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Origins Academic Team

IELTS Writing Task 2 - Job Application (Agree or Disagree Question)

Updated: Nov 27, 2023


Some employers believe that job applicants’ social skills are more important than their academic qualifications.


To what extent do you agree or disagree? (27/05/2023)


SAMPLE ESSAY:


In an increasingly competitive business market nowadays, some recruiters believe that employees’ social skills are of paramount importance compared to their academic backgrounds. Personally, I disagree with this belief and argue that both are equally valuable.


On the one hand, there are several rationales behind many employers’ preference for socially skilled workers rather than those who are academically qualified. Firstly, one’s ability to listen actively and communicate well with colleagues, which is part of numerous social skills, would play a key role in effective teamwork and collaboration within an organization. Such collective efforts could, in turn, promote the overall work progress and enhance the quality of the final products, especially in today’s team-oriented professional environments . Secondly, social skills are often associated with emotional intelligence in terms of navigating relationships , resolving internal conflicts , or attending to the needs of others. Thanks to these traits, socially adept workers can greatly contribute to a positive atmosphere in the workplace as well as foster a sense of belonging and connections among other colleagues.


On the other hand, I believe that academic qualifications are of equal significance to social competence in the recruitment process since they can reflect an individual’s technical expertise in a particular field. More specifically, if a workforce is well-equipped with various social skills but lacks in-depth knowledge about a discipline, it may struggle to understand and address complex specialized problems efficiently, potentially leading to delayed work progress and reduced productivity. Furthermore, there are certain fields, such as medicine, engineering, law or academia, in which academic degrees or diplomas are widely considered a prerequisite . These qualifications serve to ensure that candidates possess the necessary foundation to perform competently in highly specialized fields, which cannot be solely accomplished by good social skills.


In conclusion, although some recruiters currently prioritize their workers’ social competence over academic one, it is my firm conviction that both elements are equally important considering the diverse professional benefits they can bring.



 

VOCABULARY

  • be of paramount importance (phrase) = quan trọng hơn

  • rationale (n) = lý do

  • socially skilled / socially adept (phrase) = có kỹ năng xã hội tốt

  • collective effort (phrase) = sự nỗ lực chung

  • team-oriented professional environment (phrase) = môi trường làm việc theo định hướng nhóm

  • be associated with sth (phrase) = gắn liền với điều gì đó

  • emotional intelligence (phrase) = trí tuệ cảm xúc

  • navigate relationships (phrase) = điều hướng các mối quan hệ (quản lý và duy trì các mối quan hệ ấy)

  • resolve internal conflicts (phrase) = giải quyết những xung đột nội bộ

  • attend to sb / sth (phrasal verb) = chăm sóc, giúp đỡ ai đó / giải quyết điều gì đó

  • foster a sense of belonging and connections (phrase) = thúc đẩy sự gần gũi và gắn kết

  • social competence (phrase) = năng lực xã hội

  • technical expertise (phrase) = trình độ chuyên môn kỹ thuật

  • in-depth knowledge (phrase) = kiến thức chuyên sâu

  • prerequisite (n) = điều kiện tiên quyết


 

BRAINSTORMING


Job applicants’ social skills are believed to be more important than their academic qualifications + my personal opinion: Disagree


Body 1: The reasons why some employers prefer social skills to academic qualifications:

  • Socially skilled workers can communicate well with colleagues → better teamwork within an organization → promoted work progress and higher-quality products

  • Social skills are often linked to emotional intelligence → workers with these skills can handle relationships and conflicts effectively → a positive and connected work environment

Body 2: The reasons why I believe social skills and academic qualifications are equally important:

  • Academic qualifications show one’s technical expertise in a particular field – without this knowledge, workers may struggle to understand and solve complex issues → reduced productivity

  • Academic degrees are strictly required in some specialized fields, such as medicine, engineering, law and academia, to ensure workers’ competence → social skills alone cannot meet the requirements of these areas



 

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