Plagiarism in academics has become a pressing problem in many countries today. What are the causes of this problem? What are some possible solutions?
Sample Response
In the last decade, there has been a significant rise in the number of reported plagiarism casesnumber of plagiarism cases reported. I believe that both a lack of interest and poor time management skills can explain this phenomenon, but there are also ways to address itsolutions to tackle this.
Among the various reasons for this academic dishonestyAmong various reasons for this dishonesty in writing-intensive courses, one that stands out is the lack of interest in the course. Many students are forced to take the class to fulfil graduation requirementsfulfill some requirements for graduation, which is why they think they can spend time doing something else. As a result, they often plagiarise because they learn little in classthey did not learn anything in class. However, many students with good academic performance also plagiarise simply because their time management skills are poorinefficient. For example, many overachieving students pursue multiple goalsaim for multiple goals at once, meaning they do not have enough time to devote sufficient time to each onetend to each one. This lack of time explains why they tend to plagiarise to save time writing essays.
Regardless of the reasons, plagiarism can be tackled through various methods. Firstly, professors can check in with students more often during the writing process. This method is most often used in college education to ensure that students do not have problems in their writing process. This method lowers the chance of plagiarism since students will have to discuss their papers with teachers beforehand. Secondly, many schools also offer peer-review sessions before submitting papers. These sessions are for fellow students to read each other’s works and check whether they might run thea risk of plagiarising. Many professors even award bonus pointsgive out bonus points for those who detect signs of dishonesty.
In conclusion, I believe that the increasing rate of plagiarism in education mainly stems from a lack of interest in the course, along with poor time management skills. However, by adopting check-ins with students mid-writing and peer-review sessions, teachers can tackle this problem.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The essay fully answers both questions through a clear structure, well-developed causes, and practical solutions, while complex sentences remain consistently controlled. The main weakness is some repetition and occasional imprecision in explaining how the proposed measures prevent plagiarism, particularly the peer-review idea. Make each solution's mechanism more explicit and vary repeated wording to produce a more incisive argument.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both causes and solutions are directly addressed, clearly explained, and supported with relevant examples or causal reasoning.
Clarify exactly how peer review detects or prevents plagiarism so that the second solution is as convincing as the first.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response is logically sequenced, well paragraphed, and easy to follow, with cohesive devices used accurately throughout.
Reduce nearby repetition of phrases such as "This method" by using more varied referencing and sentence openings.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and generally precise for discussing academic misconduct, motivation, time management, and institutional responses.
Refine less natural combinations such as "time management skills are inefficient" and "run a risk of plagiarising" to improve idiomatic precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide variety of complex structures is handled accurately, with most sentences error-free and meaning consistently clear.
Polish the few awkward clause constructions while preserving the strong balance of complex and concise sentences.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Plagiarism in academics has become a pressing problem in many countries today. What are the causes of this problem? What are some possible solutions?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.