It is generally believed that some people are born with certain talents, for instance for sports or music, and others are not. However, it is sometimes claimed that any child can be taught to become a good sports person or musician. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Sample Response
People have various opinions regarding what truly makes a person a good performer or a talented individual. Some people contend that talent is a natural giftthe talent is a natural gift, whilst others, including myself, have a different opinion since we believe that any person can become an excellent achiever throughby guidance, dedication and hard work. On the one hand, it is believed that some people are gifted and they naturally master musical instruments or sports as if they had been taught for years. For instance, my son, who is a big fan of football, was placed in a higher leveladmitted to a higher level on his first training session because he could easily perform all the required skills of the previous levels. Had he been trained earlier, he would have joined the club's official team.club official team.. Therefore, it can be deduced that some people are more talented than others. On the other hand, it can be argued that some people have a passion for a certain leisure activity and it is beneficial that educational institutions and family members exert effort to realize this. An example for this is a questionnaire administered to an American elementary school where the results revealed that around 75% of the students master playing different musical instrumentsdevices after rigorous training by their music teachers. Accordingly, it can be argued that hobbies can be taught as well as being a natural talent. Having consideredmanifested the aforementioned points of view and examples, it can be recapitulated that people can either learn to play music or sports, or they can be naturally talented. However, in my opinionin my humble opinion, both cases should receive guided training, encouragement and an appropriate environment to perform efficiently. It is recommended that governments should investthe governments should invest more to add extra skills to the students apart from education.
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response clearly addresses both perspectives and maintains a relevant position, supported by appropriate examples and a generally effective structure. Its main limitation is that the relationship between natural ability and training is not explored deeply, while the final government recommendation weakens the conclusion. Prioritise a sharper final judgement that explains how talent may provide an initial advantage but sustained training ultimately determines long-term achievement.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both views are addressed and the writer gives a relevant opinion. The response would score higher with deeper explanation of how training interacts with natural ability.
Develop the final opinion into a clear judgement, for example that talent gives an advantage but training determines long-term success.
Coherence and Cohesion
The essay has a clear four-part structure and uses comparison effectively. Some links are formulaic and the final recommendation feels only loosely connected.
Use the conclusion to synthesise the two views rather than adding a new government recommendation.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is generally flexible, with words such as dedication, rigorous, and naturally talented. A few collocations are inaccurate or unnatural.
Check collocations around sports, music, and education, especially performer, musical instruments, and school subjects.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammar is mostly controlled with some effective complex forms. Errors in punctuation, articles, and word choice still appear.
Proofread for article use and punctuation, especially double punctuation and long clauses after because/since.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
It is generally believed that some people are born with certain talents, for instance for sports or music, and others are not. However, it is sometimes claimed that any child can be taught to become a good sports person or musician. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.