Some people like to try new things, for example, places to visit and types of food. Other people prefer to keep doing things they are familiar with. Discuss both these attitudes and give your own opinion.
Sample Response
Some people always yearn for new experiences in life and are never afraid to try new things. Others, on the contrary, are happy doing the same thing and living in the same place all through their life primarily because they do not like changes. This essay will discuss both these attitudes. Personally, I believe that people who embrace changes and dare to try new things live life to the fullest.
Many people are just happy doing the same thing over and over again and trying the things they are already familiar with. This approach involves fewer risks but often lacks big rewards and experience in life. Due to this mentality, many people are not interested in moving to a different city or trying a new career path despite their potential to do something greater and bigger. Interestingly, many people who are afraid to take risks or try new things often claim to live a less complicated life.
On the contrary, people who try new things are often risk-takers and adventure seekers. They believe that life is a constant journey, and they often have an unquenchable thirst to visit as many places as they can, try as many dishes as they come across, take part in numerous adventurous activities and try different career paths in their life. Such people take risks in their personal and professional life. This is why they are either hugely successful or live a nomadic life. For instance, one of my university friends started travelling when the others were busy looking for a job. Due to this, he was struggling financially while others were stable in their jobs and earnings. However, ten years after our graduation, this friend, who is also a famous travel blogger on YouTube and an investigative journalist, earns at least 10 times more than any of us. This success is not always assured but comes to those who embrace non-traditional life and try new things.
To conclude, doing the same things and living in the same place come with little risk, but lack adventure and tremendous rewards. Contrary to this, taking challenges and embracing new things come with enormous risks but the rewards are also huge.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Fix number agreement Original: all through their life Suggested revision: throughout their lives Why it matters: The plural pronoun "their" requires the plural noun "lives" in this general statement.
- 2. Use uncountable form Original: changes Suggested revision: change Why it matters: "Change" is more natural as an uncountable concept here.
- 3. Use natural collocation Original: changes Suggested revision: change Why it matters: "Embrace change" is the conventional expression for accepting novelty generally.
- 4. Use concise wording Original: the same thing over and over again Suggested revision: the same activities repeatedly Why it matters: The revision removes conversational repetition and states the idea more concisely.
- 5. Avoid redundant wording Original: trying the things they are already familiar with Suggested revision: sticking to familiar activities Why it matters: Something familiar is already known, so the original phrasing is unnecessarily repetitive.
- 6. Clarify noun forms Original: big rewards and experience in life Suggested revision: major rewards and varied life experiences Why it matters: The revision uses formal wording and makes the countable meaning of "experiences" clear.
- 7. Remove redundant comparison Original: greater and bigger Suggested revision: greater Why it matters: The two comparative adjectives express the same idea, so one is sufficient.
- 8. Clarify logical subject Original: claim to live a less complicated life Suggested revision: claim that this gives them a less complicated life Why it matters: The revision makes the familiar routine, rather than the people's claim, the cause of the simpler life.
- 9. Use accurate contrast Original: On the contrary, people Suggested revision: By contrast, people Why it matters: "By contrast" is the appropriate transition between two groups rather than a direct contradiction.
- 10. Use concise parallel nouns Original: risk-takers and adventure seekers Suggested revision: risk-takers and adventurers Why it matters: The parallel noun "adventurers" is more concise than the two-word label.
- 11. Correct metaphor pattern Original: thirst Suggested revision: desire Why it matters: "Thirst" normally takes "for," while "desire" fits the existing infinitive structure.
- 12. Use natural quantity phrase Original: numerous adventurous activities Suggested revision: a range of adventurous activities Why it matters: "A range of" is more natural than "numerous" for varied activities in this list.
Suggested Rewrites
- all through their life throughout their lives
- changes change
- changes change
- the same thing over and over again the same activities repeatedly
- trying the things they are already familiar with sticking to familiar activities
- big rewards and experience in life major rewards and varied life experiences
Why this response received Band 7.5
The essay clearly discusses both attitudes and maintains a consistent preference for embracing change, contrasting security and simplicity with adventure, risk, and possible reward. Its strongest feature is the extended travel-blogger example, which illustrates both the short-term cost and long-term potential of experimentation. The main limitation is that the familiar-routine view is less fully developed and several claims are overly absolute; prioritise a more balanced explanation of stability before qualifying the benefits of novelty.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both attitudes and the writer’s opinion are clearly addressed, with a strong example for novelty, though the familiar approach receives less nuanced development.
Explain positive reasons for preferring familiarity, such as financial security, expertise, routine, or family responsibilities, before weighing them against exploration.
Coherence and Cohesion
The essay progresses smoothly through the two attitudes to a comparative conclusion, and the extended example is integrated effectively into the second view.
Use a more precise contrast than On the contrary and make the conclusion explicitly restate the writer’s preference, not only compare risks and rewards.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is flexible and engaging, including yearn, risk-takers, unquenchable thirst, nomadic, non-traditional, and live life to the fullest, with occasional imprecision.
Use embrace change, gain valuable experience, pursue a career, accept challenges, and substantial rewards while reducing repeated try new things.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A broad range of complex forms is generally accurate, though occasional agreement, number, article, and collocation errors remain.
Correct forms such as throughout their lives, fewer rewards and experiences, personal and professional lives, taking on challenges, and comes with little risk.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people like to try new things, for example, places to visit and types of food. Other people prefer to keep doing things they are familiar with. Discuss both these attitudes and give your own opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.