Ielts learners

Useful Vocabulary & Expressions:

• 
  distract: to take sb’s attention away from what they are trying to do
  

Example: You’re distracting me from my work.

• 
  credible: that can be believed or trusted
  

Example: a credible explanation


IELTS Writing Task 2 in October 2015

Scientist 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.

Scientific findings have clearly indicated that the excessive consumption of fast food is leading the health of people to deterioration. According to some people, this unhealthy practice can be stopped by means of education; however, some others have little faith in this solution. As the supporters of each view have their own justifications, whether education is effective remains to be seen in this essay.
On the one hand, raising the awareness of people towards the dangers of unhealthy food can certainly yield some promising outcomes. Firstly, many fast food products provide very little or no information on the nutritional content in them, deterring the consumers from knowing the amount of fat, sodium or cholesterol which they take in. By being informed of how much of these harmful substances is contained in their favourite hamburgers or chips, as well as being shown the likely consequences of over-eating these foods, consumers can be more cautious the next time they choose their food. Secondly, education at schools can help to form healthy eating habits for children and parents. For instance, schools can hold some extracurricular activities such as growing and selling
vegetables with the attendance of both students and parents, in order to promote the benefits of healthy diets and warn against the potential risks of junk food.
On the other hand, some people doubt the effectiveness of education for certain reasons. To begin with, despite being aware of the negative effects of fast food, many people who are too busy persist to eat it due to its being convenient and time-saving. In this case, education hardly makes a difference as they have made a choice. In addition, compared with the wide range and availability of fast food stores and menus, healthy food is seriously limited. Furthermore, healthy food is commonly inferior to fast food in terms of taste and prices as a matter of fact. As a result, however convincing education is, it is almost impossible for people to change their eating habit without a ready alternative to their unhealthy food choices.
In conclusion, people have different opinions about whether to support education so as to reduce people’s consumption of fast food. In my opinion, education can be a viable measure with careful consideration of other impediments.