Some countries encourage foreign companies to open a branch office in their country. Many people think that the government should focus on encouraging local businesses to expand rather than inviting foreign businesses to open branches. To what extent do you agree?
Sample Response
The question of whether a government should prioritise the expansion ofprioritise encouraging local businesses to expand or inviting foreign companies to establish branch offices is widely debatedhas sparked a heated debate. Some argueopine that promoting the growth of local enterprises should be the primary focus of the government, and this essaygovernment and this essay agrees with that view because doing so fostersas it fosters economic self-sufficiency and preserves the nation's cultural identity.
Encouraging local businesses to expand offers several benefits to the country's economy. FirstFirstly, it boosts domestic employment opportunities, as expanding local companies creates new jobsnew jobs for the workforce. This, in turn, reduces unemployment rates and stimulates economic growth. Moreover, a robust local business sector promotes the development of domestic innovation and technologyhomegrown innovations and technologies, leading to increased competitiveness on the global stage. In India, for example, the "Make in India" campaign launched by the government aimed to boost local manufacturing and attract foreign investmentinvestments. This initiative has led to the expansion of Indian businesses, creating millions of jobs and enhancing the country's economic prospects.
Encouraging local businesses also helps preserve a country's cultural identity. When foreign companies establish branches, there is a risk of cultural homogenisation as they may introduce practices and products that overshadow local traditions. Emphasising the growth of domestic businesses enables the retention of traditional arts, crafts, and heritagetraditional art, craft, and heritage, enhancing the uniqueness and diversity of a nation's cultural landscape. For instance, in Japan, the government's emphasis on supporting local artisans and traditional craftsmanship has safeguarded the country's cultural heritage and made it a popular destination for tourists seeking an authentic cultural experience.
In conclusion, prioritising the expansion of local businesses offers a myriad of advantages to a nation's economy and culture. By investing in homegrown enterprises, governments can strengthen their economies, generate employment opportunities, and preserve their distinctive cultural identity.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response presents a clear, consistent position and develops two relevant reasons with specific examples, while maintaining fluent progression and strong lexical and grammatical control. Its main limitation is that some support is asserted rather than critically examined, particularly the India example, which also involves attracting foreign investment; the highest-priority improvement is to explain more precisely why prioritising domestic expansion is preferable despite potential benefits from foreign branches.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response directly answers the question with a clear, consistent position and develops economic and cultural reasons through relevant explanation and examples.
Explain more precisely why prioritising domestic expansion outweighs possible benefits from foreign branches, and tighten the partly contradictory India example.
Coherence and Cohesion
The essay progresses logically through a focused introduction, two well-organised body paragraphs, and a concise conclusion, with cohesive devices used effectively.
Make the link from each supporting example back to the government's policy choice more explicit to sharpen progression within paragraphs.
Lexical Resource
A wide and generally precise vocabulary supports nuanced discussion of economic and cultural effects, with strong control of collocation and register.
Replace stock expressions such as "sparked a heated debate" and "Some opine" with more direct, context-specific phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses a wide range of complex structures with strong control, and minor punctuation or stylistic weaknesses do not impede communication.
Refine occasional long coordinated sentences by clarifying clause boundaries and varying sentence openings for greater syntactic polish.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some countries encourage foreign companies to open a branch office in their country. Many people think that the government should focus on encouraging local businesses to expand rather than inviting foreign businesses to open branches. To what extent do you agree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.