Writing Task 2 Model Answers
WRITING
3. Family
It is generally agreed that family relationships are not as close as they were in the past.
Explain why you think this has happened and suggest how family relationships could be made closer.
Essay Plan:
Main Idea 1: Changes in society make it harder to maintain close relationships.
Sub-idea A: People are more likely to move to another area or city.
Sub-dea B: People have very busy lives so have less time for family.
Main Idea 2: People should make more effort to foster family relationships.
Sub-idea A: People should meet up with family members more often.
Sub-idea B: We can take advantage of modern communication technology.
Model Answer:
It is commonly thought that families are not as close-knit as they were previously. In my opinion this could be the result of changes in society that have made it harder for people to spend quality time with family members. In order to address this problem, it’s important that people make more effort to stay in touch with family, and they can leverage modern communication devices and applications to do this.
As a result of various changes in society it is much harder for people to maintain close ties with their families than previously. For one, in the past, people tended to live very near relatives during their whole lives, whereas in today’s world this is not the case. These days, people are more mobile and regularly move to different cities or even countries in order to find a better job, take advantage of better education or for some other opportunity. This makes it more difficult to socialise with relatives and therefore more difficult to maintain close relationships. Furthermore, people’s lives are busier today than they were in the past. We have a plethora of work and personal responsibilities, not to mention all of the recreational and personal development opportunities now available. This means that it is even harder to find time for family. People are often only able to focus on providing for their nuclear family, at the expense of bonds with siblings, cousins and other members of our extended families.
One solution to the problems causing weakening family relationships is for people to prioritise their family members and make more effort to foster family relationships. People should get together with relatives more frequently and spend more quality time together. For example, they could organise a weekly meal together, or a regular family day out. As a consequence of these activities, family members would likely become closer. Moreover, even if a person lives far away from their relatives, in the modern world we have a myriad of technologies which enable us to stay in touch. Be it on Skype, Messenger, or any similar application, people can message and speak to their siblings, parents or others quickly and cheaply. By doing this, people who live far apart from their family members would still be able to remain close with them.
In conclusion, changes in society have made it harder for people to maintain strong family bonds. However, if we make a little more effort, and take advantage of the communication technologies now available, there’s no reason why we can’t sustain close relationships no matter where we live or how hectic our lives are.
*To see definitions and examples of the vocabulary in bold, along with practice exercises, go to Topic Vocabulary & Exercises.