In many countries, a small number of people earn extremely high salaries. Some people believe that this is good for the country, but others think that governments should not allow salaries above a certain level.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 2 question on IELTSX. In many countries, a small number of people earn extremely high salaries. Some people believe that this is good for the country, but others think that governments should not allow salaries above a certain level.

Small number of people earn extremely high salaries good or government limit - IELTS Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Discuss both these views and give your own 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 6.5 ยท 281 words.

In numerous countries, a minority of people earn very high wages. Some people believe that this is beneficial for the country while others think that governments should regulate this and not allow salaries beyond a certain level. In my opinion, salary should depend on ability, effort and contribution, therefore as much a person puts effort in his job as much he gets payed.

On the one hand, allowing individuals to earn substantional incomes can have signifficant advantages on society. By paying higher salaries governments encourage people to work harder and gain valuable skills for their future career. High salaries works as a reward for years of education. For example, becoming a doctor or engineer requires extensive education and trainings, which means that higher salaries gives motivation to become employed and serve for the society after getting a degree. Moreover, those with high incomes generally pay more taxes, providing governments with additional revenue to invest to healthcare, education and infrastructure. As a result, the entire population may benefit indirectly from the success of these individuals.

On the other hand, critics argue that excessively high salaries widen the gap between rich and poor, leading to a social inequality and dissatisfaction. When a minority of population earns extensive salary while majority get average wage, social cohesion may be weakened. For this reason, some believe that governments should introduce salary caps to ensure fairer distribution of wealth. They think that limiting earnings would reduce income inequality and create a more balanced society.

In conclusion, although extremely high salaries may contribute to income inequality, i believe that they should not be limited by governments because they encourage people to achieve excellence and contribute to economic growth.

Examiner feedback

The essay is well-structured and clearly addresses the prompt, maintaining a consistent position. However, it is held back by consistent grammatical slips, spelling errors, and a need for slightly deeper analysis of the provided arguments.

Task Response - 7

- The essay addresses all parts of the task and provides a clear position throughout. - Arguments are presented, but some supporting ideas could be more deeply extended with more concrete examples or deeper analysis. - The position is well-maintained in the conclusion.

Coherence & Cohesion - 7

- Paragraphing is used logically with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. - Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'As a result' are used effectively to guide the reader. - The progression of ideas is generally logical, although some transitions between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother.

Lexical Resource - 6

- Uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to express the main points clearly. - Attempts to use academic terminology (e.g., 'social cohesion', 'fairer distribution'), though with some inaccuracies in collocation. - Spelling issues and word formation errors (e.g., 'payed' instead of 'paid') limit the range score.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 6

- Uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are recurring subject-verb agreement errors (e.g., 'salaries gives', 'High salaries works'). - Contains spelling errors such as 'substantional' and 'signifficant'. - Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are minor errors in sentence construction and word choice that occasionally affect precision.

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