Writing Task 2: Opinion (Agree/Disagree) Essay: Question 9
Syllabus W.task2
The growth of international trade and multinational companies benefits large, wealthy nations far more than it benefits developing countries, so poorer countries would be better off limiting their participation in the global economy.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
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Worked solution
Examiner notes
Task Response
The essay directly engages with both halves of the prompt: it grants the premise (benefits are currently unequal) in the introduction, then argues specifically against the prompt’s proposed conclusion (limiting participation), rather than avoiding the harder concession. The position is maintained without contradiction across two developed paragraphs, each closing with an implication that feeds directly into the final paragraph’s synthesis rather than a repeated restatement.
Coherence & Cohesion
The argument builds cumulatively: paragraph two establishes that trade brings capital and expertise, paragraph three reframes the inequality as a policy problem rather than an inherent flaw, and the conclusion explicitly draws the two together (“Withdrawing… would therefore not correct the underlying imbalance”). Reference chains (critics’ claim → “this imbalance” → “the underlying imbalance”) are used cohesively rather than repeating full noun phrases.
Lexical Resource
Topic-specific vocabulary is used with precision and range (“export-oriented manufacturing”, “multinational supply chains”, “regulatory institutions”, “trade blocs”), and near-synonyms avoid repetition (“withdrawing”, “cutting these ties”, “retreat”, “isolation” all vary the same underlying idea). The register remains consistently academic without lapsing into informal phrasing.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
The essay shows sustained accuracy across complex forms: a conditional-like concessive clause (“even though I accept that…”), a semicolon linking two independent clauses in the final paragraph, and comparative structures (“a pace of development that earlier, more isolated economies never achieved”) handled without error. Sentence openings are varied (subject, adverbial, subordinate clause) rather than following a single repeated pattern.