Write about the followng topic: The job of a supervisor or a manager involves many different responsibilities, and they should be able to manage the team effectively and motivate them. What are some important qualities of a good supervisor or a manager? What types of people are suitable for these jobs?
Sample Response
Good supervisors and managers can make a big difference in the way they manage their team, perform their own job responsibilities and motivate others to drive excellence in the team. The following essay will discuss the good qualities that a supervisor should have and also outline what type of employees are suitable for these positions.
To commence with, a good supervisor or a manager should lead by example rather than just giving examples from others. For instance, when a team lead wants her team to have a good attendance record, she should never come late and miss the office without a valid reason. She should become a role model for her team by coming on time to the office and working with a disciplined attitude. This example will motivate her team to come office on time and work attentively.
Secondly, a good manager should have the capability to manage and guide her team and treat her members fairly and equally. For example, when a supervisor evaluates her team members, she should be able to practically and professionally review their performance without being biased and keeping her ego out of that. Being able to guide the team members is perhaps one of the most important qualities a manager should have because it determines how the team would eventually perform.
When it comes to deciding what types of employees become good managers or supervisors, I believe that employees with certain soft skills become successful managers or supervisors. Among the soft skills, communication, leadership, delegation, time management and problem-solving skills are vital. For instance, if we look at successful leaders and CEOs, we will notice that these soft skills are very common among them.
In conclusion, a good manager should lead by example to motivate the team and treat the team fairly. People with soft skills like leadership, communication and problem-solving skills are better suited to serve in managerial positions.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural excellence phrase Original: drive excellence in the team Suggested revision: promote excellence within the team Why it matters: “Promote excellence” is the more natural collocation for encouraging high standards.
- 2. Remove evaluative redundancy Original: the good qualities Suggested revision: the qualities Why it matters: The essay is already discussing qualities of a good supervisor, so “good” is redundant here.
- 3. Match plural noun Original: what type of employees are Suggested revision: which types of employees are Why it matters: The plural noun “employees” requires the plural “types,” and “which” fits a defined set of roles.
- 4. Use natural opening marker Original: commence Suggested revision: begin Why it matters: “To begin with” is the conventional transition for introducing a first point.
- 5. Remove repeated article Original: a good supervisor or a manager Suggested revision: a good supervisor or manager Why it matters: One article can govern both coordinated role nouns.
- 6. Clarify contrasting action Original: giving examples from others Suggested revision: citing other people's examples Why it matters: The replacement clearly contrasts leading personally with referring to examples set by others.
- 7. Use standard role noun Original: lead Suggested revision: leader Why it matters: “Team leader” is the conventional noun for the person managing a team.
- 8. Use arrival collocation Original: come Suggested revision: arrive Why it matters: “Arrive late” is the standard collocation for reaching work after the expected time.
- 9. Clarify workplace absence Original: miss the office Suggested revision: be absent from the office Why it matters: “Miss the office” does not naturally mean failing to attend work.
- 10. Use natural arrival order Original: coming on time to the office Suggested revision: arriving at the office on time Why it matters: The revised word order and verb form are more idiomatic.
- 11. Use manner expression Original: working with a disciplined attitude Suggested revision: working in a disciplined manner Why it matters: “In a disciplined manner” naturally describes how someone works.
- 12. Add direction preposition Original: come office Suggested revision: come to the office Why it matters: The destination requires the preposition “to.”
Suggested Rewrites
- drive excellence in the team promote excellence within the team
- the good qualities the qualities
- what type of employees are which types of employees are
- commence begin
- a good supervisor or a manager a good supervisor or manager
- giving examples from others citing other people's examples
Why this response received Band 7.0
The essay addresses both questions clearly, developing leadership by example, fair performance management, guidance, and a relevant set of soft skills for prospective managers. Its main limitation is that the second question is answered largely by listing skills rather than explaining the personal characteristics and experience that make someone suitable; the highest-priority improvement is to develop that distinction with a concrete selection or workplace example.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both parts are answered with relevant qualities and examples, although the discussion of suitable people remains less developed than the qualities of effective managers.
Explain why emotionally intelligent, accountable, and experienced employees are suitable for promotion, supported by a specific workplace scenario.
Coherence and Cohesion
The five-paragraph structure progresses logically through role modelling, fair guidance, suitable candidates, and a concise conclusion, with clear paragraph focus.
Strengthen the transition to the second question by explicitly contrasting managerial qualities with the employee traits that predict success in the role.
Lexical Resource
A flexible and appropriate range covers leadership, evaluation, discipline, delegation, fairness, and problem-solving, with occasional awkward collocations.
Use natural phrases such as "arrive at the office on time," "be absent without a valid reason," and "set aside personal bias."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences are generally controlled and meaning is consistently clear, though occasional article, preposition, and parallel-structure errors remain.
Refine forms such as "come to the office," "treat team members fairly," and "review performance professionally and without bias."
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Write about the followng topic: The job of a supervisor or a manager involves many different responsibilities, and they should be able to manage the team effectively and motivate them. What are some important qualities of a good supervisor or a manager? What types of people are suitable for these jobs?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.