Some people could be naturally good leaders. Others believe that people can learn leadership skills. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Sample Response
A debate has been growing recently over whether leadership is an innate trait or a skill that is acquired through learning. In my viewestimation, being a leader is a skill that can be learned through extensive training. Firstly, it is reasonable to assume that leadership is sometimes innate. Individuals can be born with certain qualities that are associated with effective leadershippredictive of a good leader such as bravery, strategic intelligence and self-confidence. These traits can be passed down throughalong a long lineage of successful leaders from one generation to the next. This is evident in how Henry Ford II presided over the Ford Motor Company after his fatherafter his father did. Like his father, he was both tenacious and effectiveintelligent in guiding the company to long-term success by pursuing aggressive and forward-thinking strategies to advancestrategies in innovating Ford’s automotive technology. Thus it is understandable why some would contend leadership can be innateleadership can be acquired inherently. However, a more persuasive case can be made for leadership as a learned quality. Individuals can become leaders in a structured learning environmentdisciplined environment through the process of training, practice and hands-on experience over time. For instance, numerous reputed educational institutions throughout the world offeradminister leadership programs for those wanting to gain the required skill set to become effective leaders. Within those programs there are courses intended to cover the necessary aspects of leadership such as management, problem solving, implementation of strategy and decision making. In addition, some of these programs include practical experience, where protégés can learn from current leaders about what it takes to leadwhat it takes to take charge. To conclude, while it is fair to assume that some are born with the qualities of a good leader, I would assert that leadership skills can be gained through education and experience in a structured environment.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response presents a clear position and develops both views with relevant explanation, while its controlled complex sentences are a particular strength. Its main limitation is that the case for innate leadership relies on a questionable heredity claim and an example that does not convincingly demonstrate natural ability. Prioritise more logically robust support and use clear paragraph breaks to strengthen the argument and its presentation.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both views and a clear opinion are addressed, with the learned-leadership case developed more convincingly than the innate-leadership case.
Replace the heredity claim with a sound explanation of how inborn temperament can foster leadership, supported by a directly relevant example.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument progresses logically through contrasting viewpoints, but presenting the entire response as one paragraph weakens its structural clarity.
Separate the introduction, each main viewpoint, and the conclusion into distinct paragraphs with clear internal focus.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and often precise, though several combinations such as leadership being acquired inherently and strategies in innovating sound unnatural.
Choose more idiomatic collocations and check that word choices express the intended logical relationship exactly.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately, with strong control of clauses, agreement, and punctuation.
Refine the occasional densely packed sentence so that grammatical sophistication remains effortless to read.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people could be naturally good leaders. Others believe that people can learn leadership skills. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.