GT Writing Task 2 / Essay Sample # 135
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Countries around the world will be facing significant challenges relating not only to the environment but population and education as well. What problems will your country face in the next ten years? How can these problems be overcome?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answer:
Nations across the globe will be embracing formidable challenges pertaining not only to the environment but equally to population and education. Over the next decade, however, Australia will have to deal with at least two knotty problems: an ageing population and escalating pressure in the healthcare system. This essay will discuss the issues and then put forward viable solutions to curb the problems.
In the coming years, Australia will have a large proportion of greying people. The demography of Australia will markedly age over the next ten years. Consequently, population ageing will translate that Australia will suffer from a scarcity of workers to support retirees and young dependants. According to inter-generational report, the labour force participation rate is expected to decline in the future. In addition to this, mounting pressure in the health system is another menace that Australia will have to deal with in the coming decade. To illustrate, as the population ages, a substantial number of people falls into the older age groups, which will, in turn, translate into a growing pressure in the healthcare system.
However, Australia’s capability to meet these future challenges entirely depends on the steps taken today. For a start, increases in migration can relieve the fiscal pressures relating to the ageing population and could help to reduce some skill deficits. Besides, with the ageing population, productivity growth is the key to sustainable economic growth. That is why the government should make investments in nation-building programmes. Investments in schools, hospitals, transport system, and communication will streamline the productivity and provide infrastructure for an increasing population, which, in turn, will reduce the fiscal pressures of ageing and growing health costs.
To conclude, the challenges facing Australia over the next decade are an ageing population and escalating health costs and pressure. These are difficult issues, but not beyond Australians to solve if we continue to pursue policies to address them ahead of time.