General Line on Health - IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 with Band 9 Sample Answer

General Line on Health is the most common topic in the IELTS Writing Task 2, particularly in the Academic module. Such essays would give you an opportunity to consider topics like healthy lifestyles, government’s role in healthcare, or the impact of diet and exercise. In order to achieve band 8+ in the IELTS Writing, you must present your opinions clearly. However, you must follow a logical arrangement of their thoughts, use a wider range of vocabulary words, and justify your stance with appropriate examples. Remember that analyzing the sample answers would improve your writing skills.

Let’s dive into the topic of health and take a step towards getting a band 9.

How to Score a Band 9 in the IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 Topic ‘General Line on Health’?

To score an IELTS Band Score of 8+, you are supposed to discuss both sides of the argument logically and express a concise opinion. To effectively answer the IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 topic ‘General Line on Health’. Below are the band 9 strategies which you can follow as you brainstorm ideas and write the essay.

• Before you write, always try to first recognize the main point or keyword. This will help you stay on topic and refrain you from deviating from it. 
• Devote around 3–5 minutes for generating ideas that are connected to the topic. Planning is the key to getting good marks in Coherence & Cohesion, for your essay will be a smooth transition from one idea to another. Make use of quick notes to arrange your points in a logical way rather than directly attempting the question. 
• You can demonstrate strong lexical flexibility by using words related to health in your IELTS Vocabulary. 
• Remember to divide the essay in 4 paragraphs where in the introduction, you must rephrase the question to showcase strong paraphrasing skills.
• Your essay should be of academic nature where you should follow an academic tone. This is crucial in reflecting a strong coherence & cohesion while keeping the information arranged.
• For the sentence structures in IELTS Grammar, you must start using simple, compound, and complex ones with no grammatical errors. 
• Always keep some time to proofread so that you can carefully look at the entire essay. In this way, you can spot the layout of the essay and look for minor errors in grammar, article usage, or punctuation as these will help you to get a band 9 in Grammatical Range and Accuracy.

Question - IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay on ‘General Line on Health’

Sample Answer 1 on ‘General Line on Health’

Scientific findings have indicated that the excessive consumption of fast food is leading the health of people to deterioration. According to some people, this unhealthy practice can be stopped through education; however, some others have little faith in this solution. As the supporters of each view have their own justifications, whether education is effective remains to be seen in this essay.

On the one hand, raising the awareness of people towards the dangers of unhealthy food can certainly yield some promising outcomes. Firstly, many fast food products provide very little or no information on the nutritional content in them, deterring the consumers from knowing the amount of fat, sodium or cholesterol which they take in. By being informed of how much of these harmful substances are contained in their favourite hamburgers or chips, as well as being shown the likely consequences of over-eating these foods, consumers can be more cautious the next time they choose their food. Secondly, education at schools can help to form healthy eating habits for children and parents. For instance, schools can hold some extracurricular activities such as growing and selling vegetables with the attendance of both students and parents, in order to promote the benefits of healthy diets and warn against the potential risks of junk food.

On the other hand, some people doubt the effectiveness of education for certain reasons. To begin with, despite being aware of the negative effects of fast food, many people who are too busy persist in eating it due to its convenience and time-saving. In this case, education hardly makes a difference as they have made a choice. In addition, compared with the wide range and availability of fast food stores and menus, healthy food is seriously limited. Furthermore, healthy food is commonly inferior to fast food in terms of taste and prices as a matter of fact. As a result, however convincing education is, it is almost impossible for people to change their eating habits without a ready alternative to their unhealthy food choices.

In conclusion, people have different opinions about whether to support education so as to reduce people’s consumption of fast food. In my opinion, education can be a viable measure with careful consideration of other impediments.

Vocabulary for Sample Answer 1 on ‘General Line on Health’

• Faith: Trust in somebody’s ability or knowledge; trust that somebody/something will do what has been promised
  Eg : He has blind faith in doctors’ ability to find a cure.
• Deter: stop someone from doing something
  Eg : The high price of the service could deter people from seeking advice.
• Extracurricular: Not part of the usual course of work or studies at a school or college
  Eg : She is involved in many extra-curricular activities.
• Inferior: Not good or not as good as somebody/something else
  Eg : Modern music is often considered inferior to that of the past.
• Impediment: Something that delays or stops the progress of something
  Eg : The level of inflation is a serious impediment to economic recovery.

Sample Answer 2 on ‘General Line on Health’

Today, individuals believe that consumption of junk food has resulted in several negative health issues. With this increase, many people opine that educating the public could resolve the issue easily, while others are against this notion. The subsequent essay will present both arguments regarding this situation and elaborate the respective meanings.

Educating people about healthier fat options and diets is a must in today’s time as these would involve learning about the pros and cons of fast food. This would make an individual become aware of the health problem that follows the consumption of this food such as being overweight. For example, with the fast-paced development of society, the population is getting busy and thus it has become more convenient to buy takeaway food. Due to this, people are being affected in terms of harmful fats which causes many health problems.

However, education can help in effectively mitigating the problem. The fast food industry has to be reduced in the amount of produce it offers. Gradually, the consumption of junk food would be reduced as they become aware of the consequences. Besides, people can also participate in various outdoor activities which can rejuvenate them. As a result, they can not only focus on their physical health but also mental health. In addition to that, the government should also increase the taxes on fast food which will compel individuals to cook more at home, eat healthier. 

To conclude, the consumption of fast foods in the global market is very high due to their easy accessibility and quick preparation service. To curb this issue, one should be made aware of the advantages and disadvantages of such food items along with imposing high taxes on them by the government.

Vocabulary for Sample Answer 2 on ‘General Line on Health’

• Notion: A belief or idea
  Eg : They believe in the notion that using technology for studies can help in recalling topics.
• Convenience: Being easy to use or to achieve.
  Eg : The convenience of meals prepared in advance has become a new trend for many people.
• Mitigate: To lessen the impact or the seriousness of something.
  Eg : The management tried to mitigate the problem of solving the work pressure on employees by introducing smaller breaks throughout the day.
• Rejuvenate: Feeling refreshed
  Eg : Being consistently active outdoors can rejuvenate the body and also contribute to overall health.
• Curb: To restrict something harmful
  Eg : To curb unhealthy eating practices, the school has banned fried food on campus.
• Compel: To sway someone’s will so that he/she does it reluctantly.
  Eg : Many people are compelled to buy new items due to increase of screentime on social media.

Achieving a Band 9 in IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 can be possible by focusing on clarity, balanced argumentation, and cohesion. Through consistent practice, you will get the skill of creating strong topic sentences, using cohesive devices and maintaining a formal yet natural tone. Remember that you must pay attention to logical reasoning, balanced argumentation, and linguistic accuracy which will build your confidence for the IELTS Exam.

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