IELTS Essay Bank · Task 2 Academic · Opinion (agree/disagree)
Spending on Space Exploration: Band 6 Sample Essay
289 words · Topic: Government, Science ·
The question
Some people believe that governments waste money on exploring space and that these funds should instead be spent on solving problems here on Earth, such as poverty and disease.
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.
Band 6 sample essay
Highlighted = useful vocabularyIn recent years, many countries spend billions of dollars on space programmes, for example sending rockets to the Moon and Mars. Some people think this is a waste of money and the government should use it for poverty and disease on Earth. I mostly agree with this opinion, but I think space exploration also has some benefits.
Firstly, there are many serious problems in the world which need money immediately. Millions of people still live in poverty and they don't have clean water, food or medicine. Also many diseases like malaria still kill a lot of children every year. In my opinion, it is not fair that governments spend huge amount of money to send people to space when their own citizens are hungry. If this money was used for hospitals and schools, many lives can be saved.
Secondly, space exploration don't help ordinary people directly. Most people will never go to the space and they don't see any result from these projects in their daily life. For example, a farmer in a poor village doesn't care about the pictures of Mars. So the government should put people first and focus on the problems here.
However, space research is not completely useless. Many technologys we use today came from space programmes, such as satellite for weather forecast and GPS. Satellites also help scientists to monitor climate change and natural disasters, so space can help to solve problems on Earth too. Because of this, I think governments should not stop the space programmes completely.
In conclusion, I agree that governments should spend more money on poverty and disease, because these problems are more urgent. But space exploration is also important for the future, so it should continue with less budget.
Word count: 289
Write your own answer → get an AI band score
The same question is ready on its practice page, with a Band 8–9 model answer to compare.
Why this is Band 6: criterion by criterion
Task Response
Band 6The essay responds to the question and a position is presented ("I mostly agree"), with reasons on both sides. The main ideas are relevant, but some are insufficiently developed: the "farmer in a poor village" example is stated in one sentence and not explained, and the claim that space projects don't help ordinary people is weakened by the next paragraph, which says the opposite about satellites. The conclusion — agreeing, then saying space "is also important for the future" — leaves the extent of agreement somewhat unclear. This fits Band 6: a relevant position, but conclusions that are not fully clear and ideas that are not always developed.
Coherence and Cohesion
Band 6The essay is coherent and there is a clear overall progression from problems on Earth to the benefits of space research. Linking is mechanical, however — Firstly, Secondly, However, In conclusion open four of the five paragraphs — and "Also" and "So" at the start of sentences make the writing sound list-like. Referencing is sometimes unclear: "use it" in the introduction and "focus on the problems here" rely on the reader to work out the meaning. Coherent but mechanical cohesion is Band 6.
Lexical Resource
Band 6The vocabulary is adequate for the topic, with some less common items used correctly ("live in poverty", "put people first", "monitor climate change"). There is noticeable repetition of "money", "spend" and "problems". Errors occur in spelling and collocation — "technologys" (technologies), "huge amount of money" (a huge amount) and "with less budget" (with a smaller budget) — but they do not impede communication. This is Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Band 6There is a mix of simple and complex sentences, including relative clauses ("problems in the world which need money") and a conditional. However, there are regular errors: a tense error in "In recent years, many countries spend" (have spent), a mixed conditional in "If this money was used…, many lives can be saved" (would be saved), an agreement error in "space exploration don't" (doesn't), and article errors in "go to the space" and "such as satellite for weather forecast" (satellites for weather forecasting). These errors are noticeable but rarely reduce communication, which is Band 6.
Useful vocabulary and collocations
- a waste of money
- correct and common; an unjustifiable expense is a Band 7+ alternative.
- live in poverty
- accurate collocation; you could also say live below the poverty line.
- put people first
- natural phrase for priorities; prioritise human welfare is more formal.
- monitor climate change
- precise verb choice; strong for science and environment topics.
- natural disasters
- correct; for more precision name them, e.g. track hurricanes and floods.
How this essay could reach Band 7
- 1Make the position consistent: decide how far you agree (for example, space budgets should be reduced, not ended) and write every paragraph, including the conclusion, to support that view.
- 2Develop each example: explain what satellite data actually does for farmers or disaster planning, so the two sides of the argument connect instead of contradicting each other.
- 3Correct the recurring errors in conditionals (If this money were used, many lives would be saved), subject–verb agreement and articles.
This is an original sample essay written by IELTS-Bank to illustrate Band 6 against the public IELTS Writing band descriptors. The band scores are our assessment, not an official IELTS result. IELTS-Bank is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia, or Cambridge University Press & Assessment. "IELTS" is a registered trademark of its respective owners and is used here for descriptive purposes only.