Task 2 · · 18 samples

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.

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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.

Sample answers

AI-completed learning example

344 words · Illustrative target band

Should domestically trained specialists in areas such as medicine and engineering be obliged to pursue their careers in their homeland or should they be given the choice of working abroad? In this essay, I shall discuss both sides of this controversial issue before going on to state why I tend to agree with the need for a limited period of service when training has been publicly funded. One reason for requiring loca…

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AI-completed learning example

343 words · Illustrative target band

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 agr…

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AI-completed learning example

342 words · Illustrative target band

Some intellectuals argue that experts from the medical and engineering fields should practice in the countries where they trained while others oppose this view, submitting that they should be permitted to exercise their freedom to choose where they would like to work. Although the former opinion can be beneficial in terms of helping to build a stronger local workforce, I believe that professionals should normally ret…

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