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User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 2 Band 5.0 Example

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

307 words AcademicTask 2
Task 2

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

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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 5.0

There is a view among some individuals that well-experienced workers, such as engineers and doctors, should work in the country which they are trained. However, there is an opponent view of that they can be free to work wherever they want.On the one hand, when some professions get their education, they get subsidized tuition which is partly paid by the government, so some people think that graduates should repay this support by working in their home country. This may also help countries keep enough doctors and engineers, especially in places where public services already have a shortage. If many trained workers leave, patients may wait longer for treatment and important building projects can be delayed. For this reason, a period of service could be reasonable if the government has paid a large part of their education. However, this should be agreed before students begin their training and the job should have fair conditions.

On the other hand, these professionals have their own life and career plans. They may move because another country offers better salary, modern equipment or more chances to improve their skills. In some countries, doctors and engineers cannot find suitable jobs, so forcing them to remain may not be useful. Working abroad can also help them learn new methods, and they can later share this knowledge with colleagues at home. In addition, people should not be treated as property simply because public money helped pay for their studies.

In my opinion, professionals should generally be free to choose where they work. Governments can encourage them to stay by providing safe workplaces, good pay and opportunities for promotion. If students accept a clear scholarship agreement, they should follow its reasonable terms, but a general rule requiring everybody to remain is too strict. This approach respects personal freedom while recognising the public investment in education.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Separate the introduction, each side of the argument and your conclusion into distinct paragraphs.
2
Develop each main point with a clear explanation of its effect—for example, how staff shortages affect patients or how overseas experience can benefit a worker’s home country.
3
Proofread for relative clauses and sentence boundaries, especially phrases such as “the country where they were trained” and missing spaces after full stops.

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