Globalisation · Problem and solution · Band 7.5
The Brain Drain Problem
The question, a model answer written to the band 7.5 descriptors, why it scores that band against the 4 official criteria, topic vocabulary, and a common mistake to avoid.
Problem and solution
Many skilled professionals from developing countries move abroad to work in wealthier nations, a trend often called 'brain drain'. What problems does this cause for the countries they leave, and what measures could help address it? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.
Model answer (band 7.5)
Written to the band 7.5 descriptors, not by a real examiner. Read it for structure and language, then write your own in your own words. Examiners can tell a memorised essay from an original one.
The emigration of skilled professionals from developing countries to wealthier nations, commonly known as brain drain, creates serious, compounding problems for the countries they leave behind, even as it offers genuine individual opportunity for the professionals themselves.
The most direct problem is the loss of essential expertise in critical sectors such as healthcare and education, precisely the fields where developing countries often face the greatest existing shortages. When a country invests significant public resources in training doctors or engineers, only for a substantial proportion to emigrate shortly after qualifying, that investment effectively subsidises wealthier receiving countries rather than benefiting the country that funded the original training. A second, related problem is the weakening of local institutions, since the most talented potential leaders, researchers, and innovators are often precisely those most likely to emigrate, leaving behind institutions that struggle to improve or reform without the people most capable of driving meaningful change.
Addressing the training-investment problem could involve bonding schemes, where government-funded graduates commit to working domestically for a defined period after qualifying, or receiving countries contributing financially toward the training costs of professionals they subsequently recruit, which would at least partially offset the original country's lost investment. Addressing institutional weakening requires improving domestic working conditions and career prospects directly, since professionals frequently cite inadequate pay, poor infrastructure, and limited opportunity for advancement, rather than purely higher wages abroad, as primary reasons for leaving, meaning meaningful local investment can genuinely influence this decision over time.
In conclusion, brain drain depletes both critical expertise and institutional capacity in developing countries, and addressing it requires combined action on training investment and genuinely improved domestic career prospects.
Why this answer scores band 7.5
Mapped to the 4 official IELTS Writing criteria.
- Task Response: identifies two specific, well-explained problems and matches each with a distinct, realistic solution rather than one generic recommendation.
- Coherence and Cohesion: explicit problem-solution pairing with clear sequencing markers ('A second, related problem') guiding the reader through the logic.
- Lexical Resource: precise vocabulary ('bonding scheme', 'institutional capacity', 'training investment') reflecting genuine command of the topic.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: long, well-controlled sentences with multiple embedded clauses demonstrate a wide, accurate grammatical range.
Useful vocabulary & collocations
Phrases used in the model answer that lift Lexical Resource naturally.
Common mistake on this type of question
Write your own answer and get it scored
IELTS9's AI examiner scores your own essay against the same 4 criteria shown above, Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy, with corrections and an improved version.
Score my essay →