Some People Think That It is Unfair to Have a Set Retirement Age- IELTS Writing Task 2

Some people think that having a set retirement age (e.g. 65 years) for everybody regardless of occupation is unfair. They believe that certain workers deserve to retire and receive a pension at an earlier age. Do you agree or disagree? Which types of workers do you think should benefit from early retirement? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Outline

Essay Type

Opinion Essay

Introduction

Paraphrase the topic of the essay.

Clearly mention the view on the topic.

Body Paragraphs

Some jobs are more physically demanding and therefore cannot be performed by aged workers.

The ability to carry out all the responsibilities of a job can decline in people at different parts of their life. Thus setting the retirement age with the particular worker’s abilities is important.

Conclusion

Summarize the essay and state the final view on the topic.

Sample Essay

The debate on retirement age and whether it should be set keeping in mind the type of role a person is employed in has been a pressing issue. Since the job market is becoming more dynamic by the day, people are more inclined towards having a flexible retirement age. It is widely believed that early retirement is necessary for certain jobs. I wholeheartedly agree with this notion. In the following paragraphs, I will elaborate on the topic and justify my views on the same.

First and foremost, we must acknowledge that the requirements of a particular profession are distinctly different from another. Some roles are physically demanding, while others need the incumbent to be mentally focused. For example, blue-collar jobs in the fields of manufacturing, installation of machinery, repair and maintenance are manual labour intensive. Thus the performance of the employees tends to diminish as they get older. Therefore, expecting such individuals to be productive after the age of 60 is unreasonable.

Furthermore, it is not just the unskilled workers who are susceptible to declining productivity due to old age. People tend to lose their physical as well as their mental strength after a certain age. With the rising cases of health complications among the general public, such occurrences are more widespread. The ability to carry out tedious responsibilities that come along with professions like law, accounting and also teaching can also run out as workers get older. Thereby, it is crucial to make sure that such factors are kept in mind when deciding the time for an employee to retire.

However, it is understandable that adopting such a framework will be a strenuous task for the organization, and it might also affect many economically backward families because the individual may be the sole bread-earner. Nevertheless, it is a significant step that needs to be taken for the betterment of both the employers and the personnel.

Finally, an organization must recognize the needs of their workforce. Consequently, to maintain productivity and to create a healthy work culture, certain workers should be allowed to retire early with a decent pension scheme, depending on their physical and mental capabilities.

Vocabulary

• Pressing

Meaning: requiring quick or immediate action or attention.
Eg: The issue of retaining the players is a pressing matter.

• Dynamic

Meaning: characterized by constant change, activity, or progress.
Eg: The dynamic nature of this chemical bond was a discovery.

• Wholeheartedly

Meaning: with complete sincerity and commitment.
Eg: They wholeheartedly donated all their prize money.

• Incumbent

Meaning: the holder of an office or post.
Eg: The incumbent of that job is quite competent.

• Intensive

Meaning: concentrating on or making much use of a specified thing.
Eg: The computer-intensive teaching methods were remarkable.

• Diminish

Meaning: make or become less; reduce.
Eg: The profits tend to diminish over time.

• Occurrences

Meaning: an incident or event.
Eg: The daily occurrences of theft were concerning for the authority.

• Framework

Meaning: a basic structure underlying a system, concept, or text.
Eg: The framework followed by this department is improper.

• Strenuous

Meaning: requiring or using great effort or exertion.
Eg: The entire trek was a strenuous one.

• Personnel

Meaning: people employed in an organization or engaged in an organized undertaking
Eg: A majority of the new personnel required hands-on training.