Writing Task 2 – Overweight

The number of children who are overweight is increasing and many believe that children
are not as physically fit as they used to be. What are some of the reasons for this change?
What can be done to reverse the trend?

There is no denying that the number of overweight children in our society is increasing rapidly. Only
ten years ago this was not an issue, but nowadays it is easy to find news reports and newspaper
articles discussing this problem. Children who are overweight and inactive not only risk health
problems later on in life, they may not have as enjoyable a childhood as fit and active children do.

There are many reasons why the number of overweight children is increasing. First of all, snacks and
fast foods are becoming more available. This kind of food can be found in any shop on any street, and
children, whose parents give them more pocket money these days, can afford to buy it whenever they
want. These children become less interested in the nutritious but blander food offered to them at
school and home. In addition, children are not as active as they used to be. In the past, kids would
walk or ride their bicycles to school, but today, their parents may drive them or they may even take a
taxi. After school, instead of going out and playing with friends, children often stay home to study or
play computer games.

Reversing this trend will take time and dedication. First of all, parents must realise that their children
are unhealthy and take measures to help them such as providing low-fat meals at dinner and limiting
pocket money that may be spent on food. Schools must also take some action to help school children
get enough exercise either during or after school hours. In addition, schools should institute nutrition
and wellness classes so that children can understand what is and isn’t healthy.

Writing Task 2

Some people believe that pre-schools and kindergartens should start teaching children basic subjects
such as maths, writing even computers. Others think that these schools should mainly focus on
activities such as games, painting, music, and play.

While children formally start school around the age of six or seven, it is becoming more and more
common for children younger than this to attend kindergarten or pre-school.  Some parents hope that
children in these schools will get a head start on important school subjects such as maths and
computers, while others simply want their children to have time to play with other children and do
activities involving creative skills like painting and games.  

On the one hand, it is easy to see why parents might wish their children to start formal learning at an
early age.  Once children start at primary school, they will be required to start dealing with formal
school subjects.  If they have had exposure to these subjects while in pre-school, they will
undoubtedly have an advantage over others who haven’t.  Children with this advantage will achieve
better grades and success, leading to higher achievement and confidence in their schoolwork.

However, many parents also realise that children at a young age need time to play and explore their
world.  Activities involving art and music can develop children’s creativity and playtime can allow
children to interact with other children and develop social skills.  This is more than just having fun; by
doing these activities, children are gaining valuable skills that will help them make friends, enjoy
learning and solve problems later on in their school careers.  

If I were choosing a pre-school for my own child, I would look for a school whose curriculum includes
mostly fun activities where children interact and enjoy themselves.  This is not to say that formal
subjects should not be approached, but they should not take up the majority of the school day and
should be introduced in a fun and creative way.  
 Writing Task 2

Some people think that in countries with high unemployment, the retirement age should be lowered to
allow more young people to get jobs.

What would be the advantages and disadvantages of doing this?

Countries with high unemployment face a number of different resulting problems.  Older people
without jobs may pose a burden on their families and may not be able to afford their basic necessities,
whereas unemployed youth may burden their parents and are more likely to have difficulties in the
future.  There are many different ways that governments can try to tackle the problem of high
unemployment, and there are some who believe the best way is to lower the retirement age so that
more new jobs are available for the younger generation.

It is true that it may be better for society as a whole to have an older unemployed population than a
younger one.  Those who are fresh out of high school or university need to immediately apply their
knowledge and creativity.  If they find that they cannot become contributing members of society after
their studies, they may fall into bad habits and eventually lose the desire to work hard for themselves
and their society.  Even if they do finally find a job, they may be reluctant to accept it because they
may be overqualified to do it and have got used to a life without working.  By lowering the retirement
age, more jobs will be available to the young, and the government can make sure this scenario does
not play out as often as it otherwise might.

Certainly, requiring that people retire at an early age would not be an optimum solution, as an
increasing retired population would put increasing strains on families as well as government welfare
programmes.  In fact the best solution to the problem, in my eyes, would be to seek out alternative
solutions that would increase the amount of jobs available by increasing the actual amount of jobs,
rather than decreasing the number of people in the workforce. 

Writing Task 2

Nowadays, litter and rubbish on the street and sidewalks is becoming a problem.  Some people feel that the best way to solve this problem is to fine people who
throw rubbish on the floor.  Do you think this would be effective?  What other methods could be used to solve the problem of litter?

Many people may feel that littering is not a big problem in today’s world, but too much litter and rubbish on the street and sidewalk will make an area less attractive.  People who litter
are in some way showing that they do not care what their neighbourhood looks like and that they do not feel a sense of pride in their area. If an area has too much litter, there may be
an increase in pests like rats.  It is clearly a good idea to encourage people not to throw rubbish on the ground.

But how can they best be encouraged?  Some people think that fining people is the best way.  The ideas is that if someone is caught littering by the police, they will have to pay a
certain amount of money as a punishment.  This would certainly discourage that person from littering again.  However, there are not enough police to monitor all areas of a city, and
there are more important issues for the police to deal with.  If only a handful of people get fines, then only a handful of people will stop littering. 

There are some other methods that could be used in addition to giving fines in order to encourage people to stop littering.  Firstly, the city should put up more rubbish bins.  If there is a
rubbish bin on every street or every corner, people will have a place to put their rubbish.  Posters and television ads could also highlight the problem and show people why littering
should be stopped.  Finally, people could be employed to sweep or clean the sidewalks and streets in the places where many people walk everyday.  Once people get used to having
rubbish-free streets and sidewalks, they will start to notice litter more and accept it less.

Writing Task 2

In today’s world, subjects like maths and science are the most important for children to learn in school.  School curricula should focus on these subjects more and reduce the time
spent on music, literature, art and history.  Only in this way can we adequately prepare students for life in the modern world.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Many people today regard school subjects like maths and science as the most important subjects taught in school.  A mastery of these subjects will allow a student to go on to study
economics, engineering or many other highly valued university majors, which will lead to better job opportunities in the future.  Students will have a better chance of mastering these
subjects if less time is spent on subjects such as history or music when they are at school.

That is not to say that these less practical subjects should be entirely ignored.  The main goal of primary and secondary school is not to prepare students for future work, but to prepare
them to be well-rounded adults.  Art, history and literature may not have direct applications in the most popular jobs, but an understanding of these subjects will help a child develop a
sense of place in his or her culture.  In addition, subjects like music do much to develop a child’s way of thinking.

Some people might argue that those who are interested in arts or literature will have time later on to take these subjects up as a hobby once they start working.  This may be true, but
by denying a child exposure to these subjects when they are young virtually guarantees that he or she will not develop an interest in these subjects and are therefore unlikely to pick
them up later on as a hobby. 

In conclusion, while it is reasonable for schools to want to help students in their future careers by focusing on maths and science, it is not reasonable for schools to deny students
access to other subjects.   Most people would want to see our cultural heritage passed on to the next generation, and educating students about literature, art, music and history is the
best way to do this.

Writing Task 2

Television has had a significant influence on the culture of many

societies. To what extent would you say that television has positively
or negatively affected the cultural development of your society?

It has been around forty years since television was first

introduced into Australian households and people today still
have mixed views on whether it has a positive or a negative
influence on the society.
Many people believe that television damages culture. It
promotes the stronger cultures of countries such as Britain
and North America and weakens the cultures of less wealthy
countries. This is because the stronger, wealthier countries
are able to assert their own culture by producing more
programs that are shown widely around the world. These
programs then influence people, particularly young people, in
the countries where they are shown.
Also, because television networks need to attract large
audiences to secure their financial survival, they must
produce programs which are interesting to a broad range of
people. In Australia this range is very broad because we are
a multicultural society and people of all ages like to watch
television. To interest all these different people, most
television programs are short in length, full of action and
excitement, do not require much intelligence or knowledge to
understand, and follow universal themes common to all
cultures, such as love and crime. Television programs which
concentrate on or develop themes pertinent to one particular
culture are not so successful because they interest a smaller
audience.
Nevertheless we much acknowledge that television does
have some positive effects on the cultures within a society as
well. People who do not live within their own culture can, in a
limited way, access it through the multicultural station on the
television. For example, Aboriginal children who have grown
up in white families, or migrants and international students
living in Australia, can watch programs from their own culture
on the television.
In conclusion, I hold the view that television promotes and
strengthens those cultures that are wealthy and influential
while it weakens the cultures that are already in a weakened position.