This week’s model answer tackles the double-question Task 2 format.
With this kind of question, a four-paragraph template works best – one body paragraph for each question.
It is important to answer both sides of the question equally – so try to make sure your body paragraphs are a more or less equal length. Don’t forget to state your position clearly in the introduction, as it has been in the model essay below.
This model essay follows the following template:
Introduction: with the position
1st Body Paragraph: answering the first question
2nd Body Paragraph: answering the second question
Conclusion: summarising and paraphrasing your main points
The Question
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
The average age at which people have children is rising.
Why do you think this is?
Do you think it is a positive or negative development?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
The Answer
People are typically having children later in life than was once the case. This is, on the whole, a positive development; it reflects the rapid progression and improvement of medicine in the developed world.
In the past, having a child earlier on in life was important, because giving birth was often dangerous – and younger, healthier women stood the best chance of a trouble-free pregnancy.
Now, though, modern technology and medical practices have dramatically reduced the chances of complications in childbirth. This is clearly a positive development: much older women who wish to have children are now able to do so, without fearing for their own health or for that of their child.
Another reason for the rising average age of childbirth is that of the increasing cost of childcare and education. Contraception, meanwhile, has become cheaper. Many people aged under 25 are choosing not to commit to raising a child yet – opting instead to wait until later in life – and the rapid adoption of reliable contraception reduces the likelihood of an accidental pregnancy. This may also be a positive development for society overall; parents who make an active choice to bear children are likely to be better prepared to do so.
To conclude, the rising average age at which people are having children is a positive development for parents, children and for society as a whole. Present-day clinical practices and much improved methods of contraception allow older aspiring parents to have the children they want, and prevent unwanted pregnancies in younger parents who are not yet ready for the commitment of childbirth.
What Next?
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More Links
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