Some people believe that it is good to share as much information as possible in scientific research, business, and the academic world. Others believe that some information is too important or too valuable to be shared freely. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Same questionCompare 7 different answers (Band 7.5–8)

Sample Response

1

The question of how much information relevant to various areas of scientific and academic research should be shared is becoming more and more important as the pace of technological innovation quickens and the internet allows for instant collaboration. In my opinion, information is a valuable, potentially dangerous asset and should only be shared freely in particular circumstances.

2

Advocates of freely sharing information rightly argue that collaboration leads to faster results. This applies to scientists, who can help each otherhelp each by offering their individual research results, businesses, which can work together as long as they are not competitors inon advertising or product development, as well as academics, who need fresh perspectives to push their work to higher levelsplateaus. Take for example the potential for sharing information in the business world. Google has built itstheir successful advertising business by working together with various companies and sharing information. Google collects a variety of statistics related to users, includingusers including their location and interests. This information is shared with advertisers who can then better target ads atfor users. It allows the consumer to see more relevant products and services and the companies advertising to target their audience more efficiently.

3

While there are cleardecided advantages like the one mentioned above, information is still a valuable asset that individuals and companies should safeguard. In a perfect world, we might expect people to openly share everything they know but the social and economic structuresconstructions of our actual world make this a naive proposition. One interesting example of this is from a recent news article about Elon Musk in whicharticle about Elon Musk where he explained why his rocket company SpaceX does not apply for patents on any new technology. He reasoned that his main competitors are governments, not private companies. If his company discloses its innovations, thendiscloses its innovations then domestic and foreign governments can take advantage of the shared technology and potentially disrupt his business. This is just one example of how sharing can prove damaging in a capitalist society.

4

In conclusion, though sharing might be a reasonable principlevalid standpoint in a perfect world, it is not feasible under current global conditions. Instead of looking to increase sharing, governments should do more to support innovative companies and researchers. This will have a larger overall impact.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 8.0

The response presents a clear, consistent position and develops both perspectives with specific, well-integrated examples, while its logical paragraphing and flexible language make the argument easy to follow. Its main limitation is occasional imprecision in phrasing and a somewhat narrow treatment of free sharing outside the business context. The best improvement would be to sharpen collocations and develop the scientific or academic dimension with equal specificity.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TR

Task Response

8.0
Scoring rule

Both views and a clear opinion are addressed directly, with relevant explanations and specific examples that are well developed.

Next step

Develop the scientific or academic side with the same specificity as the business examples to make the coverage even more comprehensive.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

8.0
Scoring rule

Ideas progress logically through focused paragraphs, and cohesive devices generally connect claims, explanations, and examples naturally.

Next step

Use slightly more varied internal transitions so that the movement between general claims and examples feels fully seamless.

LR

Lexical Resource

8.0
Scoring rule

A wide and precise vocabulary supports nuanced discussion, although a few collocations such as higher plateaus and competitors on advertising sound unnatural.

Next step

Replace occasional over-elaborate or imprecise collocations with more idiomatic academic phrasing.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

8.0
Scoring rule

The response uses a broad range of complex structures with strong control, and the few errors do not impede meaning.

Next step

Proofread for isolated agreement and omission errors, such as help each and Google has built their successful advertising business.

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IELTS Writing Task 2

Some people believe that it is good to share as much information as possible in scientific research, business, and the academic world. Others believe that some information is too important or too valuable to be shared freely. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

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