Some people say that when buying a product (eg. a mobile/ cell phone), or choosing a service (eg. medical treatment), price is the most important thing to consider. Do you agree or disagree?
Here is an essay on this topic written by one of our students.
Analysis
Overall band: 6.5
This essay has failed to address the given task although there are few grammar mistakes in it. The writer either didn’t read the question carefully or they didn’t understand it fully.
What exactly is meant when someone says that they consider the price before buying a product? What they mean is that they tend to choose the cheaper option. A rich person does not have to consider the price. They can buy anything they want. A poor or a middle class person considers the price to check whether the product or service is affordable to them. So, the question is whether price should be the most important consideration.
The whole of this essay was about the benefits of considering the price. That is not what the writer should have written. They should have explained whether it is a good idea to consider the price at all times. So, a person is buying a mobile phone for making calls and doing a little bit of surfing. They are not buying it to show off or to play graphic rich video games. They can and should consider the price. They don’t need an expensive model. An expensive laptop is necessary for people who do high end video editing and similar stuff. They cannot really consider the price. If they need a quality product they should be willing to pay more.
Likewise, in the case of services like medical treatment, price cannot be considered at all. If you or a loved one faces a health emergency, will you consider the price of the treatment? You will go to a hospital that provides the best care regardless of the price. If you can’t afford it, you will get a loan. Will you opt for inferior treatment? No. So, there are situations where price should be considered. There are also situations where price should not be considered at all.
There are few grammar mistakes in this essay. However, since the arguments are not relevant to the question, this essay is unlikely to get more than 6.5 band. The writer also failed to write 250 words.
Band 9 essay sample
According to some people, price should be the first consideration when buying a product or service. I do not agree with this view. Of course, there are situations where price can and should be considered. However, sometimes we have to prioritize quality over price.
While buying a product like a mobile phone or a camera price can certainly be considered especially if our requirements are limited. For example, someone buying a mobile phone for making phones and chatting with their friends does not need an expensive, high end model. They only need a mid-range or a lower range product that does not cost much money. On the other hand, if we are buying a product with specific needs in mind, we cannot always consider the price. In this case, we need a quality product that will fulfill our requirements and such products are usually expensive. A professional photographer, for instance, need a high end camera. They cannot choose a digital camera just because it is inexpensive.
In the same way, price cannot always be considered when we are in the market for a service like education or medical treatment. When a loved one falls ill, we want to offer them the best treatment money can buy. People who cannot afford expensive medical treatment may sell their property or get a loan to avail of it. They are unlikely to opt for cheap healthcare just because it is the only affordable option. That is because, in life and death situations, money is never the first priority of people. In the case of education as well, quality should be prioritized over price.
In short, it is certainly a good idea to consider the price in situations where our requirements are not particularly high or specific. In other situations where quality is more important, price cannot be the first consideration.
