The best way to get people to use their cars less is to make them pay a road toll to drive on busy roads. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Sample Essay with Corrections
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The essay presents a clear position against the use of road tolls and suggests an alternative solution of improving public transport, which is a key strength. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited, and the arguments could be elaborated with specific examples to enhance the overall quality. The structure of the essay is generally appropriate, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, but the flow of ideas is occasionally disrupted by grammatical errors and awkward phrasing. Critical areas for improvement include addressing grammatical errors, particularly subject-verb agreement and incorrect verb forms, which hinder clarity. Additionally, spelling errors detract from the overall quality, and the writer should focus on using a wider variety of vocabulary to avoid repetition. Structural changes made include correcting grammatical errors, improving coherence by adding linking phrases, and ensuring proper spelling throughout. Suggestions for further improvements not implemented in the corrected version include providing specific examples or case studies to support claims and enhancing the variety of cohesive devices used. The tone of the essay is appropriate for an academic context, maintaining a formal and persuasive style throughout.
Detailed Scores
What this means:
The essay has a basic structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, the flow of ideas is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing and grammatical errors. The use of cohesive devices is present but could be more varied and effective. For instance, using linking words such as 'furthermore' or 'in addition' could enhance the logical progression of ideas.
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 contains numerous grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'make people pay for toll' should be 'making people pay for tolls'), incorrect verb forms, and awkward sentence structures. While the writer attempts to use complex sentences, the frequent errors hinder clarity. To improve, the writer should focus on mastering basic grammatical structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement.
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 generally appropriate, but there are several spelling errors (e.g., 'Pepole', 'havve', 'traffiic', 'diffrent', 'allreddy') that detract from the overall quality. The writer demonstrates some range in vocabulary but tends to repeat certain phrases (e.g., 'use their cars less', 'public transport'). To improve, the writer should focus on using a wider variety of vocabulary and ensuring correct spelling.
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 by presenting a clear position against the use of road tolls and suggesting an alternative solution of improving public transport. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited, and the arguments could be more thoroughly elaborated with specific examples. To improve, the writer could provide more detailed evidence or case studies to support their claims.
How to improve:
- Address all parts of the task fully
- Support ideas with specific examples
- Develop each point thoroughly
- Stay relevant to the topic
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