whereas the contrast refers generally to one group of people.
- 4. Use parallel nouns Original: gap between high salary and low earning Suggested revision: gap between high and low earners Why it matters: The revision compares two groups in a concise, parallel form.
- 5. Use an argument verb Original: speculate Suggested revision: argue Why it matters: Argue is more appropriate for presenting a stated viewpoint than speculate.
- 6. Avoid obscure wording Original: a bounteous emolument Suggested revision: a high salary Why it matters: The plain phrase is clearer and more natural in this discussion.
- 7. Choose a precise adjective Original: invigorating Suggested revision: motivating Why it matters: Motivating directly expresses the incentive created by higher pay.
- 8. Use a clear expression Original: It is quid pro quo Suggested revision: It is a reward Why it matters: The Latin expression is used incorrectly and obscures the intended meaning.
- 9. Fix the preposition Original: puts in his/her work Suggested revision: puts into their work Why it matters: Effort is put into work, and singular they avoids the awkward slash form.
- 10. Use natural phrasing Original: a stimulus for every human Suggested revision: an incentive for everyone Why it matters: Incentive is the conventional noun for something that motivates work.
- 11. Fix the transition Original: Secondly Suggested revision: Furthermore Why it matters: Secondly is inappropriate because no first point has been explicitly numbered.
- 12. Specify the development Original: burgeoning Suggested revision: economic Why it matters: Economic identifies the kind of national development relevant to salaries and taxation.
Suggested Rewrites
- economic income
- incites various sorts of repartee from people provokes a range of responses from people
- While few consider While some people consider
- gap between high salary and low earning gap between high and low earners
- speculate argue
- a bounteous emolument a high salary
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response is well organised and sustains a clear opinion that very high salaries should remain possible, with substantial explanation and relevant economic examples. However, it does not genuinely develop the opposing view that governments should cap earnings, so a required part of the discussion remains largely absent; frequent over-elaborate or inaccurate word choices also reduce precision. The priority is to explain the case for salary limits before evaluating it and stating the preferred policy.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The benefits of high salaries and the writer's opposition to income caps are developed, but the required case in favour of government limits is not explained.
Add a distinct paragraph presenting credible reasons for salary controls, then weigh those reasons against the benefits of unrestricted earnings before concluding.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response is clearly paragraphled and moves logically from benefits to objections and a policy conclusion, though the sequence does not fulfil the promised two-view discussion.
Use the body-paragraph structure to signal and develop each required viewpoint separately before reserving the final paragraph for evaluation and opinion.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary range is broad and ambitious, but frequent miscollocations and unnecessarily ornate choices reduce naturalness and precision.
Replace showy or inaccurate expressions such as bounteous emolument and curb them to put with clear, conventional academic phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex sentences is attempted successfully, but recurring problems with complementation, pronoun consistency, and clause attachment weaken accuracy.
Review verb patterns and modifier placement, especially after verbs such as curb and in sentences containing participial result clauses.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
In some countries, a few people earn extremely high salaries. Some people think that this is good for a country, while others believe the government should control salaries and limit the amount people can earn. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.