Fewer adults take regular exercise than their parents' generation did.
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.
Fewer adults take regular exercise than their parents' generation did.
Why do you think this is happening? What could be done to reverse it?
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 key causal insight is that the previous generation did not exercise more — they moved more, incidentally, because work, transport and errands required it. Once movement stopped being a by-product of ordinary life, it had to become a deliberate scheduled activity, and deliberate activities compete with everything else. That reframing makes the second question much easier to answer well.
Paragraph plan
Introduction — Paraphrase, then signpost both answers: activity disappeared from ordinary life rather than being abandoned, so the remedy is to restore it as a by-product rather than to promote it as a hobby.
Body 1 — Why — automation of physical work, car-dependent design, longer commutes, and screen-based leisure.
Body 2 — What could be done — build walking and cycling into daily journeys, and make activity accessible rather than aspirational.
Conclusion — Campaigns urging exercise ask people to add something; the effective route is to stop having removed it.
Model essay
Band 8.5–9.0 model essay
296 words
A noticeably smaller proportion of adults today engage in regular physical exercise compared with their parents' generation. This decline is largely attributable to sedentary work patterns and the growing convenience of modern technology, though several practical measures could help reverse this concerning trend.
The main reason behind this decline is that contemporary employment increasingly involves sedentary, desk-based work performed in front of a screen, in stark contrast to the more physically demanding occupations, such as farming or manual labour, that were common among earlier generations. To clarify, spending eight or more hours seated in front of a computer leaves many adults with little residual energy or motivation to exercise after work, especially once household chores and family obligations are also factored into an already exhausting day. Furthermore, modern conveniences, such as food delivery services, online shopping and private vehicles, have eliminated much of the incidental physical activity that was once naturally embedded in daily routines, such as walking to shops, climbing stairs or standing at public transport stops.
Several practical measures could help reverse this ongoing trend. First, employers could introduce flexible working arrangements that grant staff dedicated time during the working day for physical activity, such as short breaks for walking or on-site fitness facilities, thereby integrating exercise into daily routines rather than treating it as a separate obligation. Second, urban planners could design cities with greater emphasis on pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, including cycling lanes, accessible parks and well-lit walking paths, encouraging residents to incorporate walking or cycling into their daily commutes naturally rather than treating exercise as a separate, time-consuming chore.
In conclusion, declining exercise levels among adults largely stem from sedentary work patterns and technological convenience, but workplace flexibility and pedestrian-friendly urban design could help reintroduce meaningful physical activity into everyday life once again.
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 decline in adult exercise compared with previous generations and preview that the essay will explain the cause and propose ways to reverse it.
Body 1: Answer why this is happening: sedentary desk-based work leaves little energy after hours, and modern conveniences like delivery apps and cars have removed the incidental daily activity people once got naturally.
Body 2: Answer what could be done: employers could build activity time into the working day through flexible arrangements or on-site fitness facilities, and urban planners could build pedestrian- and cycling-friendly infrastructure to make movement part of daily commutes.
Conclusion: Summarise that sedentary work and technological convenience explain the decline in exercise, and that workplace flexibility and better urban design could help bring physical activity back into daily life.
Word or phrase
Meaning
Used in a sentence
sedentary
characterised by sitting and little physical activity
contemporary employment increasingly involves sedentary, desk-based work
in stark contrast
showing a very clear and noticeable difference
in stark contrast to the more physically demanding occupations
residual
remaining after most has been used or gone
leaves many adults with little residual energy or motivation to exercise
incidental
happening as a minor accompaniment to something else
have eliminated much of the incidental physical activity that was once naturally embedded in daily routines
flexible working arrangements
employment conditions that allow variation in when or how people work
employers could introduce flexible working arrangements that grant staff dedicated time
pedestrian-friendly
designed to be safe and convenient for people walking
urban planners could design cities with greater emphasis on pedestrian-friendly infrastructure
incorporate
to include something as part of a whole
encouraging residents to incorporate walking or cycling into their daily commutes
reintroduce
to bring something back after it had stopped or declined
could help reintroduce meaningful physical activity into everyday life
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
Can I correct the premise of a question?
Yes, if the correction is accurate and you do it briefly. Noting that the previous generation moved more rather than exercised more sharpens the whole answer. What you must not do is use the correction to avoid the question — answer it fully afterwards.
How do I explain why existing solutions have not worked?
Name the constraint they fail to address. Campaigns target motivation while the real limits are time and infrastructure, which is why awareness rose and behaviour did not. That kind of diagnosis is exactly what separates a Band 8 second half from a list of suggestions.
Should my solutions be individual or governmental?
Follow your own causal analysis. If you have argued the causes are structural — work, transport, town design — then individual advice would contradict you. Consistency between the two halves is what examiners are checking on this question type.
