Some people believe they should keep all the money they have earned and should not pay tax to the state. Do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
I disagree with the statement that individuals should not pay taxes to the state. The government runs the country usingfrom the taxes it collects. Taxes are collected only from those who earn above a certain thresholdminimum limit. It is our moral duty to pay taxes.
Tax money collected by government is used to fund basic amenities, provide various services to citizens and for government administration and projects, running of jails and defense system, and many other operations. It is reasonable to sayIt is not wrong to say that “taxes run a country.” Thus, it is very important for a government to ensure that people pay taxesmake people pay taxes.
ConsiderLet us analyze why people do not want to pay taxes. The main reason is their dissatisfaction with how the government serves themdissatisfaction with government in serving them. They blame the governmentThey blame government for things like lack of infrastructure, poverty and unemployment, but they are not completely wrong as tax revenue is misused in one way or anothersome or the other way in every country. In developed countries, however, because of higher satisfaction with the government's performancesatisfaction from government’s functioning, citizens may be more willing to pay taxes. Another source of dissatisfactionAnother factor generating dissatisfaction is the tax structure itself. Often the tax system is complex and this complexity discourages people from paying taxesit drives people away from paying taxes. Many people also feel thatIt is also felt that the tax rates are high and tax brackets are inequitabletax slabs are unequal. So they feel it is not unethical to engage in tax avoidance or tax evasionif one goes for tax avoidance or tax evasion.
Not paying taxes can drastically affect a country’s revenue generation, my own country, India, for that matter. But then, it is equally important for the government to developit is equally desired that government come up with a fair tax structure and also make people aware where the taxes are being diverted. Even lowering the tax rates can help a country increase its tax collection as it would increase compliance among taxpayersamong the taxpayers. Tax reforms should also be implemented quicklyTax reform should also be fast so that no public grievance or non-compliance remains for long. A proper tax system backed up with strict tax laws can produce the best results.
Summing up, I reiterate my opinion by saying that it is the duty of every citizen to pay tax and the duty of every government to use it appropriately in public interest.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response presents a clear, consistent position and supports it with a well-organized discussion of public services, dissatisfaction with taxation, and possible reforms. Its main limitation is occasional imprecision and awkwardness in wording and grammar, especially articles, prepositions, and sentence structure. The highest-priority improvement is to tighten the supporting arguments and edit each paragraph for more natural, precise academic phrasing.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The position is clear throughout, and relevant reasons are developed with explanation and a considered discussion of tax reform.
Strengthen the argument further by linking the discussion of taxpayer dissatisfaction more explicitly to the duty to pay taxes.
Coherence and Cohesion
Paragraphing is logical and progression is clear, with generally effective use of referencing and connective language.
Tighten a few transitions so that each paragraph's supporting details remain directly focused on its central claim.
Lexical Resource
A sufficient range of topic-specific vocabulary conveys the argument precisely overall, despite occasional awkward collocations.
Refine phrases such as where taxes are diverted and tax reform should be fast into more natural academic wording.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex structures with generally clear control, though article, preposition, and sentence-construction errors remain noticeable.
Proofread especially for articles before government-related nouns and revise awkward or loosely joined clauses.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people believe they should keep all the money they have earned and should not pay tax to the state. Do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.