Technology & ScienceAgree / DisagreeAdvancedHigh Frequency

IELTS Essay: Since money for postgraduate research is limited, some people think financial...

Prompt

Since money for postgraduate research is limited, some people think financial support from the government should be only provided for scientific research rather than the research for less useful subjects. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

#research funding#prioritization#scientific value#applied vs. pure research#resource allocation

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Band 7 → 9 — Band 7 argues scientific research should be prioritized over humanities; Band 9 acknowledges the claim's logic but shows interconnection between fields and argues against pigeonholing 'usefulness'.

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Key concepts in this essay

immediate utility vs. foundational knowledge vs. long-term societal value
measurability of research impact; some fields resist quantification
opportunity cost: what gets defunded if science gets all support?

Pitfalls the model essay avoids

Defining 'useful' vaguely; medical research is useful but so is philosophy, linguistics, history in informing policy and society
Assuming priority should be purely utilitarian; ignores that many valuable discoveries (relativity, mold contamination→penicillin) seemed abstract first
Overlooking that 'less useful' subjects often enable scientific breakthroughs indirectly (math enables physics; sociology enables policy)

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