You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic: Some people think that depression and stress are the main factors affecting quality of life in today's world. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this view? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.
Sample Essay with Corrections
Expert Feedback
The essay demonstrates a clear understanding of the task and presents a coherent argument regarding the impact of depression and stress on quality of life. Key strengths of the essay include a logical structure with distinct paragraphs and relevant examples that support the main points. The writer effectively conveys their opinion, which is essential for task achievement. Critical areas for improvement include grammatical accuracy, particularly with subject-verb agreement and verb forms. Additionally, the use of cohesive devices could be enhanced to improve the flow of ideas between sentences and paragraphs. The vocabulary is generally appropriate, but there is some repetition that could be addressed by incorporating synonyms. Structural changes made include correcting grammatical errors, improving transitions, and ensuring a clear thesis statement in the introduction. Suggestions for further improvements not implemented in the corrected version include expanding on specific examples to provide more depth to the arguments and varying sentence structures to enhance grammatical range. The tone used is appropriate for an academic essay, maintaining a formal and objective style throughout.
Detailed Scores
What this means:
The essay has a logical structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, the flow of ideas could be improved with better use of cohesive devices. For instance, transitions between sentences and paragraphs could be smoother. Using phrases like 'Furthermore' or 'In addition' would enhance coherence.
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 several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('many people believing' should be 'many people believe') and incorrect verb forms ('is main factor' should be 'is the main factor'). These errors affect clarity and accuracy. To improve, the writer should focus on proofreading for grammatical mistakes and varying sentence structures.
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 instances of repetition (e.g., 'stress' and 'depression') and some awkward phrases (e.g., 'the fast pace of life'). To improve, the writer should aim to use a wider range of vocabulary and synonyms to avoid repetition and enhance the sophistication of the language.
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 task by expressing agreement with the view that depression and stress affect quality of life. However, it lacks a clear thesis statement and could benefit from more developed arguments and examples. For improvement, the writer should ensure a clear position is stated in the introduction and provide more specific examples to support their points.
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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