Many manufactured food and drink products contain high levels of sugar, which causes many health problems. Sugary products should be made more expensive to encourage people to consume less sugar.
Do you agree or disagree?
3 IELTSbiz learners have answered this Task 2 question and had it marked on the four official criteria; bands ranged from 5 to 7, with a median of Band 6. Compare the answers below to see exactly what the higher bands did differently.
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These are learner answers, not model answers — including the ones that scored well. Read them for what the criteria reward and punish, not as text to copy. A memorised essay attached to a slightly different question scores worse than an honest attempt, and examiners recognise recited material quickly.
Nowadays, many processed food and drink products contain excessive sugar, which causes a wide range of health problems. Views differ on whether sugary products should be more expensive to encourage people to consume less sugar. This essay will analyse why I partly agree with this view.
Increasing the price of sugary products can considerably reduce consumption, as people are sensitive to price changes and have to allocate their budget between living expenses and snacks. For instance, if the price of an ice cream rises from $10 to $20, people will reduce the frequency with which they eat it from once a week to once a month. As a result of this decline in consumption, people can reduce their risk of developing health conditions such as obesity and high blood pressure.
On the other hand, the measure is only effective for poor people who have a lower income. The wealthy consumers still purchase these products that contain high levels of sugar. Therefore, retailers and manufacturers need to produce food and drinks using healthier sweeteners. For example, Coca-Cola, a renowned company producing various drinks, has a zero-sugar option. If people recognise this is healthier than other drinks, they will increasingly pay more attention to their health. Therefore, taxation alone cannot reduce consumption across all income groups, so it should be combined with eductional alternatives.
In conclusion, I partly agree that sugary products should be more expensive to reduce consumption. However, it is crucial to make individuals understand how to maintain healthy habits. Both the government and businesses need to educate the public.
Nowadays, many manufactured food and drink products contain high levels of sugar, which causes many health problems. Views differ on whether sugary products should be more expensive to encourage people to consume less sugar. This essay will analyse why I partly agree with this view.
Businesses sell their products at a high price, which considerably reduces consumption as people need to balance their salaries between life expenses and snacks. For instance, if the price of an ice cream rises from $10 to $20, people will alter their habits from eating once a week to once a month. Through this decline, people can avoid some diseases such as obesity and high blood pressure.
Nevertheless, the action is effective for certain people who have lower income. The wealthy people also purchase these products that contain high levels of sugar. The retailers and manufacturers need to produce some food and drinks that are replaced by healthier sweeteners. For example, Coca-Cola, a renowned company producing various drinks, has a zero-sugar option. If people recognise this is healthier than other drinks, they will increasingly pay more attention to healthy problems. As a result, the government should organise some lectures or put up some advertisement to highlight the importance of reducing purchases of sugary products or even manufactured products.
In conclusion, I partly agree that sugary products should be more expensive to reduce consumption. It is most important to make individuals recognise how to maintain healthy habits. The government and businesses need to educate the public.
Nowadays, many manufactured food and drink products contain high levels of sugar which cause many health problems. Views differ on whether sugary products should be more expensive to encourage people to consume less sugar. This essay will analyse why I partly agree this view.
Businesses sell their products with a high price, which considerably reduces the consumption as people need to balance their salaries between life costs and snacks. For instance, if an ice cream price rises from $10 to $20, people will alter their habits from eating once a week to once a month. Through this falling, people can avoid some disease such as an obesity and a blood pressure.
Nevertheless, the action is effective to certain people who have lower income. The wealthy people also purchase these products that contain high levels of sugar. The retailers and manufacters need to produce some food and drinks that are replace by healthy sweeteners. For example, cola, a renowned company producing various drinks, has a zero-sugar option. If people recognise this is heathier than other drinks, they will increasingly pay more attention to the healthy problems. As a result, the government should organise some lectures or put up some advertisement to launch the important of reducing buying sugary products or even manufactured products.
In conclusion, I partly agree that sugary products should be more expensive to reduce consumption. It is the most important to make individuals recognise how to remain healthy habits. All the government and businesses need to educate the public.
What band do answers to this IELTS question usually get?
Across 3 graded answers on IELTSbiz, bands ranged from 5 to 7, with a median of Band 6. Each was marked on Task Response, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range & Accuracy.
What separates the Band 7 answer from the Band 5 answer?
The largest difference is Lexical Resource: 7 in the Band 7 answer against 5 in the Band 5 answer. Open each answer to read the examiner's reason for every criterion.