Completing university education is thought by some to be the best way to get a job. On the other hand, other people think getting experience and developing soft skills is more important. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Sample Response
In this day and age, individuals are considered ineligible for a high paying job if they lack a remarkable educational record from reputed academic institutes. The significance of being qualified as a person has become paramount in today’s corporate world. At the same time, simply attaining theoretical knowledge without practical experience is also an unsuitable trait. Many believe that having more work experience makes a candidate stand out from the crowd. In my opinion, having practical knowledge is more consequential when it comes to job-hunting.
It is a well-known fact that presently every organisation demands a well-educated candidate, even for entry-level positions. The first impression recruiters have of candidates is greatly influenced by a person’s CV, which mainly comprises a person’s qualifications. Consequently, students tend to take on several certificate courses whilst pursuing a university education to help gain an edge over other candidates. Moreover, in most high-paying jobs like a doctor, lawyer or engineer, having adequate knowledge and training is crucial for betterment. What is more important is that, nowadays, university education provides theoretical knowledge and enough exposure that aids in the holistic development of an individual.
Nevertheless, we must also acknowledge that work experience holds significant value when seeking high-profile job roles. Only being aware of theories and concepts without any practical idea of utilising them is completely futile. Due to this fact, work experience is a determining factor when applying for a master’s degree like MBA and is an undeniable indicator of the advantage experienced individuals have over the rest. Apart from that, the rationale behind preferring experienced professionals is that such individuals will require less time and effort to learn and adapt to an organisation and the type of work they are responsible for, as opposed to freshers who need to be trained to be productive.
In conclusion, I would like to say that having a decent education and relevant practical competency are both equally vital for securing lucrative employment. However, experiential learning is indeed more indicative of a person’s capabilities.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural collocation Original: remarkable educational record Suggested revision: strong academic record Why it matters: This is the conventional expression for impressive educational achievement.
- 2. Choose precise words Original: reputed academic institutes Suggested revision: reputable educational institutions Why it matters: “Reputable” describes respected institutions more naturally than “reputed”.
- 3. Clarify qualification idea Original: being qualified as a person Suggested revision: having relevant qualifications Why it matters: The original phrase is unnatural and does not identify the employment-related qualification clearly.
- 4. Use accurate noun Original: an unsuitable trait Suggested revision: a disadvantage Why it matters: A lack of practical experience is a disadvantage rather than a personal trait.
- 5. Use direct comparison Original: consequential Suggested revision: important Why it matters: “More important” states the intended comparison more naturally in this context.
- 6. Improve adverb placement Original: presently every organisation demands Suggested revision: every organisation currently demands Why it matters: Placing the time adverb after the subject produces a more natural clause.
- 7. Fix verb collocation Original: take on several certificate courses Suggested revision: take several certificate courses Why it matters: People “take” courses; “take on” usually means accept a responsibility or challenge.
- 8. Match category and examples Original: jobs like a doctor, lawyer or engineer Suggested revision: professions such as medicine, law or engineering Why it matters: The original phrase incorrectly compares jobs with people rather than with professions.
- 9. Specify intended benefit Original: for betterment Suggested revision: for professional competence Why it matters: “Betterment” is too vague to explain why knowledge and training are crucial in these professions.
- 10. Streamline transition Original: What is more important is that, nowadays, Suggested revision: More importantly, Why it matters: The concise transition avoids an unnecessarily heavy introductory clause.
- 11. Clarify exposure type Original: enough exposure Suggested revision: sufficient practical exposure Why it matters: Adding “practical” specifies the kind of experience relevant to the argument.
- 12. Fix limiting phrase Original: Only Suggested revision: Merely Why it matters: “Merely” correctly modifies the gerund phrase to mean that awareness alone is insufficient.
Suggested Rewrites
- remarkable educational record strong academic record
- reputed academic institutes reputable educational institutions
- being qualified as a person having relevant qualifications
- an unsuitable trait a disadvantage
- consequential important
- presently every organisation demands every organisation currently demands
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response discusses both perspectives in a clear, logically staged argument and maintains a consistent preference for practical experience, using varied sentence structures and a broad vocabulary. Its main limitation is that soft skills receive little direct attention, while some claims and word choices sound overstated or imprecise. The priority is to address every element of the second viewpoint explicitly and support the final preference with a more balanced comparison.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both sides are addressed and the writer's opinion is clear, but soft skills are largely omitted and some supporting points are only generally relevant.
Discuss specific soft skills alongside experience and compare their employment value directly with that of university education.
Coherence and Cohesion
The essay progresses logically through a clear introduction, contrasting body paragraphs, and a consistent conclusion.
Shorten the introduction and sharpen topic sentences so each paragraph's central comparison is immediately apparent.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a broad range of vocabulary, though several choices are overly emphatic or collocationally awkward.
Prefer precise, natural wording over inflated phrases such as 'paramount' or 'completely futile' when the claim is more qualified.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex sentence structures is handled with strong control, and errors are infrequent and non-impeding.
Refine occasional noun-pattern and article choices, particularly in lists of professions and references to degree programmes.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Completing university education is thought by some to be the best way to get a job. On the other hand, other people think getting experience and developing soft skills is more important. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.