Is it more important for a job to pay well or to be enjoyable?
Duolingo English Test writing question in the official format, with a full model answer and notes on why it scores. Write your own version below it and get an instant rater-style score.
The question
Is it more important for a job to pay well or to be enjoyable? Explain your opinion with reasons and examples from your own experience.
Model answer
My answer changes with circumstances, and I think honest answers to this question always do. When my family depended on my income, pay mattered more, full stop; enjoyment is a luxury you buy after rent. But once earnings pass the point of covering needs and modest savings, the balance flips completely. A job takes eight hours of every day, and no salary compensates for eight daily hours of dread; I watched an uncle earn excellent money in a role he hated, and the money mostly went to treating the stress the job created. So my rule is sequence, not preference: secure enough pay first, then trade every further increase for work you actually want to wake up for.
Why this answer scores
- Rejects the false binary with a conditional answer, showing genuine analysis.
- The uncle example is short, human and directly on point.
- 'Sequence, not preference' gives the response a quotable core idea.
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