Some people believe that some unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programmes (e.g. working in a charity, improving the relationship of neighbourhood or teaching sports to children) To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
The youth of today are generally considered to lack social knowledge and experience which are of crucial importance in their future development. To solve this problem, some people suggest that they should undertake a period of voluntary work in the local community during high schoolduring their high school. Personally, I think its pros far outweigh the cons.
Undoubtedly, it can be a win-win approach – that is, it will benefit both the young and the community enormously if high school studentsyoung high school students undertake a period of unpaid workdo a certain period of unpaid work. By helping the elderly, the sick and the disabled directly or participating in charitable activities like raising funds or offering free consultationsconsultation, young people will certainly gaingain and accumulate some valuable first-hand experience and learn more about societyknow more about the society.
Moreover, young people with such experiences are more likely to become more motivated individualsthe most motivated ones in their studiesin academic study or at work, and eventually become responsible citizenscitizens of the society. As far as the community is concerned, it will undoubtedly benefit fromwill definitely become better with so many committedzealous young volunteers who are ready to help.
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response’s strongest feature is its fluent explanation of how compulsory community service could benefit both students and their communities. Its main limitation is substantial underlength: at 177 words, it offers only a narrow positive case, does not fully examine the compulsory aspect, and ends without a conclusion. The highest-priority improvement is to add a developed paragraph addressing implementation or a possible objection, then close by restating a precise position.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response presents a clear supportive position and relevant benefits, but its underlength and limited treatment of compulsion leave the argument insufficiently developed.
Reach the required length by analysing why participation should be compulsory, addressing a plausible concern, and providing a clear conclusion.
Coherence and Cohesion
The short response progresses clearly from position to benefits for students and the community, with effective paragraph-level organization.
Complete the progression with a fuller second body argument and a concluding paragraph that draws the reasoning together.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is varied and often effective, including precise terms such as “first-hand experience” and “zealous,” though some phrasing is unnatural.
Improve naturalness in phrases such as “during high school,” “learn more about society,” and “responsible members of society.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex sentences with good control, and only occasional minor errors or awkward structures are evident.
Maintain the range while checking possessives and reference carefully, particularly the missing apostrophe in “its pros.”
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people believe that some unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programmes (e.g. working in a charity, improving the relationship of neighbourhood or teaching sports to children) To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.