Money is spent on space exploration. It would be better if they spent improving the life of humans on earth.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 2 question on IELTSX. Money is spent on space exploration. It would be better if they spent improving the life of humans on earth.

Money spent on space exploration versus improving life of humans on earth - IELTS Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Do you agree or disagree?

Write at least 250 words.

A student's answer to this task, and the feedback on it

Written by an IELTSX user under exam conditions and published unedited and anonymously. Band 6 ยท 310 words.

Exploring the space has gained a great popularity amoung the governments and it is one of the biggest distributor of high spendings. There is a view that instead of funding such expeditions it would be more benifitial to spend money on developing the life conditions of the population, and I partially disagree with that point of view.

According to the science, we know that life on other planets exept the Earth has not proved yet, and it takes millions of light year to reach any potential planet with Earth-like conditions which is literally impossible even though with today's technological advanced era. NASA, SPACE-X and several other companies have attempted to find life probabilities on red planet, Mars, but the results yet unsatisfactory. Furthermore the cost of such experiments equals to billions of dollars which could be possibly allocated toward other human friendly expenses, such as improving medical services, encouraging educational systems and so on.

On the other hand, exploration of outer space does not always mean to find habitable conditions, however, it serves a variety of important purposes. Exploring other planets helps us understand the universe, and it has led to numerous scientific breakthroughs. For example, without space technologies, such as satellites, global communication wouldn't be nearly as efficient as it is today. Satellites improve weather forecasting, GPS navigation, and global communication, which millions of people rely on every day. Furthermore, the research conducted for space missions has led to improvements in medical devices and imaging technologies which were originally developed for astronauts but are now used in hospitals. Those benefits alone demonstrate how important the space industry is.

In conclusion, I understand some individuals' concerns about the price of such astronomical researches, and yes it is expensive and could be spent on sectors that will bring short-term benefits. However, I personally think its long-term benefits far outweigh the costs.

Examiner feedback

The essay successfully addresses the prompt with a clear position and structured arguments covering both sides of the space exploration debate. While it demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary and sentence structures, minor errors in spelling, grammar, and word formation prevent it from reaching a higher band.

Task Response - 6

- The essay addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear position of partial disagreement. - Idea development is present, though the first body paragraph mixes the debate on finding life with financial costs. - Task coverage is complete with both perspectives touched upon.

Coherence & Cohesion - 6

- Information is organized into a clear four-paragraph structure. - Cohesive devices are used effectively to signal transitions, such as 'On the other hand' and 'For example'. - Overall progression is clear, though referencing could be smoother in places.

Lexical Resource - 6

- An adequate range of vocabulary is used for the task with attempts at less common items like 'astronomical researches'. - Spelling errors are present, such as 'amoung', 'benifitial', and 'exept'. - Word formation and collocations show occasional inaccuracies like 'technological advanced era'.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 6

- A mix of simple and complex sentence forms is attempted. - Grammatical errors occur, such as 'life... has not proved yet' and awkward phrasing. - Punctuation and sentence structures generally allow clear communication despite minor flaws.

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