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Opinion (Agree / Disagree) Work and employment Task 2

Some people believe that the government Should take care of old people and provide financial support after they retire. What is your opinion?

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.

Some people believe that the government Should take care of old people and provide financial support after they retire. What is your opinion?

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

You are given one statement and asked how far you agree. The examiner is checking that you take a clear position in the introduction and hold it consistently to the conclusion — a partial agreement is fine, an unclear one is not.

Paragraph plan

Introduction — Paraphrase the prompt and state a clear but conditionally balanced position.

Body 1 — Main agreement: retirees have contributed to society and deserve state support in return.

Body 2 — Concession/condition: government support may be less necessary for wealthier retirees or where families are able to provide care, raising questions about how resources should be allocated.

Conclusion — Restate the conditional position — government support is necessary but should be targeted.

Model essay

Band 8.5–9.0 model essay

325 words

It is sometimes argued that governments should take responsibility for elderly citizens by providing financial support once they retire from work. I largely agree with this view, since many elderly people cannot fully provide for themselves in old age, although families should also share part of this responsibility for their wellbeing and daily care as they grow older and their needs increase.

To begin, government-funded pensions and healthcare support are essential because many elderly individuals lack sufficient personal savings to sustain themselves after leaving the workforce permanently. To illustrate, decades of modest wages, unexpected medical expenses or sudden economic downturns can leave retirees with severely inadequate funds, and without reliable state assistance, such individuals would face poverty or preventable health complications during their final years of life. Moreover, since elderly citizens have historically contributed to the economy and paid taxes consistently throughout their working lives, it is only reasonable that the state reciprocates by ensuring their basic needs are met once they can no longer work or generate income of their own, having already given decades of service and productivity to society as working citizens.

That said, government support alone should not entirely replace the role of family members in caring for elderly relatives. To clarify, financial assistance cannot substitute the emotional companionship and daily practical care that family members are best positioned to provide, such as help with household tasks, transportation, or simply spending quality time together to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation in later life. Therefore, while the state should shoulder the financial burden, families should continue to contribute emotional and practical support wherever realistically possible for them to do so, balancing their own competing responsibilities, such as work and raising children of their own.

In conclusion, governments should provide financial support to retired citizens who often cannot support themselves. This responsibility should be complemented, rather than replaced, by ongoing family involvement in elderly care wherever their own circumstances realistically allow it.

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Ideas & vocabulary for this topic

Ideas you can use

  • Introduction: State broad agreement that governments should financially support retirees, while noting families should also share responsibility for their wellbeing.
  • Body 1: Argue that state pensions and healthcare support are essential because many retirees lack adequate personal savings after decades of modest wages or unexpected costs, and the state owes it to citizens who paid taxes throughout their working lives.
  • Body 2: Concede that government support cannot replace the emotional companionship and practical daily care that family members are best placed to provide, which reduces loneliness and isolation in old age.
  • Conclusion: Restate that government should fund retirees' financial needs while families continue to provide complementary emotional and practical support.
Word or phraseMeaningUsed in a sentence
pensionsregular payments made to people after they retire from workgovernment-funded pensions and healthcare support are essential
sustainto keep something going or support it over timemany elderly individuals lack sufficient personal savings to sustain themselves
inadequatenot enough or not good enough for a particular purposecan leave retirees with severely inadequate funds
reciprocatesresponds to an action with a similar action in returnit is only reasonable that the state reciprocates by ensuring their basic needs are met
companionshipthe feeling of friendship and being together with othersfinancial assistance cannot substitute the emotional companionship...that family members are best positioned to provide
isolationthe state of being separated or cut off from othersto reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation in later life
shoulder the burdento accept and carry a responsibilitythe state should shoulder the financial burden
complementedadded to something in a way that enhances or completes itthis responsibility should be complemented, rather than replaced, by ongoing family involvement

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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