Some People Think That the Most Important Thing About Being Rich- IELTS Writing Task 2

Some people think that the most important thing about being rich is it gives a person the opportunity to help other people. Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Outline

Essay Type

Opinion type

Introduction

Sentences 1&2 – It is a view held by certain people that being affluent and possessing material wealth offer individuals to be altruistic and provide assistance to people around them. Others however remark that prosperity does not imply that one will bear the responsibility of others by helping them out.

Sentence 3 – In my opinion, affluence undoubtedly creates an opportunity for a person to support those around them and uplift them and I will illustrate why I think so in the forthcoming essay.

Body Paragraphs

Paragraph 1 – Wealthy people have a duty to give back to society and help people on whose goodwill they have gained affluence.

Paragraph 2 – Being altruistic by helping others out makes one feel better and explore ways of self-improvement.

Paragraph 3 – However, many people use their wealth to help people out for the wrong reasons by using charity to commit tax evasion

Conclusion

Thus, to conclude, being wealthy does provide people a chance to help out those around them, but ultimately it is their motivation for doing so that really creates a difference in their lives and that of others.

Sample Essay

It is a view held by certain people that being affluent and possessing material wealth offer individuals to be generous and provide assistance to people around them. Others, however, remark that prosperity does not imply that one will bear the responsibility of others by helping them out. In my opinion, affluence undoubtedly creates an opportunity for a person to support those around them and uplift them and I will illustrate why I think so in the forthcoming paragraphs.

Firstly, we have to understand that well-heeled people have accumulated their riches from other people, whether through an employee, an entrepreneur or through inheritance of generational wealth. In such a case, their wealth provides them with the freedom to give back to society and help individuals whose goodwill and support they have profited from. Secondly, if rich people used the freedom afforded to them to start helping other people around, it would slowly begin to decrease the global wealth gap.

Furthermore, the chance to be altruistic and selflessly help others is undoubtedly one of the most important opportunities due to wealth. Philanthropy is notable for making both the recipient and donor feel a positive, warm glow but, more significantly, allows the donor to explore avenues of personal growth and self-improvement through the act of helping. Lastly, one of the major ways wealthy people can use their platform is by creating jobs and providing funding for education and research, contributing to society positively and changing many lives in the process.

However, many wealthy people misuse the freedom afforded to them. Under the pretence of donating, some wealthy people engage in tax evasion. Others help out in the hope of polishing their public image or ascending greater heights of fame. Thus, it can be seen that many people act out of self-interest when it comes to using their wealth to provide comfort to other people.

Thus, to conclude, being wealthy does provide people with a chance to help out those around them, but ultimately it is their motivation for doing so that really creates a difference in their lives and that of others.

Vocabulary

• Affluent

Meaning – Wealthy or rich
Example – She was accustomed to many luxuries, having grown up in an affluent family.

• Responsibility

Meaning – Duty or accountability
Example – Both parents and their children have a responsibility to do good for each other.

• Uplift

Meaning – Elevate or inspire
Example – His words uplifted me on a day I was feeling lowly about myself.

• Well-heeled

Meaning – Prosperous or well-off
Example – Belonging to an aristocratic family, she has always been remarkably well-heeled in comparison to the rest.

• Goodwill

Meaning – Benevolence or compassion
Example – As a gesture of goodwill, the janitor was allowed to keep some of the money he found abandoned in a supply closet.

• Profit

Meaning – Gain
Example – The company made a considerable profit this year as compared to the previous years.

• Altruistic

Meaning – Selfless or charitable
Example – Beth’s decision to visit the poor family living in the forest was a purely altruistic one.

• Ascending

Meaning – Go up or rise
Example – He was ascending the dark, narrow staircase that led to the tower by candlelight.

• Self-improvement

Meaning – The process of improving oneself due to one’s own efforts
Example – Rekha had started exercising and practising positive self-talk as means of self-improvement.

• Evasion

Meaning – Avoidance or eluding
Example – His lack of reply at being asked where he had been since morning was a clear sign of evasion.