Cambridge IELTS 17 Test 1 Writing Task 2: Taking Risks
Cambridge IELTS 17 · Test 1 · Academic Writing Task 2Advantages and disadvantagesSociety
The question states that it is important for people to take risks in both their professional and personal lives. Candidates must decide whether the advantages of taking risks outweigh the disadvantages, and support that judgement with reasons and examples.
The question
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. It is important for people to take risks, both in their professional lives and their personal lives. Do you think the advantages of taking risks outweigh the disadvantages? Write at least 250 words.
Free and timed, with a live word count, just like the computer-delivered test. Then get an instant AI band score.
The exam simulator runs on a computer. Open this page on a laptop or desktop to practise.
How to read the question
- This is an advantages and disadvantages essay that requires a judgement: Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages means you must discuss both sides and state clearly which is greater.
- The question covers two areas, professional lives and personal lives, so your examples should include both, such as changing career or starting a business, and moving abroad or trying something new.
- Taking risks is broad. Define it through examples of calculated decisions with an uncertain outcome, not only extreme physical danger such as skydiving.
- Your position must appear in the introduction and be repeated in the conclusion. Weighing both sides but never saying which outweighs the other is a common reason for a lower Task Response score.
- Avoid turning the essay into a discussion of whether risk is good or bad in general, or of risky behaviour such as gambling and crime, which drifts away from the idea of positive risk-taking in work and life.
- A balanced position works well, for example arguing that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages as long as the risks are calculated rather than reckless.
Suggested position
Although taking risks can certainly lead to financial loss and disappointment, I believe its benefits clearly outweigh these drawbacks, provided that the risks are carefully considered.
Paragraph plan
- 1
Introduction
Paraphrase the idea that people should be willing to take risks at work and in private life, then state your position: the advantages outweigh the disadvantages as long as the risks are calculated.
- 2
Body paragraph 1: the disadvantages
Acknowledge the real costs: a new business may fail and leave its owner in debt, moving abroad or ending a relationship can cause stress and loneliness, dangerous activities can harm health, and failure may also affect a person's family.
- 3
Body paragraph 2: why the advantages are greater
Explain that career progress depends on risks such as applying for a demanding promotion or proposing new ideas, that many successful companies began with a founder risking savings, that personal risks build confidence and broaden horizons, and that even failure teaches resilience.
- 4
Conclusion
Restate that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and add that the key is to take calculated risks, weighing the possible losses in advance.
Ideas and arguments
- Starting a business can bring independence and wealth, and innovation in the economy depends on people willing to risk their own money.
- Employees who apply for challenging roles or suggest unconventional ideas develop new skills and are more likely to be promoted.
- Personal risks such as moving to another city, travelling alone or learning a new skill later in life broaden horizons and build self-confidence.
- Even unsuccessful risks teach resilience and provide experience that leads to better decisions in future.
- People who always choose safety often regret missed opportunities more than the failures they might have experienced.
- Business risks can lead to debt, bankruptcy and the loss of a secure income, which may also affect a person's family.
- Personal risks such as emigrating or ending a stable relationship may cause stress, loneliness and emotional harm.
- Physically dangerous activities, such as extreme sports, can lead to serious injury.
Band 8+ model answer
286 words · An original model answer written for ieltswrites, not an official answer. It stays in English, as in the exam.
It is often said that people should be willing to take risks in both their careers and their private lives. Although risk-taking can certainly lead to financial loss and disappointment, I believe that its benefits clearly outweigh these drawbacks, provided that the risks are carefully considered.
The disadvantages of taking risks should not be underestimated. In professional life, leaving a secure job to start a business can result in debt, and a large proportion of new companies fail within their first few years. In personal life, decisions such as moving abroad or ending a stable relationship may cause stress and loneliness, and some risks, such as dangerous sports, can even threaten people's health. For those with families to support, the consequences of a failed gamble may affect others as well as themselves.
Nevertheless, the rewards of taking risks are usually far greater. At work, progress rarely comes from playing safe: employees who apply for a demanding promotion or propose an unconventional idea are more likely to develop new skills and to be noticed by their managers, and many successful companies began because their founders were prepared to risk their savings. In private life, risks such as travelling alone or moving to a new city broaden people's horizons and build confidence. Even when a risk does not pay off, the experience of failure teaches resilience and provides lessons that make later decisions wiser. By contrast, people who always avoid uncertainty often come to regret the opportunities they missed.
In conclusion, while taking risks can bring financial, emotional and occasionally physical harm, I am convinced that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The key is to take calculated risks, weighing up the possible losses beforehand, rather than acting recklessly.
Why this answer scores highly
- Task Response
- The answer addresses both sides of the question, includes examples from working and personal life, gives a clear judgement that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and keeps that position from the introduction to the conclusion.
- Coherence and Cohesion
- The first body paragraph deals with the drawbacks and the second explains why the benefits are greater, so the argument builds towards the writer's position, with linkers such as nevertheless, even when and by contrast used precisely.
- Lexical Resource
- Less common, natural vocabulary such as broaden people's horizons, resilience, playing safe, gamble and calculated risks is used accurately, and the question's wording is paraphrased rather than copied.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- The essay uses a range of complex structures, including conditional clauses with provided that, relative clauses, concessive clauses and modal verbs, with no noticeable errors.
Useful vocabulary
- calculated risk
- a risk taken after carefully thinking about the possible results
- reckless
- acting without thinking about the possible danger or consequences
- play it safe
- avoid risks by choosing the most secure option
- step out of your comfort zone
- do something unfamiliar that feels difficult or uncertain
- pay off
- be successful and bring a good result
- career progression
- moving to higher or better positions at work over time
- entrepreneur
- a person who starts their own business, usually taking financial risks
- financial security
- having enough money and a stable income without worry
- resilience
- the ability to recover quickly from difficulties or failure
- broaden your horizons
- increase your experience and understanding of the world
- weigh up
- consider the advantages and disadvantages carefully before deciding
- outweigh
- be greater or more important than something else
- missed opportunities
- chances that were not taken and may not come again
Common mistakes
- Listing advantages and disadvantages without ever stating whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
- Writing only about professional life or only about personal life, when the question mentions both.
- Focusing on negative risk-taking such as gambling, drink-driving or crime, which is not what the statement is about.
- Giving very general claims, such as risks make life exciting, without explaining how or giving a concrete example.
- Taking one position in the introduction and a different one in the conclusion, which weakens Task Response.
- Repeating the words risk and advantage throughout instead of paraphrasing with phrases such as take a chance, step out of one's comfort zone and benefits.
Frequently asked questions
- Which Cambridge book is this question from?
- This question about whether the advantages of taking risks in professional and personal life outweigh the disadvantages is Writing Task 2 of Test 1 in Cambridge IELTS 17 Academic, published in 2022.
- Do I need to write about both professional and personal life?
- Yes. The statement mentions both, so include at least one example from work and one from private life. Covering only one area means part of the question is not fully addressed.
- Can I say that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages?
- Yes. Either answer is acceptable if you explain it convincingly, discuss the other side and keep your position clear and consistent throughout.
- How many words should I write for this Task 2?
- Write at least 250 words; about 270-310 words is usually enough to develop both sides and a clear judgement in 40 minutes.
Free and timed, with a live word count, just like the computer-delivered test. Then get an instant AI band score.
The exam simulator runs on a computer. Open this page on a laptop or desktop to practise.