IELTS Writing Task 2/ Essay Topics with sample answer.

IELTS Essay # 592 - Nowadays we are living in a throw-away society

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IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Nowadays, we are living in a throw-away society that is driven by excessive consumerism, waste and single use of products.

What are the reasons behind this development?
What could be done to address the problems associated with a throw-away society?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

 

Model Answer 1:

In contemporary society, the prevalence of a throw-away culture driven by excessive consumerism, waste, and the single-use mentality has become a pressing concern. This essay will delve into the reasons behind this development and explore potential solutions to address the problems associated with a throw-away society.

One prominent reason for the rise of a throw-away society is the influence of advertising and marketing. Companies employ persuasive techniques to create a culture of constant consumption, encouraging individuals to buy the latest products and discard older ones. For instance, the fashion industry promotes fast fashion trends, leading to a cycle of buying cheap clothing items and disposing of them shortly after. This culture of disposability contributes to environmental degradation and resource depletion.

Another factor fueling the throw-away mentality is the convenience and affordability of single-use products. Fast-paced lifestyles and a desire for convenience have driven the demand for disposable items such as plastic packaging, single-use cutlery, and beverage containers. These items are often used for only a short period before being discarded, leading to an overwhelming accumulation of waste. For instance, the global consumption of plastic bottles has surged, resulting in plastic pollution that harms marine life and ecosystems.

To address the problems associated with a throw-away society, several measures can be taken. Firstly, promoting sustainable consumption habits through education and awareness campaigns is crucial. By informing individuals about the environmental and social impacts of excessive consumerism, they can make more conscious choices and opt for durable and reusable products. Additionally, governments and businesses should incentivize the development and use of eco-friendly alternatives. For example, offering tax breaks or subsidies for companies producing sustainable packaging can encourage a shift towards more sustainable practices.

The rise of a throw-away society driven by excessive consumerism, waste, and single-use products has become a pressing issue in today's world. However, by promoting sustainable consumption habits, raising awareness, and incentivizing eco-friendly alternatives, we can work towards addressing the problems associated with a throw-away society.

 

Sample Answer 2:

Nowadays, we have adopted a modern lifestyle that is defined by over-consumption, excessive production of short-lived or disposable items, and increasing production of waste. Rapid advancements in technology, changing lifestyles for the middle class, advertisements, and globalisation are some of the main reasons which are contributing to this phenomenon. The effect of this trend is so extraordinarily negative that it will someday challenge our existence. This is why, the implementation of effective measures should be immediately taken.

Consumerism is a social and economic ideology that encourages people to acquire more products and services in an ever-increasing amount. Our materialistic lifestyle and globalisation fuel this habit and we change our cell phones, cars and other household equipment more frequently than ever. Advertising plays a major role in creating a consumerist society and we are never content with the things we have and want to acquire more than we need. Shopping is no longer a necessity and has turned out to be an activity for many. The rapid advancement of technology often forces us to buy the latest products as new products have better features than the ones we own. The rise of middle-income people globally and their desire to mimic rich people and adopt a technology-centric lifestyle are also the reasons for the increasing throw-away lifestyle.

The problems that the throw-away society and consumerism tendency create are overwhelmingly negative. This is a degradation of human morale as a massive number of poor people are starving, on one hand, millions of tonnes of food are being wasted in a few countries on the other hand. Toxic waste and chemical garbage are polluting our environment while we are remaining busy buying more electronic products. Global warming, temperature rise, and extinction of many species are just the beginning and if we fail to take effective measures to stop this heinous trend, we will be destroying our future.

Many steps should be immediately in place to address the problem created by increasing consumerism. Non-recyclable packets, bags and goods should be restricted as much as possible. Environment-friendly goods should be manufactured and used by people and plastic bags should be banned. The government's and individuals' cumulative efforts to reduce waste production and save the environment should be in place. Finally, more efforts should be taken so that products are long-lasting and have lengthier release gaps.

To conclude, our desires to have more have contributed towards the creation of a throwaway society, technological advancements, globalisation, and social and economic structure have all fueled this trend even faster. But the time has come for us to step forward and think about the future of the mother planet and take steps to revert the damage.

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Dr
Can we write something about superficial and naive relationships such as, in the modern era, people prefer to make short-term relationships rather than long-term commitments? They use other people for their own benefit and then separate their ways. This is the perfect example of the thrown away society.
Gusti Arviana
Nowadays, one of the main problems which are confronted by many local governments around the world is the amount of rubbish produced and the effort it takes for dumping it properly. They have used many methods to deal with this problem, but it keeps up in becoming worse day by day. Actually, the first matter that they have to do is find the main source of this issue. If they find it, they can determine the effective solution for this controversy.One of the causes of the increased rubbish production is the consumptive lifestyle of society. They love to buy goods and all that they purchase always have packages which in the end will turn into rubbish. In the other word, the more items they purchase the more rubbish they produce. In addition, by this consumptive lifestyle, they do not optimise their old things. Instead, they buy the new products and in the end, they will throw away their old things which actually can still be used, such as clothes, electronic products etc. After they purchase new clothes, they will throw away their old clothes. This is one cause of the increase in the amount of garbage. There are many methods that can be used to solve this problem. One of them is the local governments have to determine the maximum volume of rubbish that can be thrown by people every single day. If they throw-away rubbish more than the maximum volume, then they have to pay a charge. It will be a consideration for society to clean up their lifestyle by using their items that are still having in good quality. Another method to reduce the consumptive lifestyle of society is by forming some social organisations that will help the government to collect and distribute those things to people who need them. Another method that the government has to take is running the program of recycling. The governments build some places to give the people some training and teach them how to recycle the rubbish. This will help to reduce the amount of rubbish in the environment. This recycles process also gives another good effect, for example, it can help people for making money. They can sell the result of the recycling process and it will be a continued activity in the society. Thus, this matter will help the governments to reduce the rubbish volume in environment slowly.
Manpreet
As we are entering into a brand new era, which is full of innovations and opportunities, gone are the days when the workforce was high while the result was known. Due to all these technological advancements, throw away culture is also emerging on a greater extent. I would like to enlighten its sources and menaces in the upcoming paraphrases. The first and foremost cause which strikes my mind regarding a throwaway society is that- nowadays, people are more conscious about their fashion and remain up to date and purchased new clothes to maintain their standard. Old customs, traditions and clothes are vanishing, on the other hand. Furthermore, influences of western cultures also have bad impacts and people become laggard towards their own culture. Moving further, globalisation gives umpteen benefits but not without consequences. For instance, people now are travelling to different places for business, vacations, studies and so on and this is also making people adopt alien traditions rather than being adherent towards their own traditions. Also, the internet has introduced a plethora of new brands into the market and people thus are having access to varieties of consumer products. Everything comes with its negative effects. The problems associated with this trend are that children are becoming spendthrift and are lagging behind to learn about their own culture. Also, unique identification from clothes, languages and living style are also vanishing day by day. To address this issue, we have to aware people of these negative consequences and teach our children how to be frugal and adhere to our own custom. We have to learn to become contempt and do not purchase things that we actually already have. In an epilogue, one thing should be used in a limited manner before the time reaches to its peak. We are the architect or our own society and that is why we have the responsibility to make it better, not worse.