Writing Task 2: band 7, 8 & 9 sample answers
The question
Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programmes (for example, working for a charity, improving the neighbourhood or teaching sports to younger children). To what extent do you agree or disagree?
I completely agree that high school students should be required to do unpaid community service, because it brings benefits both to students and to society.
Firstly, community service helps young people to develop important skills. When students work for a charity or teach sports to younger children, they learn responsibility, teamwork and communication. These skills are very useful for their future jobs, and they cannot always be learned in a normal classroom. For example, a student who organises a neighbourhood clean-up must plan the activity and work with other people, which builds confidence.
Secondly, society also gains from this kind of work. Charities and local areas often do not have enough money or workers, so the help of students is valuable. If every student gives some hours each month, many small problems in the community can be solved.
Some people say that students are too busy with their studies, and that forcing them is not fair. However, I think a few hours per week is not too much, and the experience is worth it.
In conclusion, I strongly agree that unpaid community service should be compulsory in high schools, because it develops students and helps the community at the same time.
Why it scores band 7
- Task Response: a clear position is held throughout and every part of the prompt is addressed.
- Coherence: logically organised with topic sentences, though linkers are basic ('Firstly', 'and', 'because').
- Lexis/Grammar: accurate and clear, but some wording repeats ('important', 'useful') and the range is limited.
Model answers written to illustrate each band, aligned with the official IELTS band descriptors. Sharply is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by IELTS, the British Council, IDP, or Cambridge Assessment English.