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Writing Academic Task 2 Band 7.0 Example

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303 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

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

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

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Band 7.0

The issue of providing financial aid to the poor countries by the richer ones, has been a constant topic for debate for years now. Providing financial aid might help solve the immediate problems that the poor nations face. but it doesn’t help in completely eradicating poverty. I agree that the poor countries should be provided with practical support such as education, vocational training and stronger public services. Financial aid can address urgent needs, including food, medicine and shelter, particularly during conflict or natural disasters. However, if it is poorly monitored or directed only towards short-term consumption, it may leave the causes of poverty untouched. In some cases, money may also be lost through corruption or create excessive dependence on donors.

Developed countries should therefore prioritise assistance that enables poorer nations to become more self-reliant. Investment in schools and teacher training can equip young people with useful skills, while technical support for hospitals can improve the quality of healthcare over the long term. Countries could also share expertise in farming, water management and renewable energy, helping local communities increase production and reduce vulnerability. These measures address the limited opportunities and weak infrastructure that often keep families in poverty.

Nevertheless, this does not mean financial aid should be abandoned. Grants and emergency funding remain essential when a country faces famine, an epidemic or a major disaster, and poorer governments may not have the resources to respond quickly. The most effective policy is to combine carefully monitored funding with long-term cooperation, and to involve local governments and communities in deciding how support is used.

Overall, I agree that rich countries should provide more than money. Practical assistance can tackle structural problems and build independence, while targeted financial aid remains necessary in emergencies. A balanced approach is more likely to reduce poverty sustainably than financial transfers alone.

Targeted Improvement Tips

Make each body paragraph answer a distinct part of the argument: explain the limits of cash aid, then develop specific long-term alternatives.

Add one concrete explanation after each proposed form of support—for example, show how vocational training could improve employment opportunities.

Proofread the opening for sentence boundaries and commas, especially where a coordinating word such as “but” links two clauses.

AI Feedback

Overall Band

7.0

Good

Words

303

Type

Task 2

Criteria Breakdown

Task Response

7.0 Band

The position is clear in “I agree that the poor countries should be provided with practical support,” and the answer develops relevant alternatives, including training, healthcare and farming expertise. It also makes a useful distinction between long-term support and emergency funding. To strengthen the response further, make the comparison between financial aid and other forms of help more explicit in each body paragraph, showing when one is more effective than the other.

Coherence & Cohesion

7.0 Band

The progression from immediate aid, to longer-term assistance, to emergency exceptions gives the essay a clear overall shape. Transitions such as “Nevertheless” and “Overall” help signal the argument’s shifts. Some ideas in the first paragraph overlap around aid’s limits and poverty’s causes. A useful next step would be to give each body paragraph one distinct purpose and connect its example directly to the claim in the topic sentence.

Lexical Resource

7.0 Band

The answer uses relevant topic vocabulary, including “vocational training,” “self-reliant,” “weak infrastructure” and “targeted financial aid.” These phrases allow discussion of both immediate needs and structural poverty. “Poor countries” and “financial aid” recur frequently, though, and “help in completely eradicating poverty” is less idiomatic than a more concise alternative. Try varying references carefully, for example with “lower-income nations” or “long-term development support.”

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

6.5 Band

The developed sections use a good range of sentence forms, including the conditional “if it is poorly monitored” and the complex sentence beginning “The most effective policy is to combine…”. However, the preserved opening contains punctuation and sentence-boundary errors: “ones, has been” separates the subject from its verb, and “face. but” begins a new sentence with a lowercase conjunction. Proofread sentence boundaries and commas before submission.

Topic Band Distribution

Band 9.03 examples

Band 8.03 examples

Band 7.03 examples

Band 6.03 examples

Band 5.03 examples

Band 4.03 examples

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Writing Academic Task 2 Band 7.0 Example

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