Some people think that international trade mostly depends on fast and easy transport. Others believe that modern technology is the main reason for its success. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Stance: My essay will argue that while fast and easy transport is foundational, modern technology is the primary driver of international trade's success, particularly by enabling complex logistics and market integration.
This response is capped at 6.5 because the technology paragraph offers only one workplace example without a layered explanation of why technology outweighs transport, and connectors stay limited to plain choices like 'However' and 'In my opinion' throughout.
The success of international trade is sometimes explained by fast transport, and sometimes by modern technology. This essay will discuss both ideas and then explain why I think technology is more important.
It is true that fast and easy transport is very important for trade. Without quick ways to move goods, many businesses could not sell their products in other countries. For example, Vietnam exports fresh food like dragon fruit and lychee, and also seafood like shrimp and tra fish. These products need fast air transport or refrigerated ships so they do not go bad before they reach markets in Japan, Europe or the United States. Better ports and cheaper shipping also help exporters sell to more countries.
However, I think modern technology is even more important for trade because it changes the way trade works, not just how goods are moved. Technology such as computers, the internet and software helps companies manage supply chains, make payments, and communicate with customers in other countries. When I worked as an operations supervisor for a coffee company in Ho Chi Minh City, we used inventory software to plan how much packaging to import and how many bags of coffee to export. Without this kind of technology, a small business like ours could not trade internationally so easily.
In my opinion, technology is the main reason for the success of international trade today. Transport is necessary, but technology gives businesses the information and connections they need to trade efficiently.
In conclusion, both transport and technology are important for international trade, but I believe technology plays the bigger role because it connects markets and makes trade more efficient.
Collocations
Examiner Notes
- TR“This essay will discuss both ideas and then explain why I think technology is more important.” — The introduction states a clear final position early, directly answering the 'give your own opinion' part of the question, though in a short, plain sentence.
- LR“manage supply chains, make payments, and communicate with customers” — A simple list of business-technology functions using accurate but common vocabulary, rather than the more specialised terms used at higher bands.
- CC“However, I think modern technology is even more important for trade because it changes the way trade works, not just how goods are moved.” — 'However' clearly signals the shift to the writer's preferred argument, a correct and effective, if very standard, cohesive device.
- GRA“we used inventory software to plan how much packaging to import and how many bags of coffee to export” — A correct sentence using parallel infinitive-of-purpose structures ('to import', 'to export'), though it is a single clause rather than the multi-clause sentences seen at higher bands.
- TR“Transport is necessary, but technology gives businesses the information and connections they need to trade efficiently.” — Acknowledges the opposing factor briefly before restating the chosen position, meeting the task requirement without extended development.
This answer reaches 7.0 through more precise collocations ('coordinate with partners across borders') and a reason-justified opinion, but its examples are still single anecdotes without the 7.5 answer's explicit comparison of 'a few decades ago' versus now, which gives that version a sharper historical contrast.
The success of international trade is often linked either to efficient transport or to advances in modern technology. This essay will discuss both viewpoints before concluding that, although transport provides an essential foundation, technology is the more important driver of trade today.
It is undeniable that fast and reliable transport underpins international trade. Without the ability to move goods across long distances quickly, many export industries simply could not function. Vietnam's export economy is a clear example: fresh produce such as dragon fruit and lychee, together with seafood like shrimp and tra fish, relies on rapid air freight or refrigerated shipping to reach markets in Japan, Europe and the United States before spoiling. Improvements in ports and logistics have lowered transit times and shipping costs, helping exporters reach more distant markets and compete on price.
However, modern technology plays an even more central role, because it does not just move goods but transforms how trade is organised. Advances in communication, data systems and automation allow companies to manage complex supply chains, process payments quickly, and coordinate with partners across borders in real time. When I worked as an operations supervisor for a coffee company in Ho Chi Minh City, inventory management software let us forecast demand for imported packaging far more accurately while tracking orders for the beans we exported to partners abroad, something that would have been extremely difficult without such tools.
My own view is that technology is the more significant driver of trade's success, since it provides the intelligence and connectivity that allow transport networks to be used efficiently.
In conclusion, while fast transport remains essential to international trade, it is modern technology, with its ability to connect and coordinate global markets, that ultimately drives its continued success.
Collocations
Examiner Notes
- TR“This essay will discuss both viewpoints before concluding that, although transport provides an essential foundation, technology is the more important driver of trade today.” — The thesis names both sides and gives a specific, defensible conclusion within the same sentence, similar in structure to the 7.5 introduction but with slightly less varied phrasing.
- LR“process payments quickly, and coordinate with partners across borders in real time” — A more precise, business-specific collocation set than at 6.5, showing a wider and more natural lexical range.
- CC“However, modern technology plays an even more central role, because it does not just move goods but transforms how trade is organised.” — 'However' introduces the pivot as at 6.5, but the following clause develops a sharper contrast ('not just... but') that adds cohesion within the sentence itself.
- GRA“inventory management software let us forecast demand for imported packaging far more accurately while tracking orders for the beans we exported to partners abroad” — A complex sentence combining a causative verb ('let us forecast') with a parallel 'while' clause, showing more grammatical range than the single-clause sentences at 6.5.
- TR“My own view is that technology is the more significant driver of trade's success, since it provides the intelligence and connectivity that allow transport networks to be used efficiently.” — The opinion is justified with a reason clause ('since it provides...') rather than simply asserted, giving fuller task response than an unexplained stance.
The 7.5 answer stands out for explicitly contrasting the present with 'a few decades ago, when a small business like ours would have had no realistic way to trade internationally at all', a historical framing that makes the argument for technology's primacy far more vivid than a simple present-tense description.
The success of international trade is often attributed to two distinct factors: the efficiency of transport networks or advances in modern technology. This essay will discuss both perspectives before concluding that while transport lays essential groundwork, technological innovation is the more significant catalyst for global commerce.
Undeniably, swift and accessible transport is foundational to international trade. Without the ability to move goods across vast distances quickly and affordably, entire sectors of global exchange would simply not exist. Vietnam's own export economy illustrates this well: fresh produce such as dragon fruit and lychee, along with seafood like tra fish and shrimp, depends entirely on rapid air freight or refrigerated container shipping to reach supermarket shelves in Japan, Europe, or the United States before spoiling. Reduced transit times and lower shipping costs, driven by improvements in ports and logistics, allow exporters to reach distant markets, expanding consumer choice abroad and driving competitive pricing worldwide.
However, modern technology plays an even more pivotal role, not merely facilitating movement but fundamentally reshaping how international trade operates. Beyond physical transport, technological advances in communication, data analytics, and automation streamline complex supply chains, manage payment systems, and enable instantaneous cross-border transactions. In my experience as an operations supervisor for a coffee chain in Ho Chi Minh City, implementing inventory management software allowed us to forecast demand for imported packaging and equipment with far greater accuracy, while also tracking export orders for the roasted beans we supply to partners abroad. This kind of digital infrastructure underpins the intricate web of global commerce, making it efficient, transparent, and scalable in ways unimaginable a few decades ago, when a small business like ours would have had no realistic way to trade internationally at all.
My own view aligns with the argument that modern technology is the paramount force behind the prosperity of international trade. While efficient transport provides the physical conduits, technology furnishes the intelligence and connectivity that truly unlock global market potential, as smaller economies like Vietnam's are discovering. In conclusion, both fast transport and modern technology are indispensable to international trade, yet the sophisticated systems and global interconnectedness fostered by technological innovation ultimately contribute more profoundly to its success than the physical movement of goods alone.
Collocations
Examiner Notes
- TR“This essay will discuss both perspectives before concluding that while transport lays essential groundwork, technological innovation is the more significant catalyst for global commerce.” — The thesis names both sides of the debate and commits to a specific, defensible conclusion in the same sentence.
- LR“expanding consumer choice abroad and driving competitive pricing worldwide” — Trade-specific collocations ('consumer choice', 'competitive pricing') are used naturally to describe economic effects.
- CC“However, modern technology plays an even more pivotal role, not merely facilitating movement but fundamentally reshaping how international trade operates.” — 'However' cleanly signals the pivot to the essay's stronger, preferred argument after conceding the first point.
- GRA“In my experience as an operations supervisor for a coffee chain in Ho Chi Minh City, implementing inventory management software allowed us to forecast demand for imported packaging and equipment with far greater accuracy, while also tracking export orders for the roasted beans we supply to partners abroad.” — A complex sentence opening with a prepositional phrase and using a gerund subject plus a parallel 'while' clause to control two related ideas in one span.
- TR“My own view aligns with the argument that modern technology is the paramount force behind the prosperity of international trade.” — A clear personal-position statement that directly answers the prompt's 'your own view' requirement.