Questions

This is Writing Task 2 of Academic Writing.
To make it more authentic, download the test and do it with pen and paper.

 

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Nowadays, litter and rubbish on the street and sidewalks is becoming a problem.  Some people feel that the best way to solve this problem is to fine people who throw rubbish on the floor.  Do you think this would be effective?  What other methods could be used to solve the problem of litter?

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

Write at least 250 words.

Answers

Sample answer:

Many people may feel that littering is not a big problem in today’s world, but too much litter and rubbish on the street and sidewalk will make an area less attractive.  People who litter are in some way showing that they do not care what their neighbourhood looks like and that they do not feel a sense of pride in their area. If an area has too much litter, there may be an increase in pests like rats.  It is clearly a good idea to encourage people not to throw rubbish on the ground.

But how can they best be encouraged?  Some people think that fining people is the best way.  The ideas is that if someone is caught littering by the police, they will have to pay a certain amount of money as a punishment.  This would certainly discourage that person from littering again.  However, there are not enough police to monitor all areas of a city, and there are more important issues for the police to deal with.  If only a handful of people get fines, then only a handful of people will stop littering. 

There are some other methods that could be used in addition to giving fines in order to encourage people to stop littering.  Firstly, the city should put up more rubbish bins.  If there is a rubbish bin on every street or every corner, people will have a place to put their rubbish.  Posters and television ads could also highlight the problem and show people why littering should be stopped.  Finally, people could be employed to sweep or clean the sidewalks and streets in the places where many people walk everyday.  Once people get used to having rubbish-free streets and sidewalks, they will start to notice litter more and accept it less.

Advice / Hints

Writing Task 2 is an essay in which you have to present your arguments, express your opinions or show how to solve a problem. It carries more marks so spend more time on it. Study the question carefully and highlight the key topic words. Write a plan and decide your main points or topic sentences on your question paper. Introduce the topic, present your points of view and end your essay with a conclusion.

In this mock paper, be sure to answer the two questions asked.

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Rubbish Test