As most people spend a major part of their adult life at work, job satisfaction is an important element of individual wellbeing. What factors contribute to job satisfaction? How realistic is the expectation of job satisfaction for all workers?
Sample Response
Since most adults dedicate a significant amount of time at their workplace, job satisfaction is crucialcrucially important to the happiness of an individual. I believe that salaries, working environment and career advancement opportunitiescareer enhancement opportunity are the key determinants ofto job satisfaction. However, with different occupations, expectations may still vary, and I think that satisfaction with jobs remains a distant dream for the majority of employees. To begin with, job satisfaction depends on several important factorsseveral fitting reasons, like salaries, working environment and career development prospectsdevelopment prospects, for example. Firstly, wages play a predominant role in affecting job satisfactioncontent. In simple termswords, money helps employees attain their basic needs. Besides, it is deemed a symbol of accomplishment as higher salaries reflect a greater contributiona higher degree of contribution to the organization. Secondly, the working environment also plays a crucial role in influencing job satisfactioncontentment. That is to say that employees need an atmosphere which is safe and healthy, and that supports personal comfortwhich caters to both personal comforts and is conducive to doing a good job. Last but not least, the potential for career advancement is another factor in a satisfyingdelightful career. This is because employees regard promotion as the ultimate achievement and when they get a promotion, they feel highlyabsolutely satisfied. However, it is quite impossible for all employees to be completely satisfied with their job and workplace. In fact, a high-payingpaid job exerts significant stressan enormous amount of stress. An employee who comes under pressure to work longer hours will not be satisfied with the jobprofession, whereas a flexible job that supports employees' passionsentertains executives’ passion is likely to have low salarieslikely has low salaries. It appears that human nature is a major challengehuman nature is the formidable challenge for employees to find satisfaction in their occupations. In conclusion, salaries, stimulating working environment and promotion opportunitiespromotional chance are the major sources of job satisfaction but human expectationstraits are actually a great hindrance to job satisfactionworking delight and job satisfaction for all is not possible.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The essay’s strongest feature is its clear, well-organised response to both parts of the question, supported by relevant discussion of pay, working conditions, advancement, and the limits of universal satisfaction. Its main weakness is that some claims remain general and several expressions sound unnatural. The highest-priority improvement is to add a concrete workplace example while replacing awkward collocations with more precise academic phrasing.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The essay addresses both questions clearly, identifies several factors in job satisfaction, and gives a realistic view that universal satisfaction is unlikely. Development is strong, though some claims could use more concrete examples.
Add one specific workplace example to show why satisfaction varies across occupations.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument is well sequenced, with a clear introduction, factor discussion, realism discussion, and conclusion. Cohesion is generally smooth but occasionally overuses listing phrases.
Use more idea-based topic sentences instead of relying heavily on Firstly, Secondly, and Last but not least.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is flexible and topic-appropriate, with good phrases such as career advancement, contribution, and job contentment. Some word choices are awkward or slightly inaccurate.
Replace unusual expressions such as job content, delightful career, and working delight with natural academic vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammar is generally controlled, with some complex structures used accurately. Minor problems with parallelism, articles, and relative clauses remain.
Edit long sentences for parallel structure and make sure each relative clause has a clear subject.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
As most people spend a major part of their adult life at work, job satisfaction is an important element of individual wellbeing. What factors contribute to job satisfaction? How realistic is the expectation of job satisfaction for all workers?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.