Fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) are the main sources in many countries. However, in some countries, the use of alternative sources of energy (wind and solar energy) is encouraged. Do you think it is a positive or negative development?
Sample Response
The debate around our primary sources of energy has been intensifying in recent decades, with some pushing for more sustainable energy while others arguearguing that fossil fuels should remain the main source of power globally. I personally think renewable energy production should be encouraged, since nations should seeksince it’s important that nations should seek to reduce their own carbon emissions to avertdivert the dangers of climate change as well as build more sustainable economiesbuild a more sustainable economy.
Firstly, fossil fuel use should be discouragedfossil fuel should be discouraged because it could pose an existential threatbring about the existential threat of climate change. As a result of climate change, biodiversity is at an all time low as changing climates and rising oceans, slowly erodes the delicate tapestry of food webs across the globe. As scientists are convinced this is directly caused by human activitydirectly the cause of human activity, including agriculture and fossil fuel consumptionsuch as in agriculture and fossil fuel consumption, renewable energyenergies would help slow this processthreat immediately and might be our only means of saving the planetsolution to salvaging the planet.
Secondly, one could argue that renewable energies are more sustainable and would therefore be better for the economy in the long run. While oils and coal are a finite resource and take millions of years to replenish, energy from wind and solar can in theory never run out. Therefore, switching frommaking a switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy can be a long-term solutionsolution that thinks of the longer term, since it could avert an economic crash when oil reserves are fully depletedoil fully depletes. Many analysts have warned that with the current trajectory, oil could run out by 2050; when this happens, it could severelysharply affect the largestbiggest economies in the world that are still heavily dependent on oil.
Overall, I argue that the climate effects as a result of fossil fuelfuels consumption combined with the economic benefits of renewable energies mean that we should encourage the development of these forms of energy.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response’s strongest feature is its clear position, developed through distinct environmental and economic arguments with relevant support. Its main limitation is recurring inaccuracy in grammar and collocation, which makes several otherwise strong claims sound awkward or overstated. The highest-priority improvement is to proofread sentence structures for agreement and completeness while choosing more precise verbs and noun forms for energy and climate concepts.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The essay answers the question directly and develops two relevant reasons for viewing alternative energy as a positive development.
Qualify broad factual claims and explain more precisely how each cited consequence supports the positive-development judgement.
Coherence and Cohesion
The four-paragraph structure and clear topic progression make the argument easy to follow, though linking is sometimes mechanical.
Use more varied internal transitions and make causal connections between evidence and conclusions explicit rather than relying mainly on signposting.
Lexical Resource
The response demonstrates a good range of energy and environmental vocabulary, but recurring collocational inaccuracies reduce precision.
Use natural combinations such as ‘avert the dangers,’ ‘renewable energy,’ and ‘oil reserves are depleted’ consistently.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex sentence forms is attempted successfully, but agreement and clause-formation errors recur across the response.
Check parallel verb structures and subject-verb agreement, especially after ‘while’ clauses and sentences with compound subjects.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) are the main sources in many countries. However, in some countries, the use of alternative sources of energy (wind and solar energy) is encouraged. Do you think it is a positive or negative development?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.