IELTS WRITING MATERIALS 1.In the future, it seems more difficult to live on the Earth Some people think more money should be spent on researching other planet to live, such as Mars To what extent you agree or disagree with this statement? Band 9.0 Model Essay It is true that, if present trends continue, it will become increasingly difficult to sustain human life on Earth While I agree that it is vital to tackle this problem I believe that expenditure on research for new planets to colonise should be given a low priority, and resources must be used to find other, more practical solutions There are two major reasons why life on Earth is becoming more and more unsustainable One obvious problem is the uncontrolled consumption of natural resources, which are being depleted as a result For instance, the extraction of fossil fuels, such as coal, gas and oil to satisfy growing energy demands has serious environmental impacts, and these resources will eventually run out Another concern is the rising level of pollution worldwide, of the land, the oceans and the air that we breathe In India, for example, thousands of tons of industrial rubbish have been released illegally into rivers, killing aquatic life and contaminating drinking water However, I would argue that the search for a new planet on which humans could survive is a waste of valuable resources Firstly, a vast amount of funding would be required to finance such space exploration, with no guarantee of success This money is needed now to improve health services globally and to provide better education for all Secondly, financial resources should be used to develop advanced technologies that would be more environmentally- friendly and provide renew able energy In the field of transport, to take a simple example, vehicles can now be converted to run on hydrogen or even waste cooking oil – as McDonald’s have done with their trucks In conclusion, I consider that the search for new planets on which to settle is a waste of time and resources, and efforts should be concentrated on living more sustainably here on Earth Band 8.0 Model Essay Advances in technology make the prospect to find the second Earth potentially viable While I agree that terrestrial life has become increasingly difficult, I not believe that we should invest money in finding a new planet to live On the one hand, there is no doubt that life is not as easy as it was in the past The main problem is the growing level of environmental pollution that adversely affects humankind in all parts of the world The rising consumption of natural resources such as gas, oil and coal has resulted in an enormous amount of carbon emissions being released into the atmosphere, which impairs the air quality and accelerates climate change The consequences of this are grave People in many big cities are suffering respiratory diseases; more lands are being shrunk due to the rise of sea levels; and there are frequent heat waves in tropical countries Apparently, human life is now put in danger On the other hand, I would contend that spending money finding another home for all creatures on the Earth is not an effective measure There is little hope of seeking a planet that has favorable conditions for life while the expenditure can be extremely huge In contrast, a much better solution would be that we should invest in environmental projects and encourage people to lead a more environmentally friendly lifestyle For example, green energy should be harnessed and made more available to replace our dependence on fossil fuels, and individuals ought to opt for public transport rather than driving their vehicles Such actions can cut exhaust emissions and slow down the effects of global earth a more desirable place for us all warming, making the In conclusion, although global warming is a global malady, it seems ludicrous to suggest that people should find another planet to settle down 2.Some people think that governments must insist on preserving traditional appearance of old buildings undergoing renovation or redevelopment To what extent you agree or disagree with the statement? Band 8.0 Model Essay Preserving historic buildings is vital to understanding our nation’s heritage In the process of restoring them, some people believe that the authorities should not compensate on any changes done in their original appearance, and that the buildings should be restored as they were This essay shall advocate a practical approach to this scenario Restoration is said as the process of accurately depicting the form, features, and character of a property as it appeared at a particular period of time by reconstruction of missing features from the restoration period All around the world, there are many active redevelopment projects undertaken by the government to preserve the sanctity of these ancient treasures However, it is not reasonably possible to restore each and every detail of these buildings as it was Primarily, the construction of these century-old buildings begins to wear in time In such cases, some parts of the buildings might not be in a recoverable condition Here, the architects need to reconstruct that particular part to give a complete look to the puzzle of these primeval structures Therefore, it is unaccommodating for the government to demand accurate traditional appearance of the buildings Sometimes, a few relevant contemporary touches need to be added to make the older buildings appeasing enough In closing we can safely say the government should not be insistent on minute preservation of traditional appearance of old buildings Minor modifications can definitely be made to adapt existing buildings to compatible new uses This not only makes good economic sense, but preserves our legacy also Nowadays, more and more people decide to have children later in their life What are the the reasons? Do advantages of this outweigh disadvantages? Band 8.5 Model Essay: In modern society, there has been a major concern that many couples have delayed parenthood Some explanations for this social trend will be put forward, before an analysis of its impacts on society and family life is given A few reasons can be given to justify the trend of giving birth at later stages of life First, the labour market is increasingly competitive, and it is a norm that young parents defer having children to devote the whole time in the first years of their employment to lay a sound foundation for their future career Second, it is believed that children are raised better by older parents This seems valid due to the fact that older fathers and mothers are generally wealthier, more experienced, and more willing to take the responsibility of bringing up a child The trend exerts both advantageous and disadvantageous influence on society and families On the one hand, children born to more prosperous and experienced parents can receive better and more comprehensive education, and thus contribute more to society when they grow up In each household, the parents may also reap the benefits of this trend, as their first working years are not interrupted by pregnancy and childcare On the other hand, when an aged couple decide to give birth, there are serious health risks for the woman in the prenatal and postnatal period If any complicated maternal health problem arises, the life whole family would be turned upside down To conclude, the tendency to have children at later ages is caused by a number of factors, such as the competitiveness of the job market for young adults, and both the positive and negative impacts of it can be seen in families and society Band 8.0 Model Essay : Having babies later in life is regarded as a new trend of marriage, especially in these days when soon becoming adolescent parents might face plenty of troubles It is easily seen that financial burden is one of the reasons why many spouses tend to delay their childbirth because giving birth early forces them to tighten budget In this essay, I will lend more other detailed reasons and effects to this trend The fact that pregnancy has been more common in older women stemming from late –life marriage whose benefits are huge Tying the knot early, in some cases, would cause constant quarrels about rights of child-rearing between young couples due to their immature thoughts on marital values In contrast, delayed marriage may secure better conditions for children’s future This would help singles have more time to seek a financially stable job and broaden behavioral experience before deciding to live with someone forever Besides, high remarriage rate led by the rise of divorce in recent years partly contributes to late childbirth The reason is that the lack of compatibility forces many couples to end their first love and marry again Therefore, they may start having children after age 35 As mentioned above, the benefits of late childbirth are undeniable, however, elderly parents, as well as society also face threats that they can foresee Indeed, raising kids at old age is more arduous than that at young age, not only because their health will decline but also because their children are too little to self-manage Moreover, having children when reaching over 35 can affect pregnancy due to aging health As a result, babies are not healthy enough or even die premature death In conclusion, stable income and settled life make delayed marriage more appealing The thing is we need to consider pros and cons of this to decide what is right for a happy union Band 8.5 Model Essay 2: Many people currently decide not to have babies when they are young and wait until they get older instead There are some reasons for this tendency, and it could have some impacts on family life as well as society To begin with, there are several reasons why a number of individuals want to have children later in their life Firstly, this choice allows them to have more time to enjoy life when they are young For instance, it is easier for a young couple to travel when they not have a baby to nurture Secondly, people who are at the early stage of their career usually have lower income compared to when they are older Therefore, many people decide to start raising a family after having accumulated enough money to ensure a better life for their children However, this tendency might bring about some negative effects on both family life and society The first impact is that having children later will cause a significant age gap between two generations This makes it harder for parents to understand and communicate with their offspring Additionally, if people give birth when they are too old, the babies being born might be less physically healthy This might adversely affect the quality of the future workforce if too many people decide to follow this trend In conclusion, there are some reasons why many people prefer to have children later in their life, and this tendency can result in some negative impacts on both family life and society Some people say that humanitarian subjects such as philosophy, history and literature that people study in universities have no value for their future career To what extent you agree or disagree with this statement? Give your own opinion and relevant examples Band 9.0 Sample Essay: Humanitarian education teaches various social topics from a humanitarian perspective However important our academic careers may be for us, a certain iota of humanity is always expected from us as being the superior living beings on earth Whether we need to study specialized subjects for such a quality to develop in us is a debatable issue The people who opine that studying such subjects is a waste of time may believe so, keeping in mind that many academic curriculum is set and rarely changes Therefore, the history, literature or philosophy that is taught is done from a text-bookish perspective, and does not give in-depth knowledge of the same Also, people feel that memorizing dates and facts, sources of the origin of a language, or brooding on lessons derived from life hardly matter when we go out in search of work On the contrary, humanitarian education particularly relates to offering assistance to others in an emergency or crisis and is also used to refer to the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed for individuals and communities to help themselves In the hostile environment we are living nowadays, the goal of humanitarian education of communities increasing their resilience and individuals and groups becoming confident, able and willing to help themselves and others when faced with a crisis, is something that can obviously not be developed on our own I believe we need to look beyond the established stereotyping of history, literature and philosophy as subjects and need to broaden our mentality Apart from the much popular career choices that rake in our desired amount of money, the historians, literary scholars and philosophers too play an important role in our societies The teachings and observations of Karl Marx, Aristotle, Socrates, Robert Louis Stevenson, Mark Twain and many such other personalities are still cited today for reference Summarizing this essay we can conclude that classifying humanitarian subjects as having no value for future careers is narrow minded These subjects are also as important as any other, when being chosen for a thorough study so as to make a career out of them Some people say that when children under 18 are committing a crime they should be punished, while others believe they should be educated To what extent you agree or disagree with this statement? Give your own opinion Band 9.0 Model Essay: Cases of juveniles committing crimes are on the rise lately While it is absolutely necessary to punish those guilty of committing crimes, an argument put forward in this case suggests underage criminals should be made aware about their actions rather than being punished straightaway This essay shall discuss the extent of feasibility of both solutions in the interest of the society Over the last few years, there has been a worrying increase in the numbers of young offenders being reported, where many of them are involved in instances of burglaries, robberies, shoplifting and even street muggings In the hostile environment that we live in, it becomes necessary to nip such problems in the bud, lest the youngsters become full-fledged criminals when they grow up Many believe that the children of today’s generation are very much aware and intelligent, than the ones 30 years ago, to comprehend the actions around them Many a times they aren’t even remorseful for their actions Therefore, they should be tried in courts as adults and punished according to the severity of the offence regardless of them being underage In contrast, a lot of people also believe that such treatment of teenage offenders might not be the best solution Knowing the reason behind the crime committed is an essential factor in deciding the punishment to be given The environment during the upbringing of a child too influences his mentality to a great extent Most of the research cases in this matter have indicated that children who commit crimes, mostly so because of some trauma they have themselves suffered from in the past It is only logical that the judgement of right and wrong of such children becomes impaired; therefore they should be educated about the same, and not punished Rehabilitating them and flushing all aggression from their minds is giving them a deserved chance to live a better life, as they still have a lot of growing up to To conclude, this being a sensitive and debatable issue, in my opinion, I feel the primary course of action for underage criminals is to provide them guidance regarding the consequences of their actions I don’t fully agree with not punishing them at all; the extent of the punishment should be decided by the circumstances and the attitude of the offender, whether he is penitent or not A person’s worth nowadays seems to be judged according to social status and material possessions Old-fashioned values, such as honour, kindness and trust, no longer seem important Sample Essay from BC: Given the power and influence of the super-rich, it might seem as if social status and material possessions are the new symbols of personal worth, but in everyday life I not think this is true It is apparent that most celebrities today are admired or envied solely for their material wealth or position in various social hierarchies Many of these people are known to turn their backs on friends, cheat on their spouses or spend their evenings over-indulging in alcohol and/or drugs Things like owning a mansion, driving an expensive car and getting into A-list parties are exalted above old-fashioned values Ultimately, though, it is the many readers of gossip magazines and celebrity blogs who reinforce these ideas Nevertheless, I believe that in their day-to-day lives most people still believe in values such as honour, kindness and trust In some way most of us want to form loving families, raise our children to be good citizens, stand up for the downtrodden and protect our communities from harm We still form friendships, romances and business partnerships based on old-fashioned criteria When our trust is abused or we are unfairly treated, we see that as a major violation of our relationship and we judge the wrongdoer accordingly In conclusion, I believe there is some truth to the notion that status and possessions have superseded old-fashioned values as a measure of a person’s worth Looking beyond the tabloids, however, it is apparent that most ordinary people have still preserved an old-fashioned conscience In some countries, a high proportion of criminal acts are committed by teenagers Why has this happened? What can be done to deal with this? Band 8.0 Model Essay Today, youth crime is rife Theft, burglary or even murder are now committed by people of younger and younger ages The aim of this essay is to investigate the factors responsible for the increase in juvenile delinquency and put forward a number of ways to appropriately punish young offenders It is observed that extreme behaviours are exhibited by most children from dysfunctional families Without the supervision from parents or caregivers, children’s extreme behaviours such as aggression, hostility or defiance are given free rein to develop in their later lives In addition, there is a direct correlation between the lack of engagement in educational activities and serious criminal offending in children Out of boredom, children befriend with antisocial peers and will gradually copy their behaviours Media also plays an enormous role in shaping children’s criminality For example, games such as grand theft auto can desensitise younger players to extreme acts of violence and cruelty, encourage them to commit crimes while giving them the impression that it is morally acceptable to so Imprisonment is often cited as a way to punish juvenile offenders However, it is my view that this approach can produce extremely destructive effects The youth can potentially be victims of physical or sexual abuse from older prisoners, as well as can adopt their negative behaviours I feel that the better cure for young criminals is rehabilitation Throughout education and training, the youth can realise their wrongful actions and be given opportunities to turn over a new leaf and transform themselves into useful members of society later in life There are reasons to explain why today antisocial behaviour among the youth nowadays has reached a historically unprecedented high and rehabilitation is the answer for this Useful words and expressions: Youth crime is rife: Youth crime is very common Juvenile delinquency: act of crime committed by the young Defiance (n.) behaviour in which you refuse to obey others Aggression (n.) behaviour that is threatening or involves harm The testing system has one distinctive feature that enhances the process of education It is universal and standardized while at the same time it does not take into account the individual Therefore, teachers are relieved from the burden of designing a personal exam paper However, some scientists argue that each student possesses unique qualities (creativity, imagination, logical thinking) and unified, strict methods of assessment cannot bring them on the surface Nowadays, ambitious parents push their kids to be more obsessed with marks There are many cases of people encouraging their children to calculate perplexing equations or studying French All this at the expense of playing outside, socializing and just being a kid The reason is obvious – the better the under aged perform, the higher prospects for “hot” schools Another aspect of the stressful practice in the modern examination is that it shows only the momentary situation Even though, you may have problems with one part of the textbook, the outcome depends on pure chance A good step in reversing the process is the ¾ test throughout the semester, implemented nu universities On balance, the outdated approach to assessment should be reached and adapted to fit in the modern situation More constructiveness and reducing the anxiety are vital if society wants to keep people willing to learn and not just to achieve high marks 58 A number of different medical traditions are now widely known and used: Western medicine (using drugs and surgery), herbal medicine, acupuncture (using needles at certain points of the body), homoeopathy (using minute doses of poisons), and so on How important is the patient’s mental attitude towards his/her treatment in determining the effectiveness of the treatment? MODEL ESSAY 01: Today, plenty of medical methods are used by professionals to cure humans These methods have different impacts via different mechanisms to control the development of each disease I believe that bonding between patient and doctor is extremely important because it can raise the level of confidence between them, and the patient will receive a more accurate therapy Apparently, despite using modern medication introduced by developed countries, alternative medicine, hypnotism or other traditional methods have not been forgotten yet In this way, in China, traditional medicine has been used by many professionals teaching medicine in university, and different methods are applied to cure debilitated humans, like putting needles on different parts of feet to relieve musculoskeletal pains In addition, doctor-patient communication is a very important factor and positive reinforcement is a leading strategy that many health professionals usually use to enhance the level of reliability of each medical treatment Clearly, having a better self-confidence, a medical doctor can show his or her abilities to cure diseases and become prosperous in finding the causes of their patients’ problems In particular, an experienced psychologist can relief the symptoms of a depressed patient better when he is supported mentally by using some hypnotism techniques His physician can explain the mechanism of this type of medical induction in detail and raise the trustworthy between them Another factor why a patient should be familiar with the process of his treatment is that he will become more punctual in using of drugs Definitely, to reach the maximum of influence of each medication, including modern or alternative medicine, people must use prescribed drugs accurately A perfect healthcare employee must value his or her patients’ opinions and give the detail of procedure as long as ethical issues of therapy are not being missed For example, a one being diagnosed with a progressed cancer must be informed how much some alternative medicines might be important than chemotherapy, and their oncoming side effects must precisely be explained to the patient As a result, this patient will be able to select these therapies instead of usage of chemical therapies In conclusion, reliability is an essential factor for receiving a better healthcare service From my point of view, knowing about the details of treatment and having mutual relationship between doctor and patient, are the two important reasons that increase the speed of improvement of diseases 59 There is a general increase in anti-social behaviours and lack of respect for others What are the causes and solutions? Band 8.0 Model Essay The widespread problem of anti-social behaviours and disrespectful attitudes towards others has long been a major topic of concern in society Some of the major culprits of this problem will be discussed before the most important solutions are drawn Reasons for this alarming situation vary In some cases, people may hold an anti-social attitude or disrespect others because they live in an environment where violence and discrimination are the norms For example, children of sexist parents in rural families in Vietnam, irrespective of their gender, show a worrying tendency of disrespecting women In some other cases, it is the lack of parental guidance that is to blame As modern parents are becoming increasingly busy with their jobs, they may have the proclivity to be indifferent to children education When there is no one to help young children distinguish between the good and the bad, ill-mannered attitudes may emerge and develop among them without being controlled A number of definite actions could be taken to mitigate the problem On the national level, the first obvious solution is to reduce violence and discrimination As this would be a massive act, the all voters and legislators should be responsible Together, they could call for stricter enforcement of the laws on violent and discriminatory acts to deter them from happening In addition, on the nuclear-family level, parents must not underestimate the significance of their guidance for children If they notice any signs of an antisocial or insolent manner in children, they must provide them with negative evaluations of these signs At the same time, parents could also educate their children about social manners by instilling a pro-social sense in them These actions, albeit small, could have a strong influence on children when they mature To conclude, it is clear that violence, discrimination and the indifference of parents to children education are the major catalysts for increase in anti-social behaviours and disrespect for others Strong measures, such as stringent law enforcement on violent and discriminatory acts, must be taken to alleviate this distressing situation 60 Many people say that the only way to guarantee a good job is to complete a course of university education Others claim that it is better to start work after school and gain experience in the world of work How far you agree or disagree with the above views? Give reason for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience MODEL ESSAY : The education is the backbone of a country’s future, while a good job is the key factor for a better life This topic is of particular importance because it affects everyone’s life This essay will discuss whether the pupils should complete their higher education or to start work after school On the one hand, university education is mandatory to get some type of jobs By this I mean that, people who choose to become a doctor, pharmacist, engineer, pilot etc are required to complete their degrees before they can be able to get a job, because this type of jobs need specialized knowledge before starting the career For illustrations, General Medical Counsel in the UK accepts only doctors who completed their degree and passed some predefined exams to start career as a doctor In this instance, obviously, it would be better to complete the required university level degree first On the other hand, there are some benefits if students start working early For example, a fashion designer could start working as soon as s/he finishes school because those types of jobs require more experience than study Moreover, working at early ages might help students to be more independent and responsible in their life, through learning how to control their spending, how to enhance their knowledge and skill To conclude, there are some types of jobs that require a university degree Nevertheless, starting work after school has a good side as well It depends on the type of jobs which students prefer and are likely to have in the future Perhaps, university degree and work experience are both important and they each other complete the criteria to get a respectable job 61 Recent figures show an increase in violent crime among youngsters under the age of 18 Some psychologists claim that the basic reason for this is that children these days are not getting the social and emotional learning they need from parents and teachers To what extend you agree or disagree with this option? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience Band 8.0 Model Essay In recent years, great attention has been paid to the topic of who should be the most responsible for the child’s behavior Therefore, there is numerous discussions on this issue Some people state that parents and teachers ought to be blamed for crimes committed by young children However, some opponents disagree with the above perspective In this essay, the argument will be carefully examined to support my opinion The first thing to consider is the fact that children’s surroundings drastically affect their growths According to the recent report in Japan, about 80 percent of young children responded TV games or computer games were the most inspiring for them to make crimes Thanks to advanced technology, young children can play violent games with extremely clear screens This has drastically encouraged for children’s violent behaviors in real world In addition, advanced technology didn’t give us only these harmful game, but also social network service so that people can be connected easily with even strangers If young children meet bad people on website and are unfortunately related with them, young children might be involved in violent crimes Therefore, I would like to argue that it is insufficient to conclude that teachers and parents should be responsible for children’s behaviors On the other hand, it is also true that teachers and parents are close to their children Children have many things which they don’t know what they must not and what they may Teachers and parents usually have many chances to meet their children and teach these things However, the time children’s teachers and parents is limited It is impossible to accompany with their children Besides of this, children can have their own computers or games and it is difficult for their teachers and parents to intervene all the time Therefore, as I mentioned in the second paragraph, what teachers and parents can for their children is limited and children can make criminal even if parents or teachers educate them due to other surroundings In the final analysis, I would like to emphasize that this problem should be discussed by more various perspectives It is too overlooked to conclude teachers and parents should be responsible for their children’s behaviors In my opinion, other surroundings such as games play more important roles than teachers and parents when children commit crime 62 Woman and men are commonly seen as having different strength and weaknesses Is it right to exclude males or females from certain professions because of their gender? Give reason for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience Band 8.0 Model Essay Women and men are commonly seen as having different strengths and weaknesses Is it right to exclude males or females from certain professions because of their gender? Males and females are often viewed as having differing skill sets It is agreed that it is correct to exclude people from certain jobs on the basis of their gender, but only in very limited circumstances This essay will first discuss how physical attributes prevent women from excelling in particular roles; secondly discuss how society at large rejects men from undertaking certain careers, followed by a reasoned conclusion For many years the general consensus in the armed forces is that women should not be allowed to participate in combat missions This is because most women lack the brute strength required for this particular occupation and it is therefore right to prevent them from joining the ranks For example, the American Army recently allowed some women to fight on the front line and the Department of Defence deemed the experiment a failure, due to lack of fighting effectiveness Despite this, many women have fought in many wars, famously on the Eastern Front for Russia and the Viet Cong in Vietnam, so maybe it is men’s’ attitudes that prevent them performing rather than their stature Society has yet to accept men in many traditionally female positions, such as nanny or beautician Businesses feel that it is fine to not hire men for these posts because most of their customers would not be willing to have a man perform that service I personally know of one example when a friend failed at the interview stage when applying to become kindergarten teacher because he was the wrong sex To summarise, in limited circumstances it is just to prohibit people from certain occupations, but only if they cannot physically perform or if the general consensus is that it is a single sex post 63 In today’s competitive world, many families find it necessary for both parents go out to work While some say the children in these families benefit from the additional income, others feel they lack support because of their parents’ absence Discuss both these views and give your own opinion Give reason for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience Band 8.0 Model Essay In the past, it was a custom for fathers to be the only back bone of the family Fathers would go out to work and earn money to fulfill the families’ daily needs and mothers would stay home to take care of the children However, nowadays, it is not rare to find both parents going out to work Whilst the additional income might bring benefits to everyone especially the children, there are a number of drawbacks that cannot be overlooked This essay will confer whether or not it is necessary for both parents to go out to earn money for a living In some families, both parents are required to work not because of their own will, but because circumstances demand them to As living cost and everything is getting more expensive in today’s competitive world, some families might not earn enough to cover their living cost if only one parent goes out to work That being the case, there is nothing anyone can to help However, the benefit of the extra income for the children still remains unchanged With more income, parents will be able to afford more new toys, the latest gadget, and even vacation abroad On the other hand, children might feel abandoned due to their parents’ never being there for them It is also proven that children’s, whose parents are never at home, are more prone to behavioral problems For instance, my friend, Elaine, whose parents is always working overnight and is never there for her when she needs them, has to battle with her insecurity of being unwanted every day, she in turn tries to seek the attention of her teachers by behaving badly in the class From my example, you can see how parents’ absence can affect children in the long run As far as I am concerned, there is no need for both parents to be working unless it is really necessary While additional income is benefiting for the children, the presence of a mother will be best for the children’s well-being in the long run 64 The birth rate in most developed countries is predicted to begin to fall over the next 50 years By 2030 it is estimated that over one third of the population in most developed countries will be aged 65 and over: What effects will these predictions have on developed countries if they prove true? What can be done now to deal with this situation? Give reason for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience Model answer 01: The birth rate in most developed countries is predicted to begin to fall over the next 50 years By 2030 it is estimated that over one third of the population in most developed countries will be aged 65 and over What effects will these predictions have on developed countries if they prove true? What can be done now to deal with this situation? In modern Europe the problem of birth rates has become very actual As a result, many issues will arise, and the present generation of people will see a significant number of changes It is important to outline some notable aspects of this question, such as the rise in the number of new migrants, and the ruin of pension system, which can be compensated only by a decrease of pensions First of all, the population of every country is a working force and the lack of it creates many problems for the economy At the same time, there are several solutions to this problem which are appropriate in the world For example, to attract people from developing countries to reside in Europe with an aim to filling the gap Unfortunately, it is predictable that this tendency can make worse the relations on the cultural base, and this the reason why certain parts of society not accept this idea Secondly, the stability of the pension system depends on one vital factor – the number of people who work and pay their taxes The decline of population always leads to a reduction of budget revenue, and an economy in state spending In this case, the government is obligated to make some unpopular decisions, for instance, to reduce pensions This solution is regarded as negative, however, it is the most suitable answer in this situation In conclusion, it is important to make a remark here; that the decline of population is a very negative trend which can bring some bad consequences, such as the problem with the work force, or the crisis of the pension system However, there are some unpleasant solutions to this problems, the reduction of pensions, and changes in migration policy with the target of attracting new employees from foreign countries 65 Children today play very violent games This must be the reason for the increase in violence and crime in most major cities of the world What are your opinions on this? Give reason for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience Model answer 01: Nowadays most children regularly play games on a computer or their television These games have become more violent over the past few years In fact, many parents worry about this and the effect these games are having on their children Some are concerned that playing violent games might encourage them to come aggressive in real life What we need to establish is whether or not this is actually true First, it may help to look back at the games that children used to play many years ago before the invention of computers In those days children would probably have played popular board games such as Monopoly or Chess, or they may have played card games or some type of outdoor sport These sports or games would probably only have encouraged children to become more competitive rather than violent However, throughout history children have always played fighting games with toy or pretend weapons Even now many parents will buy a toy gun or sword for their child Why we never read reports in the media about the impact plastic weapons could have on children? Perhaps this is because the link between play fighting and actual fighting is not very strong In conclusion, the way children play games has changed with the times but the ideas behind those games have actually changed very little Just as playing at soldiers did not increase violence in the past, I believe that playing computer games will not lead to an increase in violence in the future I think that if we looked more closely at life in our major cities then we would find there are many other possible causes for the increase in crime and violence 66 Despite health warnings, a large number of people continue to smoke all over the world Why should we be concerned about this? What solutions would you suggest? Give reason for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience You should spend about 40 minutes on this task Model Answer 01 Smoking is an expensive habit which pollutes the environment and carries serious health risk, yet a third of the men in the world smoke It is also a sad fact that one in five teenagers take up the habit when they are as young as 11 Of course, there is one interest group, the tobacco industry, which is more than happy with this situation, since its profits depend on our addiction to cigarettes These statistics are particularly depressing because the link between smoking and cancer, heart disease and other serious illnesses has been known for many years We must also remember that apart from harming the individual, smoking represents a huge cost to society The money we spend on treating smoking-related disease could be used for much better purposes, such as helping to feed the world’s poor or paying for medical research So why, despite all the evidence, people still smoke? The obvious answer is that cigarettes are highly addictive, so that it can be extremely difficult to give up Another answer is the power of peer pressure, especially amongst young people In my view, the most important thing is to discourage people from starting to smoke, and we could this be increasing the tax on tobacco and banning cigarette advertising I also feel that people who want to quit should be given as much advice and support as possible In conclusion, I believe that we should everything we can to reduce the number of smokers in society However, it is not enough to provide information about health risks, we also need to use a variety of strategies to tackle the problem 67 Successful sports professionals can earn a great deal more money than people in other important professions Some people think is fully justified while others think it is unfair Discus both these views and give your own opinion Give reason for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience You should spend about 40 minutes on this task Model answer 01: As a result of constant media attention, sports professionals in my country have become stars and celebrities, and those at the top are paid huge salaries Just like movie stars, they live extravagant lifestyles with huge houses and cars Many people find their rewards unfair, especially when comparing these super salaries with those of top surgeons or research scientists, or even leading politicians who have the responsibility of governing the country However, sports salaries are not determined by considering the contribution to society a person makes, or the level of responsibility he or she holds Instead, they reflect the public popularity of sport in general and level of public support that successful stars can generate So the notion of ‘fairness’ is not issue Those who feel that sports stars’ salaries are justified might argue that the number of professionals with real talent are very few, and the money is recognition of the skills and dedication a person need to be successful Competition is constant and player is tested every time they perform in their relatively short career The pressure from the media is intense and there is little privacy out of the spotlight So all of these factors may justify the huge earnings Personally, I think that the amount of money such sports stars make is more justified than the huge earnings of movie stars, but at the same time, it indicates that our society places more value on sport than more essential professions and achievements 68 Whoever controls the media also controls opinions and attitudes of the people and there is little can be done to rectify this To what extend you agree or disagree? You should spend about 40 minutes on this task You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence Band 8.0 Model Essay In some countries the media is controlled exclusively by large companies; in other it is the government that has this control Often, in war situation, one of the first casualties is the media, which is seized by one group or another This gives some support to the idea that the media is a source of power and control Whoever controls the media also has ultimate control over what is published or broadcasted and what is omitted They can also add a certain prejudice or bias to their coverage of certain news stories depending on their own feelings about the matter This is not a new problem, although the issue is perhaps more pressing now that the Internet and play-TV have enabled these messages to be disseminated even further However, we should remember that readers have their own ideas and opinions You can control what is printed but you cannot control the opinions of your readers I think the only positive here is that, nowadays, people seem to be much more cynical about what they read in the press or hear on the television In particular, when it comes to the tabloid press, people know that they have to take what they read with a grain of salt In other words, they read knowing they may be being lied to Perhaps it is even greater concern that we have become so accepting of this form of censorship The only thing that can be done to alter this situation is for the government to regulate the industry so that there is no longer a monopoly on media ownership This also means that they have to allow and support a totally free press, even if this means the government may be criticised or ridiculed within its pages [...]... complicated issue To incur high costs: to be expensive To stagnate the economy: make the economy worse 23 Some people say that computer games are bad for children by all means, others believe that these games are contributing to children’s development Discuss both views and give your own opinion Band 9.0 Model Essay Children nowadays spend several hours playing video games; since the last few years these games... complain of their child being addicted to video games, like playing for 2 hours at a stretch, but practically but the time issue is a red herring This is a normal time for a child to play – video game or otherwise Another issue is of these games being too violent Although there’s no concrete research linking violent games to violence in real life, common sense says we should limit a child’s exposure... 18 In some countries, secondary schools aim to provide a general education across a range of subjects In others, children focus on a narrow range of subjects related to a particular career Which of these two systems is more appropriate in today’s world? Band 8.0 Model Essay Although most children today enjoy the right to receive education, it is not within their power to decide what subjects they may... prone to breaking down Consequently, children of these families are more likely to be involved in antisocial behaviors while their parent may experience feelings of loneliness and worry On the other hand, the changes in the roles of members in the family could be seen as progress because women are not put under pressure to sacrifice their own careers to assume childcare and domestic responsibilities... homemakers respectively as fathers tended to earn a living while mothers were supposed to stay at home to fulfill household duties as well as looking after children However, both men and women currently go to work to support the whole family, whereas household tasks are often divided I am of the opinion that these changes would have beneficial effects on family life First of all, if fewer generations reside... because it is cheap To be in denial: be unwilling to accept Reduce dependency: become less dependent Obesity epidemic: the problem of obesity It does not suffice: it is not enough Combat (v.) fight against 22 The consumption of the world’s resources (oil, and water etc.) is increasing at a dangerous rate What are causes and solutions? Band 8.0 Model Essay: Recently, the rapid consumption of the world’s resources... world is not an impossible task anymore One explanation for this is that modern means of transport have transformed the way that international assistance could be given, and now assistance could reach even the most remote places on Earth For example, thousands of victims of a deadly earthquake in a mountainous city in Nepal were rescued by US and German military helicopters in 20 14 One further explanation... European Commission of injecting a huge amount of bailout money into Greek banks in 20 09 I strongly believe any government must assume the responsibility of helping citizens in other countries This is mainly because assisting inhabitants in other countries, to some extent, is synonymous to assisting people in the home country In 20 14, hundreds of US and UK doctors and nurses were sent to African countries... not realistic Playing video games can be considered to be an addiction or detrimental if it disrupts or compromises other important things in children’s life, for instance if they can’t concentrate on their homework because of gaming or have no friendships When a child plays video games, it gives his brain a real workout In many video games, the skills required to win involve abstract and high level thinking... harming In closing, I’d say computer games are contributing to children’s development, though in an unconventional sort of way We cannot deny that we are now living in a high-tech, sophisticated world so an all-out negative attitude towards computer gaming is not reasonable Level-headedness in such matters can help curb the damaging effects 24 Too much emphasis is placed on going university for academic