Happiness is considered very important in life. Why is it difficult to define? What factors are important in achieving happiness?
Sample Response
Everybody desires to be happy in life and interestingly, the requirementsinterestingly the requirements to be cheerful vary from person to person. This is the main reason why defining happiness is not that easy. Even so, several common factorsHowever, there are some common things that are regarded as importantregarded important to be delighted in life. Defining happiness is quite challenging because the requirements to achieve it areis not fixed. While someone dreams that his financialeconomic freedom would make themhim happy, a very rich man dreams about having a caring family to be happy. Similarly, a couple who do not have any childrenchild think about having a baby all the time and would be ready to do anything for that. On the contrary, many poor families, mostly in poor countries, find more children to be their burden. The practical world is quite puzzling and humankindthe humankind wants more than they have. When a person’s aim or expectation is fulfilled, he wants more and this is a never-ending processnever ending process. This is why happiness is not a simple word that we can describe with a neat and precise definition. However, there are some vital factors that are commonly regarded as the main factorsingredients to be happy in life. First of all, physical and psychological healthsoundness is very important to be happy and people can truly realise that when they get sick. Financial freedom, the abilityEconomic freedom - ability to fulfil the needs in life, is the second most important factor to be happy, in my opinion. It is often said that being happy with an empty stomach is not possible. Thirdly, having a happy family where members love each other and care for them is considered important to be atin peace in life. It is usually rare to find a happy person who does not have a pleasant family. Individual freedom is also considered a great influence on happinessa great influence to be happy in life. Someone without personal freedom cannot Deletefeel the happiness. Most importantly, being contented in life is the key to being happy. If someone can be contented with whatever little he has, he will be happy in life. In conclusion, though there is no easy and precise definition of happiness, common attributes like sound health, caring family, freedom and personal contentment are regarded to be key ingredients to be happy in life.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response answers both questions directly and develops a thoughtful explanation of why happiness differs among individuals, supported by a broad range of relevant factors and flexible vocabulary. Its main weakness is the single-paragraph structure, which makes the lengthy list of factors feel insufficiently prioritised, alongside some awkward phrasing and grammar slips. Divide the discussion into clear paragraphs, group the factors into a few categories, and explain which ones matter most.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response answers both questions clearly, explaining why happiness is difficult to define and identifying several common factors. Ideas are well developed, though the list of factors becomes broad and could be prioritised more sharply.
Group the factors into two or three categories, such as health, relationships, and contentment, and explain which are most important.
Coherence and Cohesion
Progression is clear, but the whole essay is presented as a single paragraph. Within the paragraph, linking is mostly logical, though the long list of factors would benefit from clearer organisation.
Use paragraph breaks after the definition discussion and before the factors discussion.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is flexible and relevant, with phrases such as economic freedom, psychological soundness, personal contentment, and key ingredients. Some collocations are slightly awkward.
Refine repeated be happy in life phrases and use more natural expressions such as emotional wellbeing and financial security.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of sentence forms is attempted and meaning is clear throughout. Errors with agreement, articles, hyphenation, and some noun phrases occur but are not usually serious.
Proofread subject-verb agreement in abstract noun phrases and add articles before singular countable nouns.
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
Happiness is considered very important in life. Why is it difficult to define? What factors are important in achieving happiness?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.