Good evening everyone,
I've recently asked my students to write an essay on this topic and some of them found it hard.
Well, let’s break it down:

OPTION 1: Fully Agree

MB1: Money is essential for survival and financial security.
MB2: Other motivations are far weaker


OPTION 2: Fully Agree

MB1: Modern society measures success by wealth.
MB2: People work hard to afford a better lifestyle and material comfort.


OPTION 3: Fully Disagree

MB1: Many people work hard for job satisfaction and passion.
MB2: Achievement and personal growth are strong motivators.


OPTION 4: Fully Disagree

MB1: Some professions are driven by responsibility (doctors, teachers).
MB2: Recognition and respect motivate people more than money.


OPTION 5: Fully Disagree

MB1: Enjoyment of work encourages effort.
MB2: Overemphasis on money can reduce long-term motivation.


OPTION 6: Partly Agree

MB1: Financial needs are the main motivation early in life.
MB2: Later, people prioritise work-life balance and fulfilment.


OPTION 7: Partly Agree

MB1: Money motivates people to work hard temporarily.
MB2: However, passion and purpose sustain hard work long-term.


OPTION 8: Partly Agree

MB1: In today's world, financial rewards drive ambition.
MB2: Yet some individuals value meaning over salary.


OPTION 9: Mostly Disagree

MB1: Money is important but not sufficient for motivation.
MB2: Emotional satisfaction and social contribution matter equally.


OPTION 10: Balanced

MB1: For materialistic people, financial gain is the main driver.
MB2: For others, pride and personal values are stronger motivators.

@ieltsboyko

One of the reasons some of my students struggled with this essay was their attempt to write a balanced answer. For many candidates, this makes the task more complicated than necessary.

If you are aiming for Band 8+ in writing, you do NOT have to write a balanced essay.

✔ Fully agree
✔ Fully disagree
✔ Partly agree
✔ Balanced essay

All positions are scored equally.
A balanced essay does NOT give you extra points.

@ieltsboyko

P.S. Choose the structure that you can develop confidently.

Some of you may know that I graduated from music school and can play piano as well as guitar. Music has often helped me release stress.

On @Boykoplaylist I’ll be sharing one of my favourite songs every day. Maybe some of them will resonate with you too.

P.S. The comment section will be open there.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: Stop Talking About Yourself

Many candidates get interrupted in Part 3 because they continue talking about their personal life ❌.

But Part 3 is NOT about you.
In Part 1 and Part 2 - yes.
In Part 3, you are expected to discuss issues in a general way.

If you keep saying:
“In my family…” ❌
“I often…” ❌
“When I was a child…” ❌

The examiner will stop you.
But Why?🐧

Because Part 3 tests:
• abstract (mavhum) thinking
• ability to generalise
• discussion of social issues

Instead of talking about yourself, say:
- People tend to… ✅
- Teenagers usually… ✅
- In Uzbekistan… ✅

Part 3 is your chance to show maturity of language.

Don’t make it Part 1 again.

@ieltsboyko

Some bosses are very strict with their teams. They shout, scare people, and keep everyone under pressure. Not me, of course, and you can see the reason in the photo. How can I be strict with such beautiful, intelligent, and polite girls who make up the majority of our centre?!

With the men, though, it’s sometimes a different story. I’m not always that soft. But I hope they understand that whenever I’m strict, there’s nothing personal about it; it’s only about the quality of our work.

@ieltsboyko

P.S. feel so lucky to work with such a team!

Many students try to memorise answers for the IELTS Speaking test, believing it will help them sound more confident. In reality, it often does the opposite.

Examiners are trained to recognise memorised responses. When an answer sounds rehearsed, unnatural, or does not fully match the question, it will reduce the score.

The best answers are not perfect ones. They are natural and personal. IELTS is not testing how well you can remember a script, it is testing how well you can communicate.

Ironically, the more students try to memorise, the more nervous they become when the conversation changes.

So instead of memorising answers, practise speaking spontaneously.

@ieltsboyko

In IELTS Writing Task 2, you are not expected to provide statistics (britishcouncil.org), research data, or exact numbers. In fact, inventing figures like “70% of people” can sound unnatural and even weaken your argument.

What examiners actually want to see are clear and relevant examples that illustrate your point:

• certain country (For example, in Uzbekistan)
• celebrity (For example, Steve Jobs)
• period in history (For example, in the 19th century)
• famous company (For example, Toyota)
• exact profession (For example, archaeologists)

@ieltsboyko

P.S. Examples should be exact but not statistical

In IELTS Writing, AVOID vague words like:

• stuff
• things
• something
• anything
• everything
• nothing
• etc.
• and so on
• a lot of things

These words are imprecise and make your ideas sound unclear. Instead of writing
many things affect people’s health❌

be specific:
poor diet and sedentary lifestyle affect people’s health✅

@ieltsboyko