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Simone Braverman

Simone Braverman is the founder of IELTS-Blog.com and the author of several renowned IELTS preparation books, including Ace the IELTS, Target Band 7, the High Scorer's Choice practice test series, and IELTS Success Formula. Since 2005, Simone has been committed to making IELTS preparation accessible and effective through her books and online resources. Her work has helped 100,000's of students worldwide achieve their target scores and live their dream lives. When Simone isn't working on her next IELTS book, video lesson, or coaching, she enjoys playing the guitar or rollerblading.

IELTS essay, topic: The purpose of education is to make individuals useful to society, not help people pursue personal ambitions (discuss + opinion)

IELTS Model Essay Sample Band 8 December 2023

This essay topic was seen in recent IELTS test in Taiwan.

Some people believe that the purpose of education is to make individuals useful to society, while others think that education should help people pursue personal ambitions. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

When it comes to the purpose of education, opinions are divided as some see its primary role as preparing individuals to be useful to society while others believe it should primarily serve people’s personal ambitions. In my view, education should strike a balance between these two objectives, catering to the needs of society as well as the aspirations of the individual.

Those who see education as a tool for societal utility argue that it should produce individuals who can contribute effectively to the economic and social fabric of their communities. This perspective emphasises the importance of equipping students with practical skills and knowledge that align with the demands of the job market. Such an approach is crucial for the economic development and stability of any society, because it ensures a workforce that is both skilled and employable.

However, the importance of education to individual ambitions and personal growth is hard to dismiss. Advocates of this view argue that education should nurture creativity, critical thinking, and personal exploration, allowing individuals to realise their unique potential. This approach not only fosters self-actualisation but also encourages the development of innovators and original thinkers who can contribute uniquely to society.

In conclusion, education should ideally encompass both these perspectives. By providing a balanced curriculum that caters to the practical needs of society while also encouraging individual exploration and creativity, education can produce well-rounded individuals. Their capability of contributing effectively to their communities while pursuing personal fulfillment and growth will likely lead to a more dynamic and prosperous society.

Teacher’s feedback:

Overall, this essay is a strong Band 8.5 example.

Task Response: Band 9
Your essay fully addresses the task prompt, presenting a clear opinion that education should balance societal needs and personal ambitions. You effectively discuss both sides of the argument and provide a reasoned conclusion, meeting the requirements for a high score in this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 8
The essay is well-organised, with clear paragraphing and logical progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a clear central idea, and cohesive devices are used effectively. However, to achieve a perfect score, transitions could be slightly smoother, ensuring seamless flow from one idea to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 8
You demonstrate a strong command of vocabulary, with appropriate word choice and collocations (“economic and social fabric,” “self-actualisation,” “well-rounded individuals”). Minor improvements could be made for a perfect score, such as varying your language a bit more to avoid repetition (e.g., using synonyms for “education” and “society”).

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 9
The essay showcases a wide range of sentence structures and accurate grammar. The use of complex structures is effective and contributes to the clarity of your arguments.

Submit your essay for correction and find out how to improve your Writing score.

Click here to see more IELTS essays of Band 8

3 Strategic Steps To Guarantee  IELTS Band 7

3 Strategic Steps To Guarantee  IELTS Band 7

Just like chess, IELTS is a strategy game. When your future depends on that Band 7 in IELTS, don’t leave it to chance! Be strategic and make sure you GET IT!

What many self-prep students do is, they learn the format of the IELTS test, find some practice tests, do a few, then go to the test… only to find out that they are VERY far away from that Band 7.

Then they go back to studying, randomly picking some exercises to do, without a proper plan.

After a while they declare themselves ready and go for a second attempt… which often ends just like the first – no 7.

Instead of locking yourself into this depressing scenario, there is a better way.

How to take IELTS just once and get the score you need

Everyone has weaker skills and stronger skills. It is very rare to find someone whose Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking are equally strong.

Use this strategy for success: aim for lower scores (6 and 6.5) in your weaker skills, and for higher scores (7 and 8) in your stronger skills, and you will still get an Overall Band 7!

Here is a real life example: one of my students had a problem with Writing and Speaking, but her Reading and Listening were quite good. We came up with this plan for her. She needed to get:

  • Band 6 in Writing
  • Band 6.5 in Speaking
  • Band 7 in Reading
  • Band 8 in Listening

This was realistic and manageable, and she ended up with a Band 7 Overall, which satisfied her university 100%. You don’t need to get all 7’s to get an Overall Band 7!

Complete explanation of IELTS scoring

Your IELTS score is the average of 4 scores for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Here is how the overall IELTS Band Score is calculated: (Listening + Reading +Writing +Speaking) / 4 = Overall Band Score.

For example: (8+8+6+6)/4 = Overall Band 7

But this is NOT THE ONLY combination that results in a Band 7. You can get an Overall Band 7 in a number of ways:

1. 6, 6.5, 7, 8
2. 6,7,7,8
3. 6, 7, 7.5, 8
4. 6.5, 7, 7, 8

As you can see, achieving the Overall Band Score of 7 is possible if you perform well in specific areas. This means that by excelling in particular skills, like scoring 8 in one of them, you can balance out lower scores in other areas to reach an overall average of 7.

Strategy for success

1. Learn what your weaker skills are
2. Select a realistic score for each skill (from one of the 4 combinations above)
3. Average of those scores = overall Band 7