You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Some people think that living in big cities is bad for people’s health. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and give any relevant example or experience you have to support your answer.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample answer
It is perceived by many that metropolitan cities are ominous for our well-being as opposed to living in rural areas. While the former offers a hectic lifestyle and have much more pollution, the latter grants a tranquil and favourable environment for our physical and psychological benefits. I completely agree with this viewpoint for several reasons.
Firstly, almost all big cities have an intolerable level of air, sound and environmental pollutions primarily due to the increasing number of vehicles, carbon emission, wastages of industries, metro facilities and amenities for a modern lifestyle. On top of that, the population density in big cities is much higher, and it creates an unhealthy living standard in many parts. Finally, people in big cities often rely on processed food as they are busy. This unhealthy food habit, along with pollution, emerges as a serious threat to their health in the long run. For instance, more than 60 per cent of school students in large municipalities in developing countries are exposed to a higher level of air and sound pollutions and eat junk food which severely affects their physical and mental health.
Secondly, it is generally known that stresses in metropolises are considerably higher due to many factors. One of the main factors is the long working hours. Secondly, living costs in big cities are high. Although people earn higher in metro areas, their salaries, oftentimes, do not meet their needs and expectations, which adversely impact their psychology. Long working hours combined with severe traffic jam consume their time and they have little time left to spend with their families.
To conclude, it is inevitable that pollution, stresses and unhealthy food jeopardize people’s health in big cities, and this is why it is justified to state that living in large cities is damaging for people’s well-being.