In many countries children are becoming overweight and unhealthy. Some people think that government should have the responsibility.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 2 question on IELTSX. In many countries children are becoming overweight and unhealthy. Some people think that government should have the responsibility.

Government responsibility for overweight and unhealthy children - IELTS Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Write at least 250 words.

A student's answer to this task, and the feedback on it

Written by an IELTSX user under exam conditions and published unedited and anonymously. Band 7 ยท 336 words.

In recent years, children obesity has become a major public health concern in many countries. Some people claim that government should be responsible for addressing this issue. Although governments might counter children health problems by promoting healthy lifestyles and subsidising nutritious food, I still believe it is a matter of a personal choice and should be guided rather than strictly controlled.

There is no doubt that government should take children's physical well-being as one of the most important considerations. If government imposes stricter rules on school meals by controlling nutritional distribution, it may significantly reduce children obesity issue. Additionally, it can subsidise healthy products and food, instead of promoting junk food advertising, which might be more appealing for children. Another effective implementation might be providing more sports and recreational facilities, so children can spend their time doing physical activities. Many children spend a huge amount of time leading a sedentary lifestyle in school. Therefore, it is significant not only to teach proper diet, but also allow children to be more active. As a result, my different public health policies, government may significantly reduce the number of overweight children.

However, I believe food preferences should remain a personal choice which cannot be fully controlled. Healthy eating habits usually derive from families, where parents decide what to buy and eat. No more how healthy school meals might be or how well healthy lifestyles are promoted, if parents do not shape their eating habits completely, it might still remain a problem. Instead, governments should teach and involve parents into public health campaigns, which might be more effective in the long-term. By shapping lifestyle of a whole family, it can counter both children and adult health problems.

In conclusion, there is a growing trend of children becoming overweight and unhealthy due to lack of proper diet and leading sedentary lifestyles. Although governments can help and implement public health policies, such as subsidising healthy products and monitoring school meals, I still believe that people should have personal freedom in food choices.

Examiner feedback

The essay achieves a solid Band 7.0 by clearly addressing the prompt with a balanced argument and a consistent position. The linguistic range is sufficient for an academic context, although minor inaccuracies in grammar and word choice prevent it from reaching the Band 8.0 level.

Task Response - 7

- Addresses all parts of the task by discussing both government responsibility and the limitations of its role. - Presents a clear position throughout the response. - Main ideas are extended and supported, though the distinction between 'personal choice' and 'parental responsibility' could be more nuanced.

Coherence & Cohesion - 7

- Information is organized logically with a clear progression from government intervention to personal/parental responsibility. - Cohesive devices are used appropriately, though some transitions like 'No more how' are slightly mechanical. - Each paragraph has a clear central topic that supports the overall argument.

Lexical Resource - 7

- A good range of vocabulary is used (e.g., 'sedentary lifestyle', 'nutritional distribution', 'subsidising'). - There are some minor errors in word formation ('shapping') and collocation ('counter children health problems'). - The style is appropriately academic and avoids repetitive language.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 7

- A variety of complex structures are used, including conditional sentences and subordinate clauses. - Most sentences are error-free, but some slips occur in word order and grammar (e.g., 'my different' instead of 'through different'). - Punctuation is generally well-handled, supporting the flow of the text.

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