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Writing Lessons Answer Key

Writing Lesson 15 - Giving your time: Writing in a neutral style (Answer Key)

Introductions. Answers:

Picture A:

Giving their time: a volunteer carer

Benefitting: a person with a disability

Picture B:

Giving their time: school children

Benefitting: the environment, the local community

Picture C:

Giving their time: a friend, relative, teacher or coach

Benefitting: a student

2. Give your opinion.

3. Answers:

These statements support the idea

1. There aren’t enough professionals to care for old people.

(If there aren’t enough professionals then unpaid workers will be useful.)

3. Community work can help young people gain important skills.

(These may include time management, leadership and the ability to communicate clearly.)

4. Working in the community can inspire people to be good citizens.

(Society needs people who will contribute, and do not care only about themselves.)

6. Helping others can reduce stress and improve people’s mental health.

(Focusing on the needs of others is thought to reduce anxiety about oneself.)

These statements do not support the idea

2. People need lots of training before doing important community work.

(This will cost the government a lot of money.)

5. People rarely respond positively to things they have to do.

(So the work they do may be of a poor quality.)

7. Young people may lose job opportunities as a result of this policy.

© The British Council

The United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales)
SC037733 (Scotland).
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Writing Lessons Answer Key

(People from countries where this policy does not apply may have more relevant work experience,
and be more valued by employers.)

8. Adults should have the right to choose how they spend their time.

(It is arguably against their rights to force them to work for free.)

5. Answers:

1a. (b has a formal tone)

2b. (a has an informal tone)

3b. (a has an informal tone)

4a. (b has a formal tone)

5a. (b has a formal, academic tone)

6b. (a has a formal tone)

7b. (a has an informal, aggressive tone)

8a. (b has a very informal tone)

6. Answer:

2. Thank … you very much.

3. Someone ... stole my phone.

4. We don’t … have any time.

5. Why don’t … we meet again soon.

6. Please … reply as soon as you can.

7. Answers:

1. G 2. A 3. D 4. C 5. H 6. F 7. B 8. E

8. Answers:

1. looking after

2. take on

3. putting back

4. figure out

5. end up

6. giving up

© The British Council

The United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales)
SC037733 (Scotland).
 myEnglish IELTS Coach
Writing Lessons Answer Key

7. get along

8. cheering up others / cheering others up

9. Answer to the task:

Large numbers of people are being kept in prisons at the expense of the tax-payer, while
environmental problems such as litter and social problems such as an ageing population are
increasing. Could the solution to both issues be to train some prisoners to help in their communities?

The idea of having prisoners working in the community is not attractive to everyone. Some people
argue that this policy would just give them opportunities to escape. Others think that prisoners should
be punished; not allowed to walk around freely. Besides, won’t they put people in the community at
risk if they are allowed out of jail?

These are fair arguments, although I would say that technology can help us get around some of the
problems. For example, we can use electronic tags to make sure that prisoners do not run away. We
also have more sophisticated psychological tests nowadays to check prisoners don’t pose a risk.

Furthermore, the benefits of using prisoners for unpaid work is growing. There are no longer enough
people of working age to allow society to lock up human resources. And governments in the modern
world have many costly responsibilities, like policing the internet, testing new medicines, and paying
for pensions, without having to maintain prisons. What’s more, giving prisoners meaningful jobs to do
can help to reform them. If we keep them under lock and key, they will not be able to become useful
citizens when they are released.

To conclude, I recognise that this is a contentious debate but as technology changes and spending
pressures increase, we should ask ourselves whether the benefits of setting prisoners to work have
begun to outweigh the risks.

A further practice opportunity for IELTS General Training Writing Task 2, with a sample
answer, is available at: https://tinyurl.com/y8f8pdjv

© The British Council

The United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales)
SC037733 (Scotland).