Buzz
IELTS Writing task 1
Task 1: The charts below show the favourite takeaways of people in Canada and the number of Indian restaurants in Canada between 1960 and 2015.
Example
The pie and bar charts illustrate the preferred takeaway options among individuals and the number of Indian restaurants in Canada over a 55-year period from 1960 to 2015.
Overall, Chinese and Indian takeaways were the most popular orders among Canadians, while the number of Indian restaurants in this country experienced steady growth generally until the early 2000s before stabilizing until the end of the period.
Regarding the pie chart, Chinese cuisine accounted for 34% of the total, making it the most favored takeaways. This was followed closely by Indian food with a share of 26%, while Italian and Persian cuisines comprised 10% and 9%, respectively. 3% of Canadians chose Thai food whereas only 1% each chose Mexican, Japanese, and Greek cuisines. In addition, 4% of respondents chose “other” options, while 11% claimed to never order takeaways.
Turning to the bar chart about the number of Indian restaurants in Canada from 1960 to 2015. In 1960, there were only 500 Indian restaurants. After a twofold increase to 1.000 by 1970, the figure experienced a dramatic rise to around 8.800 in 1997 (approximately a nine-fold increase). In the next ten years, the growth rate slowed down until 2007, when it entered a period of general stability at somewhere in the vicinity of 9.000 restaurants over the last eight years.
Lexicon
- Stabilizing until (noun phrase): giữ ổn định cho đến
- Respondents (noun): người cho ý kiến (về khảo sát)
- Nine-fold increase (noun phrase)): tăng gấp 9 lần
- Entered a period of (verb phrase): bước vào giai đoạn
- In the vicinity of (prepositional phrase): đâu đó trong khoảng
Analysis
In general, according to the pie chart, Chinese and Indian cuisines are the most popular types among Canadians. Additionally, based on the bar chart, the number of Indian restaurants steadily increased until the early 2000s before stabilizing.
Lưu ý: Với bài hình bánh, không chỉ chọn 1 đối tượng lớn nhất để nêu bật trong phần tổng quan, mà hãy nhóm 1 số đối tượng có tỉ lệ lớn khá tương đồng và vượt trội so với các nhóm đối tượng còn lại.
Note the hierarchical ranking structures when entering the main body of the essay, grouping similar objects and making comparisons to highlight each position. For bar charts with a time frame, the main language will focus on changes: increase, decrease, unchanged, or fluctuations during different periods.
Các giai đoạn có xu hướng tương đồng phải nhóm lại, tức là không viết quá chi tiết đặc biệt về số liệu đi kèm… Một số cụm, cấu trúc và ngữ pháp nhằm tạo sự đa dạng: “the most popular orders among”; “experienced steady growth generally until”; “This was followed closely by”; “twofold increase to ”; “experienced a dramatic rise to”; “approximately a nine-fold increase”; “growth rate slowed down until”; “entered a period of general stability at”.
IELTS Writing task 2
Task 2: In some countries an increasing number of people are suffering from health problems as a result of eating too much fast food. It is therefore necessary for governments to impose a higher tax on this kind of food.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Example
It is widely recognized that the consumption of fast food has become a complex issue, leading to an increasing number of people experiencing health problems. In my view, while imposing a higher tax on fast food is crucial, other factors such as individual responsibility for maintaining health should also be carefully considered.
Firstly, it is worth considering that taxing unhealthy foods makes them relatively more expensive, potentially encouraging people to buy more healthy alternatives. Broader taxes that increase the prices of various types of unhealthy food, such as fried chicken, pizza, or hamburger, could be effective tools for tackling obesity, as individuals may reconsider their food choices and opt for healthier options that contain less fat or more nutrition. Governments should, therefore, impose higher tariffs on fast food to make it more expensive than other foods, which would have positive effects on public health.
Nevertheless, it is undeniable that personal preference and individual responsibility play a significant role in dietary decisions for their health. In fact, it is likely that the full effects of their decision-making about what to eat may not be considered by individuals themselves at the time of consumption. Some people may be oblivious of the long-term effects of a high-sugar diet on their health or, indeed, of which products are high in sugar.
Children are a particularly compelling example of this; it is unlikely that they are fully able to understand the effects of consuming excessive sugar on their future health and wellbeing. In such a scenario, they choose to consume more fast food irrespective of the cost. Thus, education and awareness campaigns may be more effective than punitive taxation measures in promoting healthier eating practices.
In conclusion, although the pervasiveness of higher taxes on fast food is acknowledged, I believe it is imperative to take the measure with considerations of personal choice in mind by empowering individuals with knowledge and raising awareness campaigns to address the root causes of unhealthy eating habits.
Lexicon
- Healthy alternatives (noun phrase): những loại đồ ăn tốt cho sức khoẻ khác
- Opt for (verb phrase): lựa chọn, có thiên hướng về
- Tariffs (noun): thuế, tiền thuế
- Dietary decisions (noun phrase): quyết định về chế độ ăn
- Oblivious (adj): không nhận thức, không quan tâm tới chuyện diễn ra xung quanh
- Compelling example (noun phrase): ví dụ thực tiễn, rõ ràng, không thể chối cãi
- Punitive taxation (noun phrase): thuế cao
- Pervasiveness (noun): sự phổ biến trên diện rộng
Analysis
Viewpoint: Although the government should impose high taxes on fast food, other factors such as individual responsibility for their own health deserve more attention in addressing fast food-related issues.
Support for imposing high taxes on fast food to reduce health problems:
- Việc đánh thuế cao vào thức ăn nhanh làm tăng giá thành, có thể khuyến khích người tiêu dùng bỏ thức ăn nhanh và mua các loại đồ ăn có lợi cho sức khoẻ khác.
- Ví dụ: các loại thức ăn làm sẵn như gà rán, pizza, hay hamburger, thường được xem là nguyên nhân của bệnh béo phì, đánh thuế cao các loại thức ăn này sẽ tác động đến hành vi mua các đồ ăn khác ít chất béo và nhiều dinh dưỡng hơn.
- Trong thực tế, dường như mọi người chưa hiểu rõ hay quan tâm đúng mức tới việc quyết định chọn ăn món gì cũng như tác động lâu dài của chúng với sức khoẻ của chính họ. Trẻ em là minh chứng rõ rệt nhất cho ý kiến này.
- Với những ngày, họ chọn ăn thức ăn nhanh vì sở thích cá nhân mà không quan tâm tới giá cả của đồ ăn đó. Chính vì thế, việc giáo dục và nâng cao nhận thức của người tiêu dùng về tác hại của thức ăn nhanh có lẽ hiệu quả hơn nhiều so với việc chỉ đánh thuế cao cho các đồ ăn này.
