Some people believe that they should keep all the money they have earned and should not pay tax to the state. Do you agree or disagree with the above notion?
Sample Response
Whether people should pay tax to the government or not is an argument of great debate. Some people think that it is government's responsibility to raise money from other sectors and should not take the portion of a person's hard earning cash while others stand just opposite of this opinion. I believe if the government spend the money for the benefit of the citizen, as it meant to be for every country, and value the mass people's opinions and suggestions how to best use the money, then there is nothing wrong with the tax paying method and rather had many positive reasons to do so.
Those who are against the tax paying system often opine that the government should never take their hard earning money for the sake of country's development scheme. This is especially true for those who earn an amount that barely supports his/her family and who are not satisfied with the public service provided by the government. In many countries, people have to pay a tax of more than a quarter of the total earning of a year and yet do not get basic facilities like treatment, education and they have to spend their own pocket money for those purposes. This is very natural that they become angry about the tax paying.
But tax, collected from the people of a country can be a great fund to use for their betterment by the government. There are lots of poor people who can be benefited from the tax paid by the others. The government can build more roads, offer public services, and can introduce other useful scheme using the money. Almost in most of the countries, people who earn more than a predefined amount have to pay tax and not for those who earn less than that amount. So Government is not forcing poor people to pay tax but those who are able to pay tax.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural phrasing Original: an argument of great debate Suggested revision: a subject of considerable debate Why it matters: The original noun combination is unidiomatic.
- 2. Add the article Original: it is government's responsibility Suggested revision: it is the government's responsibility Why it matters: The specific possessive noun phrase requires the definite article.
- 3. Use an indefinite amount Original: the Suggested revision: a Why it matters: The first mention of an unspecified portion requires a rather than the.
- 4. State opposition naturally Original: stand just opposite of this opinion Suggested revision: take the opposite view Why it matters: The original verb and preposition combination is unidiomatic.
- 5. Use concise terminology Original: tax paying system Suggested revision: tax system Why it matters: Tax system expresses the same idea more concisely.
- 6. Fix possession and number Original: for the sake of country's development scheme Suggested revision: for the sake of the country's development projects Why it matters: Country needs an article and possessive marker, while the general scheme reference should be plural.
- 7. Keep pronouns consistent Original: barely supports his/her family Suggested revision: barely supports their family Why it matters: Singular they avoids switching from the plural those to his/her.
- 8. Use the general plural Original: service Suggested revision: services Why it matters: The general reference covers multiple government services and should be plural.
- 9. Use the correct clause form Original: This is very natural that Suggested revision: It is therefore understandable that Why it matters: The original anticipatory-subject structure is ungrammatical.
- 10. Use a gerund phrase Original: angry about the tax paying Suggested revision: angry about paying tax Why it matters: Paying tax is the natural gerund complement after about.
- 11. Remove the misplaced comma Original: tax, collected from the people of a country Suggested revision: tax collected from a country's residents Why it matters: The comma incorrectly separates the noun from its restrictive modifier.
- 12. Clarify the fund's use Original: a great fund to use Suggested revision: a substantial fund that can be used Why it matters: The relative clause expresses the function more naturally.
Suggested Rewrites
- an argument of great debate a subject of considerable debate
- it is government's responsibility it is the government's responsibility
- the a
- stand just opposite of this opinion take the opposite view
- tax paying system tax system
- for the sake of country's development scheme for the sake of the country's development projects
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response presents a clear position and supports it with relevant reasoning about both taxpayers’ concerns and the public benefits of taxation. Its main limitation is recurring imprecision in grammar and word combinations, compounded by the lack of a concluding paragraph; the highest priority is to express each claim in more natural, accurate language and close with a concise restatement of the position.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
A clear position is maintained, and the response develops relevant reasons for opposition to taxation as well as reasons supporting a fair tax system.
Develop one key benefit with a more specific example and add a concise conclusion that directly reinforces the final position.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically from objections to taxation to its social benefits, although the lengthy opening paragraph and missing conclusion weaken the overall shape.
Use a shorter introduction, clearer internal sequencing, and a separate conclusion to give the argument a more controlled progression.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is adequate for the topic, but recurring unnatural combinations such as “hard earning cash” and “mass people's opinions” reduce precision.
Prioritise accurate, conventional collocations and word forms when discussing income, public services, and government spending.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex structures communicates the argument, but recurring agreement, article, preposition, and word-form errors limit control.
Proofread each sentence for subject–verb agreement, articles, and passive forms, especially after singular subjects such as “government.”
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people believe that they should keep all the money they have earned and should not pay tax to the state. Do you agree or disagree with the above notion?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.