Plan this opinion essay about health with the ideas and outline below, write it on a 40-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model answer.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
The government should put a tax on unhealthy food and drinks to improve public health.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
Pick two or three points from one or both columns. You do not need all of them, and your own examples score better than memorised ones.
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 250 minimum
Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.
Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
Some people argue that governments should tax unhealthy food and drinks to improve public health. I largely agree with this proposal, provided it is accompanied by other measures.
The strongest argument for such a tax is that price influences behaviour. When the cost of sugary drinks rises, many people buy less of them or choose healthier alternatives. The United Kingdom's soft drinks levy, for instance, led manufacturers to reduce the sugar in their recipes to avoid paying it, so consumers benefited even without changing their habits. The revenue can also be used to fund health services or to provide cheaper fruit and vegetables in schools, which helps offset the cost of illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease that place a heavy burden on public budgets.
Nevertheless, there are fair objections. Taxes on food fall hardest on low-income households, who spend a larger share of their earnings on groceries and may have few cheap healthy options nearby. A tax alone may also fail if people simply switch to other unhealthy products or if the food is still more convenient than cooking. Defining what counts as unhealthy is not always straightforward, either, and industry may argue that the rules are arbitrary.
For these reasons, I believe taxes should form one part of a wider approach. Governments should combine them with education campaigns, clearer labelling and support for affordable fresh food, so that people can actually act on better information.
In conclusion, a tax on unhealthy food and drink can improve public health by changing prices and funding services, and I support it, as long as it is not treated as the only solution.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| junk food | cheap, unhealthy food |
| public health | the health of the whole population |
| sugar tax | tax on sugary drinks |
| obesity rates | share of people who are very overweight |
| balanced diet | food with all nutrients in proportion |
| healthcare burden | cost pressure on health services |
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