Some people think history has nothing or little to tell us, but others think that studying the past history can help us better understand the present. Discuss the two views and give your own opinion.
Sample Response
History tells about the old civilisations, their strategies, their way of living, world conflict and the ways people overcame it. So I don't agree that history has a little to tell us.
The basic characteristics, sufferings, crisis and wit are same for all the ages of the human kind. The way people struggled to achieve a better life in the primitive time is very much similar to the present time. The ways may be different but the theme is same and there is lots of evidence that the study of past history reviles a new invention to the present people. Though it is true that history itself is disputed as it has been
How could we know about the great people who had sacrificed their lives for the betterment of the world or those who have cruelly tried to bring suffering for people? History tells us a lot about the people of all centuries. History suggests the different techniques that can be malevolent or beneficial for a country by presenting practical evidence. Again, history tells us about the devastating wars and potentially warns us about the conflict of nations. History suggests us about the good and evil and helps us to choose the appropriate way.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Add indirect object Original: tells about Suggested revision: tells us about Why it matters: The verb needs an indirect object before “about” in this construction.
- 2. Clarify number and reference Original: world conflict and the ways people overcame it Suggested revision: global conflicts and how people overcame them Why it matters: The plural noun and matching pronoun make the reference clear and natural.
- 3. Remove the article Original: a little to tell us Suggested revision: little to tell us Why it matters: “Little” without an article expresses an insufficient amount, which matches the intended claim.
- 4. Use plural noun Original: crisis Suggested revision: crises Why it matters: The coordinated list describes recurring experiences across ages, so the plural form is needed.
- 5. Add definite article Original: are same Suggested revision: are the same Why it matters: The fixed comparative expression is “the same.”
- 6. Remove unnecessary article Original: all the ages Suggested revision: all ages Why it matters: Ages in general does not take “the” after “all.”
- 7. Join the word Original: human kind Suggested revision: humankind Why it matters: “Humankind” is written as one word.
- 8. Add clause comma Original: different but Suggested revision: different, but Why it matters: A comma is needed before “but” when it joins two independent clauses.
- 9. Complete comparison phrase Original: the theme is same Suggested revision: the theme is the same Why it matters: The adjective “same” requires the definite article in this expression.
- 10. Use formal quantifier Original: there is lots of evidence Suggested revision: there is a lot of evidence Why it matters: “A lot of” is the standard quantifier with the uncountable noun “evidence.”
- 11. Remove redundancy Original: past history Suggested revision: history Why it matters: History already refers to the past, so “past” is redundant.
- 12. Correct the word Original: reviles Suggested revision: reveals Why it matters: “Reveals” means makes something known, whereas “reviles” means criticises abusively.
Suggested Rewrites
- tells about tells us about
- world conflict and the ways people overcame it global conflicts and how people overcame them
- a little to tell us little to tell us
- crisis crises
- are same are the same
- all the ages all ages
Why this response received Band 5.0
The response has a clear opinion and offers several relevant reasons why history can guide present-day choices, especially through past achievements and conflicts. However, it is under length, barely examines the opposing view, and leaves one sentence unfinished, so the required discussion is substantially incomplete. The highest priority is to add a developed paragraph explaining why some people consider history of limited value, followed by a clear conclusion.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Response
A clear opinion and relevant benefits of history are presented, but the opposing view is not properly discussed and development is limited.
Develop the view that history has little value with reasons or an example, then weigh it against your own position.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response has a broadly understandable progression, but the unfinished second paragraph and absent conclusion disrupt the argument.
Give each view a complete paragraph and finish with a conclusion that restates the judgement.
Lexical Resource
There is some range in words such as “civilisations,” “malevolent,” and “devastating,” but inaccurate choices sometimes obscure meaning.
Prioritise accurate collocations and word forms, replacing unclear phrases such as “reviles a new invention.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Some complex sentences are attempted, but frequent agreement, article, and sentence-completion errors weaken control.
Check every sentence for a complete clause and correct basic patterns such as subject-verb agreement and article use.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people think history has nothing or little to tell us, but others think that studying the past history can help us better understand the present. Discuss the two views and give your own opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.