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Cambridge 13 Writing Task 2 Test 4 - Sample Answers (Band 9 to 4-5)
Real band 9, 8, 7 and 6.5 sample answers for this prompt, plus a genuine band 4-5 answer so you can see exactly what pulls a score down. Every sample comes with examiner-style notes on Task Response, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range & Accuracy.
The Prompt
World Hunger Despite Agricultural Advances
In spite of the advances made in agriculture, many people around the world still go hungry. Why is this the case? What can be done about this problem?
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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258 wordsIdentifies distribution and access, not a shortage of food, as the real cause, and proposes solutions that follow directly from that diagnosis.
Despite remarkable advances in agricultural technology over the past century, from genetically improved crops to precision farming, hunger remains a persistent global problem, and I believe this paradox is best explained by failures of distribution and access rather than any genuine shortage of food itself.
The most significant cause is political and economic rather than agricultural. Armed conflict routinely destroys farmland and disrupts supply chains, as seen in regions like South Sudan, while poverty prevents many families from affording food that is, in fact, readily available in local markets. Trade policies and unequal global distribution also mean that food surpluses in wealthy nations coexist with severe shortages elsewhere, a mismatch that has nothing to do with humanity's overall capacity to produce food.
Addressing this problem therefore requires solutions that go well beyond further agricultural innovation. Strengthening infrastructure, such as roads and storage facilities in developing regions, would reduce the substantial amount of food currently lost to spoilage before it ever reaches consumers. International aid and conflict resolution efforts are also essential in regions where war is the primary driver of famine, while fairer trade policies could help ensure surplus food reaches populations most in need rather than being wasted or stockpiled. Long-term investment in local agricultural capacity within conflict-affected or poorer regions would also reduce dependence on food aid over time.
In conclusion, hunger persists not because we cannot produce enough food, but because of political instability, poverty, and unequal distribution, so solving it requires political and economic reform working alongside continued agricultural progress, not agricultural progress alone.
Examiner Notes
Task Response: Fully addresses both why hunger persists and what can be done, with a clear, well-justified central claim (distribution and access, not production, is the real problem), and the South Sudan reference gives the reasoning genuine specificity.
Coherence & Cohesion: Each paragraph carries a distinct function, and cohesive devices ("therefore", "in conclusion") link cause and solution naturally throughout.
Lexical Resource: Wide range of precise vocabulary ("paradox", "stockpiled", "mismatch") used with natural collocation.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Wide range of complex structures, including relative clauses and non-finite clauses, used with full accuracy.
Band 8
257 wordsWell argued and clearly structured, just slightly less tightly integrated than a band 9 answer.
Even though farming technology has improved a great deal in recent decades, many people around the world still do not have enough food to eat, and I believe this is mainly because of problems with distribution and access rather than a lack of food itself.
One major reason for this is conflict and poverty. Wars can destroy farmland and make it very difficult to transport food safely, as has happened in several African countries in recent years. In addition, many people are simply too poor to buy food that is actually available in local markets, even when there is no overall shortage.
Unequal distribution of food around the world is another important cause. Wealthy countries often have more food than they need, while poorer regions experience serious shortages, showing that the problem is not really about how much food is produced globally.
To solve this problem, governments and international organisations need to improve infrastructure, such as roads and storage facilities, in developing countries, so that less food is wasted before it reaches people. Efforts to resolve conflicts and reduce poverty are also essential, along with fairer international trade policies that help move surplus food to the places that need it most. Longer-term investment in local farming capacity within poorer or conflict-affected regions would also help reduce their dependence on food aid over time, making food supplies more stable and self-sufficient.
In conclusion, hunger continues mainly because of conflict, poverty, and unequal distribution, so solving it requires political and economic solutions in addition to further improvements in agriculture.
Examiner Notes
Task Response: Fully addresses both parts of the question with a clear, well-supported opinion and relevant examples, though the reasoning is slightly less tightly integrated than the band 9 answer's.
Coherence & Cohesion: Clear structure moving logically from causes to solutions, with an accurate concluding paragraph.
Lexical Resource: Good range of vocabulary, though "problems with distribution and access" is slightly less precise than the higher-band answer's more specific phrasing.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Mostly accurate complex sentences with only rare minor slips.
Band 7
252 wordsA clear, well-reasoned answer that would be stronger with one concrete example to anchor its argument.
Even though farming methods have improved a lot, many people in the world are still hungry, and I think this happens for a few important reasons.
One reason is war, because fighting can destroy farms and make it hard to move food from one place to another. Another reason is poverty, because some people do not have enough money to buy food, even if there is food available near them.
Another cause of hunger is that food is not shared equally around the world. Some rich countries have more food than they need, while poorer countries do not have enough, which shows that the problem is not really about producing enough food overall.
To solve this problem, I think governments and international groups should build better roads and storage so that less food gets wasted, and they should also try to stop wars and help poor people get enough money to buy food. Rich countries could also send extra food to countries that need it more. Long-term, it would also help if poorer countries received more support to grow their own food, rather than always depending on food sent from other places, since this would make their food supply more stable in the future. Better education about farming methods could also help farmers grow more food using the land and resources they already have. This would benefit everyone.
In conclusion, hunger is mostly caused by war, poverty, and unfair distribution of food, so solving it needs more than just better farming methods.
Examiner Notes
Task Response: Addresses both why hunger persists and what can be done, but no specific real-world example (a country, a conflict) is used to support the reasoning, unlike the higher-band answers.
Coherence & Cohesion: Organised logically moving from causes to solutions; cohesive devices ("Another reason", "In conclusion") are accurate but predictable.
Lexical Resource: Adequate range for the task, with some repetition of "food" and "reason" throughout.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Generally accurate mix of simple and complex sentences; meaning is always clear.
Band 6.5
251 wordsThe reasoning and solutions are sound, but agreement errors on nearly every key task word noticeably lower the score.
Even though farming method have improved a lot, many people in the world is still hungry, and I think this happen for few important reason.
One reason is war, because fighting can destroy farm and make it hard to move food from one place to another. Another reason is poverty, because some people do not have enough money to buy food, even if there is food available near them.
Another cause of hunger is that food is not share equally around the world. Some rich country have more food than they need, while poorer country do not have enough, which show that the problem is not really about producing enough food overall.
To solve this problem, I think government and international group should build better road and storage so that less food get wasted, and they should also try to stop war and help poor people get enough money to buy food. Rich country could also send extra food to country that need it more. Long-term, it would also help if poorer country received more support to grow their own food, rather than always depending on food send from other place, since this would make their food supply more stable in the future. Better education about farming method could also help farmer grow more food using the land and resource they already have. This would benefit everyone.
In conclusion, hunger is mostly cause by war, poverty, and unfair distribution of food, so solving it need more than just better farming method.
Examiner Notes
Task Response: Addresses both parts of the question, matching the content of the band 7 answer, but grammar errors throughout reduce clarity.
Coherence & Cohesion: Follows the same cause-to-solution structure as the higher-band answers.
Lexical Resource: Limited by missing plurals on key task words ("reason", "country", "group") used throughout instead of their plural forms.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Frequent subject-verb agreement errors ("farming method have improved", "many people... is still hungry", "food is not share equally") appear on nearly every sentence.
Band 4-5 - What to Avoid
39 wordsStates a cause and a solution but never develops either half of the question, and stays well under the required length.
I think people is hungry because no enough food or no money.
Some country have war, this make farm destroy, food cannot grow.
I think government should help poor country with food, this is my opinion about this topic.
Examiner Notes
Task Response: The question of why hunger persists and what can be done is barely addressed, each idea gets one short, unsupported sentence with no real explanation. At well under 250 words, the response is also underlength.
Coherence & Cohesion: Paragraphs are short, disconnected statements with minimal linking.
Lexical Resource: Vocabulary is basic and repetitive ("no enough", "help poor country") with little variation.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Frequent errors throughout ("people is hungry", "this make farm destroy").
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