Using AI to Make Hiring Decisions · Advantages and Disadvantages
A complete IELTS General Training Writing Task 2 question with a model answer of 297 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.
Many companies now use artificial intelligence to read CVs, score job applications, and decide which candidates should be invited to interview. Do the advantages of using AI to make hiring decisions outweigh the disadvantages? Write at least 250 words.
How to approach it
- 01Read carefully — 'Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?' demands a weighted opinion
- 02State your overall verdict in the introduction and reinforce it in the conclusion
- 03Devote one body paragraph each to advantages and disadvantages with comparable depth
- 04Use specific examples (AI bias cases, keyword filtering) rather than vague generalisations
- 05Distinguish this format from 'discuss both views' — you are weighing pros and cons of one trend, not two opposing opinions
- 06Close with an explicit weighted statement such as 'the disadvantages outweigh the advantages'
Model answer
297 words in 4 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.
In the past few years, artificial intelligence has moved from a curiosity in recruitment to a routine part of the hiring process. From CV scanners to video-interview analysis, AI now decides which candidates get through the first stages at many large employers. In my view, the disadvantages of this trend currently outweigh the advantages, although the balance could shift as the technology matures.
There are two genuine advantages to AI-led recruitment. The first is efficiency. A popular advertised role can attract several thousand applications, and human recruiters simply do not have time to read every CV carefully. An AI system can shortlist within minutes and free recruiters to focus on interviewing the strongest candidates. A second benefit is the potential reduction in some forms of human bias. If an algorithm is told to ignore names, addresses, and photographs, it can in principle prevent discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, or appearance, which still influences many human reviewers.
However, the disadvantages are serious. The most pressing is that AI systems often reproduce the biases hidden in their training data. Famous examples include tools that downgraded CVs containing the word 'women's' or favoured candidates from a narrow set of universities — effectively automating discrimination at scale. A second drawback is the loss of human judgement. People who change careers, take time out for caring responsibilities, or have unusual but valuable experience are easily filtered out by keyword-based systems that cannot read context. There is also a transparency problem: rejected candidates rarely know why they were rejected, which makes the process feel arbitrary and erodes trust in employers.
In conclusion, although AI can speed up hiring and reduce some bias, its current weaknesses make it less fair, not more. On balance, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages until these systems become genuinely accountable.
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 more than the median answer for this task type
4 words at the shortest, 29 at the longest
1 fewer than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 17.5 words and vary by 7.5 words either side of that, running from 4 words to 29. 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 17 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
5 in total, spread across 2 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.
although, however
in conclusion, on balance
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 83 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 70 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
Cover both advantages and disadvantages with developed support, and give a clear weighted opinion as the prompt requires.
Coherence & Cohesion
Use four well-organised paragraphs with explicit signposting between advantages, disadvantages, and the verdict.
Lexical Resource
Use precise vocabulary for technology, recruitment, ethics, and evaluation.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Use a range of complex structures including conditionals, concessive clauses, and modal verbs accurately.
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