Is Creativity Innate or Can It Be Taught?
A complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 question with a model answer of 285 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 40 minutes. Write at least 250 words.
Some people say that creativity cannot be taught; it is something we are born with. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Write at least 250 words.
How to approach it
- 01State the extent of your agreement clearly in the introduction
- 02Show that you understand the opposing view before refuting it
- 03Use specific evidence — researchers, programmes, real examples
- 04Avoid extreme positions; nuanced essays score higher
- 05Vary your linkers: 'however', 'nevertheless', 'on the contrary'
- 06Aim for at least one complex argument-and-counter structure
Model answer
285 words in 5 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
It is sometimes claimed that creativity is an inborn gift, found in artists, inventors, and entrepreneurs from childhood, and that no amount of training can produce it in people who lack it. While I accept that natural temperament plays a role, I largely disagree with this view: the evidence from education, psychology, and the arts suggests that creativity is a teachable, trainable skill.
Those who argue creativity is innate point to the apparent ease with which gifted individuals — a young Mozart, a teenage chess prodigy — produce original work. They argue that classroom exercises in "creative thinking" can refine technique but cannot manufacture the spark itself. This view is appealing because creative breakthroughs often look mysterious and effortless from the outside.
However, modern research strongly contradicts this romantic view. Studies of expertise by Anders Ericsson and others show that virtually all elite performers, including those celebrated for originality, accumulated thousands of hours of deliberate practice, exposure to diverse influences, and feedback from mentors. Programmes such as design-thinking workshops at Stanford and music-improvisation courses at Berklee have repeatedly demonstrated measurable gains in students' ability to generate novel solutions. Even Mozart, often cited as a natural genius, was the son of a music teacher who began training him systematically before the age of four.
In my view, creativity is best understood as a combination of curiosity, knowledge, and habits of mind, all of which can be cultivated. Children encouraged to ask questions, take intellectual risks, and remix ideas from different fields become reliably more inventive as adults, regardless of their starting point.
In conclusion, while some people may have a temperamental head start, creativity is overwhelmingly a learned capacity, and good schools and workplaces can grow it deliberately.
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 69 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
6 fewer than the median answer for this task type
8 words at the shortest, 34 at the longest
the same as the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 23.8 words and vary by 7.1 words either side of that, running from 8 words to 34. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 9 of the 12 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
6 in total, spread across 4 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
however, while
because
such as
in conclusion
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 90 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 83 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 2 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Response
Take a clear position and defend it with relevant ideas
Coherence & Cohesion
Use logical paragraphs with clear topic sentences
Lexical Resource
Use precise vocabulary for psychology and education
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Use a wide range of complex structures accurately
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