Planting trees is very important for the environment. Some people say that the government should take responsibility for planting trees while others opine that it is the responsibility of the citizens to plant trees in their houses. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Sample Response
Planting trees plays a vital role in safeguarding the environment and mitigating the effects of climate change. However, opinions differ on who should bear the responsibility of tree planting. Some argue that it should be the government's duty, while others contend that individuals should take ownership of tree planting in their own homes. This essay will examine both viewpoints and argue that a collective effort involving both the government and citizens is necessary to achieve meaningful environmental impact.
One argument in favour of the government taking responsibility for tree planting is its capacity to implement large-scale afforestation projects. Governments have the resources, funding, and authority to initiate and oversee ambitious reforestation programmes that can significantly increase the green cover in a region. For example, in many countries, the government has successfully launched tree plantation initiatives in deforested areas, such as the Great Green Wall project in Africa. Such efforts require coordination, planning and expertise that could be best executed by the government.
While government intervention is crucial, individual responsibility for tree planting is equally important. Citizens can contribute by planting trees on their own properties, such as backyards or rooftops. This decentralised approach allows for the widespread distribution of trees across communities, increasing local green spaces and fostering a sense of environmental stewardship. For instance, many urban dwellers have initiated community-driven tree-planting projects, creating small pockets of greenery in concrete jungles. Additionally, individual participation in tree planting promotes a sense of ownership and personal connection to the environment.
In conclusion, both the government and citizens should shoulder the responsibility of tree planting. The government can drive large-scale initiatives and establish policies that incentivize tree planting, while individuals can contribute by planting trees in their own spaces. By combining the resources and efforts of both the government and citizens, we can create a more sustainable and greener future for our planet.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural collocation Original: bear the responsibility of tree planting Suggested revision: bear responsibility for tree planting Why it matters: "Responsibility for" is the more natural collocation in this context.
- 2. Choose precise wording Original: take ownership of tree planting Suggested revision: take responsibility for planting trees Why it matters: This wording states the intended duty more directly and naturally.
- 3. Add missing article Original: meaningful environmental impact Suggested revision: a meaningful environmental impact Why it matters: The singular countable noun "impact" requires an article here.
- 4. Clarify quantity Original: the green cover in a region Suggested revision: the amount of green cover in a region Why it matters: Adding "amount of" makes the intended increase in coverage more precise.
- 5. Match plural setting Original: the government has successfully launched Suggested revision: governments have successfully launched Why it matters: The plural subject agrees more naturally with the preceding reference to many countries.
- 6. Keep list punctuation consistent Original: coordination, planning and expertise Suggested revision: coordination, planning, and expertise Why it matters: The serial comma makes this three-item list fully explicit and matches earlier list punctuation.
- 7. Use natural phrasing Original: could be best executed Suggested revision: can best be managed Why it matters: "Can best be managed" is more idiomatic for coordinated projects and preserves the claim.
- 8. Use concrete wording Original: allows for the widespread distribution of trees Suggested revision: allows trees to be planted widely Why it matters: The revision expresses the action more directly and avoids the abstract noun "distribution".
- 9. Avoid informal metaphor Original: concrete jungles Suggested revision: heavily built-up areas Why it matters: The replacement is more neutral and precise for a formal academic essay.
- 10. Smooth noun phrase Original: individual participation in tree planting Suggested revision: individual participation in planting trees Why it matters: The gerund phrase reads more naturally after "participation in".
- 11. Improve adjective order Original: a more sustainable and greener future Suggested revision: a greener and more sustainable future Why it matters: This order avoids the awkward placement of "more" across two coordinated adjectives.
Suggested Rewrites
- bear the responsibility of tree planting bear responsibility for tree planting
- take ownership of tree planting take responsibility for planting trees
- meaningful environmental impact a meaningful environmental impact
- the green cover in a region the amount of green cover in a region
- the government has successfully launched governments have successfully launched
- coordination, planning and expertise coordination, planning, and expertise
Why this response received Band 8.5
The essay fully examines both positions and sustains a nuanced view that governments and citizens should share responsibility, with each role developed through scale, resources, local distribution, and ownership. Its strongest aspect is the balanced structure linking distinct capacities to a collective outcome, supported by relevant examples. Only minor refinement is needed: make the government example more specific and distinguish household planting from community projects slightly more sharply while preserving the concise, polished argument.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both views and the writer’s collective-responsibility position are fully addressed through relevant, well-extended reasoning and examples.
Clarify how government incentives or planning could enable citizens who lack suitable private space to participate.
Coherence and Cohesion
The introduction, paired body paragraphs, and conclusion create seamless progression, with each paragraph centred on one clearly differentiated responsibility.
Strengthen the synthesis by linking government policy support to the citizen-led activities described in the third paragraph.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is precise and flexible across afforestation, reforestation, green cover, stewardship, decentralisation, incentives, and environmental impact.
Maintain this precision while varying repeated references to tree planting with reforestation, greening, or planting initiatives where accurate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately and naturally, with only rare minor opportunities for refinement.
Keep collective nouns and number consistent in examples, such as governments have launched initiatives or a government has launched an initiative.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS Writing Task 2
Planting trees is very important for the environment. Some people say that the government should take responsibility for planting trees while others opine that it is the responsibility of the citizens to plant trees in their houses. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.