Nowadays, people always throw old things away and buy new things, whereas in the past, old things were repaired and used again. What factors cause this phenomenon? What effects does the phenomenon lead to?
Sample Response
Nowadays, it has become prevalent to witness individuals opting to purchase entirely new items rather than repairing slightly defective ones. This shift is primarily attributed to the greater affluence in contemporary societyincreased affluence of people in contemporary society, coupled with the constant stream of innovations. The repercussions of this trend includeare notably observed in the escalating waste crisis and the widening gap between the affluent and the less privileged.
One significant factor contributing to this phenomenon is the substantial rise in the proportionpercentage of affluent individuals over the past three or four decadesover the last three to four decades. This demographic shift indicates that citizens in modern societies own more valuable goods than previous generations didpossess more valuable possessions compared to previous generations. Another driving force behind this trend is the proactive marketing strategies employed by companies that target wealthier customerscompanies targeting their wealthier customer base. Notably, consumers in densely populated countries such as Japan and China showhighly populated countries like Japan and China showcase a preference for luxuryextravagant products, such as Prada handbags, while the younger generations form most of the user baseyounger generations predominantly constitute the user base for high-end gadgets like iPhones.
The potential consequences of the trendaforementioned issues may worsen existing problems associated with global wasteare poised to further exacerbate the existing challenges related to global waste and climate changechanges. The manufacturing industry, driven by profit motives, tends to focus on catering to affluent consumerscatering to the elite class, perpetuating a throwaway mentalitya disposable, one-time-use mentality. This is evident in the creation of sophisticated and expensive inventories, acknowledging that a significant portion—approximately 80%—of the global population cannot afford such products. This stark disparity reflects the clear delineation between social classes, exemplified by countries like India, where a majority lives below the poverty line while a mere 5% are among the world’s wealthiest peoplebelong to the world’s wealthiest population.
To conclude, the increase in waste issues today is connected to wealthier individuals who are hesitant to repair or pass on their belongingsfix or share their belongings. Manufacturers, driven by profit, frequently ignore the less privileged when creating products, continuing a cycle of harm to the environment and social inequalityunfairness. In my view, it’s crucial to work together to encourage a more inclusive approach in both how people consume and how products are made to tackle these issues.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response has a clear structure and confidently addresses both causes and consequences with a broad range of language. However, some supporting examples and causal links are only loosely connected to the replacement of old goods, especially the discussion of luxury products and inequality. The highest-priority improvement is to explain each cause-and-effect chain directly and support it with evidence that clearly illustrates disposable consumption.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both questions are answered and the main ideas are extended, though some evidence does not convincingly demonstrate the stated causes or effects.
Use examples that directly show why consumers replace repairable goods and how that behaviour produces each identified consequence.
Coherence and Cohesion
The essay follows a clear introduction-body-conclusion progression, but some connections within the consequence paragraph are conceptually loose.
Organise each body paragraph around explicit cause-and-result chains and avoid vague backward references such as the aforementioned issues.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is broad and appropriately formal, although several ambitious expressions are imprecise or unnatural in context.
Prioritise exact collocations and concrete wording over inflated phrases when describing wealth, marketing, products, and environmental change.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex sentence forms is handled with strong control, and errors are rare and non-impeding.
Polish occasional noun forms and article or number choices while preserving the effective variety of complex structures.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Nowadays, people always throw old things away and buy new things, whereas in the past, old things were repaired and used again. What factors cause this phenomenon? What effects does the phenomenon lead to?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.