Model answer for an IELTS essay on the topic of wealth and helping others.
Before writing anything we must always analyse the task. Take 2 minutes to do this and underline keywords and decide what exactly you need to write about. In this stage check the instruction words too.
It might seem obvious but this is a crucial stage before even planning or writing. I have seen so many essays go off-topic because the student did not spend the time at the start analysing the task Let’s see the task question below.
Some say that the most important thing about being rich is that one has the opportunity to help others. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
This is an opinion essay as the instruction words ask ‘To what extent do you agree or disagree?’. So you need to give your opinion throughout the whole essay, don’t just leave the opinion to the conclusion. Take a look at a good structure you can use below.
IELTS opinion essay structure
So give 2 reasons for your opinion, state them in the thesis statement and explain them in each main body paragraph. It’s pretty simple really.
Model Answer
Some say that the most important thing about being rich is that one has the opportunity to help others. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Some people hold the view that the most significant aspect of being wealthy is having the chance to help other people. I completely agree with this as rich people can engage in charity work and create employment opportunities for local communities.
To begin with, I believe wealthy individuals have the unique ability to assist less fortunate members of society, with philanthropy and charity projects. This means that people in need, such as underprivileged children, can have a chance at higher education with the funding of new schools and academies by successful CEOs, who have made billions from their businesses. For instance, Warren Buffet a famous Wall Street trader and billionaire donated a large proportion of his wealth to philanthropic causes over the past decade, particularly in the education sector. This has helped countless youngsters from low-income families that could not afford a decent education.
Another important point to consider is that rich people can create many opportunities at a local business level bringing new jobs to the local community. With investment from millionaires and top executives, many local shops and factories can be opened up, resulting in towns that have low employment being transformed economically. To illustrate this, Luton in the UK benefitted greatly from investment from Alan Sugar, a popular technology CEO, who opened a production line for Amstrad computers in the late 1990s. This resulted in many new jobs which also attracted further investment from other tech giants such as Apple and IBM.
To sum up, I firmly believe that the wealthy can assist others through charities and investment in communities, thus greatly benefitting poorer members of society.
276 words
Time management
If you don’t finish your essay and leave the conclusion out, then you will end up with a lower band score. Make sure you have worked on your timing so that you can get an essay done in 40 minutes. See this video about that.
In terms of word count, keep it under 300 words as you will not have time to write a very long essay in just 40 minutes. Plan your essay too. Set aside 10 minutes of planning time, do not just go straight into writing or change your ideas halfway through as that will leave you in a confusion and the stress builds up.
Any questions? Leave them in the comments below.