Back to Writing Hub

User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 2 Band 6.0 Example

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

339 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

  • 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 6.0

I very much agree on the fact that money, alone, does not and will not solve poverty. And that rich countries should give other types of help to poorer countries rather than financial aid. In my opinion, education is the most important resource that rich countries could share with developing countries, whether via scholarships to students or through partnerships that improve teaching locally. These kinds of support can create benefits that last beyond a single payment.

Money can pay for immediate needs, but it does not by itself create the skills and institutions needed for lasting development. A grant for a clinic is less effective if there are too few trained staff to run it or no reliable way to maintain the equipment. Financial support therefore needs to be connected to a plan that local people can sustain.

Other forms of assistance can address these limitations. Wealthier countries can help train teachers and health workers, share suitable technology and support practical improvements in agriculture or infrastructure. Such projects should respond to local priorities rather than assume that an outside organisation knows every community's needs. Teaching people to operate and maintain a system is as important as supplying the system itself.

However, rejecting financial aid altogether would be too simple. In an emergency, food, shelter and medical supplies still require funding. Training programmes and technical cooperation also cost money. The distinction is not between useful expertise and useless cash, but between well-designed support and assistance without a clear purpose or accountability.

I therefore agree that richer countries should provide more than financial aid. Long-term assistance should emphasise local capacity and practical skills, while targeted funding remains available where it is needed. Success should be judged by whether communities can continue benefiting after the outside project ends, not only by the amount donated.

In conclusion, money alone cannot resolve every cause of poverty. Education, technical cooperation and stronger local systems are essential complements. A coordinated combination is more effective than treating either cash transfers or non-financial help as a complete solution.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Make the introduction answer the exact question rather than only announcing that the topic will be discussed.
2
Develop one concrete example for each main reason and state the limit of any broad claim.
3
Revise the quoted phrases in context, keeping the same position and factual scope.

Related examples for this topic

Compare different bands on the same IELTS prompt.

Browse all