Cambridge IELTS Practice Tests Book 9 Academic Writing Test 3, Task 2 IELTS Essay public health concerns
IELTS Writing Task 2You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic:
Some people say that the best way to improve public health is by increasing the number of sports facilities. Others, however, say that this would have little effect on public health and that other measures are required.Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
It is one thing to build a sports center; it is quite another thing to get people to use it. At the heart of the argument lies motivation. Based on human behavior, we can see that health is very much a personal choice. People choose to lead a healthy lifestyle or not. Many people do regular exercise, with or without public facilities being available, simply walking ever day or jogging in the local park. It is simply their personal choice to do these activities. Other people choose to do little or no exercise, even though their village, town or city may have many superb facilities available to them. That is also their personal choice.
Many organizations have suggested that education is the key to improving health, as education seems to be the answer for everything. However, we have already seen this fail in several high profile areas such as drinking, smoking and fast food.
Many research groups and others who support a healthy lifestyle have spent years trying to educate the public through various campaigns, pointing out the negative side effects of these bad habits and showing the way to healthier options. The results have been far less than impressive.
In the UK alone, there are more young people smoking now than in the past, in spite of all the health campaigns warning of the risks. Excessive alcohol consumption is still a social problem, and governments are now complaining that obesity related health conditions are putting a strain on public health services, which can be traced back to the rise in popularity of fast food and convenience food in popular culture.
From this we can see that simply providing facilities or trying to inform people through campaigns and advertising is not the most effective way to change public behavior, if that is the desired result.
Source:Cambridge IELTS 9 Practice Tests Academic Writing Test 3 Task 2
Public Health Concerns
- How would you answer this IELTS essay question about public health concerns?
- What are the major public health concerns in your country?
- What suggestions would you make to improve public health?