In the past, when students did a university degree, they tended to study in their own country. nowadays, they have more opportunities to study abroad. what are the advantages and disadvantages of this development?
Sample Response
The pursuit of knowledge is a concept that is valued by most cultures. in the 21st century, we now have many more options regarding how and where to find that knowledge. if you are a French national, you can apply to do an economics degree in the USA, and likewise, an American citizen can take a course in linguists in France. indeed, most universities across the world now have a good proportion of foreign students enrolled in their programmes.
Certainly, there are numerous advantages of studying in a different country. many students choose to do this because they know that a particular university, for instance, Stanford business school, has an excellent reputation. graduating from here, they believe, will increase their chances of securing a decent position in a company back home. students studying abroad also have the opportunity to form a friendship with people of various nationalities: in time, these may develop into useful professional networks. furthermore, living far from family and friends can enable young people to become more independent and self-sufficient.
Unfortunately, the experience of studying abroad is not always a positive one. research suggests that a small percentage of young people struggle to adapt to their new environment and suffer from severe culture shock. the situation can become worse if the student is not mature enough to cope with themselves. different approaches to teaching and learning may also come as an unwelcome surprise to some students.
In conclusion, the key to a good experience at a foreign university is an open mind. if a student is presented with this opportunity, they should certainly seize it.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Capitalize sentence opening Original: indeed Suggested revision: Indeed Why it matters: A new sentence must begin with a capital letter.
- 2. Use precise quantity Original: good Suggested revision: significant Why it matters: Significant is a more precise academic modifier for proportion.
- 3. Capitalize sentence opening Original: many Suggested revision: Many Why it matters: A new sentence must begin with a capital letter.
- 4. Fix example phrasing Original: for instance, Stanford business school Suggested revision: such as Stanford Business School Why it matters: Such as integrates the example correctly, and the institution name requires capitalization.
- 5. Fix location reference Original: graduating from here Suggested revision: Graduating from there Why it matters: There correctly refers back to a university mentioned from the writer's external viewpoint, and the sentence opening needs capitalization.
- 6. Capitalize sentence opening Original: students Suggested revision: Students Why it matters: A new sentence must begin with a capital letter.
- 7. Use plural noun Original: form a friendship Suggested revision: form friendships Why it matters: The plural form agrees with relationships involving people of various nationalities.
- 8. Clarify reference Original: these may develop Suggested revision: these relationships may develop Why it matters: Naming the relationships removes ambiguity in the pronoun reference.
- 9. Capitalize sentence opening Original: furthermore Suggested revision: Furthermore Why it matters: A new sentence must begin with a capital letter.
- 10. Capitalize sentence opening Original: research Suggested revision: Research Why it matters: A new sentence must begin with a capital letter.
- 11. Capitalize sentence opening Original: the Suggested revision: The Why it matters: A new sentence must begin with a capital letter.
- 12. Fix verb phrase Original: cope with themselves Suggested revision: cope on their own Why it matters: Cope on their own is the natural expression for managing difficulties independently.
Suggested Rewrites
- indeed Indeed
- good significant
- many Many
- for instance, Stanford business school such as Stanford Business School
- graduating from here Graduating from there
- students Students
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response is logically organised and offers several relevant, well-explained advantages alongside clear disadvantages, with strong control of complex sentence structures. The disadvantages receive less development, and the conclusion shifts to advice rather than drawing together the requested evaluation; persistent missing sentence capitals also reduce accuracy. The highest-priority improvement is to develop the negative side more fully and conclude with a balanced synthesis of both sides.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both advantages and disadvantages are addressed with relevant ideas, although the negative side is less fully developed and the conclusion is only partly responsive.
Extend the disadvantages with explanation or examples and use the conclusion to summarise the overall balance of benefits and drawbacks.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response follows a clear progression through introduction, advantages, disadvantages, and conclusion, with effective paragraph focus.
Strengthen the link between the discussion and conclusion so the final recommendation emerges from the preceding comparison.
Lexical Resource
The essay uses a sufficiently broad academic vocabulary, with occasional inaccurate choices and awkward collocations.
Correct imprecise expressions such as course in linguists and cope with themselves by checking word form and collocation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex structures are varied and mostly clear, but recurring sentence-initial lowercase letters and several local agreement or reference errors reduce control.
Apply capitalisation consistently and proofread pronoun reference and noun agreement after drafting.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
In the past, when students did a university degree, they tended to study in their own country. nowadays, they have more opportunities to study abroad. what are the advantages and disadvantages of this development?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.