With the increased global demand for oil and gas, undiscovered areas of the world should be opened up to access more resources. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Sample Response
The demand for natural resources such as oil and gasnatural resources, like oil and gas, has been increasing globally due to the rapid population growthrapid growth in population and industrialization. Therefore, many people argue that undiscovered areas of the world should be opened up to access more resources. I agree with this statement for several reasons.
Firstly, the opening up of undiscovered areas to access more resources would increase the global supply of important energy resources such as oil and gasimportant resources like fuel and gas, which would benefit the entire world. This increase in supply would lead to lower prices for consumers and help reduce dependencehelp to reduce dependence on a few major oil-producing countries. For instance, the development of new oil and gas fieldsthe opening up of new oil and gas fields in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico has helped to stabilize global energy prices.
Secondly, the exploration of undiscovered areas would create job opportunities and boost local economies. The development of new oil and gas fields requires a wide range of professionals, including engineers, geologists, and technicians. These skilled workers are needed to conduct surveys, build infrastructure, and operate the facilities. In addition, the revenue generated from oil and gas productionthe money generated from petroleum and gas production can be invested in the local economy, further stimulating job creationcreating a multiplier effect on job creation.
Thirdly, the development of new petroleum and gas exploration technologiesnew technologies and techniques for petroleum and gas exploration would be required to access these areaswould be necessary to access undiscovered areas. This would lead to innovation and advancesadvancements in the energy industry, which would benefit the entire world in the long term. For example, the hydraulic-fracturing technique, or "fracking,"the hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" technique used to extract shale gas has been developed in recent years, opening up new sources of energy.
In conclusion, the opening up of undiscovered areas to access more resources is necessary to meet the growing global energy demand. It would not only increase the global supply of energy and stabilize prices but also create job opportunities and promote technological innovation. Therefore, I fully support the exploration of undiscovered areas to obtain more natural resourcesfor more natural resources.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response presents a clear, well-developed case for exploration, with its links to supply, lower prices, employment, investment, and technological innovation forming a strong chain of reasoning. Its main limitation is that the environmental and social risks of opening untouched areas are not considered, making the extent of agreement less nuanced. Prioritise acknowledging ecological damage and explaining why safeguards or limited exploration would still justify the position.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
A clear position is fully supported by three well-developed economic and technological arguments with relevant examples.
Acknowledge environmental and community costs, then explain the conditions under which exploration would remain justified.
Coherence and Cohesion
The essay is logically organised into focused paragraphs and progresses smoothly from supply to employment and innovation.
Link the three benefits through a cumulative argument so the conclusion synthesises rather than mainly lists them.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is broad, accurate, and appropriate for energy and economic development, with some noticeable repetition.
Vary repeated phrases such as 'undiscovered areas', 'access more resources', and 'benefit the entire world' where clarity permits.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of structures is used accurately and flexibly, with only very minor lapses.
Maintain this strong control while trimming repeated relative clauses for slightly greater concision.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
With the increased global demand for oil and gas, undiscovered areas of the world should be opened up to access more resources. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.