Question: Whether or not someone achieves their aims is mostly by a question of luck. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Band 8+ Sample Answer:
(Intro) Many people believe that luck plays a key role in helping people reach their targets. Although it is true that luck is a contributor to a person’s success, I would argue that hard work and patience are far more crucial factors in terms of deciding whether or not people accomplish their goals.
(Body 1) On the one hand, I acknowledge that luck does have an important role to play in helping people become successful. To begin with, since some people are fortunate enough to be born into a wealthy family, they have the opportunity to gain access to better education, which helps them land a promising career. Therefore, people coming from moneyed backgrounds tend to have higher chances of success than those who do not. Furthermore, a successful business venture is often considered a matter of luck. For example, a person starting a business right before an unexpected economic downturn or working with an unscrupulous dealer is more likely to face failure, whereas those who are lucky to meet the right people at the right time tend to succeed in their investment.
(Body 2) Nevertheless, on the path to success, I strongly believe that hard work and patience matter most. Firstly, in order to achieve something great, people need to work really hard and devote a great deal of energy and effort to their goals. For instance, prior to becoming one of the greatest basketball players in the world, Michael Jordan had to spend summers taking hundreds of jump shots a day. Secondly, there is no such thing as overnight success and all goals require a certain amount of time to be reached. Thomas Edison, for example, failed 1000 times before successfully creating the first light bulb that changed the world. If he had placed his trust in luck rather than patience, he might not have become such an eminent inventor in the history of mankind.
(Conclusion) In conclusion, it is undeniable that the role that luck plays in success cannot be downplayed. However, I am still of the opinion that hard work and patience are much more important when it comes to attaining a person’s goals. Therefore anyone starting a business should be aware that despite all their hard work and best laid plans, success is not guaranteed, as fate may have other ideas.
Words: Student essay, corrected & upgraded by Nick Kemp, former IELTS examiner.
Image: Charlie Firth / Unsplash