People are aware of climate change but often do not change how they live.
A full IELTS Writing Task 2 answer to this question, with a paragraph plan, ideas you can use, and the vocabulary that fits this topic.
The question
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
People are aware of climate change but often do not change how they live.
Why do you think this is? What could persuade them to act differently?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
How to read this question
The weak answer says people are selfish or lazy. The strong one identifies why this particular problem defeats ordinary motivation: the costs are immediate and personal while the benefits are distant, shared and invisible, and no individual action produces any observable result. Once that is established, the second question answers itself — what persuades people is changing the default, not increasing the information.
Paragraph plan
Introduction — Paraphrase, then signpost both answers: the gap exists because the incentive structure is hostile, and what closes it is changing defaults rather than raising awareness.
Body 1 — Why — delayed and diffuse benefits, no visible feedback, and the fact that individual restraint is invisible against the scale of the problem.
Body 2 — What would persuade — make the low-carbon option the cheaper and easier one, and use visible social norms rather than information.
Conclusion — Information was never the binding constraint, which is why decades of campaigns have changed opinion without changing behaviour.
Model essay
Band 8.5–9.0 model essay
300 words
Despite widespread awareness of climate change, many individuals continue to maintain lifestyles that contribute heavily to environmental degradation, from frequent flying to excessive consumption. This disconnect largely stems from psychological distancing and the inconvenience of greener alternatives, though targeted incentives could encourage more sustainable behaviour.
The main reason people fail to alter their everyday behaviour despite understanding climate risks is that the consequences often feel psychologically distant and abstract. To clarify, since the most severe effects of climate change, such as extreme weather or rising sea levels, are frequently perceived as gradual or geographically remote, individuals struggle to connect their daily choices, such as driving or air travel, with tangible personal consequences. Furthermore, sustainable alternatives are often less convenient or more expensive than conventional options. For instance, an electric vehicle typically carries a higher upfront cost than a petrol car, and public transport in many cities remains slower or less reliable than private vehicles, discouraging behavioural change even among individuals who genuinely consider themselves environmentally conscious and well informed.
Several practical measures could persuade people to act differently in their day-to-day lives. First, governments could introduce financial incentives, such as subsidies for renewable energy installations or tax reductions for electric vehicles, thereby narrowing the cost gap between sustainable and conventional choices. Second, making climate consequences feel more immediate and personal, through localised reporting on how climate change directly affects a person's own city, neighbourhood or region, could strengthen the emotional connection between individual behaviour and environmental outcomes, motivating genuine and lasting lifestyle adjustments rather than fleeting concern.
In conclusion, the gap between climate awareness and action largely arises from psychological distance and the inconvenience of greener alternatives, but financial incentives and more localised, personal communication could help close this gap by making sustainable choices both easier and more emotionally relevant.
Created by a Band 8.5–9.0 IELTS Writing achiever — Premium. Sign up free to read the rest of this essay and unlock every model on the site.
This is a problem and solution question. The essay above shows you what a strong answer looks like when it is finished. What it cannot show you is how to get there from a blank page in forty minutes.
That is what our Writing Study Library is for: the structure we teach for this exact question type, the paragraph pattern that goes with it, and the sentence openers for each stage — so the essay is planned before you start writing rather than assembled as you go.
Introduction: Paraphrase the gap between climate awareness and lifestyle change, and preview that the essay will explain the cause and suggest ways to persuade people to act.
Body 1: Answer why this happens: climate consequences feel psychologically distant and abstract, and greener alternatives like electric cars or public transport are often less convenient or more expensive than conventional options.
Body 2: Answer what could persuade people: financial incentives such as subsidies and tax breaks that narrow the cost gap, and localised reporting that makes climate impacts feel personal and immediate rather than distant.
Conclusion: Summarise that psychological distance and inconvenient alternatives explain the gap, while financial incentives and personal, localised communication could help close it.
Word or phrase
Meaning
Used in a sentence
degradation
the process of something being damaged or reduced in quality
lifestyles that contribute heavily to environmental degradation
psychologically distant
perceived as remote or unconnected to one's immediate experience
the consequences often feel psychologically distant and abstract
geographically remote
located far away in physical distance
are frequently perceived as gradual or geographically remote
tangible
real and able to be perceived clearly, not abstract
individuals struggle to connect their daily choices...with tangible personal consequences
upfront cost
the initial payment required before receiving ongoing benefits
an electric vehicle typically carries a higher upfront cost than a petrol car
subsidies
financial support given by a government to reduce the cost of something
such as subsidies for renewable energy installations
narrowing
making something smaller in extent or degree
thereby narrowing the cost gap between sustainable and conventional choices
localised
restricted to or focused on a particular place
through localised reporting on how climate change directly affects a person's own city
Created by a Band 8.5–9.0 IELTS Writing achiever — Premium. Sign up free to see the ideas and vocabulary for this topic and unlock every model on the site.
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Common questions
How do I avoid saying people are simply lazy or selfish?
Look for the incentive structure instead. Explaining that the cost is immediate and the benefit invisible accounts for the behaviour without insulting anyone, and structural explanations are consistently stronger because they also tell you what would fix it.
Should the second answer follow from the first?
Ideally, yes — on a problem/solution question that is what makes the essay cohere. If your causes are about incentives and your remedies are about information, the two halves are addressing different problems and Task Response suffers.
Is it acceptable to say awareness campaigns have failed?
Yes, and it is a strong point provided you explain why: awareness is already high, so it is no longer the binding constraint. Criticism that identifies which constraint actually binds reads as analysis rather than cynicism.
