Ielts learners

Useful Vocabulary & Expressions:

• 
  faith: trust in somebody’s ability or knowledge; trust that somebody/something will do what has been promised
  

Example: He has blind faith (= unreasonable trust) in doctors' ability to find a cure.

• To deter somebody from doing something:

Example: The high price of the service could deter people from seeking advice.

• 
  Extracurricular: not part of the usual course of work or studies at a school or college
  

Example: She is involved in many extra-curricular activities.

• 
  Inferior: not good or not as good as somebody/something else
  

Example: Modern music is often considered inferior to that of the past.

• 
  Impediment: something that delays or stops the progress of something
  

Example: The level of inflation is a serious impediment to economic recovery.
IELTS Writing Task 2 in November 2015
Whether or not someone achieve their aims is mostly a question of luck. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Essay 1:

The debate whether luck is the primary determinant of success in achieving targets has been heated constantly. My position is that hard work and determination are far more important than luck, while luck must not be considered as the main precursor of the attainment of one’s goals.

I advocate the notion that the role of being industrious and determined is more significant than luck. Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors in the 20th century, is an excellent example of such a notion. He conducted numerous experiments with the filament until the finest light bulb was produced; and his hard work, rather than luck, was acknowledged by all the human race. Another clear evidence of this notion is the case of Nguyen Ngoc Ky. This disabled man could not write by hand, but he was determined enough to teach himself to write by foot. The fact that he would then became one of the greatest teachers in the history of education in Vietnam provides a concrete foundation that even with bad luck, determination could result in goal achievement.
By contrast, I believe the saying that fortune has a major part to play is just a fallacy. One clear reason is that although there may have been a number of people reaching their goals with good luck, such good luck in most cases only comes to people who have worked hard. Take Mendeleev as an example. As a research chemist, he worked tirelessly for a few decades, until one day in his dream, the complete arrangement of the elements appeared. The appearance of this arrangement could be ascribed to luck, but no one could deny the extreme effort that Mendeleev had exerted. Another clear reason for my belief is that luck could only lead people to short-term achievements, and there is nothing to ascertain that it would continue to exist in the long run. The over-reliance on good fortune, as a result, would prevent people from achieving their long-term or life-long aims.
In brief, I think the importance of luck in determining goal attainment is overstated, while there are much more significant factors to consider, namely hard work and determination.