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IELTS Writing Sample Task 2 | Government Spending & Health

IELTS Writing Sample Task 2 Essay

Below is an IELTS writing sample Task 2 question about government spending on health, and sample answers.

Spending public money to promote a healthy lifestyle is better than spending it on treating people who are already ill. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Essay Keywords: experts, spending, public money, promote, lifestyle, healthy, quality of life, treating, ill, agree, disagree

IELTS Writing Sample Task 2 Essay Answer

At first glance, such an argument might appear to have some foundation, until cases such as infant illness and mental illness are considered, which obviously are not, generally, the result of lifestyle choices by the individual, and yet clearly still require treatment.

While there may be some grounds for spending public money on health education and attempting to influence the lifestyle choices of the general public; gently persuading them to adopt healthy eating habits and participate in regular exercise, in no way could this be considered as an alternative to the provision of universal health care for all citizens.

Quite apart from the fact that many types of illnesses might afflict a person even if they appear to be extremely healthy, the current evidence as to the efficacy of such public health education policies is not overwhelmingly convincing in terms of producing concrete results. The fact tobacco companies have been demonized, banned from sponsoring sporting events, and advertising on TV for decades now, all in an effort to reduce smoking-related diseases, and yet in some countries the proportion of young people nowadays who smoke has increased is just one example of how ineffective attempting to persuade the public to change their lifestyle choice can be.

Overall, there is a need to provide a balance between encouraging and persuading people to adopt healthier habits in their daily lives and providing sufficient funding to ensure that people who become sick receive prompt and appropriate treatment. It is not for the government to legislate how people live, and until individuals take greater personal responsibility for their health, there will probably be no major change in their attitude towards the role of health care services.


Sample Answer 2

Prevention or cure? That is the big question regarding whether to spend public money on the prevention of illness or curing it. The argument is that governments should spend money on promoting healthy living rather than spending it only on treating people who are already ill.

The argument in favor of promoting healthy living is clear; it would cost less in the long run because illnesses and diseases can be prevented from arising altogether by following simple rules of health education and lifestyle changes. Thereby, the government could save a lot of taxpayers' money, which otherwise would have been used for paying large medical bills for patients when they eventually become seriously ill.

Governments have a responsibility to promote the public good. They must ensure that the nation can enjoy a healthy and contented lifestyle. To achieve this, governments should take the necessary steps to improve health education for their citizens. Good health does not come by chance; it is something that people work for and strive for every day of their lives. When people make an effort to eat nutritious foods, engage in regular exercise and seek medical advice when they are ill, they help themselves live longer, healthier lives, which benefits everyone. People who advocate a healthy lifestyle usually argue that prevention is better than cure. For example, a healthy person can prevent diseases from occurring in their bodies by exercising regularly, smoking less, and eating less fat, and cholesterol-rich foods. However, a sick person cannot help but get further sick by neglecting their health.

On the other hand, the argument against it is as follows: the treatment and cure of diseases should have more money allocated to it, as treatment would benefit more people in the short term. Therefore, governments should spend more money on treating those who are already ill rather than spending it on encouraging the population to develop new habits.

Prevention is much cheaper than curing (e.g., instructing people how to avoid catching the flu), and it may result in an overall reduction in the population's medical bills. However, prevention is dependent on convincing others to make positive changes while treating an illness involves providing immediate relief from the symptoms. Furthermore, regardless of whether people follow health recommendations after hearing them, those who are already ill would not be relieved from their symptoms if they do so.

Overall, there is a need for creating awareness about obesity and other lifestyle-related illnesses because they are the main cause of death in developed countries. Some experts believe that spending money on treating people who have already become ill is more effective than investing it into preventing such diseases. Also, one could argue that although this might not be as efficient as directly funding proven treatments, obesity prevention costs a lot less than treating all those people affected by it later on.


Discussion Questions

  • Should any lifestyle-related illness be treated differently? If so, how?
  • In your opinion, what would be some of the most effective ways to address "lifestyle-related illnesses" like obesity?



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