Some people think that some individuals are naturally good leaders while others think individuals can learn leadership skills. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Sample Response
People hold differing views on whether leadership is learned or innate. Although some leadership traitssome aspects of leadership are probably inherited, I believe that leadership skills can be acquired through training and practice.
On the one hand, many people claim that leaders are born with charismatic personalitiesleaders are born with a charismatic personality, giving them a considerable advantage over other people. These distinctive personal traits enable people to become naturally good at leading and inspiring others. For example, leaders need to be able to positively influence others, through either innate charisma or a powerful presenceeither by their innate charisma or their powerful presence. As these natural abilities cannot be acquiredare not something that can be obtained over time, those who do not possess them may have difficulty convincing or motivating othersmay face difficulty in convincing or motivating others, which may prevent them from becoming inspiring leaders.
On the other hand, othersOn the other hand, other people, including myself, believe that the vast majority of leaders are not born to lead, but can be prepared to leadbut prepared to lead. There are many skills relating to leadership that are capable of being learned and developedlearnable and achievable, such as communication and problem-solving skillscommunication skills or problem-solving skills. As long as a person receives proper training and puts enough effort into honing these skills, they can also become an effective leader. This explains whyThat is the reason why there are many leadership training programs and courses that aim to supporttrain those who want to develop their leadership capabilities. Most people can reap significant rewards from these courses, enabling them to successfully lead others.
In conclusion, it is true that some traits of leadership are likely to be genetic. However, I believe that everybody can become a great leader because leadership consists of many skillsa lot of skills that can be learned and developed over time.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response addresses both perspectives clearly, maintains a consistent opinion, and presents its reasoning in a polished, easy-to-follow structure. The main weakness is that the support remains fairly general and repeats the idea that leadership skills can be trained without probing its limits or providing a concrete case. Developing one specific example and sharpening a few imprecise word choices would make the argument more convincing and distinctive.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both views are discussed in a balanced way, the writer's opinion is explicit, and the main ideas receive relevant explanation.
Develop a specific real-world example showing how training can transform leadership performance rather than relying mainly on general assertions.
Coherence and Cohesion
The essay has clear progression, purposeful paragraphs, and cohesive links that guide the reader without disrupting the argument.
Reduce minor repetition between the second body paragraph and conclusion by making the final synthesis more analytical.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a strong range of relevant vocabulary with generally natural control and an appropriately formal tone.
Replace slightly imprecise combinations such as learnable and achievable skills with more exact, idiomatic phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex and simple structures are varied effectively, and the response maintains strong grammatical accuracy throughout.
Refine occasional heavy noun phrases and long modifying clauses so the syntax remains as concise as it is accurate.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people think that some individuals are naturally good leaders while others think individuals can learn leadership skills. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.