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Writing Academic Task 2 Band 8.0 Example

Original task prompt, user essay, band score, and related examples in the same report workspace.

271 words AcademicTask 2
Task 2

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

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Ideas to explore

  • Explain how cultural or spiritual beliefs, including beliefs about luck, can influence decisions about facial features.
  • Discuss the potential benefits of improved confidence and surgery following an accident or medical condition.
  • Balance those benefits against medical risks and pressure to conform to a narrow beauty ideal.

Suggested structure

  1. Introduce the trend and state a qualified overall opinion.
  2. Explain key motivations, linking cultural beliefs and social beauty standards to the decision to have surgery.
  3. Present benefits with a personal-confidence example and a medical or reconstructive example.
  4. Discuss risks and social pressure, then conclude by stating the conditions under which the development is positive.
Useful vocabulary & examples
evolving beauty standards
Changing social expectations about what appearance is considered attractive.

Evolving beauty standards can influence how people judge their own appearance.

feel compelled to
Feel strongly pressured or obliged to do something.

Some people feel compelled to change their appearance to meet a narrow ideal.

realistic expectations
Beliefs about likely outcomes that are sensible and achievable.

Patients should have realistic expectations before deciding on cosmetic surgery.

reinforce insecurity
Make a person’s doubts or lack of confidence stronger.

A procedure may reinforce insecurity if it is chosen mainly to satisfy social pressure.

Task Prompt

An increasing number of people are choosing to have cosmetic surgery in order to improve their appearance. Why do people have operations to change the way they look? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 8.0

Cosmetic surgery is becoming increasingly popular as more people strive for an attractive appearance. There are various motivations driving this trend, which I believe has both positive and negative aspects. The growing popularity of plastic surgery can be attributed to superstitions and society’s evolving beauty standards. Some individuals seek advice from feng shui masters to identify features they believe will bring good fortune. More broadly, constant exposure to edited images on social media can make one particular appearance seem normal or desirable. People may consequently hope that changing their features will help them feel more confident or gain social acceptance.

There are genuine advantages to these operations. A person who has felt distressed about a feature for many years may experience greater self-esteem after a successful procedure. Surgery can also help people whose appearance has been affected by an accident or a medical condition, allowing them to feel more comfortable in daily life. In such cases, the decision can improve well-being rather than simply satisfy a passing fashion.

However, cosmetic surgery also involves risks, including complications and disappointment if the result does not match expectations. More importantly, when people feel compelled to alter themselves to fit a narrow beauty ideal, the procedure may reinforce insecurity instead of resolving it. Frequent exposure to celebrity images can intensify this pressure, particularly among younger people, who may not yet have a settled sense of self-worth.

Overall, I regard cosmetic surgery as a cautiously positive development when it is chosen freely, for realistic reasons, and after careful medical advice. Its benefits are less convincing when social pressure or beliefs about luck are the main influence.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
After mentioning feng shui, add a direct explanation of the motivation—for example, that some people hope a changed appearance will improve their fortune.
2
Make each body paragraph’s role explicit: develop reasons first, then benefits, then risks, rather than mixing these points within a paragraph.
3
Keep the conclusion’s qualified position, and tie it to a clear condition such as informed choice and realistic expectations.

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