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News Covid-19 outbreak puts the poor in dire straits

News Covid-19 outbreak puts the poor in dire straits 15A7q
Street vendor Le Thi Hong could not sleep as thoughts over numerous expenses bombarded her. Hong woke her child at 4 a. m. to get ready for a new day. The 38-year-old street vendor and her four-year-old daughter lives in a 12-square-meter rented room in Dong Nai Province near HCMC. The girl, still hungry for more sleep, shared a bowl of instant noodles with her mom. After the meager breakfast, Hong brought her daughter to an acquaintance who takes care of the child for VND60, 000 ($2. 54) a day before she hit the street in search of customers. She carried a basket of different tiny things like Q-tips, hair ties and key chains. Before the Lunar New Year festival, Sunday felt like payday to street vendors like Hong. "On Sundays, profits were around VND500, 000 ($21. 18), enough to feed me and my daughter and support my husband and our two kids back home, " said Hong, one of many migrant workers who left their families in northern or central Vietnam for a job in the middle of industrial and commercial centers in the south. The first two Covid-19 cases in Vietnam, two Chinese nationals, were reported at the start of the Lunar New Year holiday, on January 23. In the wake of the Covid-19 spread, restaurants are closed, factory workers are out of work, people receive decreased salaries and shop less. Street vendors like Hong receive nothing but ‘no's’ when trying to make a sale. Having no luck on busy streets, Hong entered small alleys to knock on people’s doors, but to no avail. "Give me some Q-tips you, " a man told Hong before grabbing a bag from her basket and walking away. "You forgot to pay, " Hong called after him, but the man paid no heed. It was near noon and her shirt was drenched in sweat. Hong had only VND80, 000 ($3. 39) in her pocket, not enough for the day's expenses. She took out a handkerchief and placed it on the back of her neck to alleviate the pressure of the string holding the basket she carried, and moved on to another alley. "I don’t have any rice field, fishing doesn’t earn much, I have three kids so I had to migrate to make a living. Now because of the disease, people shoo me away like a plague when they see me. If I go back to my hometown I won’t know what to do, " Hong said. She earns about VND100, 000 ($4. 23) a day, only a third of what she used to. Hong still buys her daughter milk and pays for her daycare. Their meal consisting of 100 gram of meat, an egg and vegetables costs VND40, 000. Her daughter usually gets the meat and egg, while Hong eats dried fish. A lot of neighbors had left Dong Nai and gone back to their hometown, but Hong remained reluctant until her husband pleaded with her. "You stay but can’t sell anything. We are together, hungry or full, " he told her on the phone as she wept. She packed light and told her landlord she would return after the outbreak is contained. The mother and daughter got on a bus heading to central Vietnam. She plans to buy and rear five chickens and plant vegetables to feed the family. "I wish the sea is calm so I could catch fish to eat, " she thought to herself on the ride home. While Hong headed home uncertain about her family's future, some of her street colleagues in HCMC now depend on donations to stay out of hunger. In their rented 10-square-meter room in Thanh Loc Ward, District 12, HCMC, Chau Ngoc Nu, 83, and her daughter Le Thi Kim Thanh, 48, both scrap collectors, waited gifts from a humanitarian agency.
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
Street
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
vendor
Le
Possible spelling mistake found.
Thi
Hong could not sleep as thoughts over numerous expenses bombarded her.

Hong woke her child at 4 a. m. to
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
get
ready for a new day. The 38-year-
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
old
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
street
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
vendor
and her four-year-
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
old
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
daughter
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
lives
in a 12-square-meter rented room in Dong
Possible spelling mistake found.
Nai
Province near
Possible spelling mistake found.
HCMC
.

The girl,
still
hungry for more sleep, shared a bowl of instant noodles with her mom.

After the meager breakfast, Hong brought her
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
daughter
to an acquaintance who takes care of the child for VND60, 000 ($2. 54) a day
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
before
she hit the
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
street
in search of customers. She carried a basket of
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
different
tiny things like Q-tips, hair ties and key chains.

This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
Before
the Lunar New Year festival, Sunday felt like payday to
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
street
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
vendors
like Hong.

Use a smart opening quote here: "“".
"
On Sundays, profits were around VND500, 000 ($21. 18),
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
enough
to feed me and my
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
daughter
and support my husband and our two kids
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
back
home,
Don't put a space on both sides of a quote symbol
"
said Hong, one of
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
many
migrant workers who
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
left
their families in northern or central Vietnam for a job in the middle of industrial and commercial centers in the south.

The
first
two Covid-19 cases in Vietnam, two Chinese nationals,
were reported
at the
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
start
of the Lunar New Year holiday, on January 23.

In the wake of the Covid-19 spread, restaurants
are closed
, factory workers are out of work,
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
people
receive decreased salaries and shop less.
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
Street
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
vendors
like Hong receive nothing
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
but
‘no's’ when trying to
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
make
a sale.

Having no luck on busy
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
streets
, Hong entered
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
small
alleys to knock on
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
people
’s doors,
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
but
to no avail.

Use a smart opening quote here: "“".
"
Give me
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
some
Q-tips you,
Don't put a space on both sides of a quote symbol
"
a
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
man
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
told
Hong
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
before
grabbing a bag from her basket and walking away.

Use a smart opening quote here: "“".
"
You forgot to pay,
Don't put a space on both sides of a quote symbol
"
Hong called after him,
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
but
the
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
man
paid no heed.

It was near noon and her shirt
was drenched
in sweat. Hong had
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
only
VND80, 000 ($3. 39) in her pocket, not
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
enough
for the day's expenses. She took out a handkerchief and placed it on the
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
back
of her neck to alleviate the pressure of the string holding the basket she carried, and
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
moved
on to another alley.

Use a smart opening quote here: "“".
"
I don’t have any rice field, fishing doesn’t earn much, I have three kids
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
so
I had to migrate to
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
make
a living.
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
Now
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
because
of the disease,
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
people
shoo me away like a plague when they
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
see
me. If I go
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
back
to my hometown I won’t know what to do,
Don't put a space on both sides of a quote symbol
"
Hong said.

She earns about VND100, 000 ($4. 23) a day,
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
only
a third of what she
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
used
to. Hong
still
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
buys
her
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
daughter
milk and pays for her daycare. Their meal consisting of 100
Possible agreement error. The noun 'gram' seems to be countable, so consider using: "grams".
gram
of meat, an egg and vegetables costs VND40, 000. Her
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
daughter
usually
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
gets
the meat and egg, while Hong eats dried fish.

This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
A lot of
neighbors had
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
left
Dong
Possible spelling mistake found.
Nai
and gone
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
back
to their hometown,
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
but
Hong remained reluctant until her husband pleaded with her.

Use a smart opening quote here: "“".
"
You stay
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
but
can’t sell anything. We are together, hungry or full,
Don't put a space on both sides of a quote symbol
"
he
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
told
her on the phone as she wept.

She packed light and
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
told
her landlord she would return after the outbreak
is contained
. The mother and
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
daughter
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
got
on a bus heading to central Vietnam.

She plans to
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
buy
and rear five chickens and plant vegetables to feed the family.

Use a smart opening quote here: "“".
"
I wish the sea is calm
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
so
I could catch fish to eat,
Don't put a space on both sides of a quote symbol
"
she
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
thought
to herself on the ride home.

While Hong headed home uncertain about her family's future,
This phrase/word is too simple and can be replaced with:
some
of her
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
street
colleagues in
Possible spelling mistake found.
HCMC
This phrase/word (depending on the context) can be potentially replaced with :
now
depend on donations to stay out of hunger.

In their rented 10-square-meter room in Thanh
Possible spelling mistake found.
Loc
Ward, District 12,
Possible spelling mistake found.
HCMC
,
Possible spelling mistake found.
Chau
Possible spelling mistake found.
Ngoc
Nu, 83, and her
You use this word too often, consider replacing it with
daughter
Le
Possible spelling mistake found.
Thi
Kim Thanh, 48, both scrap collectors, waited gifts from a humanitarian agency.
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IELTS essay News Covid-19 outbreak puts the poor in dire straits

Essay
  American English
21 paragraphs
639 words
5.5
Overall Band Score
Coherence and Cohesion: 5.5
  • Structure your answers in logical paragraphs
  • ?
    One main idea per paragraph
  • Include an introduction and conclusion
  • Support main points with an explanation and then an example
  • Use cohesive linking words accurately and appropriately
  • Vary your linking phrases using synonyms
Lexical Resource: 5.0
  • Try to vary your vocabulary using accurate synonyms
  • Use less common question specific words that accurately convey meaning
  • Check your work for spelling and word formation mistakes
Grammatical Range: 6.0
  • Use a variety of complex and simple sentences
  • Check your writing for errors
Task Achievement: 5.0
  • Answer all parts of the question
  • ?
    Present relevant ideas
  • Fully explain these ideas
  • Support ideas with relevant, specific examples
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