IELTS Writing Task 2 with sample answer.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic.
“Prevention is better than cure.”
Out of a country’s health budget, a large proportion should be diverted from treatment to spending on health education and preventative measures.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
You should write at least 250 words.
You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.
Model Answer :
Nowadays, governments in every country, particularly in wealthy countries governments, tend to allocate a significant portion of the budget to the health sector. They realize that only a healthy nation can enhance efficiency and can boost productivity. But, now the question of whether or not the government should distribute a large proportion of the country’s budget health education and precautionary steps has sparked a heated debate. In that case, I am of the honest opinion that the best time to fight disease is before it strikes.
To begin with, prevention is always good rather than the remedy. Take sub-Saharan Africa as an example. The unprecedented success of numerous prevention programs implemented in these territories such as widespread bednet distribution programs, national childhood vaccination schemes, and large-scale deworming programs suggest that the majority of the adverse effects of epidemic diseases can be chipped away solely before they take place. Besides, lately, the treatment cost has increased staggeringly. A lot more people just cannot afford its cost, yet in many instances, by allocating a mere amount we can prevent the needs of people for treatment. To achieve this goal, I think that lifestyle changes from an early age might be crucial in preventing many diseases. Therefore, the government should take the program on educating people on how to lead a healthy life. For example, many doctors suggest that postponing menarche might prevent breast cancer.
However, no one can put aside the importance of a hospital, doctor or medicine. It would be unwise to allocate a tiny budget on the treatment of people who are contracted with diseases, like heart diseases, rheumatic fever, and so on. A government should give adequate money to the researchers so that they can search for cures and the development of new medicines.
To sum up, I contend that prevention is the first aid to obviate diseases. So, what we need is to educate people about a hygienic lifestyle.