Some people think that instead of preventing climate change, we need to find a way to live with it. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Sample Response
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and there is a growing consensus among scientists and policymakers that urgent action is needed to prevent its worst effects. In light of this, the idea that we should simply learn to live with climate change is misguided and dangerous. While it may be true that some level of adaptation will be necessary as temperatures continue to rise and weather patterns become more extreme, this should not be seen as a substitute for efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
One reason why the "live with it" approach is problematic is that it fails to account for the immense costs that climate change is likely to impose on society. According to the United Nations, climate change could cost the world economy as much as $360 billion per year by 2030, and up to $1.2 trillion per year by 2060. This includes both the direct costs of climate impacts, such as damage to infrastructure and property, as well as indirect costs such as lost productivity, health impacts, and displacement of people.
Furthermore, the idea of simply living with climate change ignores the fact that it is likely to disproportionately affect the most vulnerable members of society. For example, low-income communities and people living in coastal areas or areas prone to drought or extreme weather events are likely to bear the brunt of climate impacts. This is already being seen in many parts of the world, where communities are experiencing more frequent and severe heatwaves, floods, and storms.
In addition, taking a "live with it" approach could also undermine efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent further warming. If people believe that it is futile to try and stop climate change, they may be less likely to support measures such as transitioning to renewable energy or reducing consumption.
To conclude, climate change and its dire consequences are real. We need to take every measure possible to revert to the damages caused to the mother planet and take initiatives to prevent climate change for our own survival. This is why "learning to live with it" is misguided and a dangerous approach which will only accelerate our destruction and extinction.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Clarify the reference Original: In light of this Suggested revision: Given this urgency Why it matters: This wording links the judgement more directly to the urgent action described in the preceding sentence.
- 2. Use precise collocation Original: immense Suggested revision: enormous Why it matters: “Enormous costs” is a more natural collocation for very large financial burdens.
- 3. Choose precise wording Original: impacts Suggested revision: consequences Why it matters: “Health consequences” is more precise and avoids repeating “impacts” from the same sentence.
- 4. Use concise phrasing Original: displacement of people Suggested revision: population displacement Why it matters: The replacement expresses the same idea more concisely in an academic register.
- 5. Avoid word repetition Original: coastal areas or areas prone to drought Suggested revision: coastal regions or places prone to drought Why it matters: This revision removes the close repetition of “areas” while preserving the contrast.
- 6. Make reference specific Original: This is already being seen Suggested revision: These effects are already evident Why it matters: The replacement identifies the plural climate effects more clearly than the vague pronoun “This.”
- 7. Correct infinitive form Original: and Suggested revision: to Why it matters: After “futile,” the standard construction is “try to,” not “try and.”
- 8. Correct the collocation Original: revert to the damages caused to Suggested revision: repair the damage done to Why it matters: “Revert to damages” does not mean remedying harm, and “damage” is uncountable in this context.
- 9. Use neutral register Original: the mother planet Suggested revision: the planet Why it matters: “The planet” is clearer and more appropriate for the essay's academic register.
- 10. Use natural collocation Original: initiatives Suggested revision: action Why it matters: “Take action” is the natural collocation for implementing measures against climate change.
- 11. Refine relative clause Original: which Suggested revision: that Why it matters: “That” more clearly introduces the restrictive clause defining the particular approach.
- 12. Sentence rewrite Original: This includes both the direct costs of climate impacts, such as damage to infrastructure and property, as well as indirect costs such as lost productivity, health impacts, and displacement of people. Suggested revision: This includes both the direct costs of climate impacts, such as damage to infrastructure and property, and the indirect costs, such as lost productivity, health consequences, and population displacement. Why it matters: The correlative structure requires “both ... and,” and the revision makes the two categories parallel.
Suggested Rewrites
- In light of this Given this urgency
- immense enormous
- impacts consequences
- displacement of people population displacement
- coastal areas or areas prone to drought coastal regions or places prone to drought
- This is already being seen These effects are already evident
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response’s clearest strength is its firm, consistently maintained position, supported by several relevant consequences of prioritising adaptation over prevention. Its main limitation is that some support, especially the closing claims about extinction and reversing damage, becomes overstated or imprecise rather than carefully developed. The highest-priority improvement is to replace these broad assertions with a more measured explanation of how mitigation and necessary adaptation can work together.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The position is direct and consistent, and several relevant arguments are developed in substantial detail.
Temper the exaggerated final claims and develop the relationship between mitigation and unavoidable adaptation more precisely.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically through focused paragraphs, with cohesive links that make the argument easy to follow.
Create a slightly smoother transition into the conclusion so it synthesises the preceding reasoning rather than escalating it.
Lexical Resource
A wide vocabulary conveys complex environmental and economic ideas precisely, despite a few awkward or overstated expressions.
Replace phrases such as reverting damage and mother planet with natural, academically precise collocations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A broad range of complex structures is handled accurately, and the few errors do not impede meaning.
Refine article, preposition, and relative-clause choices in the small number of awkward sentences.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people think that instead of preventing climate change, we need to find a way to live with it. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.