You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
It is expected that there will be a higher proportion of older people than that of young people in many countries in the future? Do you think it is a positive or negative development?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer
It is predicted that in many countries the percentage of the elderly population will be higher than the proportion of the young generation. While this will create some problems, I believe that it is on balance a positive development.
On the one hand, the main issue confronting countries with a large elderly population is the cost of providing public health services. As people grow older, they generally need more medical attention. It will, therefore be necessary for governments to impose spending cuts or to raise taxes on incomes or goods in order to provide funding for increased health care. In countries like the USA and the UK, many people fear that they may be faced with large health bills in their old age and have decided to take out private health insurance. They argue that the resources of a welfare state will not be adequate to guarantee good health care when they are old.
On the other hand, I agree with those who argue that the world is changing and fewer young people will be required to work in future. Firstly, advances in technology mean fewer young workers are needed. Robotics technology is still in its infancy, but fewer workers are needed now in many occupations. For example, labour- saving appliances have replaced many workers in the industrial and service sectors. Secondly, as populations age, the number of people will decline. The present world population of about 9 billion is depleting the natural resources on which everyone depends.
In conclusion, although the health costs of caring for an increasingly elderly population will be high initially, an aging population will avoid both the future problems of an army of young jobless people, and also population pressure which will provoke an ecological crisis.
290 words
Vocab Highlights
to confront (a problem or difficulty) [verb]: to appear and to need to be dealt with by somebody
public health services: the agencies funded by the government to protect and promote the health of the population
to impose spending cuts: to introduce new rules to spend less money on something
to raise taxes on: to increase the amount of tax on something
to provide funding for: to give money to enable something to be done
to be faced with [expression]: if you are faced with a particular situation, you have to deal with it
to take out private health insurance: to make regular payments to an insurance company, who will pay for medical or hospital treatment when you need it
a welfare state: a taxation system which allows governments to provide for the economic and social well- being of its citizens
adequate [adjective]: enough for a particular purpose or need
advances in technology: the improvement or development in technology
robotics technology: the design, construction and operation of robots
to be in its infancy: to be in the early development of something
labour-saving appliances: machines that reduce the amount of work or effort needed to do something.
to deplete natural resources: To reduce the amount of natural resources.
jobless [noun]: without a job
an ecological crisis: a serious situation that occurs when the environment of a species or a population changes in a way that destabilizes its continued survival