Write 250 words giving your opinion on something or suggesting a solution to a problem

• 
  Write 250 words giving your opinion on something or suggesting a solution to a problem.
  
• 
  You have 40 minutes.
  

Working hours today are too long and people are not spending as much time as they should with their families or on leisure activities.

What is your opinion on this?

Sample Answer:

In the 20^th century, people believed that life in the future would be easier and that they would have more leisure time and spend less time at work. However, now we are in the 21^st century, we can see that this is not the case. In fact, people in most countries need to work even harder today than they did in the past.

This can affect families particularly badly. It is often necessary for both parents to work in order to earn enough money to pay the bills. Not only that, it is very unusual for them to work just nine to five. My parents are both professional people. My father is a lawyer, and my mother is a marketing manager. Both of them leave the house well before eight o’clock in the morning and usually get home about seven thirty.

As a consequence, our family, consisting of three children, has always had a nanny or au pair to look after us. However, my family is still a close family, despite my parents going out to work. I do not think it is a big problem if my parents are not constantly at home with us. It think it is more important if they spend quality time with us – that is, time when we are happy together.

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Outline:

Body 1 (paragraph 2) : Main point (topic sentence)________________________

1. 
   Supporting point_______________________________
   
2. 
   Supporting point _______________________________
   
3. 
   Supporting point________________________________
   

1. 
   Supporting point_______________________________
   
2. 
   Supporting point_______________________________
   
3. 
   Supporting point_______________________________
   

1. 
   Personal opinion _______________________________
   

_____ This can affect families particularly badly. It is often necessary for both parents to work in order to earn enough money to pay the bills. Not only that, it is very unusual for them to work just nine to five. My parents are both professional people. My father is a lawyer, and my mother is a marketing manager. Both of them leave the house well before eight o’clock in the morning and usually get home about seven thirty.

­____ In conclusion, I would like to say that working long hours nowadays is a fact of life. It is up to the individual to try to work out a credible work-life balance so that they can spend quality time with their family and still pursue their work goals.

___ In the 20^th century, people believed that life in the future would be easier and that they would have more leisure time and spend less time at work. However, now we are in the 21^st century, we can see that this is not the case. In fact, people in most countries need to work even harder today than they did in the past.

____ As a consequence, our family, consisting of three children, has always had a nanny or au pair to look after us. However, my family is still a close family, despite my parents going out to work. I do not think it is a big problem if my parents are not constantly at home with us. It think it is more important if they spend quality time with us – that is, time when we are happy together.

Useful Lanaguage: connecting words

Introduction	Body	Conclusion
First of all, I would like to say that The first thing to consider when discussing X is that There is no doubt that One of the main arguments put forward for X is that… I strongly agree/disagree with the statement that Although some people say that…., I believe that….	Firstly, The most important point is… The next most important point is Secondly, Next, One/An example/illustration of this is I can illustrate this with an example from my own experience	Finally, To sum up, In conclusion,

Adapted from IELTs pg. 45

Practice: Connecting Words in the Sample Essay:

Introduction	Body	Conclusion

Practice: Introductions – Pg. 45 Read the three examples and choose the best one.

Topic:

People today spend far more time watching sport than actually doing any themselves. What are the factors influencing this change?

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Outline:

Body 1 (paragraph 2) : Main point (topic sentence)________________________

4. 
   Supporting point_______________________________
   
5. 
   Supporting point _______________________________
   
6. 
   Supporting point________________________________
   

4. 
   Supporting point_______________________________
   
5. 
   Supporting point_______________________________
   
6. 
   Supporting point_______________________________
   

2. 
   Personal opinion _______________________________
   

Topic: