Some people think that it is better to live and work in a foreign country, while others believe it is better to stay in their home country. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Stance: While both choices have genuine merits, I believe that, for most young Vietnamese today, living and working abroad offers unusually rich opportunities for personal and professional growth.
This answer is capped at 6.5 because each body paragraph relies on a single reason plus one example with no counterpoint or layered reasoning, and linking is done with basic markers like 'On the other hand' and 'Also' rather than the varied cohesive devices seen at higher bands.
The question of whether people should live and work in another country or stay in their home country is discussed a lot in Vietnam. Many families think about this because of labour-export programmes to Japan and South Korea, and more students go abroad to study in Australia, the UK and Japan. This essay will discuss both sides and then give my opinion.
Some people believe that living abroad is good for personal growth. When people live in a new country, they must learn a new language and get used to different rules at work. This makes them more independent and confident. For example, my cousin went to Japan for a three-year internship after he finished university in Da Nang. At first, he found it hard to understand the safety rules at his factory. But after some months, he learned Japanese and started to train new Vietnamese workers. This would not have happened so quickly if he had stayed in Vietnam.
On the other hand, staying in one's home country also has advantages. People can stay close to their family and friends, which is very important in Vietnamese culture because grandparents often help look after children. Also, it is easier to build a career at home because people already understand how the local industry works and do not need to start again from nothing.
In my opinion, living and working abroad is better for young Vietnamese people, even though it is difficult at first. The new skills and confidence gained abroad are useful for the rest of their lives, whether people come back to Vietnam or not.
In conclusion, staying at home is more comfortable, but working abroad gives young people more chances to grow, so I believe it is the better choice.
Collocations
Examiner Notes
- TR“This essay will discuss both sides and then give my opinion.” — The introduction promises a discussion of both sides plus an opinion, but does not yet hint at which side the writer favours, a simpler roadmap than higher-band essays typically use.
- CC“On the other hand, staying in one's home country also has advantages.” — 'On the other hand' is a correct but basic linking phrase that signals contrast; a higher band would vary this with less predictable connectors.
- LR“more independent and confident” — A simple, correct adjective pair describing personal growth, but a narrower lexical range than the richer collocations used at higher bands.
- GRA“This would not have happened so quickly if he had stayed in Vietnam.” — A correctly formed third-conditional sentence, but it is a single, short structure rather than the longer, layered sentences seen at higher bands.
- TR“I believe it is the better choice.” — The final stance is clearly stated but expressed in one short, simple clause rather than the more elaborated conclusion typical of higher bands.
This answer moves up to 7.0 by adding qualifying phrases ('at least for part of their career') and slightly more developed reasoning in each body paragraph, but it still lacks the inverted conditional, correlative structures and brief counterpoint acknowledgment that give the 7.5 answer its greater sophistication.
Whether it is better to live and work abroad or remain in one's home country is a question many Vietnamese families face today, given the popularity of labour-export programmes to Japan and South Korea and the rising number of students pursuing postgraduate study in Australia, the UK and Japan. This essay will discuss both views before giving my own opinion, which favours working overseas.
Those who support moving abroad point to the personal and professional growth it can bring. Living in another country forces people to adapt to a new language and unfamiliar working practices, which builds independence and resilience. My cousin, for example, took a three-year technical internship in Osaka after graduating from an engineering programme in Da Nang. He initially struggled to follow safety instructions written in Japanese, but within a year he had picked up conversational Japanese and was even training newly arrived Vietnamese colleagues, a role he says he would not have been given so soon back home. This shows that overcoming challenges abroad can make people genuinely more capable and competitive.
On the other hand, remaining in one's home country offers real benefits too. Family support is closer, which matters greatly in Vietnam, where grandparents often help raise children while parents work. It can also be simpler to advance a career locally, since people already understand the industry and have existing professional relationships, rather than having to prove themselves again in an unfamiliar market. For many, this stability brings a stronger sense of belonging that can be hard to find abroad, at least at first.
In my view, despite the comfort of staying home, the growth that comes from working abroad makes it the more valuable choice for most young Vietnamese, at least for part of their career.
In conclusion, while home offers familiarity and support, living and working abroad provides opportunities for growth that are, in my opinion, ultimately more rewarding, especially early in one's career.
Collocations
Examiner Notes
- TR“This essay will discuss both views before giving my own opinion, which favours working overseas.” — The introduction not only previews the two-sided structure but also signals the writer's eventual stance, giving the essay clearer direction than a neutral roadmap would.
- LR“builds independence and resilience” — A more precise abstract-noun collocation than a basic adjective pairing, showing a step up in lexical control.
- CC“On the other hand, remaining in one's home country offers real benefits too.” — Still a fairly standard contrast marker, though the sentence that follows develops the counter-argument with more supporting detail than a 6.5 response would.
- GRA“a role he says he would not have been given so soon back home” — A non-defining relative-style appositive combined with a negative conditional idea packs extra meaning into the sentence without a separate clause, showing more range than a simple conditional sentence.
- TR“In my view, despite the comfort of staying home, the growth that comes from working abroad makes it the more valuable choice for most young Vietnamese, at least for part of their career.” — A clearly qualified opinion statement ('at least for part of their career') that shows more nuance than a flat, unqualified stance.
The 7.5 answer stands out for its single, tightly controlled sentence combining 'not only... but' with an inverted third conditional ('had he stayed in Vietnam'), plus a counterpoint paragraph that fully concedes the merits of staying home before the writer firmly reclaims their position.
The question of whether to pursue opportunities overseas or remain in one's home country is a perennial debate in Vietnam, where labour-export programmes to Japan and South Korea and a steadily growing number of students heading to Australia, the UK and Japan for postgraduate study have made this choice a genuinely live one for many families. This essay will explore the merits of each path before concluding with my own view on this significant life decision.
Advocates for international experience often highlight the profound personal and professional development it fosters. Living in a foreign country necessitates adapting to new languages, workplace norms, and everyday systems, thereby cultivating resilience, problem-solving skills and a broader worldview. My cousin, who took a three-year technical internship at a manufacturing plant in Osaka after finishing his engineering degree in Da Nang, initially struggled simply to read safety instructions and navigate a quality-control system that operated on entirely different assumptions from what he had learned at home. Within a year, however, he had not only mastered conversational Japanese but was training newly arrived Vietnamese workers on the same production line, a responsibility he says he would never have been offered so early in his career had he stayed in Vietnam. His experience illustrates how navigating an unfamiliar system, whether a foreign language or an entirely different workplace culture, builds adaptability and confidence that make individuals genuinely more competitive in a globalised job market.
Conversely, many individuals find substantial advantages in remaining within their home country. The comfort of an established social network, familiarity with local customs, and the unwavering support of nearby family are significant draws, particularly in a culture where several generations often help raise children together. Career progression can also be more straightforward when one already understands the nuances of the local industry and has built a reputation over time, avoiding the challenges of re-establishing credibility from scratch in an unfamiliar market. This stability can lead to deeper community engagement and a stronger sense of belonging, both of which are harder to replicate abroad, at least in the early years.
While both paths offer distinct benefits, I am firmly of the opinion that, for those with the opportunity to take it, the transformative potential of living and working abroad outweighs the comforts of staying home, at least for a formative period of one's career. The challenges encountered in a new environment, though daunting, ultimately forge a more adaptable, resourceful and globally aware individual, qualities that are increasingly valuable whether one eventually returns home or settles permanently overseas.
In conclusion, while the security and familiarity of one's home country are undeniably appealing, the distinctive opportunities for growth and skill acquisition that an international move presents are, in my view, far more enriching in the long run. Embracing the unknown, despite its initial difficulties, ultimately leads to a richer personal and professional life.
Collocations
Examiner Notes
- TR“This essay will explore the merits of each path before concluding with my own view on this significant life decision.” — The introduction previews a balanced structure and signals a personal stance will follow, setting up a clearly directed argument.
- LR“cultivating resilience, problem-solving skills and a broader worldview” — A precise, topic-specific collocation list that captures abstract personal-development outcomes concisely.
- CC“Conversely, many individuals find substantial advantages in remaining within their home country.” — The discourse marker 'Conversely' clearly pivots the essay from the first viewpoint to the opposing one.
- GRA“Within a year, however, he had not only mastered conversational Japanese but was training newly arrived Vietnamese workers on the same production line, a responsibility he says he would never have been offered so early in his career had he stayed in Vietnam.” — A long, controlled sentence combining a correlative 'not only... but' structure with an inverted third-conditional clause ('had he stayed'), showing sophisticated grammatical range.
- TR“I am firmly of the opinion that, for those with the opportunity to take it, the transformative potential of living and working abroad outweighs the comforts of staying home” — A direct, unambiguous restatement of the writer's position with a qualifying clause, fulfilling the sustained-argument requirement.