IELTS Writing Task 2 essay with model answer

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic

Illiteracy has traditionally been viewed as largely a third world problem. However, it is becoming apparent that in countries such as the USA and Australia, illiteracy rate is on the increase. Discuss possible causes for this and its effect on society.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer:

The problem of illiteracy has been considered more common in poor developing countries. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing number of people in developed countries who are unable to read and write. In this essay, I examine the potential causes and implications out of such phenomenon.

Although there are many factors causing the rise in illiteracy rate in western countries, financial reason may be one of the most influential. Firstly, the global financial crisis, which resulted in poor economic conditions in western countries, may force young people to shorten or even terminate their schooling years. The unprecedented hikes in tuition fees further exert financial pressures to these people. Along with the increasing cost of living, it is likely that these people quit studies to enter the workforce. They remain poorly educated.

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Without adequate literacy, these people will be unemployed or underemployed. For this reason, it can be detrimental to society in several ways. From a social viewpoint, unemployed people are more prone to engage in criminal acts such as robbery, in order to ease their financial problems. In addition, unemployed people are often low in morale and are more susceptible to depressions. Furthermore, if these young people had studied, they would have been employed in a proper job. Thus, from a financial perspective, government are losing potential tax revenue that could have been used to improve public infrastructure for the betterment of society.

In conclusion, the issue of rising illiteracy rate has to be addressed urgently in order to prevent or curtail those negative consequences impacting the western societies.

Total Words: 263

Task Achievement: 9

Coherence & Cohesion: 8

Lexical resources: 8

Grammar: 9

Overall Score: Band 8.5

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