The essay question below is currently being used in IELTS writing task 2 and was reported last weekend.
In many countries in the world, some people earn extremely high salaries. Some people think that this good for a country. Others think that the government should not allow salaries above a certain level. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Why some people earning high salaries is good for a country:
- people who are highly skilled and talented should be rewarded with high salaries.
- high salaries are an incentive for others to work harder.
- high salaries are important to entice people to do dangerous or unpleasant work.
- having high salaries is a sign of a country’s wealth.
- high salaries is a way for a country to express their gratitude for a person’s experience or expertise.
- high salaries deter skilled or talented people leaving a country.
Why the government should not allow salaries above a certain level:
- the government should ensure that wealth is evenly distributed throughout a country.
- limiting high salaries would bring more equality.
- it can be disheartening for some to receive a low salary while others receive a high salary without much justification.
- capping high salaries will prevent the rich from gaining unfair control over certain aspects of society.
- limiting high salaries will mean more funding for public services which will benefit all people in society.
See all writing task 2 lessons, tips and model essays: IELTS Writing Task 2
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This one took me 40 minutes. Still I have to drop this down to 35 at some point because when I start writing I have already read your ideas and even thought I don’t use all of them they still help me to develop mine even more. If I don’t read them I need between 3-4 minutes to think 3 or 4 similar ideas. It’s 324 words long which is good news.
Many people believe that earning very high salaries in a country is a good thing, while others oppose this view, saying that there should be a cap above a certain figure. In my opinion, a country should allow individuals to earn high incomes, as this attracts skilled workers and drives personal and national progress.
On the one hand, several people think that high salaries motivate individuals to work harder, strive for more and eventually achieve greatness. Because of that, the countries that have such high salaries develop much faster than the others, while also their citizens pursue higher education and high skill jobs, such as doctors and engineers, which can only be seen as advantageous for the development of these countries. Another reason is that they already have the infrastructure to support innovation, so they attract educated and talented individuals from around the world, resulting in new ideas that are fit for use in competitive industries. Additionally, this further boosts the economy as more skilled professionals enter their markets.
On the other hand, some people believe that salary caps can prevent wealth inequalities and reduce the gap between the richer and the poorer in the community, resulting in less tension between these two groups. For instance, in countries where there are less economic disparities between the various job segments, statistics indicate that people are happier. Another point to consider is that sometimes those who are in positions which are high in hierarchy, namely, senior executive officers and judges, have wages that are multiple times higher than other professions or their employees, which many view as morally questionable, as they think it is unfair to other jobs and unethical for the public good.
In conclusion, even though several people think inequalities in wages promote tensions between different classes and are socially unacceptable, I believe that higher salaries are justifiable as they act as an incentive for people to work harder and foster a thriving economy.
Although my website doesn’t offer a feedback service, I will make a couple of comments on your essay as I have some time on my hands right now.
1) You write about “several people think that …”. This is a common error because people want so much to paraphrase the words “some people …”. These essay topics are usually about global issues and the word “some” does refer to some people worldwide, which in reality is actually many people. The words “several people” actually means about three or four people, so it isn’t suitable as a paraphrase for an essay about a worldwide issue. Here are some options for you (and everyone else) to use: many people think that…, it is commonly thought that …., it is sometimes thought that…, it is often believed that …. As you see, there are a plenty of other options and some of those options are passive voice.
2) One of your supporting points in your body paragraph 1 is off topic (or at least you haven’t linked this idea properly). You wrote “Another reason is that they already have the infrastructure to support innovation, so they attract educated and talented individuals from around the world, resulting in new ideas that are fit for use in competitive industries.” – this sentence is not about high salaries, but about countries benefiting from attracting educated, professional people. Those are not the same think unless you specific state it. I think you mean “Offering high salaries can attract talented, skilful people with new competitive ideas from other countries that bring in new sources of revenue.” If this is what you mean, then I think the problem comes back to your planning stage. When you plan your two or three supporting points, you need to stop and think if those ideas are directly linked to the main issue in the essay question and how to phrase them carefully to be precise, concise and connected to the main issue. Having a good idea isn’t enough, it’s how you present it that counts for the higher band scores. As you see, the way I’ve worded it creates one single sentence of 20 words instead of your 49 words that doesn’t quite connect to the point of higher salaries. This is how you keep your essay under control – take your time with planning. This is similar to IELTS reading, the longer you spend analysing the question, the more likely you will choose the right answer.
3) This last point isn’t a mistake in your essay, but rather something you haven’t thought through. The gap between the rich and poor isn’t just about people being happy. But about the immorality of some people being so incredibly rich in a country where others have nowhere to live or can’t afford basic medication to stay alive. It’s also about the fact that some people with these incomes are not people who benefit society, such as judges and doctors, but people who have made a fortune from luck, social media or sports skills (none of which directly benefit the wider population). Anyway, this isn’t an error, but ideas to consider for anyone else reading these comments for this essay question.
I will save these phrases for my next essays, thank you.
Now that I read my essay again, I see that indeed I haven’t bridged correctly my idea. What you wrote is exactly what I meant. It’s that problem where you have the idea in your head and you already know that “yeah high salaries attract skilled professionals and more innovation comes after that”, but you write it in a way that it is “meant” instead of “written”, thinking that the person who reads it is inside your head so they know what you mean. That’s generally a problem that I have no matter the language used, highlighted by Greek language teachers as well.
For the third point, when I wrote “statistics indicate that people are happier”, I mostly thought about countries, such as Denmark, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and Austria, where they have high index of happiness and many jobs pay high and pretty similar salaries, putting many people in the same “high” class. In these countries wealth disparities are way smaller, as most people are middle class or above, in contrast to countries from let’s say the Balkans. But I am kidding myself with this point as these countries per capita are in the top 10 wealthiest in the world so it’s not the smaller wage disparities that brings this happiness.
I will revise my essay according to your points, so thank you for your notes.
Hi Liz,
I hope you are well.
Just want to say thank you for your resource and input on the website, they are so useful for ideas and getting prepared for ielts.
best regards,Rae
You’re welcome 🙂
liz you are the best teacher in the world . i love you so much . i am lucky to learn from you through your blog website . so much respect and much love to you lizzy .
You’re welcome 🙂
Please give ideas about common topics which is asked in ielts exam
Please go to the RED MENU BAR or the HOME PAGE to access information, topics, tips and lessons for each section of the test.
People equate a good salary with success Some say that money is not what will make you successful In your own opinion what will make a person truly successful.
Plzz answer this question
Typo error in answer…’Now’ instead of ‘Not’
Why the government should not allow salaries above certain level..
Well spotted! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Money distribution among individuals is unequal everywhere. In some nations, this difference is even more expressive with few people having big paychecks. For that reason, some believe that the government should dictate rules to limit how much money people could earn. In this essay, I will discuss both views and explain why I am totally against any control by the government.
In some societies, especially after World War II, the local government was “inflated” by tremendous power; by controlling aspects of their citizens that had not been addressed before. In Cuba, for example, Fidel Castro stipulated that there should be a maximum limit on how much money a person could earn. The idea behind was to decrease the financial difference among people. Moreover, he was trying to avoid the feeling of oppression that some low-income individuals experienced when confronting the lifestyle of the wealthy ones.
However, this concept turned out to be inadequate in the long term. The fact is that people started to become less ambitious, and for a good reason. Why should someone be fighting for a better income, working more or producing more, if, at the end of the month, the government would not allow this individual to receive more for the extra effort? In my opinion, our society is not educated to the point that they would work and thrive for the good and well being of their nation. Until that, there is no place for any salary control.
In conclusion, the subject of controlling high salaries by the government has been discussed here. Although some thinkers believe that setting a “ceiling” to high incomes would make society more even; others, including myself, understand that competition and ambition are essential. So any rule to limit earning could be unappropriated.
Hello LIZ, Hope you feeling much better now.
I have got a question in regards to opinion essays, even though I have gone through your advanced writing task 2 videos but still I am not sure that how to structure an opinion essay question, for instance, frequently asked question is to what extent do you agree?
So when I write my answer, do I have to write that I am partially agree, fully disagree or completely agree?
The instructions: “to what extent do you agree?” / “Do you agree or disagree?” / “to what extent do you agree or disagree?” / “what do you think” etc etc – they are all the same instructions. They are the same essays and you write your introductions and opinions in the same way as I thought in my advanced lessons. You do NOT need to use the words “partially” or “fully” or “agree” – just write your opinion clearly as I explained. The list of instructions were given in the extra tips document under the video lesson.
G’day Liz! I am aware that you don’t comment and assess on writing. However, I still want to comment my ideas about the statement you have posted and hoping that some students who are more knowledgeable than me can correct and improve my writing. Thanks!
Here it is…
In most of the countries in the world, incredibly high salaries are earned by some people. It is believed by others that giving an extremely high wages on employees benefits the country, while others thought that the government ought to set limit on giving salaries to workers. In my opinion, I am convinced that government should give the employees the salaries they deserve.
On the on hand, giving high salaries to employees is one of the indication that the country is wealthy enough to give their people the wages they deserve. High salaries can motivate employees to remain in their work and work hard. In addition, getting paid with excessive salaries can deter people from doing crimes, which are usually due to poverty and lack of money. For instance, younger people who are being paid with good salary can save them from hunger and can even support the financial needs of their family. Lastly, giving a huge salary can prevent talented and skillful people from emigrating the country.
On the other hand, government should ensure that the country’s wealth is being evenly distributed. In addition, controlling the salary of employees can benefit the country. Firstly, limiting salaries will mean that the government will have more funds to improve public infrastructure, which will benefit all people in society. Secondly, wealthy individual can be prevented in terms of gaining control with some aspects of the society. Lastly, it will be unfair to some low-earner employees if others are being paid more than them without due process.
In conclusion, while limiting the salary of the employees can benefit the country, I believe that it is much better if the government will provide the workers the wages they deserve with further justification. Also, giving talented and skillful people what they deserve will prevent them from going out of the country.
Dear LIZ
I done 12th on punjab board school,I don’t understand that how i get 6.5 band………..plz help me
Please see the band score page and follow all available links: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-band-scores/. Most people need training to help them get band 6.5.
In today’s world,mostly in every part of the country,workers are earning incredibly good salaries.It is believed by many that giving handsome salaries to the employers is beneficial to the country,while others think that the government has put a restriction and should not allowed salaries above a threshold level.In my opinion,i believe that paying employers a high amount of salary boost the confidence of the employers and encourage them to work harder.
On the one side,salaries act as a reward or incentive,different companies come with different strategies to encourage the employers such as naming employer of the month,reward for overwork are cited as a key examples of boosting the confidence of the worker.Consequently,paying handsome salaries incite them to work more harder that in turn,it benefit the company.It will refrain them from going to abroad for a better future.In addition to this,the employers will get a sense of satisfaction that their work is being valued by the organisation,therefore,it strive them to do more better.
On the other side,paying less salaries to the workers specifically,to those who are highly skilled or proficient lower their confidence level.Workers start taking their jobs as only some way of feeding them,rather than as a profession.Admittedly,it effect the growth of the organisation and consequently, the country.Employers are no longer work with the zeal and the interest and as a result,they start migrating to the abroad where there talent should be acknowledged.
In my opinion, i strongly believe that the government should not have to limit the salaries as it will discourage or insecure the employers and effectively it will cause the country.
To conclude,paying high salaries encourage the employers to work more harder as it increases the confidence and endeavor it to do work harder.
Unfortunately, I don’t give comments on writing. But I do very highly recommend you get my advanced lessons to learn the right techniques for IELTS writing task 2: http://subscriptions.viddler.com/IELTSLizStore
Thank you so much liz for your feedback.
Sorry,I cannot afford this,if you please can tell the major flaws in my writing,that’d be great help to me.
Regards
Bharat Chhabra
Liz…Can you please let me know the main errors in my writing
Sorry I don’t comment on writing.
Hi, Liz
Can I use “On the other hand” regardless of using “On the one hand” prior to it?
Yes. You can use “on the other hand” completely independent of “on the one hand”.
Kindly Liz give the proper introduction of the above mentioned essay..How to write the intro of this essay?
This lesson was only to share ideas.
All the best
Liz
Hi Liz, Is my introduction correct? “It is considered by some people having high salaries is good for a country while there are others who think that salaries above a assertive level should not grant by the governance.In my opinion, earning intensely high salaries is good for people who are highly skilled while the government by limiting high salaries would bring more equality.”
Sorry, I don’t comment on writing.
All the best
Liz