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User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 2 Band 9.0 Example

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

276 words AcademicTask 2
Task 2

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

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Ideas to explore

  • Skills-based assistance, such as teacher training or vocational education, can build local capacity beyond the duration of a grant.
  • Health, water and agricultural partnerships can target essential services and practical needs, especially when local communities help set priorities.
  • Financial support can remain valuable during emergencies and infrastructure projects when it is transparent, accountable and coordinated with other forms of assistance.

Suggested structure

  1. Introduce the issue and state a qualified position on whether non-financial assistance should be prioritised.
  2. Explain how practical or technical support can address underlying causes of poverty, using specific examples.
  3. Acknowledge why financial aid is still needed, such as emergencies or infrastructure.
  4. Conclude by presenting a balanced approach and linking it to sustainable poverty reduction.
Useful vocabulary & examples
locally led support
assistance planned or guided by the people and institutions it is intended to help

Locally led support is more likely to reflect a community's priorities.

technical expertise
specialised knowledge or practical skills in a particular area

Sharing technical expertise can help strengthen public health services.

transparent and accountable funding
financial assistance whose use is open to scrutiny and for which responsible parties can be held answerable

Transparent and accountable funding can reduce the risk of aid being poorly targeted.

underlying causes of poverty
deeper conditions that contribute to poverty, rather than its immediate symptoms

Vocational education may address some underlying causes of poverty by expanding access to skills.

Task Prompt

Rich countries often give money to poorer countries, but it does not solve poverty. Therefore, developed countries should give other types of help to the poor countries rather than financial aid. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 9.0

It is a common practice for affluent nations to provide financial support to less developed countries; however, this aid often falls short in alleviating poverty. Some people argue that instead of relying solely on monetary assistance, wealthy countries should extend other forms of help to developing nations. While financial aid alone may not be a complete solution to entrenched poverty, I largely agree that developed nations should broaden their support beyond cash, although financial aid remains necessary in emergencies and when it is transparently managed.

Non-financial assistance can address the causes of poverty more directly. For example, sharing expertise in teacher training, public health, agricultural methods and vocational education can help local institutions and workers build skills that remain useful after a grant ends. Partnerships that improve water systems or clinics can also strengthen essential services. Such assistance is most effective when designed with local communities, rather than imposed by donors, so that projects match their priorities and can be maintained locally.

However, replacing all financial support would be unrealistic. Poorer governments may need funds to respond quickly to famine, conflict or natural disasters, and money can support infrastructure that technical advice alone cannot provide. The problem is not money itself but aid that is poorly targeted, tied to donor interests, or delivered without accountability. Funding should therefore be transparent and paired, where appropriate, with training, monitoring and long-term cooperation.

In conclusion, I agree to a large extent that wealthy countries should provide practical and institutional support in addition to financial aid. A balanced approach—combining carefully monitored funding with locally led expertise and services—is more likely to reduce poverty sustainably than cash transfers alone.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Develop one example in detail: explain how locally designed agricultural training could help farmers improve skills and sustain their livelihoods.
2
After each example of non-financial assistance, connect it explicitly to a cause of poverty, such as limited access to education or weak public services.
3
Keep the balanced position consistent by distinguishing emergency funding from long-term support, then explain briefly how transparency and local involvement improve both.

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