It is better to learn the way people lived in the past through films and video records than written documents. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
Many people think that to study how people lived in the past, we should consult film and video recordsreview filmed records rather than written documents. I neither agree nor disagree with this statement.
I can understand why people strongly favour this approachstrongly agree with the idea. Films and video records offer the viewerswatchers a more vivid and convincing learning experiencea more vivid and believable experience. Because film and video records let the audience get an understanding of past lives through their judgment, it is more impressive. Also, film and video records are less likely to distortcan hardly exaggerate past events, so the audience will have a more accuratelegitimate understanding. Another reason why many people agree is the personal dimension of learning through historical videosthe personal aspect of learning through past videos. For example, if written documents are mainly produced by scholarswritten documents are mainly by scholars, and therefore tend to be objectivewhich tend to be objective, films are often based on anecdotes. This aspect makes the audience find the content portrayed more relatable to them when there is a story.
However, I also understand that many people would opt for written documents when learning about the past. Written documents are generally more accessibleWritten documents are more easily accessible and are quicker to consultare faster to go through than film records. For example, historical or biographical books about past events are available in every bookstore and public library, whereas filmed records are sometimes inaccessible to people in other countriessometimes are not accessible for people from other countries. Written documents are also suitable for people who want to obtain only a brief overviewget only a brief review of past events because they can flip through the pages quickly. Another reason is that written documents are usually peer-reviewed. Video records may be biasedstand to be biased because they mostly are for personal useuses at that time, while written documents offer a broader perspectivean overall perspective verified by historians.
In conclusion, I neither agree nor disagree that there is a superior way to learn about life in the past. Films and video records are for people who want a vivid and personal glimpse of the past, while written documents are for people who want an objective and concise overviewobjective and quick review.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response presents a clear, balanced position and supports both learning formats with relevant advantages, while its paragraphing and progression are easy to follow. Some reasoning is asserted too confidently or expressed imprecisely, especially claims about objectivity and exaggeration, and several awkward collocations reduce clarity. The highest priority is to develop each comparison with more logically convincing evidence and more precise phrasing.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response maintains a clear, nuanced position and develops relevant reasons for the usefulness of both formats.
Support the comparisons with more convincing reasoning and avoid unsupported claims about either medium's reliability.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically through distinct paragraphs, with generally effective sequencing and referencing.
Strengthen links between supporting points so each paragraph builds a more unified argument rather than listing advantages.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is sufficiently varied for the topic, but several collocations and word choices are imprecise or unnatural.
Replace phrases such as "watchers" and "legitimate understanding" with more natural, context-specific wording.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A useful range of sentence structures is evident, although recurring awkward clauses and agreement or modifier problems reduce control.
Review complex sentences for clear clause relationships, accurate reference, and consistent subject-verb agreement.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
It is better to learn the way people lived in the past through films and video records than written documents. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.