Some people plan for future, while others live for present days.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 2 question on IELTSX. Some people plan for future, while others live for present days.

Planning Future vs Living Present - IELTS Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

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 7 · 320 words.

Some people today concern about their future and plan accordingly, while others prefer to live for present days. In my opinion, planning for the future is more beneficial as it helps people to make their lives more organised.

On the one hand, living with today gives people peace of mind as it offers lifestlye without additional anxiety. When people live for present days, they don't bother thinking about enhancing their living conditions or worrying about future problems, such as unexpected financial challenges. They only prefer to enjoy things that they possess today, which, in turn, decreases unnecessary psychological pressure. For example, people with ordinary cars may not dream about buying luxury one, as they think it is not essential and satisfy with the car they have. In this sense, individuals who prefer stable lifestyle without additional pressure can live for today, paying attention their current possessions instead of trying to purchase new ones.

On the other hand, I believe planning for the future is more practical as it drives people to do their utmost in order to reach convenient living conditions or achieving success in their career. By planning beforehand for the future life, people can act systematically, avoiding wasting their time and maintaining much more organised standards of living compared to those who fail to plan. These plans not only encourage them to pursue successful academic and career life, but also cultivates their self-esteem, thereby inscreasing satisfaction from life, ultimately keeping them far from useless activities. Therefore, I think, making plans for the future gives people the chance of engaging in favourable activities in order to reach their dreams and gains, preventing them to follow passive and meaningless living habits.

To conclude, while thinking about only present days offers people calmness and relief, I assume that making plans and acting according to them is more instrumental method, as it can provide individuals with organised and motivational way of life.

Examiner feedback

This is a strong Band 7 essay. It clearly addresses the prompt, maintains a consistent position, and organizes ideas logically. To reach a higher band, the writer should focus on grammatical precision—specifically regarding articles, prepositions, and passive/active verb forms—and aim for more natural, less mechanical transitions.

Task Response - 7

- The candidate addresses both perspectives (living for the present vs. planning for the future) and provides a clear personal opinion. - Main ideas are relevant and well-supported with logical explanations. - The example regarding luxury cars effectively illustrates the point about contentment, though it could be more nuanced. - The conclusion summarizes the main points and reinforces the writer's stance effectively.

Coherence & Cohesion - 7

- Information is organized logically with a clear progression from the introduction to the conclusion. - Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the two viewpoints and the author's opinion. - Cohesive devices like 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand' are used correctly, though they are somewhat formulaic. - Transitions between ideas within paragraphs are generally smooth.

Lexical Resource - 7

- A sufficient range of vocabulary is used, including some sophisticated terms like 'psychological pressure,' 'instrumental,' and 'cultivates self-esteem.' - There are some spelling errors ('lifestlye', 'inscreasing') and minor word choice issues ('living with today' instead of 'living for today'). - Collocations are mostly accurate, but there is some repetition of 'living for present days'.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 6

- The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a good range of structures. - Several grammatical errors occur: 'some people today concern about' (should be 'are concerned about'), 'satisfy with' (should be 'are satisfied with'), and 'paying attention their' (missing 'to'). - Prepositional errors and missing articles (e.g., 'buying luxury one') are frequent enough to limit the score to a 6, even though they do not impede communication.

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