In the developed world, average life expectancy is increasing. What problems will this cause for individuals and society? Suggest some measures that could be taken to reduce the impact of ageing populations.
It is true that people in industrialised nations can expect to live longer than ever before. Although there will undoubtedly be some negative consequences of this trend, societies can take steps to mitigate these potential problems.
As people live longer and the populations of developed countries grow older, several related problems can be anticipated. The main issue is that there will obviously be more people of retirement age who will be eligible to receive a pension. The proportion of younger, working adults will be smaller, and governments will therefore receive less money in taxes in relation to the size of the population. In other words, an ageing population will mean a greater tax burden for working adults. Further pressures will include a rise in the demand for healthcare, and the fact young adults will increasingly have to look after their elderly relatives.
There are several actions that governments could take to solve the problems described above. Firstly, a simple solution would be to increase the retirement age for working adults, perhaps from 65 to 70. Nowadays, people of this age tend to be healthy enough to continue a productive working life. A second measure would be for governments to encourage immigration in order to increase the number of working adults who pay taxes. Finally, money from national budgets will need to be taken from other areas and spent on vital healthcare, accommodation and transport facilities for the rising numbers of older citizens.
In conclusion, various measures can be taken to tackle the problems that are certain to arise as the populations of countries grow older.
(265 words, band 9)
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Wednesday, January 23, 2013
IELTS Writing Task 2: from plan to paragraph
Let's try writing a full paragraph using the essay plan from this lesson. The topic of this paragraph is "the problems caused by increasing life expectancy". Here's the plan I wrote:
Problems
- an increase in the number of retired people who will receive a pension
- a smaller proportion of young adults = smaller working populations
- a greater tax burden on working adults
- demand for healthcare will rise
- young adults will have to look after elderly relatives
Here's my paragraph using the ideas above:
As people live longer and the populations of developed countries grow older, several related problems can be anticipated. The main issue is that there will obviously be more people of retirement age who will be eligible to receive a pension. The proportion of younger, working adults will be smaller, and governments will therefore receive less money in taxes in relation to the size of the population. In other words, an ageing population will mean a greater tax burden for working adults. Further pressures will include a rise in the demand for healthcare, and the fact young adults will increasingly have to look after their elderly relatives.
Note: It would be easy to write more by adding an example (such as healthcare costs like more hospital beds and medical staff), but I've already written 106 words, which is enough for one main paragraph.
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Wednesday, January 16, 2013
IELTS Writing Task 2: introduction and conclusion
In the developed world, average life expectancy is increasing. What problems will this cause for individuals and society? Suggest some measures that could be taken to reduce the impact of ageing populations.
You don't need to mention any specific problems or solutions in your introduction and conclusion. These paragraphs can be short, easy and general. Remember that the main paragraphs are much more important in terms of your score.
Example introduction
It is true that people in industrialised nations can expect to live longer than ever before. Although there will undoubtedly be some negative consequences of this trend, societies can take steps to mitigate these potential problems.
Example conclusion
In conclusion, various measures can be taken to tackle the problems that are certain to arise as the populations of countries grow older.
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Wednesday, January 09, 2013
IELTS Writing Task 2: 'ageing population' topic
In the developed world, average life expectancy is increasing. What problems will this cause for individuals and society? Suggest some measures that could be taken to reduce the impact of ageing populations.
Some advice:
- Write 4 paragraphs: introduction, problems, solutions, conclusion.
- You don't need to separate ideas about individuals and ideas about society. Just mention something about both in your paragraphs.
Some ideas:
Problems
- an increase in the number of retired people who will receive a pension
- a smaller proportion of young adults = smaller working populations
- a greater tax burden on working adults
- demand for healthcare will rise
- young adults will have to look after elderly relatives
Solutions
- people may have to retire later; the state pension age will rise
- medical advances and health programmes might allow elderly people to stay healthy and work for longer
- people should be encouraged to have more children
- governments could encourage immigration (in order to increase the number of younger adults)
