Psychologists have known for many years that colour can affect how people feel. For this reason, attention should be given to colour schemes when decorating places such as offices and hospitals. How true this statement? How far colours influence people's health and capacity for work?
Sample Response
Colour has always played an important role in the human history and according to some recent research, it affects our consciousness and mood. I personally believe that a proper colour represents a good will and shows tenderness and this is why public buildings should have proper colour and decoration. To begin with, we are associated with different colours from the very beginning of our life. Parents and teachers teach us different colours and scientists believe that a child’s ability to classify different colours is connected with his calibre and talent. Thus our brains associate this colours with our moods and feelings. For instance, the red light on the streets sends an immediate alert to our brain to stop our vehicle while the green colour signals us to go ahead. Thus we are trained to react and feel differently with the association of colours. From this perspective, it is important to use soothing and accepted colours in places like schools, hospitals and offices. Furthermore, we tend to associate colours with different events from our personal experience. For this reasons, some people relate red with blood while white with peace. Universally blue is the colour of nature and fewer people would complain about it. Besides, people in some countries relate colours with certain moods. For example, more than one quarter Americans believe that the blue has something to do with comfort and cosiness while red represents violence. Due to the influence of colours in human psychology, all renowned food and beverage retailers have their own colour schemes. According to an article published on the Huffington Post, a combination of slate blue mixes with olive green and soft cream has helped to foster a team environment in many organisations. This also states that it has increased the team spirit and productivity of employees. To conclude, people’s wellbeing often depends on psychological condition and since colour has an acute influence on our mood, proper colour schemes should be used in our homes, offices, schools and public places.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Remove article Original: the human history Suggested revision: human history Why it matters: The general expression “human history” does not take the definite article.
- 2. Improve collocation Original: a proper colour represents a good will Suggested revision: appropriate colours convey goodwill Why it matters: The revision expresses the intended positive association more naturally and precisely.
- 3. Use plural noun Original: life Suggested revision: lives Why it matters: The plural possessive “our” refers to the separate lives of multiple people.
- 4. Match demonstrative Original: this Suggested revision: these Why it matters: The plural noun “colours” requires the plural demonstrative “these.”
- 5. Use precise term Original: the red light on the streets Suggested revision: red traffic lights Why it matters: “Traffic lights” identifies the street signals being discussed more directly.
- 6. Correct expression Original: with the association of colours Suggested revision: in response to colours Why it matters: The revised phrase clearly describes how people react when encountering colours.
- 7. Fix number agreement Original: reasons Suggested revision: reason Why it matters: The singular demonstrative “this” must modify the singular noun “reason.”
- 8. Use correct collocation Original: relate red with blood while white with peace Suggested revision: associate red with blood and white with peace Why it matters: “Associate X with Y” is the standard construction for linking colours and ideas.
- 9. Add proportion preposition Original: one quarter Americans Suggested revision: one quarter of Americans Why it matters: A proportion followed by a population group requires “of.”
- 10. Remove article Original: that the blue Suggested revision: that blue Why it matters: Colour names used generally do not take the definite article.
- 11. Repair noun phrase Original: a combination of slate blue mixes with olive green and soft cream Suggested revision: a combination of slate blue, olive green and soft cream Why it matters: A “combination of” should be followed by a coordinated list rather than the verb “mixes.”
- 12. Clarify reference Original: This also states Suggested revision: The article also states Why it matters: Naming the article removes the unclear pronoun reference.
Suggested Rewrites
- the human history human history
- a proper colour represents a good will appropriate colours convey goodwill
- life lives
- this these
- the red light on the streets red traffic lights
- with the association of colours in response to colours
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response maintains a clear view and offers a coherent range of examples showing how colours can influence mood and workplace productivity. Its main limitation is incomplete task development: health effects receive little direct analysis, and some supporting material about recognising colours and traffic signals is only loosely relevant. The highest priority is to structure separate, focused explanations of health and work capacity, supported by precise causal reasoning rather than general associations.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
A consistent position is supported with relevant psychological and productivity examples, but the health dimension is only indirectly addressed and some material is tangential.
Give distinct, developed explanations of how colour affects health and how it affects work capacity.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument follows a generally logical sequence with clear linking, though the single-block structure and repeated connectors weaken organisation.
Divide the response into purposeful paragraphs and use referencing and transitions more selectively to show relationships between ideas.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and often topic-appropriate, but several imprecise collocations and article-related phrasing choices reduce naturalness.
Choose more exact combinations such as calming colours, associate red with blood, and a strong influence on mood.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response demonstrates varied sentence forms, while recurring errors with articles, agreement, demonstratives, and prepositions remain noticeable but rarely impede meaning.
Edit noun phrases and agreement carefully, particularly forms such as these colours, these reasons, and a quarter of Americans.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Psychologists have known for many years that colour can affect how people feel. For this reason, attention should be given to colour schemes when decorating places such as offices and hospitals. How true this statement? How far colours influence people's health and capacity for work?
Your response
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