People in senior positions should be compensated with significantly higher salaries than people in lower positions in the same company. Do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
Give your own opinion and include relevant examples.
Compensation is a critical factorelement in employee performance and retention. Senior positions in companies often come with higher salaries, but the sizeextent of this gap has been a source of debate. While some argue that senior executives should be given significantly higher salaries than their lower-level colleagues, others believe in creating a more equitable compensation system that values employee contributions irrespective of their rank in the company. In my opinion, rather than a rank or title, compensation should be based on the value that a person delivers to the organisation.
One argument for compensating senior executives with higher salaries is that they carry greater responsibility and accountabilitymore significant responsibilities and accountability than lower-level employees. Moreover, senior executives have often accrued years of experience and developed a unique set of skills that are less common among lower-level employeesskills that are not found in lower-level employees, which again supports compensation based on the seniority of employees in the company. In many companies there are managers who worked their way up and have contributed many years until they were promoted to the positions they are currently in; it is reasonable that they earn more than junior employees who are just starting out.
On the other hand, there are those who believe that excessive compensation gaps lead to inequality and can cause lower-level employees to experience lower morale and productivitylose morale and productivity. While it is true that senior executives carry a greater level of responsibilitylarger load of responsibilities, massive gaps in compensation can lead to resentment and dissatisfaction among the workforce. Furthermore, lower-level employees are often the ones responsible for the day-to-day operations of a company, which means that they contribute to the company’s overall success and should thereforesuccess, and therefore, they should also receive fair compensation.
To conclude, there are compelling arguments for both sides of the compensation debate. Senior executives should be compensated fairly for the unique skills and increased responsibilities that come with their position and at a level that attracts top-level talent to companiesposition, and to attract top-level talent to companies. However, this does not mean that lower-level employees should be denied the opportunity to earn a fair wage. Compensation, therefore, should be based on the value that an employee brings to the organization, rather than their rank or title.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The essay offers a clear, nuanced position and develops both the case for higher executive pay and the risks of excessive salary gaps with strong logical control. Its main limitation is that the supporting examples remain fairly general, while a few sentences contain slight awkwardness. The highest-priority improvement is to add one precise real-world illustration and polish the few lapses in parallel structure.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response directly addresses the salary-gap issue, sustains a clear value-based position, and develops both sides convincingly.
Add a more specific example showing how value-based compensation could operate in practice.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument progresses smoothly through well-focused paragraphs with cohesive devices used clearly and flexibly.
Make the link between the qualified position and the final recommendation even more explicit throughout the body.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is wide, precise, and well suited to the topic, with only occasional slightly awkward combinations.
Replace phrases such as carry a larger load of responsibilities with more idiomatic alternatives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is handled accurately, and the few errors do not hinder communication.
Polish parallel structure, particularly in the conclusion's sentence about fair compensation and attracting talent.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
People in senior positions should be compensated with significantly higher salaries than people in lower positions in the same company. Do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.