IELTS Writing Task 2 essay with model answer

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic

Some people think the government should take measures regarding the healthy lifestyles of individuals. Others think it must be managed by individuals. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

Model Answer:

It is often argued that the State should take the responsibility of ensuring a healthy lifestyle of its citizens. However, others believe that the ones lie on the person to lead a healthy, stress-free life. I believe that it is the joint responsibility of the individual and the government and over the course of my essay, I will explain my point of view.

On the other hand, it is true that each person is responsible for his own life choices. A healthy body is a healthy mind. So it is our duty to eat healthily and lead an active life. Nobody will be able to change our lifestyle for the better if we ourselves are unwilling to adopt a healthy way of living. What one eats, how much one exercise, who one does to lead a healthy stress-free life is one's own concern. To illustrate, most textbooks teach us about balanced healthy diet in our science class. However, with time, most of this knowledge is put on the back burner when we indulge in eating fast food. Similarly, the statutory warnings like "Smoking kills", "Alcohol is injurious to health" are flashed during the screening of any such scene on television. However, that does not deter people from taking up these vices! Therefore, it is up to the individual to make healthy lifestyle choices to ensure longevity and well being.

Having said this, it is also true that the government, being an administrative body, should take the responsibility of maintaining the well-being of the public for various reasons. Firstly, improving the health of the citizens eventually leads to a decrease in disease burden and healthcare-related expenditure. This money can be utilised by the State for other beneficial purposes like building infrastructure. For example, the NHS of the United Kingdom takes care of the country's health, and it would be advantageous if a part of the expenditure could be cut down thanks to a healthier society. Secondly, the government alone has the authority to take the fast food chains heavily and to curb the sale of liquor and tobacco. This will ensure decreased availability to the people and therefore improve the health of the public. Moreover, government-sponsored health awareness programmes can help to build a healthy future generation.

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All in all, I believe that both the State and the individual should work hand in hand to ensure a healthy, disease-free life because to clap, both hands are needed.

Total Words: 340

Task Achievement: 9

Coherence & Cohesion: 9

Lexical resources: 9

Grammar: 9

Overall Score: Band 9

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