Back to Writing Hub

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.

343 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

  • Publicly funded professional training may create a reasonable expectation that graduates contribute to local services, especially where skilled workers are scarce.
  • Freedom to work abroad can support career development and may bring expertise back through return migration or international collaboration.
  • A choice between a defined period of service and proportionate repayment can balance public investment with individual mobility.

Suggested structure

  1. Introduce the disagreement and state a qualified position.
  2. Explain the argument for requiring local service, linking public funding to shortages and taxpayer benefit.
  3. Present the case for freedom of movement, including professional opportunity and possible benefits to the home country.
  4. Give your own balanced solution and explain why it is fair.
  5. Conclude by restating the principle that retention is better supported by good opportunities than by excessive restrictions.
Useful vocabulary & examples
public investment
Government or taxpayer spending intended to benefit the public.

A period of local service could help ensure that public investment in medical training benefits the community.

skilled-worker shortages
A lack of qualified people available to fill important jobs.

Skilled-worker shortages may worsen if many newly trained professionals leave immediately.

a proportionate share
A fair amount that reflects the size or level of something.

Graduates could repay a proportionate share of heavily subsidised training costs.

freedom of movement
The ability to choose where to live or work without unreasonable restrictions.

A balanced policy should recognise professionals’ freedom of movement.

Task Prompt

Some people believe that professionals, such as doctors and engineers, should be required to work in the country where they did their training. Others believe that they should be free to work in another country if they wish. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 7.0

In today’s modern society, there is an ongoing debate about whether professionals, such as doctors, nurses, engineers, and teachers, should be obliged to work in the country where they completed their training or if they should have the freedom to seek employment in another country. This essay will explore both perspectives and offer a reasoned opinion: professional choice should be the default, with only clearly agreed and time-limited obligations attached to particular funding arrangements.

The case for requiring local service rests largely on public investment and community need. Training a doctor or engineer may involve publicly supported institutions, facilities and practical placements. If many graduates leave immediately, the community that helped train them may struggle to obtain essential services. A limited period of service, agreed before a funded programme begins, can therefore be defended as part of that programme's conditions.

However, professionals also have legitimate reasons to work elsewhere. They may seek specialist experience, join family members or accept a role that is unavailable where they studied. Their knowledge is not owned by the country that issued their qualification. Moreover, working abroad can create opportunities to exchange skills, participate in international projects and later return with useful experience. A permanent restriction could discourage applicants or make an already difficult profession less attractive.

In my view, freedom of movement should be the general principle. A clearly stated, proportionate service commitment may be reasonable where someone voluntarily accepts a scholarship with that condition. It should not become an unlimited obligation imposed after graduation. Governments would also do better to improve working conditions and professional development than rely entirely on compulsory retention.

There is an important distinction between the country of training and a professional's homeland. They may be different, so an argument about national loyalty cannot simply assume that every graduate studied at home.

In conclusion, local service can protect a community's investment when it is a transparent and limited part of funded training. Nevertheless, professionals should normally be free to choose where they work, with attractive employment conditions providing the strongest reason to stay.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Check that the introduction and conclusion give the same clear response to every part of the question.
2
Explain the mechanism behind each main claim using one relevant example, without inventing statistics.
3
Revise the exact introductory phrases listed above and check that synonyms preserve the task’s meaning.

Related examples for this topic

Compare different bands on the same IELTS prompt.

Browse all