Book 5 Academic Writing Test 4 · Task 2
Original planning guidance for the supplied practice prompt. The example is illustrative; it is not a full model answer or a rated response.
This task asks whether inherited characteristics or life experiences have the greater influence on personality and development. Discuss influence rather than treating genes and environment as two completely independent forces.
Practice target: 250+ words, about 40 minutes.
How to approach this task
- Choose the position you can support: one factor may have the greater influence, or their interaction may make a single ranking too simplistic. Make that choice clear in the introduction.
- Explain what inherited characteristics might contribute, such as a predisposition or temperament. Avoid claiming that a predisposition makes a later outcome inevitable.
- Develop the role of experience through a specific mechanism, such as education, relationships or opportunities changing how a trait is expressed. Connect the mechanism to personality or development.
- Use the conclusion to answer the major-influence question. A balanced position still needs a judgement; saying both matter without explaining their relationship leaves the task unresolved.
Planning example
A possible thesis is: Inherited traits shape people's starting points, but experiences strongly affect how those traits develop, so the interaction is more persuasive than a single universal cause. The body paragraphs then need to demonstrate that interaction.
Common mistake to avoid
Do not invent research findings or statistics. An everyday example can support a clear explanation without being presented as scientific proof.
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