Professional workers like doctors, nurses and teachers make a greater contribution to society and so should be paid more than sports and entertainment personalities.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 2 question on IELTSX. Professional workers like doctors, nurses and teachers make a greater contribution to society and so should be paid more than sports and entertainment personalities.

Professional Workers Doctors Nurses Teachers Paid More Sports - IELTS Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

To what extent 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 7 ยท 277 words.

It is often argued that doctors, nurses, and teachers contribute significantly to society; therefore, they should be paid more than athletes or entertainment personalities. This essay will discuss both sides of this trend and provide my personal opinion.

On the one hand, professional workers play a vital role in today's societies. To become an expert in fields like healthcare or teaching, people usually spend decades mastering their skills and gaining experience because there is no room for mistakes in their work. However, these professionals are often underestimated, and as a result, many of them choose to leave their countries to seek better opportunities overseas. For these reasons, societies should support these individuals and give them considerable amounts of money, as they contribute significantly to the development of the country.

On the other hand, the roles of sportsmen and entertainment personalities are also important. If all the money goes to support professional workers, those people may struggle to make some life savings. While athletes boost a country's morale and create a sense of national identity on a global scale, actors and singers are crucial to maintain a country's traditions and culture. Moreover, if society only focuses on doctors or teachers, this may cause conflicts between people and the government, as every individual contributes to the development of the nation in some way; therefore, they also should be given the same amount of attention.

In conclusion, it is true that professional workers are crucial for society, so they should be given more money. I partly disagree with this opinion, as I believe there should be a balanced approach so everyone is supported equally, not just some groups of people.

Examiner feedback

The essay is a solid Band 7. It addresses the prompt directly with a clear, consistent opinion and a logical structure. To reach a higher band, the candidate should refine the 'economic' logic of their arguments (explaining why athletes are paid so much despite their 'lesser' societal role) and use more sophisticated, varied vocabulary to describe financial compensation.

Task Response - 7

- Addresses all parts of the task by comparing the value of professional workers with that of entertainers and athletes. - Presents a clear position in the conclusion (a balanced approach/partial disagreement). - Main ideas are relevant, though some arguments lack depth. For instance, the claim that entertainers might 'struggle to make life savings' if not paid more than doctors is economically unrealistic and slightly weakens the argument. - The essay focuses well on the 'contribution' aspect mentioned in the prompt.

Coherence & Cohesion - 7

- Information is organized logically with a clear progression from the importance of professionals to the importance of entertainers. - Uses standard cohesive devices effectively ('On the one hand', 'However', 'Moreover', 'In conclusion'). - Each paragraph has a clear central topic. - Transition between the two viewpoints is smooth, though the link between payment and 'national identity' could be more explicitly tied to the 'contribution' theme.

Lexical Resource - 7

- Uses a sufficient range of vocabulary (e.g., 'underestimated', 'boost a country's morale', 'national identity', 'considerable amounts'). - Some awareness of style and collocation is evident, though some phrasing is slightly repetitive (e.g., 'professional workers', 'development of the country'). - Vocabulary is accurate enough to convey precise meanings without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 7

- Uses a variety of complex structures, such as conditional clauses and relative clauses. - Frequent error-free sentences are produced. - Punctuation is generally well-controlled, including the correct use of semicolons. - Minor slips occur (e.g., 'crucial to maintain' vs 'crucial for maintaining'), but they do not affect clarity.

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