It is important for people to take risks, both in their professional lives and their personal lives. Do you think the advantages of taking risks outweigh the disadvantages?
Sample Essay with Corrections
Expert Feedback
The essay effectively addresses the prompt, presenting a clear position that the advantages of taking risks outweigh the disadvantages. Key strengths include relevant examples from both professional and personal experiences, which support the argument well. However, there are critical areas for improvement, such as enhancing the development of ideas with more specific examples or data, and improving transitions between paragraphs for better coherence. Structural changes made include correcting minor grammatical errors, enhancing clarity, and improving the flow of ideas. Suggestions for further improvements not implemented in the corrected version include varying vocabulary to reduce repetition and incorporating more sophisticated phrases to elevate the tone. The tone used is appropriate for an academic essay, maintaining a formal and persuasive style throughout.
Detailed Scores
What this means:
The essay is generally well-organized, with a logical progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the argument, and there are appropriate cohesive devices used to link ideas. However, some transitions could be smoother, and the introduction could better outline the structure of the essay to enhance clarity.
How to improve:
- Use a clear paragraph structure
- Connect ideas with appropriate linking words
- Maintain logical progression
- Use referencing effectively
What this means:
The essay demonstrates a good range of grammatical structures, with mostly accurate usage. There are minor errors, such as missing articles ('the comfort zone') and some awkward constructions ('it was very scary decision'), which slightly detract from the overall clarity. However, these do not significantly impede understanding.
How to improve:
- Use complex sentence structures
- Maintain grammatical accuracy
- Use a variety of sentence patterns
- Check for common grammar errors
What this means:
The vocabulary used is appropriate and varied, with phrases like 'calculated risks' and 'personal development' demonstrating a good range. However, there are instances of repetition, such as the word 'risk,' which could be replaced with synonyms to enhance lexical variety. Additionally, some phrases could be more sophisticated to elevate the overall tone.
How to improve:
- Use a wider range of vocabulary
- Demonstrate awareness of collocations
- Avoid word repetition
- Use more sophisticated vocabulary accurately
What this means:
The essay addresses the prompt effectively, presenting a clear position that the advantages of taking risks outweigh the disadvantages. The writer provides relevant examples from both professional and personal experiences to support their argument. However, the development of ideas could be enhanced with more specific examples or data to strengthen the argument further.
How to improve:
- Address all parts of the task fully
- Support ideas with specific examples
- Develop each point thoroughly
- Stay relevant to the topic
Related Writing Samples
Many people believe that social networking sites (such as Facebook) have had a huge negative impact on individuals and society. To what extent do you agree?
Whether or not someone achieves their aims is mostly a question of luck. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
We have become a disposable society, preferring to buy new products rather than fixing existing items. What are the causes of this trend and what are the possible solutions?
The tendency that news reports in media focus on problems and emergencies rather than on positive developments is harmful for individuals and the society. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Today single-use products are still very common. Why is this? What are the problems associated with this?
In the future, more people will choose to go on holiday in their own country and not travel abroad on holiday. Do you agree or disagree?