User-written IELTS example
Writing Academic Task 2 Band 7.0 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
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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
- Introduce the issue and state a qualified position on whether non-financial assistance should be prioritised.
- Explain how practical or technical support can address underlying causes of poverty, using specific examples.
- Acknowledge why financial aid is still needed, such as emergencies or infrastructure.
- 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
User Essay Analysis
Review the public answer with report-style highlights.
Poverty is one of the most significant issues in our society and giving financial aid is the common way to solve this problem. There is an argument that developing countries should receive other kinds of support instead of donating money from wealthy countries. From my perspective, I would lean towards this statement and it will be more effective to provide practical assistance that helps poorer countries tackle the causes of poverty. First, investment in education and vocational training can give people the skills they need to find stable work. For example, funding teacher training or supporting local technical colleges may help young people gain qualifications that are relevant to jobs in their communities. This can reduce long-term dependence on external support.
Developed countries can also share expertise in areas such as agriculture, healthcare and infrastructure. If specialists help local farmers improve irrigation or teach health workers to prevent common diseases, communities may become more productive and resilient. Such programmes should be planned with local governments and residents, so that the support meets genuine needs rather than imposing solutions from outside. Building roads, reliable power supplies and clean water systems can also make it easier for businesses to grow and for children to attend school.
However, this does not mean that financial aid should be abandoned altogether. Poor countries may need emergency funding after a natural disaster or during a food shortage, and money can support essential public services when budgets are limited. The problem is that donations alone may have little lasting effect if they are poorly managed or do not build local capacity. Financial support is most useful when it is transparent and linked to practical, long-term projects.
Overall, I agree that wealthy countries should focus more on sharing knowledge, skills and technology than on simply donating money. A combination of carefully targeted financial aid and sustained practical assistance is more likely to reduce poverty in the long term.
Targeted Improvement Tips
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