Writing Task 2 Model Answers
WRITING
15. Good Manners
People are often less polite these days than they were in the past.
What are the reasons for this?
How can this problem be fixed?
Essay Plan:
Main Idea 1: People live in big cities and are surrounded by strangers, so tend to be more rude.
Sub-idea A: In smaller towns people know each other and have to maintain good relationships.
Sub-idea B: In big cities, people are surrounded by many strangers and so are more self-centred and rude.
Main Idea 2: Encourage people to build stronger relationships with others in their communities.
Sub-idea A: Programmes to promote group activities in communities.
Sub-idea B: Resulting stronger social relationships will reduce antisocial and rude behaviour.
Model Answer:
It is widely recognised that people are not as polite as they were previously. I believe this is because large numbers of people are migrating to crowded cities or towns where they do not have such close relationships with the people in their communities anymore. This problem can be fixed by encouraging more interaction and building stronger relationships within communities in urban areas.
As a result of urbanisation, a large proportion of people now live in densely populated cities and this has created a situation where people are less likely to have empathy and show respect towards others. In the past, people tended to live in smaller towns and villages where they knew most of the people around them and had relationships with these people. In order to foster good relationships it was necessary to be polite and considerate. These days we are constantly surrounded by strangers and there isn’t any real need to be courteous. Consequently, people are more likely to be self-centred and rude.
The solution to this problem lies in encouraging people living in cities to build stronger relationships with the people around them. One way to do this would be through programmes that promote group activities in communities. As people get to know more of the people around them because of these activities, neighbours will cease to be anonymous strangers and this will naturally increase empathy and the desire to be more polite and respectful. Being better acquainted also means that any bad behaviour will have more serious consequences in terms of reputation and social standing. Behaving in an unacceptable or antisocial way will have social repercussions as the community collectively judges and condemns such behaviour.
To summarise, people may be less polite nowadays because most of the people around them are strangers. By encouraging people to build closer connections with others in their communities, we can promote better manners and a more polite society.
*To see definitions and examples of the vocabulary in bold, along with practice exercises, go to Topic Vocabulary & Exercises.