IELTS Writing Task 2 Discursive Essay of Band 8.0 – Topic : Health and Food

Scientists agree that people are damaging their health by eating too much junk food. Some people think that the answer to this problem is to educate people. Others think education will not work. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Get Evaluated for FREE:

Do you have an essay on this topic? Please post it in the comments section. One of our IELTS trainers will evaluate your essay from an examiner’s point of view and reply to the comment. This service is completely FREE of cost.

Outline

Essay type

Discussion essay

Introduction

• Paraphrase the topic of the essay.
• Give an insight into what can be expected from the essay.

Body

• Paragraph 1- On the one hand, education can stop people from further damaging their health by consuming fast food. From my perspective, although many eat fast food because of its affordability, the root cause of this lies in the fact that they are not adequately educated about the damaging consequences of junk food consumption, and the benefits of healthy eating.
• On the other hand, education alone will not work. The fact is that many people who are aware of the consequences of eating junk food are unduly pessimistic.

Conclusion

Conclude the topic of the essay by making an inference from it.

Sample Essay

Fast food has been proven to be the main culprit of obesity and other diet-related diseases, however, the habit of eating an excessive amount of fast food has never lost momentum.  One school of thought holds that education can rectify this situation. However, there is still much scepticism about the effect of education.  In this essay, both of these viewpoints will be analysed.

On the one hand, education can stop people from further damaging their health by consuming fast food. From my perspective, although many eat fast food because of its affordability, the root cause of this lies in the fact that they are not adequately educated about the damaging consequences of junk food consumption, and the benefits of healthy eating. According to recent studies conducted in the neighbourhoods where fast food stores are easily accessible, more than two-quarters of the residents know or care little about what they are consuming and how it can affect their health.

On the other hand, education alone will not work. The fact is that many people who are aware of the consequences of eating junk food are unduly pessimistic. In other words, they are often in denial and convince themselves that unhealthy habits are not as terrible as the media want them to believe. Secondly, it is very difficult for fast food eaters to reduce their dependency on fast food because it contains many addictive artificial flavours.

All things considered, education is one viable solution to put a stop to the obesity epidemic, but it does not suffice.  I feel that more efforts should be made to combat obesity.

Vocabulary

• To be the main culprit of: be the main reason for
• To lose momentum: become unpopular
• Accessible (adj.) easily bought
• Because of its affordability: because it is cheap
• To be in denial: be unwilling to accept
• Reduce dependency: become less dependent
• Obesity epidemic: the problem of obesity
• It does not suffice: it is not enough.
• Combat (v.) fight against

Band 9 Sample Essay

In the wake of deteriorating and appalling health conditions of people today, scientists hold unhealthy food as the prime driving force behind it. Some people conjecture that this problem could be contained with proper education, while others don’t believe that could alleviate the issue alone. In this essay, we shall look upon both aspects and how the latter opinion is somehow correct.

The junk food on the platter has been considerably thriving owing to people’s convenience when it comes to having processed food just a doorstep away. A surge in the junk food market and its consumption, as some people say, is due to the oblivion of the generation and society, at large, today. People are ignorant when it comes to the causative, hazardous and catastrophic dynamics of such unhealthy, pernicious and st times, unhygienic food items that may render them frail, severely ill and deficient in the terms of nutrition. Hence, as is proposed by some, the government should take necessary steps in acknowledging and making people aware of such routine and dietary patterns that in the long run, could even be fatal.

However, education and information alone can’t wrap up the wound as people despite knowing the ill effects tend to drag such health sermons at the back seat and hence go by the sporadic sensation of taste. Technology and the modern digital era is most certainly the first and primary cause of it, as now the favourite food is just a “Click & Buy ” away. Not just that, with the upsurge of the digital epoch, the very idea and reflection of it of making the lives easier has indeed, made the lifestyle unhealthier than ever. Sedentary lifestyle, dormant state, frozen feet and barren body are just some of the deleterious physical effects of it, without even getting to the other aspects of it. With a wide plethora of options and alternatives which comes along with the new age, people choose the best ones. Now in order to keep up with the ever-growing demand and neck-jolting strife, the inculcation of the tastier and hazardous sweet poisons to the food material grows. The more people get away with the gustatory aspect of it, the worse they do with their physiologies. In such a case, education alone can’t tackle the demon of junk food, rather limiting and monitoring the advertisements or even precautions while advertising it should be acknowledged. Increasing the taxes on junk foods could yet again be a great alternative as money matters. 

With this we can safely conclude that other than education alone there are some different prophylactic measures that could be taken to halt and digress the fast-moving junk food trend, thereby, saving people from the perils of derelict health.

More Writing Task 2 Essay Topics

• Students Today Can Access Information Online So Libraries Are Not Necessary
• In Some Countries Secondary Schools Aim To Provide a General Education Across a Range Of Subjects
• Some People Prefer To Directly Help Or Support People Who Need It In The Local Community
• Modern Technology Now Allows Rapid Uncontrolled Access
• Prevention Is Better Than Cure Out Of A Country Health Budget A Large Proportion

Also check:

• IELTS Writing Task 2
• IELTS Essay Topics
• Tips to write introduction in IELTS Writing Task 2
• Tips to write great writing essay
• IELTS Sample essays
• IELTS Writing task 2 Preparation Tips
• IELTS Writing tips
• How to get band 8 in IELTS Writing Task 2
• IELTS Writing recent actual test
• Direct question essay
• IELTS Band 9 essays
• Advantage and Disadvantage Essays
• IELTS Writing Answer sheet
• IELTS map vocabulary
• IELTS Writing Task 1 Connectors