- Writing: Grammar
- Writing: Task response/Task achievement
- Psychological Angle
- Economics Angle
- Social Angle
- Tech Angle
- Health Angle
- Environment Angle
- Law/Regulations Angle
Q. The graph below shows the proportion of four different materials that were recycled from 1982 to 2010 in a particular country. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparison where relevant.
The given line graph shows the recycling rate for four different materials during the period from 1982 to 2010 in a particular country. It is evident that paper & cardboard is the most recycled material. About 65 percent of paper & cardboard was recycled in 1982. The recycling of these materials reached their peak value of 80 percent in 1994. From then onwards, there was a steady decline in the amount of paper & cardboard recycled.
Glass containers are the second most recycled material. While in 1982 about 50% of glass containers were recycled, that figure rose to 60% in 2010. The recycling of aluminum cans started in 1984. While only about 5 percent of aluminum cans were recycled in that year that figure rose steadily to 45 percent in 2010.
Plastic is the least recycled material. The recycling of plastic started around 1988. However, there has only been a small increase in the amount of plastic recycled over the years.
1. TASK ACHIEVEMENT: (25%)
- Pay attention to ALL issues in the essay question
- Write about the issues rather than just the general topic
- Answer the essay question with relevant main points
- Plan your supporting points so they don’t go off the topic
- Write over 250 words
2. COHERENCE AND COHESION: (25%)
- Have either four or five paragraphs but not more and not less
- Have just one central topic in each body 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
3. LEXICAL RESOURCE: (25%)
- Pay attention to collocations (which verb matches which noun)
- Paraphrase carefully to avoid errors
- 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
- Avoid using informal language
4. GRAMMATICAL RANGE: (25%)
- Use a variety of complex and simple sentences
- Check your writing for errors
- Use different grammar tenses (conditionals, perfect tenses, passive voice, past, future etc)
- Pay attention to word order in your sentences
- Use a range of sentence structures
- Use the correct punctuation (full stops and commas)
- Avoid errors in grammar (articles, plural nouns, uncountable nouns, word order)
To get an excellent score in the IELTS Task 2 writing section, one of the easiest and most effective tips is structuring your writing in the most solid format. A great argument essay structure may be divided to four paragraphs, in which comprises of four sentences (excluding the conclusion paragraph, which comprises of three sentences).
For we to consider an essay structure a great one, it should be looking like this:
- Paragraph 1 - Introduction
- Sentence 1 - Background statement
- Sentence 2 - Detailed background statement
- Sentence 3 - Thesis
- Sentence 4 - Outline sentence
- Paragraph 2 - First supporting paragraph
- Sentence 1 - Topic sentence
- Sentence 2 - Example
- Sentence 3 - Discussion
- Sentence 4 - Conclusion
- Paragraph 3 - Second supporting paragraph
- Sentence 1 - Topic sentence
- Sentence 2 - Example
- Sentence 3 - Discussion
- Sentence 4 - Conclusion
- Paragraph 4 - Conclusion
- Sentence 1 - Summary
- Sentence 2 - Restatement of thesis
- Sentence 3 - Prediction or recommendation
STEP 1: INTRODUCTION
- Repeat the question in your own words
In the essay introduction, you should start by repeating the question. This does NOT mean that you should COPY the question. You should say the question again, but using different words that mean the same thing (synonyms).
For example, if your question was something like: Some people believe that capital punishment should never be used. Others believe that it could be used for the most serious crimes. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Then the opening sentence of your introduction should use synonyms to say the question again in your own words. for example: It is a commonly held belief that the death penalty is a Draconian penalty and not appropriate in modern society. However, there is also an argument that the most despicable crimes should have this most severe of punishments.
- Give your opinion
As soon as you have restated the question, then give your opinion on the subject. This gives the examiner an overview of what is to come in your essay.
It is important to note that it does not matter what your opinion is! There is no right or wrong answer to an IELTS essay question. You do NOT have to try and think "What will the examiner think is the right answer here". The examiner is only interested in the level of your English. So just give your first instinct opinion and don't try to out-think yourself.
STEP 2: Support your opinion
Now that you have given your opinion, you need to back it up. The best way to do this is to give examples.
You can begin this paragraph with phrases like:
Personally, I believe that... From my point of view... I am convinced that... In my opinion... In my view...
So, if your opinion was that you are against capital punishment, then as an example you could write about situations where people have been jailed for life for murder and then decades later they have been released as they were proven to be innocent. The relevant vocabulary here is "a miscarriage of justice".
Your argument would be that when a miscarriage of justice occurs, the prisoner would most likely have faced the death penalty and would have been killed even though they were innocent.
Another example could be that many murders are committed in 'hot blood' and often as an 'act of passion'.. This means that the murder was so angry about something that they were not thinking properly.
STEP 3: Give the other side of the argument
In your next paragraph, you should look at the question from the opposite viewpoint to yours. This shows the examiner that you have balance in your writing and it is a sign of a good essay.
You can start this paragraph with phrases such as:
It can also be argued that... Someone who held the opposing view would say that... However, there is also another side to this discussion. In contrast, some people hold the view that...
STEP 4: Conclusion - Summarise your opinion
To finish off your IELTS task 2 essay, you need to summarise your whole argument as a conclusion. Essentially, this means that you give your opinion again that you stated in the introduction.
To prove to the IELTS examiner that you have a good command of English vocabulary you should try again to use synonyms and not just copy your previous sentence. Now, you can add your expanded arguments (from step 2) into your opinion.
A conclusion that weighs up the arguments already mentioned is a really good opportunity to use a conditional sentence.
If capital punishment was reintroduced into society, I do not believe that it would act as a deterrent for heinous crimes. It is my strongly held belief that the death penalty would only result in future miscarriages of justice that serve no purpose in civilised society.
Q. Learning English at school is often seen as more important than learning local languages. If these are not taught, many are at risk of dying out. In your opinion, is it important for everyone to learn English? Should we try to ensure the survival of local languages and, if so, how?
Over the recent years, globalization has led to the free exchange of ideas and cultures. This inturn led to an extensive use of english as a lingua franca. In todays world learning this language is mandatory to succeed in life. At the same time local languages have to be preserved.
To begin with, the usage of as a bridge language desirable as it enhances cross cultural communication. These days job opportunities are various for people who are proficient in this language as this is the language of business. Most of the multinational companies open their branches across the world and mostly people who are well versed with english language are provided with high paid job. Apart from that if a country is to become competent in any field it is imperative for it to learn english. Succeeding in life is seldom seen without this.
Furthermore, it embodies a clear accessible standard for everybody to follow be it in books, movies or the internet. Most of the books, movies and magazines published in the world are in english. This is the language of technology, science, medicine, industry and education.
However, the decreased use of local language would lead to its death and language death means loss of culture. Culture forms language and language resolves around culture, the of one means the same for the other. Government must take appropriate action to protect their language from extinction. Appropriate legislation should be made and government must provide adequate funds for local language training institutions. Additionally individuals should continue using their mother langue.
To conclude, while proficiency in english is a much needed aspect to lead a successful life, one should also take pride in learning their local languages which is mandatory for the survival of these languages.
| Words used | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Lingua franca | A common language used by speakers of different languages |
| Competent | (of a person) efficient and capable. |
| Imperative | of vital importance; crucial. |
| Seldom | rarely |
Q. Some people think that having a set retirement age (e.g. 65 years) for everybody, regardless of occupation is unfair. They believe that certain workers deserve to retire and receive a pension at an earlier age. Do you agree or disagree? Which type of workers do you think should benefit from early retirement?
Since the inception of human civilization, the debate over the retirement age is widespread. Although people usually continue working after retirement, in most countries retirement is regulated. Some countries, with huge youth workforce, allow their citizens to retire early as 50. Similarly, countries that struggle with lack of workforce allow people to work more than 60 as 65 or 70 too. However, there are few occupations which demand exceptions over age limits. For example: in politics, people work with no age limit as this occupation is paramount and requires significantly long and skilled experience and in the military, servicemen are allowed to actively serve till 45 years only as the job necessitates impeccable physical fitness and dynamic adaptability.
Firstly, countries with huge youth workforce have enacted rules to force an average worker to end their careers early at an age of 50. Eminently, this decision is influenced by the requirement to engage maximum workforce to employment. Moreover, youth bring extra energy and new innovative ideas to turn jobs more productive and less costly. However, even in these countries, we find retired people working as freelancers after retirement as early retirement for most is not a rewarding experience, and in most cases, early retirement does not suffice all monetary requirements. For example: officially, China, a country with the largest youth and overall population, does not allow its citizens to work after 50.
Secondly, some countries like Poland, Iceland etc. allow their citizens to work till 70 as these countries are enduring with low workforce and high ageing people, who hold a major share of the population. Obviously, this has some repercussions over the productivity. But, many people support this idea as this allows them to muster enough money and resources to spend happy and independent life afterwards. For example, Austria, a country with the highest share of senior citizens, allow people to work till 70, and in order to tackle the issue, the country has announced a skilled migration scheme to attract skilled workers from other countries.
In conclusion, I believe that a retirement age should be selected after intensive research into a country's job market, population ratio and other factors impacting society. Also, certain occupations must be vetted differently as they required some specific skills. For example, politicians must not be barred after any age, and similarly, servicemen must get retired after 50.
Q. Solar energy is becoming more and more popular as a source of household energy in many countries around the world. Why is this? What are the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy?
Solar power as a source of domestic household energy is becoming more desirable because many individuals are concerned that burning fossil fuels adds carbon to the atmosphere and thus accelerates global warming and climate change. Carbon emitted in the atmosphere from burning fuels has turned people to use alternative sources of energy. They have found that solar power has many benefits and fewer drawbacks.
To begin with, the main advantage of solar energy is that after the initial installation, it is entirely free and renewable. Hence, there are no extra costs involved in producing the energy which is never going to expire. Individuals will continue to get solar energy as long as the Sun is there. Moreover, it is silent and environmentally friendly as well it does not destroy and poison the ecosystem. This is because the raw material -sunshine- does not need to be extracted. It has the capability to produce power in remote areas that are not necessarily connected to a power grid. A prime example of this is in space, where satellites are controlled by high productivity solar cells. The establishment of solar panels in remote areas is substantially more financially savvy than laying expensive voltage wires.
However, the greatest disadvantage of solar power is that it is totally reliant on sunlight, which is not always constant. In fact, there are some places where it may not be practicable for example Sweden, Norway, and Alaska. In addition, the panels are big and cumbersome requiring a larger place to be set up even the initial purchase. And installation of the equipment is expensive
To conclude, the benefits of a clean, quiet, and eco-friendly source of energy far outweigh the drawbacks, assisting secure natural resources for posterity.
| Words used | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cumbersome | difficult to handle or use |
| Feasible | practicable, possible |
Q. It is generally accepted that exercise is good for children and teenagers. Therefore, physical education and sport should be compulsory for all students in all schools. What do you think? Give reasons for your answers and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
According to a large number of people, exercise is good for young children and teenagers. Hence, schools should make physical education and sports mandatory for all students. In my opinion, I completely agree with this idea of giving importance to physical education and sport in the school curriculum.
To start with, exercise is the key to physical and mental health. It keeps the body of a child active and brings enthusiasm in him to complete other activities during the day. As most of the physical exercises are done in open grounds, they give young people a chance to connect with the nature. In addition, youngsters who play sports on a regular basis learn to accept success and defeat gracefully. These players get to compare their performance with each other and get encouraged to perform better. Team spirit is also one of the major benefits of playing sports which includes team participation.
Moreover, these exercises and sports help children to fight their sedentary lifestyle. For example, a child who has a sports competition next week will practice his skills at home as well. It also encourages the parents to spend their time with their children to train them for the league. This makes the entire family shift towards a healthy lifestyle that consists of regular physical exercise. Introducing exercise in the school timetable helps students to get a break from the exhaustive academic subjects and return to it with renewed interest. A student who is not very strong at academics gets a wonderful opportunity to build her career in sports if these sports are taught at school.
In conclusion, I strongly support the idea of making physical exercise and sports compulsory in primary and secondary learning institutions because sports benefit the overall growth and development of children.
| Words used | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sedentary | Requiring sitting or little activity |
Q. Rising university fees and scarce employment prospects for graduates have led some people to say that universities should not teach arts subjects, like philosophy and history and only offer practical degree courses that maximise chances of employment. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Owing to the rising unemployment and increasing cost of university education, it is considered by many people that subjects, such as philosophy and history, should be excluded from the curriculum and in order to increase job prospects, only practical subjects should be taught. In my opinion, even though practical subjects increase the chances of employment, art subjects have their own importance in contributing to the growth of an individual and the society/nation.
Arts subjects are crucial for the growth of the individual. This is primarily because many individuals are passionate about studying these subjects. By studying them, people are able to understand the human behavior. As a result, they would know the causes behind the unethical behavior of the humans. This would enable them to be creative and come up with the innovative ideas to avoid such behavior and make the world a better place to live in. Thus, these subjects would enhance the thinking ability of the individuals.
However, diminishing employment opportunities and increased university fees have made professional courses more viable options. By teaching practical subjects, such as accountancy and law, job prospects would increase for an individual. This is mainly because employers prefer a candidate fully equipped with the practical knowledge. For instance, multinational companies shortlist only those candidates who can prepare the financial statements which require accountancy skills. Once people find jobs, the unemployment rate comes down and the nation progresses. It is apparent / obvious that the demand for practical/professional courses is at an all time high.
To conclude, practical subjects, no doubt, increase job opportunities for the people and help them with their daily needs. Art subjects, however, are also crucial for the development of the individual and the society. Hence, in my opinion, universities should offer both types of courses.
Q. Most people accept that we now live in a globalised world but not everyone agrees that this is beneficial. To what extend is globalisation a positive or negative development?
Globalisation is here to stay, driven by advances in information technology and resulting in scientific technological and economic progress and increased international trade and investment. It has had wde-ranging positive and negative effects on employment and economic development, scientific research, language and culture and the environment.
One positive result of globalisation is the global distribution of labour. It is now much easier to move to other countries to find work and this leads to better employment prospects for individuals and to more diverse workspaces. In addition capital and industrial resources have migrated to developing countries, thus providing local jobs and boosting local economies. It has also resulted in greater contract between different cultures, as travel has become relatively safer and les expensive than it used to be. Ease of communication has encouraged an unprecedented level of global scientific research and co-operation and a subsequent explosion of knowledge and information.
A downside of this global economy is that when a catastrophe occurs as in the recent global financial crisis that started in the USA, it affects the whole world. Similarly, when a virus emerges in one region of the world, it spreads rapidly, threatening world wide health. Globalization affect culture and language too; minority languages are dying out because of the necessity of learning english for international business and indigenous cultures are being rejected in favour of a dominant often USA-based culture. Finally, levels of population are rising as countries strive for economic growth and a competitive edge in the global market.
In conclusion, globalisation is a double edged sword that has created jobs and promoted international co-operation but has led to cultural losses, more environmental damage, increased health risks and exposure to economic crises. However, our world will continue to shrink as technology expands and we need to accept globalisation as fact of life in the 21st century.
| Words used | Meaning |
|---|---|
| unprecedented | never done or known before. |
| strive | make great efforts to achieve something. |
| dominant | having power and influence over others. |
Q. Some people believe the aim of university education is to help graduates get better jobs. Others believe there are much wider benefits of university education for both individuals and society. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
University education is very important for the personal and professional growth of students and has various advantages. While some people might think that it is only useful for getting a good job, in my opinion, it enhances the overall personality of the student and thus offers multiple benefits.
Firstly, in my opinion, university education helps in building a very strong profile. There is no doubt that now-a- days organizations look for applicants with a university degree and it is an added advantage during placements. Especially, in the case of mass placements, if the university is good then the companies may hire more than 50 students from the same institution. Also, graduates are much less likely to be unemployed than people who do not have a degree. They also command higher salaries. Obviously, university education is indispensable for the career growth of most people.
However, graduating from university has many other benefits too. Students become smart, independent and it enhances their all round development. For instance, students get a chance to organise inter-college events, educational trips and college festivals which boost up their confidence. They learn to socialize with their class and roommates and help each other in studies, health and so on. They also get chance to work on projects which gives practical experience. Education till high school is focussed and students stay at home. University education helps them to build a family away from family, enjoy life, polish their skills and learn about different cultures. Even if a student does not get direct college placement, he is well qualified to apply and get best offers from companies. University students have started to organize health awareness programs, teaching and other campaigns which benefit social causes. These campaigns / such initiatives empower the youth and contribute to the society.
To sum up, it is important for students to opt for university education. It equips them with the skills to grow professionally and also enhance their overall personality and character.
Q. Some people think that the main factors influencing a child's development these days are things such as television, friends, and music. Others believe that the family still remains more important. Discuss both views and give your opinion. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Nowadays, children have become addicted to electronic items, and also tend to give more importance to their friends and favorite music. Although many argue that these parameters have potential effects on a child's growth, I strongly believe that family plays a vital role in building a child's character. This essay will shed light on both these views.
On one hand, some factors such as television, friends, and music are believed to be have more influence on children. For instance, news reports shown on television keep children updated with latest information around the world. Besides, children also obtain inspiration by watching talent shows on TV. Apart from television, children spend plenty of time with their friends and like listening to music. Friendship teaches them how to be supportive and now maintain trust. Moreover, another benefit music is that it keeps children calm and focused on their studies.
On the other hand, the formation of a child's personality is mostly based on the family, in which he has grown up . The basis values such as respect, discipline and right behavior can only be taught by responsible parents. Moreover, a child learns family traditions and religious rituals by observing their elders. For example, during my childhood, I had always followed the footsteps of my parents and grand parents in numerous ways such as white putting on particular clothes according to occasions as well as respectfully treating my guests. Despite the fact that factors external to family have an impact on a child's development, family has the most significant potential to turn a child into a well-behaved adult.
To recapitulate, this essay illustrated that television, friends and music are some of the key factors in the process of a child's development; however, family is the most prominent one among these factors.
Q. Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good members of society. Others, however, believe that school is the place to learn this. Discuss both views and give your opinion. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Man is a social being and no one can exist as an island. While some people hold the view that parents have the responsibility to teach their children to become a good member of the society, others feel that the school is the best place to learn social values. In my opinion, both the parents and the teachers have an indispensable role in shaping the character of their children.
Firstly, parents are the primary teachers and home is the first school where the personality development of children is initiated. From birth to preschool children are under the sole custody of their parents. They imitate the actions of their parents and for this reason it is important for parents to become a good role model for their children. Parents are the best people to teach them the concept of good and bad. When they are taught to make this distinction from a young age, they are unlikely to go astray when they grow up.
However, parents are not the only influence on children. Teachers at school have an equally important role to play in the formation of their character. The school is essentially a microcosm of the universe. Here the children get to interact with other children of different character, personality and family backgrounds. This exposure that they get at school plays a crucial role in the formation of their parents. It is the duty of parents to instil in them the values of discipline and social commitment.
To conclude, parents and teachers both have an equally important role in moulding the character of children. In my opinion, their roles are complementary.
Q. Nowadays the way many people interact with each other has changed because of technology. In what ways has technology affected personal relationships? Has this become a positive or negative development?
Advancements in technology have changed the way we interact with one another. People often debate whether this development has any negative impact on relationships. In my opinion, although technology has some negative aspects, its impact on our lives has been largely positive. The most important benefit of advanced communication tools is that they enable us to receive instant replies from the other person.
Earlier, people had to wait for a longer time to get reply from the other person. However, with the advances of technology, an individual can communicate from any corner of the world without any interference or dependency on others. For example, the postman used to take days to deliver messages from sender to receiver because that message had to physically travel from its source to the destination. However, same message could be delivered instantly to the other person through digital applications like WhatsApp and Skype.
On the other hand, there is an argument that new age technologies have made people less sociable. They do not interact with their family members or neighbors because they are busy communicating with their virtual friends on Facebook or Twitter. This is certainly an alarming development. Even so, these applications help people to remain in contact with each other even if they are located in faraway places. Using services like Facebook or Instagram, we can keep ourselves updated about the happenings in the lives This is because these platforms provide all the updates about the individual events in life like birthday, hobbies and many others, and these offer an opportunity to the people to interact with one another. By contrast, this was not possible in earlier years, because as a human one cannot remember every aspect of others’ life. Hence, these technologies have brought people closer than before.
In conclusion, new communication tools have certainly made people less sociable; however, they also allow us to stay in constant touch with our near and dear ones wherever they may be. In my opinion, if these tools are used responsibly they are a boon to mankind.
Q. Increasing the price of petrol is the best way to solve growing traffic and pollution problems. To what extent do you agree or disagree? What other measures do you think might be effective?
There are two questions to answer:
- Do you think increasing the price of petrol is the best way to solve growing traffic and pollution problems?
- What other measures do you think might be effective to solve traffic and pollution problems?
1. Increasing the price of petrol:
- If the price is increased, less people will be able to afford it
- If less people can afford petrol, less people will drive cars
- If less people drive cars, there will be less congestion on the roads
- If less people drive, there will be less air pollution
2. Other ways to solve traffic and pollution problems:
- Traffic problems can be solved by improving public transport to encourage more people to use it rather than to use their own cars
- Public transport can be improved by having more public transport available, making it more punctual and reducing the price of tickets to make it more affordable to the average person
- Another measure is to have no traffic zones in city centers which will reduce both congestion and pollution in urban centers.
Sample Answer:
Over the last half-century, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of vehicles. This has resulted in numerous traffic jams especially in the big cities and consequently, high levels of air pollution. Although, there are those who believe that increasing oil prices might help solve this problem. I am strongly inclined to believe that higher petrol prices will have serious drawbacks on our society.
Firstly, oil and gas play a fundamental role in the industry, since most of the heavy machinery used in different industries are operated by petrol. For example, a recent study conducted in Japan has revealed that the nearly 80% of all businesses are sensitive to the price of petrol. In addition, higher prices of petrol will indirectly influence the prices of the various goods in the market through increasing the cost of their transportation. Lastly, this will burden the people and limit their freedom to travel to enjoy their leisure time. Undoubtedly, the growth of oil and gas prices will create new problems.
On the other hand, there are some other ways to tackle traffic and pollutions problem in cities. To begin with, improving methods of public transportation as well as the increase in their availability everywhere around the clock, will significantly reduce the use of private cars. To illustrate, a recent study published in Canada has shown that the upward trend in the various means of public transportation such as buses and trains resulted in decrease the number of traffic jams and road accidents by around 25%. Moreover, the government should invest more on repairing and maintaining roads as well as constructing new roads to solve the problem and traffic congestion. Furthermore, the scientists should search for the sources of clean energy such as solar power and nuclear power to replace the fossil fuel.
To sum up, it can be clearly seen that the cons of increasing petrol prices outweigh the pros hence I am strongly against the idea of increasing gasoline prices. Government and scientists can prevent the situation from further deterioration through new mobility solutions and innovation in renewable energy.
Q. In some countries, the average weight of people is increasing and their level of health and fitness is decreasing. What do you think are the causes of these problems and what measures could be taken to solve them? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Essay Type: Causes and Solutions
Causes: Why people's weight is increasing and their health condition and fitness are decreasing in many countries?
- The popularity of eating high-calorie fast foods across the world.
- People have become less active than before due to changing of lifestyle (Using more private vehicles, using machines to do their tasks, or sitting in front of the computer and TV).
- The role of food advertisement in the media, which has tremendously increased the rate of obesity among children.
- Producing more variety of high caloric food products by food companies compared to the past.
- Shortage of health budget in some developing countries due to overpopulation and obese patients are less monitored by doctors.
- Trusting to other commercial methods for weight losing. People have less monitoring on their weight because they think there are better methods than sports to lose their weights.
- The role video games and computer games on children's inactivity.
- People's busy lifestyle forced them to depend on fast foods rather than cooking meals at home.
- Parents' carelessness often causes obesity among children.
- Ready to eat foods like chips, cheese and packet foods do more damage to our digestion system.
- The GM (Genetically Modified) foods contain high fats and we are consuming these GM foods every day.
- People's diet habit often makes them eat a large amount of food at a time rather than eating it in installments.
- Lack of awareness, sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise.
- People's choices of tasty but unhealthy foods lead them to gain weight.
Solutions: What measures could be taken to solve these problems?
- A healthy diet could be the best solution to tackle the obesity and health related issues.
- Restricted legislation on TV food advertisements by governments.
- School authorities must encourage young to do more daily exercise.
- Timely consumption of meals and ensuring that they are full of nutrition's is the key factor in living a healthy lifestyle.
- Considering more substantial health budget for obesity and its side effects.
- Avoiding GM foods and eating more fresh and organic vegetables and fruits.
- Popularizing bicycle as a more leading method of transportation in many cities.
- Increasing the number of sports facilities.
- Increasing sports facilities in schools and encouraging children to do exercise more.
- Commercial methods for losing must be banned by health authorities.
- Increasing the awareness of people about the heinous effects of obesity.
- Parents should be more attentive to their children's health.
- Arranging sports and exercise facilities at the workplaces.
- People must be trained by the local council about how much is obesity dangerous for their health.
- Unhealthy foods must be banned from schools.
- Drinking a lot of water every day and avoiding alcohol totally.
- Avoiding fast food and drinks that contain high fat and sugar.
- Having more trained teachers who know more about children's diet.
- A healthy lifestyle, balance diet, exercise, outdoor activities can reduce this problem to a great extent.
- Monitoring packet foods and fast food items and their ingredients by the food authority are required to control the quantity of fats and sugars these items contain.
- Walking, making face-to-face communication and using the bicycle whenever possible.
Sample Answer:
Despite knowing the detrimental impact of obesity on health, people around the world are getting heavier than before. This essay will examine the major causes of this issue and suggest some viable solutions to tackle it.
The main causes of increasing body weight and decreasing fitness levels are the sedentary lifestyle of people and excessive consumption of junk food. Fast food companies are spending millions of dollars to promote their products on TV and the internet. These commercials make unhealthy food seem extremely tempting and mouth-watering. As a result, people especially children unconsciously gorge on them. Unfortunately, excessive consumption of junk leads to obesity and health problems because obese people are more likely to develop diabetes and heart trouble.
Another factor contributing to growing cases of obesity is the sedentary lifestyle of people. Due to the growing academic and work pressure, children as well as adults do not get enough time to work out. Worse, even when people are free, instead of working out in a gym, they prefer to watch a movie on the TV or computer. This way of life has a negative impact on their health.
Promoting health awareness among people and enforcing strict censorship on food advertisements are the best ways to combat this issue. The government and the media should inform people of the harmful consequences of leading an inactive life. Once the public are aware of the negative effect of obesity, they are more likely to take actions to change their lifestyle. Another solution is to ban misleading food advertisements that target children. The government must ensure that food companies are not promoting unhealthy food as healthy.
To conclude, there is no denying the fact that the growing cases of obesity and decreasing levels of health are a major concern around the world. To combat this issue, the government should launch health awareness campaigns and ban misleading ads that encourage the consumption of fast food.
Q. Some people think that it is better to educate boys and girls in separate schools. Others, however believe that girls and boys benefits more from attending mixed schools. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Essay Type: Discuss both views + Opinion
First View: It is better to educate boys and girls in separate schools
- Better concentration in the class and achieving higher grades because they spend less time on other activities.
- Reduction the rate of inappropriate sexual relationship.
- This does not contradict with some religious beliefs like Islamic belief.
- It is observed that when boys and girls are separated, it would make them more disciplined.
- Less report of sex discrimination (giving more opportunity to specific gender)
- In this system, students tend to be more focused on studies rather than being distracted to all fantasies of teenage.
- This system is better in terms of students’ engagement in extra-curricular activities like sports.
Second View: It is better to have coeducation schools
- Better communication with opposite gender in real life (work, family, marriage).
- Participation in more team working.
- Being respectful to opposite gender.
- Both genders have different abilities to learn different study materials, so they can help the opposite sex to learn better.
- Co-education system enhances the understanding between the two genders.
- Maintaining co-education system would be less costly. Clearly, to divide girls and boys, governments have to spend more money on education.
- Each gender would be able to co-work as well as participate in competition with the other gender. Such friendly competition and co-working would enhance the overall performance of the students.
My opinion
- Both sides of the discussion have indisputable virtues and benefits. However, I agree that co-education system is far better than the unisexual schools.
- I opine that separate schooling for boys and girls has far more benefits and that's why I support this system.
Sample Answer:
Nowadays, the co-educational system is considered as the best option in many countries. Some believe that it is better that young females and males study separately, while others mention that studying together can be more beneficial. I will discuss both sides and will give my opinion.
On the one hand, those believing that education systems should be a separate gender-based system have their own reasons. One is that this method can be safer. Every year, numerous sexual offences are reported by the local or national news, regarding of rape or other inappropriate sexual behaviors, especially in countries permitting both genders to study in one school. However, studying in single-gender-institutions can reduce the rate of these figures. As a prime example, thousands of sexual assaults are reported in the U.S. schools annually but had the government considered unisex education, these rates would have dramatically decreased. Another reason is that this system may raise religious conflicts. In some countries, some opponents are not interested in sending their children to these types of schools, and this has become hot potato between different religious groups. For instance, French Islamic citizens prefer their children to study in a single sex school, whereas the administration admits both genders in one educational place.
On the other hand, I personally give a green light to those supporting co-educational system. The first reason behind it is that this system definitely would be less costly. Clearly, to divide girls and boys, governments have to spend more money on education because they cannot use empty spaces of a female school for a male one, or vice versa. As a result, less educational facilities should be provided for scholars, declining the total education budget. Furthermore, this method can improve students communication skills. Obviously, having a better relationship with the opposite sex, juveniles will have a closer relationship not only during their study but during their matrimonial life. They generally have fewer marriage problems with their partner due to having a better experience before. In this way, Sigmund Freud, a very familiar former psychologist, believe that humans’ social skills are fundamentally developed as they have closer feelings to their opposite sex during childhood.
In conclusion, although in some countries co-educational system is not popular, I agree with it. Not only in this measure more governmental budget can be saved, but youth can have better relationships with the opposite gender. Hopefully, a global tendency will propagate this method of education in the near future.
Q. The best way to reduce youth crime is to educate their parents with parental skills. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
A number of crimes are happening on the streets of the planet and increasing rapidly. The majority of those crimes are done by youngsters. Some people believe, that educating the parents solely can help decrease these offences, while others are of diverse opinion. In my opinion, society is equally responsible for this and hence teaching skills to parents alone, cannot help in improving this dire situation.
Firstly, society can influence the youngsters to a great extent. As, the young minds are impressionable, they tend to imitate, what they see. To cite an example, a child growing up in high criminal activity sectors, is likely to learn the same acts. Therefore, a crime free society is, the prominent, for resolving this situation. This can be done through strict law enforcement. For instance, If fear is instilled, in the minds of criminals, they are less likely to commit offences.Hence, the chances of youth being exposed to misdeeds, will be significantly reduced, which can help improve the current condition.
On the other hand, parenting skills can help reduce crimes, as this can assist the guardians on how to use adequate techniques to teach discipline, control and balanced supervision and how to set boundaries, when a child disobeys the rules. For example, a survey conducted in 2015, showed that parents who participated in these classes, we're able to avoid their young children, from being involved in criminal offences. These methods are vigorously tested and supported by evidence, which is the reason behind the success of these programs. Hence, it can be said, that parenting skills can assist in bringing down the teen crime rates.
To conclude, community as well as parents is responsible for the increasing offences committed by the minority and hence, in my view, providing parental skills alone cannot reduce the felonies.
Q. High school students are usually not good at managing money. What are the reasons? What are the solutions?
Financial management is a useful skill that everyone must have. Many people argue that secondary school students should be taught money management at school. I agree with this view.
To commence with, teaching teenagers about saving and managing money can help them to understand its value. At this age most of them are already aware of the financial status of their family. They know how hard their parents work to send them to school and provide them other amenities. Also, most children receive some pocket money when they are in high school. If they have money management lessons in their syllabus they will figure out the best way to use their pocket money. These lessons will give children an understanding of the need to budget everything. They will also learn about the functioning of national and international economies. Better still, they will learn to respect the efforts put in by their parents.
In addition to this, schools can enhance the money management skills of young people by allowing them to run a canteen or other services inside the school campus. They can also start a saving scheme for students and encourage them to deposit their pocket money in it. Schools should also encourage financially well-off students to help their underprivileged peers by helping them pay their fee or buying them textbooks.
To conclude, money management is all about making the best use of the available resources. It takes only a few years for teenagers to become adults and if they did not figure out how to manage their finances at high school, they will struggle as adults when they have to manage everything on their own. Hence, I believe that high school students should be taught financial management.
Q. The mobile phone is used both for work and personal phone calls at all times for the days every day of the week. Do you think this has more positive or negative effects both for individuals and society?
Pros:
- Being accessible for company work 24/7 is great for business.
- Customer always have a number to call for problems or enquires.
- Bosses can keep better contact with their employees.
- It enables some people to work from home and be more flexible.
- People can use their phones in emergencies.
- People will feel safer knowing hey can contact people wherever they are.
- People can easily and quickly report accidents and get help.
- Parents can keep contact with their children and offer them more support regardless of where they are.
- Family member can easily contact each other over long distances.
- People can feel connected to the wider world.
- Disabled people are no longer isolated.
- People in remote areas can have immediate contact with other people.
Cons:
- Some people use their mobile phones while driving
- Using mobil phones around certain medical equipment is not safe.
- Constant use of mobile phones is supposed to be bad for people health.
- Being accessible for work through a mobile phone 24/7 means lack of rest time and constant stress.
- Demanding bosses may put too much work pressure on staff.
- There is not cut off between work and free time.
- Children may feel bothered by their parents continual surveillance.
- Children can't escape from peer pressure.
- If people know you are easily accessible by phone, they will expect to always be able to reach you.
- Constant calling can exhaust people.
- Some people continue distance relationship by phone rather than know their neighbors.
- Local community has less important due to long distance communication.
Sample Answer:
In the modern world, The technology is upgrade and make life simple such as phone, we used to communicate or answer the office calls and family calls at anytime at anywhere. I think this progress and more positive effect some negative effect. Because it is very comfortable and easy way to learn. However, it's miss used. In the coming paragraphs I will discuss both effects.
Firstly, The mobile is an electronic gadget which makes life easier and more pleasant. Because it helps to communicate anywhere and we learn a lot of things through this electronic device. Furthermore, it improves our relationship, such as a man who live in United kingdom, he makes a call to contact with their relative. Because he do not come, but he makes better way to talk. Although it is the best device to earn money. For instance, nowadays, some people create a channel on YouTube and share their video with other people, it’s also earn money through steaming to sit at home.
Secondly, this electronic media have some negative effects. If we use over mean whole day this phone will be affected on our eyes and mentally healthy. Therefore, some people do not get information through mobile, they used to acquire bad habits. Moreover, it was the cause of some unemployment. For example, before this improvement people used post offices to send their documents but nowadays people use email to send their papers. These facts Make unemployment.
In conclusion, after analyzing all the information I reach in my opinion, these developments have more positive effects compare with negative affect.
Q. Unemployment remains the biggest challenge to school-leavers in most countries. How far do you agree with this assessment? What other challenges face young people today?
Unemployment is on the rise. In fact, even highly qualified graduates are now finding it difficult to get a job. There are several reasons behind this unfortunate development. The ongoing economic crisis is one of the main reasons of unemployment. Recession has forced many organizations to stop hiring new people. As a result, fresh graduates receive no job offer. Even employed people are getting laid off due to the financial turmoil in world’s major economies. It should also be noted that major economies like the US, the UK and Germany have long stopped growing. When economic growth remains stagnant, the need for new talent also diminishes. This is the main reason behind the increase in unemployment in the developed world.
At the same time, there is an increase in the number of people graduating from universities. This is particularly true in the case of developing nations. Thanks to the economic growth in these nations, more and more students can now afford university education. For example, in India, the number of people who graduated in 2016 was significantly higher than the number of people who graduated from universities ten or fifteen years ago. Unfortunately, in spite of its rapid economic growth, the country still does not have enough jobs for all of its people. Another reason that leads to unemployment in developed nations is the outsourcing of jobs to developing nations where cheap labour is available.
Unemployment is likely to be a cause for concern in the coming years too. In my opinion, young graduates should stop waiting for job offers from Fortune 500 companies. Instead, they should find jobs themselves. The internet has actually made this easier. It allows people to sell their products or services to interested parties all over the world. Also, graduates seeking employment must stop the obsession with white collar jobs. If they don’t mind sweating it out, jobs are still available.
To conclude, unemployment can be attributed to two factors – the increase in the number of graduates and the decrease in economic growth. The only way to solve this problem is to encourage people to find employment themselves. This might require them to take up manual jobs but having a job is way better than having none at all.
Vocabulary Used
| Words | Meaning |
|---|---|
| turmoil | a state of great disturbance, confusion, or uncertainty. |
| stagnant | Not circulating or flowing |
| obsession | craze |