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IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

People today often buy new things instead of fixing the old things. Discuss the causes and effect of this.

What are the causes of this trend? What do they affect on themselves and others?

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

You should write at least 250 words.

Model Answer 1:
Ever since the genesis of industrialisation, people’s lifestyles have gone through a paradigm shift. This is evident from the fact that people today often buy new things instead of getting the old ones fixed. It is argued that rising standards of living and hectic lifestyles are the two cardinal causes for this trend. These causes along with their effects will be analysed in this essay.

To begin, industrialisation has brought with it the rise in standards of living for most of the world and people can afford to buy new things instead of getting the old things repaired. This is ensured by the development of the habit of spending money on things that people don’t need in the first place. Take the USA, for example, where many individuals excessively squander money from their credit cards on things that although cost a lot but have a very short lifespan such as smartphones. This phenomenon has led to an inordinate amount of cases of personal bankruptcy in the US. Hence, the devastating effects of buying new things instead of fixing the old ones are obvious.

In addition, the modern era puts a lot of stress on the individuals, which means most of them don’t have the necessary spare time left to repair the old things. This has indirectly resulted in the increase in the amount of waste that is produced each year via the disposal of old things. For instance, a recent study conducted by the University of Balochistan, Pakistan, found that the amount of waste that an average household in Pakistan produces has quadrupled in the past few decades. Consequently, much of this waste is dumped into the rivers and seas, which has raised the pollution to exorbitant levels. Therefore, the effect on the environment that buying new things instead of getting the old ones fixed is manifested through this alarming finding.

As is clear from the above analysis, the rise in the living standards of individuals and time constraints brought about by modernization are the primary reasons that people these days, buy new things instead of getting the old ones repaired. It is hoped that individuals will exert themselves to counter the negative ramifications brought about by this trend.

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