IELTS Writing Task 2 - Causes and Solutions (Young People and Cooking)
Causes and solutions asks two questions, so both need a full paragraph. This lesson shows how to link every solution to a cause and keep your ideas realistic.
Key points
The example question from the video
In many countries, fewer young adults know how to cook, and more of them depend on fast food and takeaway meals. What are the reasons for this? What steps could be taken to improve the situation? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.
Band 9 model answer from the video (295 words)
Nowadays, a rising number of young people are unable to prepare simple meals, and many rely on fast food and delivered meals instead. The main reasons are busy lifestyles and cheap delivery apps, but cooking lessons in schools and simple recipes could improve the situation.
There are two main reasons why so many young adults cannot cook and rely on fast food instead. The first is a lack of time. Students and young workers often have long days and long commutes, so when they get home in the evening, they choose the quickest option rather than cooking a meal. As a result, they never get the practice they need to learn how to cook. The second reason is the rise of food delivery apps. These apps make it possible to order almost any dish in a few seconds, and frequent discounts mean that a takeaway can cost little more than buying ingredients.
However, there are practical ways to improve this situation. To help busy young people, schools could make basic cooking a compulsory subject, focusing on meals that take less than twenty minutes. Pupils would then leave school knowing how to cook quickly, even after a long day at work or university. To make home cooking more attractive than delivery apps, governments and supermarkets should promote quick, cheap recipes. For example, a supermarket could print a ten-minute recipe on the packaging of fresh vegetables. If cooking seemed easier and cheaper, more young people would choose it over a takeaway.
In conclusion, many young adults cannot cook and rely on fast food mainly due to a lack of time and the convenience of delivery apps. Nevertheless, if schools teach quick, basic cooking and simple recipes are promoted more widely, the next generation could eat more healthily.
Chapters in this video (12)
Useful vocabulary
| Word / phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| there are two main reasons why | introduce two causes | There are two main reasons why so many young adults cannot cook and rely on fast food instead. |
| the first is … / the second reason is … | list reasons in order | The second reason is the rise of food delivery apps. |
| to help … | introduce a solution and the cause it answers | To help busy young people, schools could make basic cooking a compulsory subject. |
| there are practical ways to … | move from causes to solutions | However, there are practical ways to improve this situation. |
| if … seemed …, more people would … | show what a solution would achieve | If cooking seemed easier and cheaper, more young people would choose it over a takeaway. |
Practice task: Young people and voting
In many countries, fewer young people vote in elections than older people. What are the main causes of this problem? What solutions can you suggest? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.
Two columns: Why? and How to fix?
Each solution must fix one of your causes, in the same order.
Realistic solutions only. Nobody can force young people to like politics.
Show model answer (try first!)
In many countries, young adults are much less likely to vote than older people. In my opinion, the main causes are a feeling that politicians ignore their concerns and the difficulty of registering and voting, but both problems can be reduced if politicians speak directly to young people and voting is made easier.
There are two main reasons why so few young people vote. The first is that many of them believe politicians do not care about their lives. Most candidates promise to protect pensions and health services, which matter most to older voters, while young people's worries, such as high rents, low wages and the cost of university, receive little attention. As a result, young people feel that their vote will change nothing, so they stay at home. The second reason is that voting is often inconvenient. Many young adults move frequently for study or work, so they forget to update their address, and elections are usually held on a weekday when they are busy.
Fortunately, there are practical solutions to both causes. To win back young voters, politicians should speak to them directly and explain what they will do about issues such as housing and student costs. For example, candidates could answer questions on social media or visit universities during the campaign. To make voting easier, governments could allow people to register online and hold elections at the weekend, when most people are free. If young people saw that politicians listened to them and that voting took only a few minutes, more of them would take part.
In conclusion, fewer young people vote mainly because they feel ignored by politicians and find registering and voting inconvenient. However, if politicians address young people's concerns and governments make voting simpler, turnout among the young could rise.
296 words
This practice task and its model answer were written for the website. The video teaches the method with its own example (young people and cooking), shown above.
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