Cambridge IELTS 18 Test 1 Writing Task 2: Sample Answer

Science serves many purposes, from satisfying human curiosity to driving industry, yet I largely agree that improving people's lives should be its central aim, although I would not call it the only worthwhile one.

The strongest argument for this view is that scientific work depends on public money and public trust. Governments and charities fund laboratories because they expect returns in health, safety and living standards. Vaccination programmes, for instance, have eradicated smallpox and brought polio close to extinction, saving millions of lives at a cost that is modest beside the benefit. When research is directed at such problems, limited resources are used where the need is greatest.

Furthermore, a focus on human welfare helps to prevent science from being captured by narrow commercial or military interests. Without this guiding principle, talented researchers may be drawn into designing addictive applications or more destructive weapons simply because these projects are generously funded. An explicit commitment to improving lives gives ethics committees and the general public a standard against which proposals can be judged.

Nevertheless, I would not want to dismiss research that has no immediate practical purpose. Many of the greatest breakthroughs came from scientists who were simply curious about how the world works. Einstein's work on relativity had no obvious application at the time, yet it later made satellite navigation possible. If funding were restricted to projects with guaranteed benefits, discoveries of this kind might never happen. Basic research therefore deserves protection, since it often becomes the foundation of tomorrow's medical and technological advances.

In conclusion, the ultimate measure of science should be its contribution to human wellbeing, but this goal is best served when curiosity-driven inquiry is supported alongside applied research rather than being sacrificed to it.