IELTS Writing Task 2 – Band 8.0 Sample

With obesity rates rising in many countries, there is considerable debate over whether governments or individuals should be responsible for healthy eating. In my view, although personal choice matters, governments have a crucial role to play in shaping people's diets.

Those who see diet as a personal responsibility argue that adults should be free to decide what they eat. They believe that excessive state intervention is patronising and that people who are well informed will make sensible choices themselves. Moreover, eating habits are closely linked to culture and family traditions, which governments cannot and should not control. For example, proposals to tax sugary drinks have often been criticised as an attack on personal freedom that hits low-income households hardest.

On the other hand, supporters of government action point out that individual choices are heavily influenced by the food environment. Processed food high in sugar and fat is cheap, aggressively marketed and available on every street corner, while fresh produce is often more expensive. In such conditions, willpower alone is rarely enough. Furthermore, diet-related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease place an enormous strain on public health systems, which are funded by all taxpayers.

I believe the most effective approach is shared responsibility, with the government creating the conditions for healthy choices. Measures such as clear food labelling, healthier school meals and restrictions on junk food advertising aimed at children do not take away freedom, but they make the healthy option the easy option.

In conclusion, while individuals must ultimately decide what to eat, governments have a duty to ensure that those decisions are informed and that healthy food is affordable and accessible to everyone.