Some employers believe that job applicants’ social skills are more important than their academic qualifications. Do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Sample Response
Job applicants’ social skills are often considered more important than their academic qualifications in this modern world. Personally, I agree with the opinion that the social skills of candidates are more vital than their academic results, and in this essay, I will explain the reason for this belief.
The benefits of excellent social skills of a job seeker are apparent. Firstly, communication is the key to career success in modern days. This is primarily because the 21st century is best portrayed by constant interaction with different people, no matter the communication media - in person or online. Secondly, the ability to sell products or services is of paramount significance in any business – this requires strong social skills. For example, an employee with excellent social skills is able to have an impact in front of customers or clients; as a result, products or services can be perceived as high-value. This is why, employers put more emphasis on job seekers' social skills than their educational qualifications in such sectors.
Furthermore, employees with better social skills are generally more easygoing, which is very important to the workplace, including the employer. After all, as the saying goes, “who you work with is as important as what you do”, and an enjoyable work environment needs socially skilful employees. Finally, social skills are important to form a team and for the team to perform better. In the dynamic professional arena of today's world, working individually is almost absent in organisations and offices making it important for people to have social skills to work in a team.
In conclusion, I believe employees’ social skills are of extreme importance for a company or organisation, even more than their educational qualifications. Also, I would suggest employers consider job applicants’ social skills first, which I believe would bring long-term benefits for the company and make a positive impact on its growth.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use concise possession Original: the social skills of candidates Suggested revision: candidates’ social skills Why it matters: The possessive form is more concise and natural here.
- 2. Keep term precise Original: results Suggested revision: qualifications Why it matters: ‘Academic qualifications’ precisely matches the credentials being compared throughout the response.
- 3. Use possessive form Original: excellent social skills of a job seeker Suggested revision: a job seeker’s excellent social skills Why it matters: The possessive construction is more natural than the extended ‘of’ phrase.
- 4. Use natural time phrase Original: in modern days Suggested revision: nowadays Why it matters: ‘In modern days’ is not idiomatic in this context.
- 5. Choose precise verb Original: best portrayed by Suggested revision: characterised by Why it matters: ‘Characterised by’ accurately expresses a defining feature of the period.
- 6. Fix medium phrase Original: no matter the communication media - in person or online Suggested revision: regardless of the medium, whether in person or online Why it matters: The revision supplies the required preposition and correctly frames the two modes.
- 7. Use natural collocation Original: have an impact in front of Suggested revision: make an impression on Why it matters: ‘Make an impression on’ is the idiomatic expression for influencing how customers perceive someone.
- 8. Remove unnecessary comma Original: This is why, employers Suggested revision: This is why employers Why it matters: A comma should not separate this introductory complement from its subject.
- 9. Correct preposition Original: to Suggested revision: in Why it matters: ‘In the workplace’ correctly identifies the setting in which this quality matters.
- 10. Use gerund structure Original: important to form a team Suggested revision: important for forming a team Why it matters: ‘Important for’ should be followed by a noun or gerund in this construction.
- 11. Use natural expression Original: working individually is almost absent Suggested revision: individual work is now uncommon Why it matters: The original phrase treats an activity as if it could be physically absent.
- 12. Mark result clause Original: offices making it important Suggested revision: offices, making it important Why it matters: A comma is needed before the supplementary result clause beginning with ‘making’.
Suggested Rewrites
- the social skills of candidates candidates’ social skills
- results qualifications
- excellent social skills of a job seeker a job seeker’s excellent social skills
- in modern days nowadays
- best portrayed by characterised by
- no matter the communication media - in person or online regardless of the medium, whether in person or online
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response states a clear position and develops a coherent case through communication, sales, workplace relationships, and teamwork. Its main limitation is that these points establish the value of social skills more fully than their superiority to academic qualifications, while some wording is awkward or imprecise. The highest-priority improvement is to make the comparison explicit in each main idea and support it with a sharper workplace example.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The opinion is clear and supported by several relevant reasons, though the relative value of academic qualifications is only lightly examined.
Develop an explicit comparison showing why social skills outweigh qualifications in particular roles or workplace outcomes.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically through focused paragraphs, with clear sequencing and generally effective linking between supporting points.
Reduce mechanical enumeration and connect related claims more organically within each body paragraph.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary shows sufficient range for the topic, but several collocations and comparative expressions sound unnatural or imprecise.
Refine phrases about workplace impact, communication media, and employee behaviour to achieve more natural professional language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex sentence forms is handled with good control, and the few grammatical or punctuation lapses do not impede meaning.
Check comparative forms, unnecessary commas, and the attachment of participial clauses in longer sentences.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some employers believe that job applicants’ social skills are more important than their academic qualifications. Do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.