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.
Illustrative target band for this original model answer.
Plan your answer
Try your own response before reading the samples.
Ideas to explore
- Explain how difficulty following informal conversations, humour or local customs can make it harder to form friendships and feel included.
- Show how language barriers can affect access to essential services, including healthcare, housing and employment.
- Acknowledge that interpreters and language classes can help, while explaining why they may not remove immediate difficulties.
Suggested structure
- Introduce the issue and state a clear degree of agreement.
- Develop social consequences in one focused paragraph, using a concrete everyday example.
- Explain practical consequences in a separate paragraph and connect each example to its potential impact.
- Recognise possible support, then explain its limits.
- Conclude by restating the position and summarising the two main categories of problems.
Useful vocabulary & examples
- a weaker sense of belonging
- a reduced feeling of being accepted as part of a community
Being unable to follow group conversations may give newcomers a weaker sense of belonging.
- essential services
- important services people need, such as healthcare or housing support
Language barriers can make it harder to access essential services.
- misunderstand official instructions
- interpret guidance from an organisation or authority incorrectly
A person may misunderstand official instructions when completing a form in a second language.
- translation services
- professional or organised help converting spoken or written information into another language
Translation services can help patients explain their symptoms to medical staff.
Task Prompt
User Essay Analysis
Review the public answer with report-style highlights.
The attributes of social issues caused by speaking the second language in another country where has been chosen to live are controversial among the public. Considering the mind the fact pertinent to the matter, I tend to be partially in favor of the statement owing to the following reasons. The first and perhaps the most important issue is difficulty joining social conversations when the speaker cannot follow informal language.
Social communication may remain difficult even when someone can complete simple transactions. Humour, informal expressions and the pace of a group discussion can make it hard to participate. Repeated uncertainty may discourage a newcomer from joining activities, and this can limit both friendships and opportunities to practise. In that sense, language barriers can have consequences beyond the immediate misunderstanding.
Practical problems are often easier to reduce with preparation and assistance. A person can collect relevant words before an appointment, request clarification or use translation tools for a straightforward notice. However, those tools have limits. An urgent medical conversation or a document with important obligations may require a competent interpreter or other reliable support. Technology should therefore be seen as one aid, not proof that practical barriers have disappeared.
The seriousness of either type of problem also varies. A resident with strong existing skills and supportive colleagues may adapt quickly, while someone with limited proficiency and few opportunities to learn may struggle. The same foreign language does not create an identical experience for everyone. Access to classes and patient everyday interaction can gradually improve the situation.
I partly agree with the statement. Language barriers can produce serious difficulties, particularly in social participation and high-stakes practical tasks, but these effects are not inevitable or permanent. General claims should be qualified by the person's skills and the support available.
In conclusion, foreign-language use can be challenging without being inherently harmful. Social opportunities, reliable assistance and continued learning determine whether early obstacles become serious long-term problems.
Targeted Improvement Tips
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