IETLS Writing task 2: Many working people get little or no exercise either during the working day or in their free time, and have health problems as a result

Topic:

Many working people get little or no exercise either during the working day or in their free time, and have health problems as a result.

Why do many working people not get enough exercise?

What can be done about this problem?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Topic analysis:

- What type of essay is it? – Problem – Solution Essay

- What is the main issue? - Key words: health

- What are the sub issues? - Micro key words: working people, little or no exercise, health problems

- What instruction are you given? - Instruction words: why? (defining the cause of the problems) what can be done? (suggesting solutions)

Answer:

It is common in today’s life that working people face various health problems because they do not exercise enough either during their working day or in their free time. High work pressure and poor work-life balance are to blame for this phenomenon, and actions should be made to prevent this from worsening.

A primary reason for lack of exercise in workers is that they are constantly under high pressure whether it is from their bosses or competing colleagues. Most people have to work hard to accomplish the goals set out for them or try to outperform other members of staff to get a higher chance of promotion. They are willing to trade off their free time and even health to gain a better income or status. As a result, most people are too exhausted when they return home after working overtime and have no motivation to exercise.

In order to cope with this issue, actions should be taken by both the government and the companies. The government can run campaigns to raise awareness of the whole community about the importance of good health and encourage people to exercise. For the companies, they should understand that healthy workers are better assets to the company than stressed and weak ones, and should encourage employees to be more active. For example, many companies have a short activity time when members of staff gather and play some simple games to wind down before returning to work. This not only helps them to relax but also improves their health conditions, resulting in better work performance.

In conclusion, although health issues are prevalent among working people because of high work pressure and the imbalance between work and life, these problems can be solved with actions made by companies and governments.

Comment:

I just read an article about how to distribute time in writing the task 2 essay. You have 40 minutes for the task, and if you jump into writing right away, you may find it hard to get a good essay.

You need to spend the first 10 minutes on outlining what you need to write – just one bullet point for each argument. Then you spend 2-3 minutes for the opening, 20 minutes for the body (5 minutes for each paragraph), and 2-3 minutes for the conclusion. The remaining minutes are for reviewing and correcting any errors that you may have made.

25 minutes can be enough for you to write an essay if you already have a ‘skeleton’ – which is formed at the first 10 minutes.