9. IELTS Academic Task 2: Agree/Disagree — Tutorial & Practice

Answer: B. The key to a “to what extent” question is stating degree, not just listing pros and cons or offering generic comments. Option B explicitly signals a partial stance (“partly agree”) and specifies the boundary: vocational expansion within an academic core. This directly matches the scale implied by the prompt. Option A is vague; it merely announces a discussion of pros/cons without declaring where on the spectrum the writer stands. Option C describes diversity in learning styles but never addresses extent, so it fails Task Response. Option D is a truism that could fit any education topic and therefore contributes nothing to stance clarity. A clear thesis must preview direction and scope, which B achieves compactly. Examiners value a decisive position early to guide coherence and paragraph planning. By declaring a calibrated stance, you commit to two distinct reasons that map cleanly to body paragraphs. This improves cohesion because every explanation can link back to the exact degree claimed. Finally, explicit calibration (“partly agree”) reduces the risk of drifting into a different question mid-essay.

Answer: C. With this meaning, the high-frequency pattern is “integrate A into B,” signalling that A becomes a functioning part of B. Option A (“to”) is a common learner slip; it implies direction but not assimilation. Option B (“with”) can be acceptable in some registers, yet it typically implies coexistence or pairing rather than full incorporation; IELTS arguments often need the stronger “into” to show curricular embedding. Option D (“by”) misrepresents agency rather than relationship. Precision matters because prepositions locate ideas within structures: “into” emphasises that placements are not add-ons but elements within the course design. Accurate patterns support Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range & Accuracy simultaneously. Examiners notice when prepositional choices align with typical academic collocations. Clear patterns also make topic sentences cleaner and link-backs less wordy. Using expected structures frees cognitive load for reasoning. In short, “integrate A into B” communicates curricular design choices transparently and efficiently.

Answer: D. The hyphen signals a compound concept that functions as a single noun, and the UK spelling aligns with the register used elsewhere in the module. Option A lacks the hyphen and an article (“at a young age”); it is also vague (“limits” of what?). Option B treats the term as positive expertise, which clashes with its cautionary meaning in education policy contexts. Option C inserts an unnecessary definite article and an unjustified positive evaluation. In IELTS Writing, consistent hyphenation and regionally consistent spelling increase perceived control. The collocation “restrict future options” naturally partners with the concept, strengthening coherence. Accurate punctuation prevents misreading (e.g., “over” modifying a later word). Clear stance language helps develop concessions and rebuttals cleanly. Ultimately, D demonstrates both lexical precision and appropriate evaluative tone for argumentative tasks.

Answer: A. “Transferable skills” are portable competencies, not physical tools (B) nor fixed procedures (D). They include communication, problem-solving, numeracy and digital literacy—skills valued in multiple sectors—so they future-proof employability in changing markets. Definitions that highlight cross-context applicability help you argue for academic foundations in BP1. Option C is the opposite of the idea; “cannot be applied” contradicts “transferable.” In IELTS, precise definitions let you build cause-effect chains: transferable skills → adaptability → sustained employability. They also support examples that show how one competence (e.g., interpreting ratios) works in different settings (hospitality, engineering). Using the term accurately raises Lexical Resource while keeping clarity. Because examiners reward idea development over jargon, a concise, accurate definition like A is ideal. It also allows link-back sentences to your thesis without awkward rewording. Overall, A anchors robust, coherent argumentation.

Answer: C. The natural comparative pattern is “prioritise X over Y.” Option A incorrectly uses “than,” which is tied to comparatives like “more/less.” Option B repeats “more” redundantly and still mismanages the comparison. Option D scrambles word order and adds an infinitive that does not belong. IELTS examiners listen for target-like phraseology that reads as professional and economical; C accomplishes this with minimal words and maximum clarity. Accurate patterns keep topic sentences crisp, leaving room for mechanisms and examples. Because “prioritise” can sound prescriptive, using the soft modal “should” also moderates tone. This phrasing aligns well with the “extent” framing because it can be adapted (“partly,” “to some extent”) without breaking the pattern. Finally, idiomatic prepositions improve cohesion; readers won’t stumble over structure and can focus on your reasoning. That yields better Coherence & Cohesion scores overall.

Answer: A. It declares stance clearly and previews the essay’s organising idea (integration within a rigorous core). Option B is informal and uses colloquial markers (“nah,” “stuff”). Option C hedges so much that the examiner cannot locate a position, undermining Task Response. Option D is formulaic and content-free; examiners prefer a thesis that says what you believe, not that you will “discuss.” Strong theses increase coherence by acting as a promise the body paragraphs fulfil. They also enable tighter topic sentences, because each paragraph can map back to one of the thesis points. A formal yet concise stance supports Lexical Resource without sounding memorised. It keeps register academic and avoids clichés. Furthermore, a decisive thesis helps you resist drifting into advantages/disadvantages essays. Overall, A is fit for purpose and signals a well-planned response.

Answer: D. A link-back must echo the thesis’ core language and logic, not just mark the end of a paragraph. D reprises “integrating … into a strong academic core” and ties the point to future-proof employability (“evolving labour markets”). A, B and C are vague and could end almost any paragraph; this weakens coherence because the examiner cannot see how the point advances your specific argument. Repeating a controlled set of key nouns/verbs builds cohesion without sounding repetitive if used strategically. It also prepares the reader for the next paragraph by reinforcing the organising idea. Examiners reward paragraphs that feel purposeful and internally complete. Link-backs serve as mini-conclusions that re-anchor stance. They also reduce the need for overused transitions like “moreover.” Finally, precise link-backs make conclusions easier to write because the thesis language has been maintained consistently throughout.

Answer: B. “On balance” signals a global judgement after weighing arguments; B provides that evaluation clearly. A misapplies it to a trivial past event, which breaks register. C treats it as a forward pointer to structure rather than judgement, making it redundant with signposting. D couples it with awkward prepositions and no real evaluation. In IELTS conclusions—or in link-backs that summarise a paragraph’s case—“On balance” helps frame a decisive viewpoint without sounding absolute. It should introduce a clause that states your comparative judgement explicitly. Appropriate use improves Coherence & Cohesion by marking the evaluation stage of your reasoning. Overuse within body paragraphs, however, can feel mechanical; reserve it for key summary moments. Pairing it with precise nouns (e.g., “a blended curriculum”) avoids vague endings. Used well, it strengthens the sense of argument closure.

Answer: A. In education English, “placement” typically denotes supervised, curriculum-linked work experience with defined outcomes and assessment. B describes casual employment, which may build soft skills but is not inherently a placement. C focuses on unpaid trials with no structured learning, which does not meet the pedagogic purpose described in the essay. D is observational and lacks competence-based objectives. Using the term precisely allows you to argue for alignment between academic content and industry practice. It also supports examples that demonstrate how theory transfers to real tasks. Precise terminology increases Lexical Resource while keeping ideas credible. Examiners prefer concrete, sector-neutral wording that can be understood without specialist knowledge. Finally, treating placements as assessed components helps justify their time cost within a constrained school timetable.

Answer: C. The collocation is “relevance to,” not “with/on.” Option D is ungrammatical because “is” cannot link a noun without support; the pattern would need “of” or restructuring (“is highly relevant to”). Prepositional precision elevates the naturalness of academic prose and prevents small errors accumulating into a lower score. Using “to” frames a clear relationship between the course and industry needs, which is central to this topic. Correct collocations also make paraphrasing easier; “relevant to industry needs,” “maintain workplace relevance,” and “align with employer expectations” can be varied smoothly. Examiners look for steady control rather than rare vocabulary. Getting small but frequent patterns right improves fluency and reader comfort. It also frees words for explanation rather than repair. Therefore, C is the idiomatic, concise choice for IELTS writing.

Answer: B. The canonical collocation is “bridge the gap between A and B.” Option B uses the fixed pattern and a concise academic register. A replaces “between” with “of,” which is unidiomatic. C mismanages prepositions and leaves the relationship unclear. D adds a progressive form and a pluralised “gaps” that sound colloquial and imprecise. IELTS favours stable collocations because they reduce processing effort for the reader and free space for argument development. Using the fixed pattern also strengthens link-back sentences, since you can recycle the exact phrase strategically. Accurate collocation raises Lexical Resource without resorting to rare words. Finally, the verb “help” softens overclaiming, a good habit in formal writing.

Answer: C. The idiomatic patterns are “alignment with” and “alignment between A and B.” C uses “into alignment with,” a compact, widely used formulation in policy writing. A misselects the preposition (“to”). B is vague (“on”) and clumsy. D mixes “between” with “to,” creating a prepositional clash. Correct prepositions are a fast way to improve perceived control because they are frequent and highly salient to examiners. The phrase “employer expectations” is also precise and avoids empty nouns like “needs” when specifics are implied. This structure also supports passive paraphrases if variety is needed (“the curriculum should be brought into alignment with…”). Using this pattern keeps sentence rhythm tight and professional.

Answer: A. The standard noun-phrase pattern is “the feasibility of doing X.” B is common in speech but less formal and less idiomatic in academic writing. C and D have clumsy clause structures and read as editing errors. In IELTS, using the nominal form helps compress ideas and maintain a formal tone. It also allows you to add modifiers cleanly (“financial and logistical feasibility of expanding…”). Choosing the expected pattern reduces the chance of preposition errors and improves cohesion across sentences. Examiners reward dense, accurate phrasing that remains clear. This construction is easy to recycle in conclusions when recommending policies.

Answer: D. The phrase should introduce generalisable, externally grounded claims, not personal anecdotes (A) or subjective preferences (B). C is too vague to be useful. D pairs the reporting frame with a specific, measurable outcome, which aligns with IELTS expectations for argumentative support. Using this structure allows you to follow with a mechanism (“because applied learning increases motivation”) or a concession (“although the effect varies by sector”). It also sounds balanced and avoids overclaiming, which examiners appreciate. Reserve this phrase for claims that plausibly have data behind them; otherwise, it reads as empty rhetoric. In conclusions, you can restate the finding as “studies consistently indicate…,” maintaining variety while preserving register.

Answer: C. “Hands-on experience” is a fixed noun phrase meaning practical exposure under real conditions. A tries to use “hands-on” as a verb, which is ungrammatical. B mis-spells and mis-forms the phrase. D again mislabels the part of speech. In IELTS, using the correct noun phrase lets you formulate precise claims (“hands-on experience improves competence”) followed by mechanisms and examples. It also contrasts naturally with “purely theoretical instruction,” facilitating balanced paragraphs. Because the phrase is widely understood, it adds clarity without risking misinterpretation. Keep the hyphen when using it attributively (“hands-on experience,” “hands-on training”).

Answer: B. “Stakeholder” is a countable noun meaning any party with an interest in or influence over a decision. A contains a spelling error and a plural–verb disagreement. C narrows the meaning incorrectly to investors only. D misstates countability. Using the term correctly helps you propose realistic policies, because consulting stakeholders is a common implementation step. It also enables concessive moves (“while some stakeholders favour…”) that sound balanced and analytical. Proper punctuation—such as em dashes for apposition—improves readability in complex lists. This vocabulary fits IELTS topics on education, transport, health, and environment, so mastering it pays off across prompts.

Answer: D. “On balance” should signal a final judgement after weighing arguments. D summarises the stance and mirrors thesis language, creating strong cohesion. A misuses the marker to preview structure rather than deliver an evaluation. B is ungrammatical and semantically unclear. C announces an intention rather than giving a judgement, which weakens conclusions. In IELTS, conclusions should be short, decisive, and free of new ideas. Re-using controlled wording from your thesis and link-backs reassures the examiner that your essay was planned and coherent. This technique also prevents last-minute topic drift.

Answer: A. “Transferable skills” are cross-context competencies, not tools (B), rules (C), or double majors (D). A links the skills to a macro outcome—sustained employability—which is exactly the kind of causal chain IELTS rewards. This sentence lets you develop BP1 with mechanisms (how numeracy supports safety, scheduling, and budgeting) and examples in multiple sectors. Clear terminology reduces the need for repeated definitions and allows smoother paraphrase. Precision here also prevents accidental over-specialisation claims later in the essay.

Answer: C. With this meaning, the target-like pattern is “integrated into.” A uses “to,” which is non-idiomatic here. B uses an active structure with “with,” which can imply loose combination rather than full embedding. D confuses agency. The passive is common in academic registers because it foregrounds the curricular design rather than the actor. Using the expected preposition keeps sentences compact and prevents readers from stumbling over structure. This pattern also supports parallelism across paragraphs, aiding cohesion.

Answer: B. The common, natural patterns are “incentive to do X” and “an incentive for doing X.” B uses the first pattern with a clear actor and outcome. A omits “to” and uses a bare infinitive, creating an error. C mixes prepositions and reads as unedited. D misstates countability and gives a weak definition. In IELTS, precise patterns are crucial because they recur in recommendations (“governments should provide incentives to hire apprentices”). Clean patterning supports concision and avoids awkward repairs mid-sentence. This also improves rhythm, which examiners note under Coherence & Cohesion.