So many young people are dropping out of school these days, and as a result, the rate of unemployment is increasing. It also affects our society in different ways. Why are so many young people dropping out of school? How can this situation be improved?
Sample Response
Young students dropping out of school is a serious issue that affects not only individuals but also society as a whole. However, there are several ways in which this situation can be improved. This essay will explore the reasons behind this phenomenon and suggest some steps that could improve the situation.
Firstly, it is important to identify the reasons why many young people drop out of school. Some may do so because of financial difficulties. Therefore, it is necessary to provide support systems and resources to help students overcome their financial challenges. For instance, offering financial aid or part-time job opportunities can help students from needy families stay in school.
Secondly, some learners feel that they should start a job instead of continuing school. As a result, they leave school and start looking for a job. As a solution to this, schools should offer more vocational and career-oriented programmes to engage students who may not be interested in traditional academic subjects. This can help students see the relevance of their education and the potential career opportunities available to them.
Finally, many youths leave school without completing their education due to their apathy towards school and education. In such cases, parents and communities need to play an active role in encouraging young people to stay in school. They can do so by offering mentorship and creating a supportive environment that emphasises the importance of education. To illustrate, the state of Tennessee in the United States launched the "Drive to 55" initiative to increase the number of residents with post-secondary credentials to 55% by 2025.
In conclusion, the issue of youth dropping out of school is a complex problem that requires a multi-faceted approach. By addressing the root causes of the problem and providing financial assistance and mentorship, families, schools and communities can work together to improve the situation and reduce the rate of unemployment in the long run.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Avoid repeated wording Original: some steps that could improve the situation Suggested revision: some measures that could address it Why it matters: This revision avoids repeating "improve the situation" from the preceding sentence.
- 2. Use neutral wording Original: students from needy families Suggested revision: students from low-income families Why it matters: "Low-income families" is more precise and neutral in formal writing.
- 3. Correct verb collocation Original: start Suggested revision: get Why it matters: People normally "get" or "take" a job rather than "start" one in this context.
- 4. Complete the expression Original: instead of continuing school Suggested revision: instead of continuing their education Why it matters: The possessive phrase makes the intended meaning more natural and complete.
- 5. Use concise phrasing Original: start looking for a job Suggested revision: look for work Why it matters: The revision removes unnecessary wording while preserving the meaning.
- 6. Use direct transition Original: As a solution to this Suggested revision: To address this Why it matters: This transition links the proposed measure to the preceding cause more directly.
- 7. Remove redundant wording Original: potential career opportunities Suggested revision: career opportunities Why it matters: An opportunity already denotes a possibility, so "potential" is redundant here.
- 8. Use natural group noun Original: many youths Suggested revision: many young people Why it matters: "Young people" is more natural and less marked in this formal context.
- 9. Use natural collocation Original: offering Suggested revision: providing Why it matters: "Providing mentorship" is the more conventional collocation.
- 10. Use standard spelling Original: multi-faceted Suggested revision: multifaceted Why it matters: The closed form "multifaceted" is the standard modern spelling.
Suggested Rewrites
- some steps that could improve the situation some measures that could address it
- students from needy families students from low-income families
- start get
- instead of continuing school instead of continuing their education
- start looking for a job look for work
- As a solution to this To address this
Why this response received Band 8.5
The essay addresses both questions directly and pairs each identified cause—financial hardship, preference for employment, and disengagement—with a practical response involving aid, vocational education, or mentorship. Its strongest feature is this clear cause-and-solution structure, supported by specific examples. The main refinement is to make the final policy example more directly about preventing school dropout and to explain how part-time work can be managed without undermining study.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The causes and solutions are relevant, clearly developed, and well matched, though the Tennessee example relates more broadly to post-secondary attainment than school dropout.
Use an example of a retention, scholarship, counselling, or vocational pathway programme that directly keeps at-risk pupils in school.
Coherence and Cohesion
Each body paragraph presents one cause and its corresponding solution, creating exceptionally clear progression from introduction to conclusion.
Link the conclusion back to vocational education as well as financial aid and mentorship so all major solutions are synthesised.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is precise and varied across financial hardship, vocational programmes, mentorship, credentials, and a multifaceted response, with only minor repetition.
Vary repeated uses of situation, improve, and school while retaining clear terms such as dropout, retention, and career-oriented education.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence structures is controlled with high accuracy, and minor local phrasing issues do not affect communication.
Refine young students dropping out of school is to school dropout among young people is and use young people rather than youths for a more natural tone.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
So many young people are dropping out of school these days, and as a result, the rate of unemployment is increasing. It also affects our society in different ways. Why are so many young people dropping out of school? How can this situation be improved?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.