Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? A person should never make an important decision alone.
Sample Response
From my everyday experience and observation, I can claim that discussion of an important decision with other people brings many benefits. In the following paragraphs, I will give my reasons to defend this statement. First of all, different people have different opinions. In order to make the right choice people should discuss every possible decision and its consequences. Making an important decision alone can bring many negative aspects. For instance, a person can reveal his selfishness or impatience and the consequences of that decision can affect many people in the future. I think that a good and wise decision can be born only by great discussions because people can share their knowledge and experiences a look at the problem from different sides and aspects. Second of all, I think that making an important decision alone is unacceptable especially for a company. Imagine that a chief makes the decision about increasing a production line without discussing it with his employees. In this case, a part of company's profit will be spending on extended purchase of raw materials. So the shareholders will be left without dividends. This decision may lead to getting rid of company's shares and as a result of this declining the value of a company as a whole.
Finally, taking a big decision without discussing others is sometimes negative because when the question arises of taking a major decision, people often feel tensed and for this single reason he/ she can't think about all the issue.Again our friends, family members, co-workers care about us so much and when they are asked to opine about and issue like: 'whether I should do it or not'; they will give the best opinion possible as well as both negative and positive sides.
To sum up, I think that a person should always consult his relatives or colleges when making an important decision to avoid possible mistakes.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural opening Original: From my everyday experience and observation Suggested revision: Based on my everyday experience and observations Why it matters: Based on naturally introduces the evidence for the writer's view, and observations is appropriately plural.
- 2. Use academic stance Original: I can claim that Suggested revision: I would argue that Why it matters: Would argue presents the opinion in a suitably measured academic tone.
- 3. Use gerund subject Original: discussion of an important decision Suggested revision: discussing an important decision Why it matters: The gerund form naturally names the activity that brings benefits.
- 4. Correct the collocation Original: give my reasons to defend Suggested revision: give my reasons for supporting Why it matters: Reasons for supporting is the natural construction for explaining a position.
- 5. Separate introductory phrase Original: right choice people Suggested revision: right choice, people Why it matters: A comma is required after the introductory purpose phrase before the main clause.
- 6. Clarify the alternatives Original: every possible decision Suggested revision: each possible option Why it matters: Options are the alternatives that people compare before making one decision.
- 7. Use precise consequence Original: bring many negative aspects Suggested revision: have many negative consequences Why it matters: Consequences clearly expresses harmful results, whereas aspects does not.
- 8. Avoid overgeneralisation Original: a person can reveal his selfishness Suggested revision: a person may reveal selfishness Why it matters: May suits the possible outcome and removes the unnecessary possessive pronoun.
- 9. Use standard sequencing Original: Second of all Suggested revision: Secondly Why it matters: Secondly is the standard transition after the first reason.
- 10. Use natural wording Original: unacceptable especially for a company Suggested revision: especially unacceptable in a company Why it matters: In a company identifies the organisational setting more naturally than for a company.
- 11. Use precise job title Original: chief Suggested revision: manager Why it matters: Manager is the appropriate general term for the decision-maker described.
- 12. Use direct verb phrase Original: makes the decision about increasing a production line Suggested revision: decides to expand a production line Why it matters: Decides to expand states the proposed business action concisely and naturally.
Suggested Rewrites
- From my everyday experience and observation Based on my everyday experience and observations
- I can claim that I would argue that
- discussion of an important decision discussing an important decision
- give my reasons to defend give my reasons for supporting
- right choice people right choice, people
- every possible decision each possible option
Why this response received Band 5.5
The response maintains a clear position and offers several relevant reasons, with the workplace example showing an attempt to explore wider consequences. Its main limitation is that development becomes repetitive or unclear, while weak paragraphing and frequent grammatical and collocational errors disrupt the flow. The highest priority is to organise each reason into a focused paragraph and explain it through concise, accurately constructed cause-and-effect sentences.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response presents a consistent agreement and several relevant reasons, but some claims are repetitive, overgeneralised or insufficiently explained.
Develop two distinct reasons in depth and explain why consultation improves each decision instead of repeatedly asserting that acting alone is negative.
Coherence and Cohesion
A broad line of argument is visible and basic sequencing devices are used, but paragraphing is unbalanced and several connections within examples are unclear.
Give each main reason its own paragraph with a clear topic sentence, a concise example and an explicit link back to the position.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is sufficient to discuss consultation and consequences, but frequent inaccurate collocations and word choices reduce naturalness and precision.
Use established expressions such as make a decision, seek advice, expand a production line and colleagues, and avoid forced phrases such as a decision can be born.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response attempts both simple and complex structures, but frequent errors in verb forms, articles, pronouns, punctuation and clause construction limit control.
Break run-on sentences into complete units and check verb forms and pronoun agreement, especially when moving between a person, people and they.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? A person should never make an important decision alone.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.