You should spend about 40 minutes on IELTS writing task 2.
Whether or not a person achieves their aims in life is mostly related to luck. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer 1
It is argued that luck is the key to some people’s success. As achievement is only attributed to (regard sth as being caused by) hard work and determination, I completely disagree with this opinion. I will be explaining my point of view in the forthcoming paragraphs.
If success was free, everyone would have it. In fact, there are only a few successful individuals because they are determined and industrious (hard-working). The harder people work on their dreams, the more confident they become. Those who lack self-esteem (confidence and belief in your own ability and value) also lack determination and end up losing hope, resulting in (=lead to) failure. For instance, Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors of the 20th century, conducted (carry out) thousands of failed experiments with the filament (the thin wire inside the light bulb) until the finest light bulb was produced. His success is made by his hard work rather than luck.
Luck does not play an important role in one’s achievements. It is just a state of mind (thoughts and feelings at present time), so if people are dependent on (reliable on) luck they could never be successful. For instance, a student who does not study for an exam might fail. Moreover, it is clear that a person who wins a lottery might soon lose all of his or her money as it does not require anything to achieve.
People have been prioritizing luck and destiny for ages and it does play a vital part. However, in all senses, hard work and determination always overpower ( to be much stronger than the other) an unlucky situation.
In conclusion, for all the reasons I have mentioned above, I believe that to become a successful person at the end of the day, people must be hardworking and determined to work on their dream, rather than rely on luck.
Structure of the essay
You were given an opinion essay which means you had to pick a side. So,
- Do you agree that a person achieving their aim in life is mostly related to luck?
(or)
- Do you disagree with the fact that a person achieving their aim in life is mostly related to luck?
Once you pick a side, you can start planning your essay and then writing it.
Don’t forget to state your opinion on it.
Question Paraphrased –
Opinion – As achievement is only attributed to hard work and determination, I completely disagree with this opinion.
A thesis statement – I will be explaining my point of view in the forthcoming paragraphs.
Body Paragraph 1:
Topic: There are only a few successful people
Supporting points:
- If success was free, everyone would have it
- Only a few successful people are determined and industrious
- Those who lack self-esteem also lack determination
Body Paragraph 2:
Topic: Luck does not play a role in the achievement
Supporting points:
- Luck is a state of mind
- People dependent on luck can never be successful
Conclusion:
Reiterated that to become a successful person at the end of the day, people must be hardworking and determined and support the side taken in the introduction.
Sample Answer 2
The debate of whether luck is the primary determinant of success in achieving targets has been heated constantly. My position is that hard work and determination are far more important than luck, while we must not consider luck as the main precursor of the attainment of one’s goals.
I advocate the notion that the role of being diligent and determined is more significant than luck. Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors of the 20th century, is an excellent example of such a notion. He conducted numerous experiments with the filament until the finest light bulb was produced; and his hard work, rather than luck, was acknowledged by all the human race. Another clear evidence of this notion in the case of Nguyen Ngoc Ky. This disabled man could not write by hand, but he was determined enough to teach himself to write with his foot. The fact that he would then become one of the greatest teachers in the history of education in Vietnam provides a concrete foundation that even with bad luck, determination could result in goal achievement. IELTS Xpress
By contrast, I believe the saying that fortune has a major part to play is just a fallacy. One clear reason is that although there may have been a number of people reaching their goals with good luck, such good luck in most cases only comes to people who have worked hard. Take Mendeleev as an example. As a research chemist, he worked tirelessly for a few decades, until one day in his dream, the complete arrangement of the elements appeared. We could ascribe the appearance of this arrangement to luck, but no one could deny the extreme effort that Mendeleev had exerted. Another clear reason for my belief is that luck could only lead people to short-term achievements, and there is nothing to ascertain that it would continue to exist in the long run. The over-reliance on good fortune, as a result, would prevent people from achieving their long-term or life-long aims.
In brief, I think the importance of luck in determining goal attainment is overstated, while there are much more significant factors to consider, namely hard work and determination.
Sample Answer 3
People have different views about what elements contribute the most to a person’s success. While I accept that luck does have an important role in helping people reach their targets, I would argue that hard work and determination are much more crucial factors leading to the achievement of an individual.
On the one hand, I agree that luck can be an important factor. Some people are fortunate enough to be born into a wealthy family, which allows them to have a better education or to easily start their own business without having to borrow money from someone else. As a result, these people tend to have better opportunities to succeed than those coming from poor families. Furthermore, some individuals are lucky to be given great talents which others do not have. For example, Mozart was able to play music when he was very young, or Lionel Messi already had great football skills when he was born.
However, I would argue that although luck can be necessary, it is not the most crucial factor leading to success. Firstly, people need to work really hard and put much effort into their jobs if they want to be successful. For instance, before becoming one of the best football players in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo had to go through intense training hours every day for many years. Secondly, a person is less likely to reach his targets if he does not have determination. On the way leading to success, there might be many difficulties, and people need to keep moving forward to overcome those challenges.
In conclusion, while I agree that luck is important in helping people become successful, I believe that hard work and determination are the most important elements.
Sample Answer 4
Many people claim that luck plays the most instrumental role in helping them achieve their goals in life. Personally, I vehemently disagree with this notion as hard work, determination and perseverance are more important factors than luck for attaining different goals.
There are multifarious reasons to strengthen my viewpoint. Firstly, there are several people who despite all odds reach the pinnacle of success through sheer dedication and hard work. For instance, late APJ Abdul Kalam faced so much hardship in his childhood; however, he conquered all formidable challenges through untiring perseverance and grit. Needless to say, he achieved whatever he aimed at during his presidential tenure and in his scientific career.
Secondly, anything which is achieved just through luck does not last long unless achievers put in diligent efforts to sustain it. To illustrate, people open businesses for their children; nevertheless, their businesses only grow if these children devote time and show dedication to their work. For example, people may come into a lot of money due to sheer luck; however, if they do not know how to invest that money, they will soon squander it.
Lastly, there are people who are born with physical disabilities but still have a success story to tell. Take, for instance, Helen Keller who was deaf and blind, but with her determination and unparalleled efforts, she became an eminent author and political activist. Although she was not born with fortunes, she fought against all odds and became the epitome of hard work and determination.
To conclude, I firmly reiterate that luck does not play a major role in achieving success and factors such as perseverance, commitment and dedication are more imperative in attaining goals.
Sample Answer 5
Numerous people claim that those who become successful had a few unfair advantages in life. They even insisted that an individual’s good fortune is purely correlated to luck instead of great merit. I completely disagree with this opinion, as I believe that success is the result of an individual’s hard work, talent and determination.
To have been born to rich parents is an enormous stroke of luck, but to sustain and maintain that level of success requires an enormous amount of talent and hard work. Some accomplished individuals believe that in order to achieve someone’s desires, a person should poses a brilliant intelligence and extraordinary ability above others. For example, intelligent people are more likely to achieve higher education, be employed in multi-national companies, and received higher paychecks. They prospered because most of them focus on growing their core strengths and taking up demanding jobs rather than relying on any significant extent of luck to strike them.
In contrast, there are plenty of instances where people who are less intelligent and poses a mediocre talent but in some way become wealthy and successful. Some people think anyone can become successful no matter what an individual’s background or race. But only the luckiest people end up at the highest peak of success. It shows that the most successful people in the world are not necessarily the brightest and most talented but the luckiest. However, if people will only anticipate luck and forget to act, the opportunity is going to be wasted.
In conclusion, good fortune probably will take part in someone’s success in life but great talent and hard work are normally the key factors in success. Therefore, I disagree that a person’s achievement is merely due to luck, luck may place us in an advantageous position yet we still need skills and effort to think critically and stretch our ingenuity.
Sample Answer 6
Some are of the belief that luck is the determining factor when accomplishing a given goal. In my opinion, luck is pivotal in individual situations but its importance decreases over larger sample sizes.
The main argument for the primacy of luck is highly visible, singular examples. This translates to extremely successful individuals. For instance, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were exceptionally intelligent and hard-working but they would never have become leading figures in history if they had not grown up in California in the 1970s during the computer boom. It is likely they would still be successful regardless of their era and place of birth but the extent of influence would be more limited. This same principle applies to the average individual as there are moments in one’s life that are best credited to good luck or an advantageous situation.
However, the significance of luck decreases over time. Take, for example, an average person. They may be born into a wealthy family and have a good start in life; they are lucky from the onset. Nonetheless, if they are not hard-working, there is a strong chance they will not be able to accomplish their goals in life. The reverse is true of someone born into a bad situation. There are exceptions, where the situation is dire or the period in history precludes success, but most people who apply themselves over a long period of time will ‘make their own luck’. This is because as sample sizes become larger, the influence of variance naturally decreases. It still requires some extraordinary luck to attain huge aims but more modest ones result from repeated action rather than fortune.
In conclusion, luck is decisive in particular instances but not more generally. It is, therefore, more important to place greater value on working hard in the long term than on the off-chance of being lucky.