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User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 2 Band 4.0 Example

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

345 words AcademicTask 2
Task 2

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

Ideas to explore

  • A considered career risk, such as applying for a more demanding role, can build skills even if it does not produce immediate success.
  • Personal risks such as moving to a new place or addressing a difficult issue can encourage independence and improve relationships.
  • Unplanned risks can threaten savings or affect family members, so preparation and a backup plan help reduce potential harm.

Suggested structure

  1. Introduce the topic and state your view on whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
  2. Explain professional benefits with a specific example and its possible outcome.
  3. Discuss personal benefits using a separate example.
  4. Acknowledge significant disadvantages, including financial or family consequences.
  5. Reach a clear conclusion that weighs the risks and suggests how to manage them.
Useful vocabulary & examples
a calculated risk
A risk taken after considering its possible benefits and consequences.

Applying for a more demanding position can be a calculated risk.

financial security
The condition of having enough money and stability to meet financial needs.

People should consider whether a business decision could affect their financial security.

a backup plan
An alternative course of action prepared in case the first plan does not work.

Having a backup plan can reduce the harm if a new business fails.

weigh the possible outcomes
To consider the likely positive and negative results before deciding.

Before changing jobs, people should weigh the possible outcomes.

Task Prompt

It is important for people to take risks, both in their professional lives and their personal lives. Do you think the advantages of taking risks outweigh the disadvantages?

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 4.0

Taking risks has been an essential part for the human development since the beginning of the era whether in their own life decisions or in their carrier. I totally believe that merits of this process do not completely outweigh demerits. As long as the human race existed, it has always been modernizing the process of making decisions. However, that does not mean every uncertain choice is worth its possible cost.

Trying something uncertain can produce useful opportunities. A person who applies for a demanding job may discover abilities they had not previously used, while someone joining a new activity may develop friendships. These benefits explain why a degree of uncertainty cannot be removed from everyday life. Nevertheless, the existence of a possible reward does not prove that the overall advantages of taking risks are greater.

A major difficulty is that losses can be lasting and may affect people who did not choose the risk. Leaving a stable job without an alternative or spending household savings on an untested venture can reduce a family's security. The experience may teach a lesson, but that lesson does not replace money needed for housing or food. Similarly, a personal decision made without considering existing responsibilities can damage trust in important relationships.

There are often less risky ways to pursue the same goal. Someone considering a new career can first gain experience alongside their current job, while a prospective business owner can test demand on a small scale. These steps still involve uncertainty, but they reduce avoidable exposure. Preparation and gradual change should therefore take priority over the idea that bold action is automatically beneficial.

In my view, the advantages do not generally outweigh the disadvantages when the risk threatens essential security or responsibilities. Some limited experiments are worthwhile, but this is a qualified exception rather than an endorsement of risk-taking as a principle.

In conclusion, uncertain choices can create growth, yet their possible costs must carry equal weight. I favour cautious, reversible steps and would avoid major risks whose failure could cause lasting harm to the individual or others.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Compare the importance of a possible gain and loss rather than listing several advantages against one disadvantage.
2
Develop one professional and one personal example, showing what preparation changes.
3
Revise the quoted phrases and make the same qualified position clear in the introduction and conclusion.

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