Ideas for IELTS Writing

 Topic 3: family

 Family size
Families in many countries are not as large as they used to be.
Nowadays both parents often work.
Parents tend to have fewer children.
We tend to live in small nuclear families rather than large extended families.
It costs so much to bring children up.
It is more difficult to raise a large family.

 Working parents
家庭角度
Women traditionally stayed at home to cook, clean and look after children.
Nowadays both parents often work full time.
Parents spend less time with their children.
Busy parents have less contact with their children.
Many families no longer eat meals together.
孩子角度
Children may be left alone, or with nannies or babysitters.
Children and their parents seem to be less close nowadays.
Children spend more time with friends or surfing the Internet.

 Negative effects on Children

家庭角度
The lack of closeness in families can have a negative effect on children.
Many parents have no idea how their children spend their time.
Parents should be more involved with their children’s upbringing.
孩子角度
Friends, television, and the Internet become the main influence on children’s behavior.
Teenagers are influenced by peer pressure.
Juvenile delinquency is on the increase.
Young people need positive role models.

 Care for Old people

家庭角度
Caring for elderly people was traditionally the responsibility of families.
Adults had to look after their elderly parents.
A woman’s job was to stay at home taking care of her family.
Families tend to be smaller these days, and women often have full-time jobs.
Nowadays, fewer elderly people are looked after by their relatives.
Some families are unable to look after elderly relatives.
The best form of care for the elderly depends on the family situation.
It depends on whether family members have the time and resources.
社会角度
We all have a responsibility towards the older people in our society.
Care homes provide a professional service for senior citizens.
Nurses are better trained than family members.
Governments should invest money in facilities and training for care workers.

These days, more fathers stay at home and take care of their children while mothers go out to
work.
What could be the reasons for this?
Do you think it is a positive or a negative development?

In some countries, many more people are choosing to live alone nowadays than in the past.
Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

In many countries today, people in cities either live alone or in small family units, rather than
in large, extended family groups.
Is this a positive or negative trend?

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Nowadays, people spend more and more time away from their families.
Why is this?
What effect will it have on themselves and their families?
Ideas for IELTS Writing
Topic 3: family

Vocabulary:

1. 小家庭 [n.] a nuclear family
2. 大家庭 [n.] an extended family
3. 养孩子 [v.] bring children up
4. 保姆 [n.] babysitter / nanny
5. 少接触 [n.] less contact with
6. 缺乏亲密感 [n.] a lack of closeness
7. 孩子的教养 [n.] children’s upbringing
8. 同伴压力 [n.] peer pressure
9. 青少年犯罪 [n.] juvenile delinquency
10. 楷模 [n.] role models
11. 家庭的责任 [n.] the responsibility of families
12. 年迈的父母 [n.] elderly parents
13. 老年人 [n.] senior citizens / elderly people
14. 护理中心 [n.] care homes
15. 护工 [n.] care workers
16. 对...有消极影响 [n.] have a negative effect on ...
17. 情感支持 [n.] emotional support
18. 家庭账单 [n.] household bills
19. 承受...的重量 [v.] bear the weight of

Practice 2:

1. 我们倾向于生活在小家庭而不是大家庭中。
[rather than]
We tend to live in small nuclear families rather than large extended families.

2. 家庭中缺乏亲密感会对孩子产生负面影响。
The lack of closeness in families can have a negative effect on children.

3. 父母应该更多地参与孩子的教养。
[get/be involved with]
Parents should be more involved with their children’s upbringing.

4. 照顾老人传统上是家庭的责任。
Caring for elderly people was traditionally the responsibility of families.

5. 独居的人可能会感到孤独、孤立和担忧。
[定语从句]
People who live alone may experience feelings of loneliness, isolation, and worry.

6. 他们错过了家人或室友可以提供的情感支持和日常交谈。
[定语从句]
 They miss out on the emotional support and daily conversation that family or flatmates can
provide.

7. 他们必须承担所有家庭账单和责任的重量。
[bear the weight of ]
They must bear the weight of all household bills and responsibilities.
 Divorce
社会角度
In the past, divorce was unacceptable because it was considered to be embarrassing for a family.
People stayed together for religious or family reasons.
Divorce is more socially acceptable nowadays and has become much more common.
个人角度
Divorce can be extremely stressful.
Lone parents may face financial difficulties.
Many single parents have to rely on benefits paid by the state.
Divorce can have a negative effect on children.
Children from single-parent families are more likely to get lower grades or drop out of school.
The rise in divorce rates may be connected to some social problems.