IELTS Writing Task 2: question with two subjects

Here's a useful question that someone asked me: How should we approach a question that contains two different subjects?

Take this question for example:

Some people believe that governments should pay for healthcare and education, but others disagree with this opinion. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

What do you think? Should we write separate paragraphs about healthcare and education? Or can we put these two subjects together in each paragraph? Can you suggest an outline for a good essay structure for this task?

Comments

[Muqeem]

This question was asked just a few weeks ago in the real exam and I achieved 7.5 in writing for this. I had written one paragraph for both healthcare and education on agree side and another for both sides about disagree. However, my opinion was to agree and I refused the disagreeing position in my opinion section...

[Dr.kumar]

I guess, we should write two paragraphs. In one paragraph we should agree with the view and if we favour first view more than second, we would write more about it. In the second we would disagree with the statment and will write less as compare to first paragraph. However, in conclusion we will take one side and will support it.

[Yanae Yang]

We can put healthcare and education together in each paragraph because they are all public services which the public tax is paid for.
I would propose an outline as follows:
Opening: public services like healthcare and education are generally assumed to be paid by governments while there are some opposite opinion that citizen should also bear part of the expenses. In my opinion, governments should shoulder the main responsibility and residents are supposed to contribute partly.
Para.1: reasons to support governments should pay for public services.
- citizens pay the tax to get necessary public services like education and healthcare
- guarantee that nobody are left out of school or medical care because lack of means
- to reduce the inequity between areas
Para. 2: reason that people should also contribute partly
- people are supposed to be responsible to their health. some chronic diseases are related to the poor lifestyle or behaviors
- can improve the individuals' awareness of their role in health and education outcome
conclusion, governments should bear most responsibilities to pay for the healthcare and education while individual should supplement so that they realize that they also need to take the responsibilities.

[Cristina]

In my opinion we should include both healthcare and education in both paragraphs but the difference will be that in one paragraph we will support the ideas why some people agree with the statement and in second paragraph why people disagree. Our opinion we will state at the end of each paragraph!

[Michelle]

what about "disagree" in the first paragraph then "agree" in the second one before restating it again in the conclusion?

[Nazmul Huda]

In my opinion the debiting issue is "Governments should pay OR not"...

[Khasan]

This is my outline for this task:

Introduction:
1) rephrase the statement
2) thesis statement: both views and opinion

Main para 1: topic sentence (agree - both subjects)
arguments (reasons, examples, explanation)

Main para 2: topic sentence (disagree - both subjects)
arguments (reasons, examples, explanation)

Conclusion: summarize or restate and opinion (for or against)

[Rabea Rashid]

sooooo weak in writing....seeking your suggestion....i am the beginner here..exam in november...

[Narrowei]

I will write 5 paragraphs.
1. introduction
2. benefits of the investment in health care
3. benefits of the investment in education
4. some drawbacks
5. conclusion

[miriam]

4 paragraphs
introduction:explain statement and give my own opinion.
P1:reason why disagree and some drawbacks about gover pay for healthcare and education
P2:advantages about pay for healthcare and education.(which is the one that I agree)but two subjects have to write separately
conclusion:summarize and give my view again.

[harjeet]

My exam is in 30july . So week in task 1 .. plz help need 6 each

[Ucheona]

Introduction

Ist body paragraph-why people agree that government should pay for health care

2nd body paragraph -why others diagram with above view

Conclusion-state my view

[kalian]

Introduction
Body-1st reasons for why people agree that government should pay for both healthcare and education.(for)
2nd-reasons for why people disagree for the above view (against).
Conclusion with our opinon.

[Tuan]

Hi, can you show some ways to make a body paragraph longer ( up to about 100 words each body paragraph)?
I can only write around 50 to 60 words per (body) paragraph.
Thank you so much !!!

[Shane]

Introduction:
(1) people hold different views about whether the government should cover the cost of healthcare and education
(2) give my "balanced" position(both the government and the individual should take the responsibility...)

Main body one:
the reasons why the government should allocate money to healthcare and education
(1) a well-developed healthcare system can not only improve the well-being of people but also enhance the social productivity
--one who has serious disease would not be able to live a happy, productive and meaningful life
--unhealthy workforce normally results in poor work efficiency (e.g. many sick leaves)
(2) good education maintains social stability by reducing the crime rate
--those who received tertiary education are capable of finding a decent job with satisfying salary
-- whereas less-educated people find their life tough and hopeless; therefore, commit a crime, drug abuse etc.

Main body two:
the reasons why the cost of healthcare and education should be covered by the citizens themselves
(1) too much supports from the government may lead to a great dependence of the public, making people lazy and less motivated
--may feel there is no need to work hard to earn much money, hoping to totally rely on the government
--if people were required to pay their shares of the cost, they would become more responsible (e.g. eat a more balanced diet and take more regular exercise)
(2) it would be a huge financial burden of the government, it would mean that the government has less budgets to spend on other areas that are more in need.
--release some burden
--invest in other public services (basic infrastructure, security...)

Conclusion:
--it is essential for the government to allocate funds to healthcare and education.
--However, the individual should also assume their parts of the responsibility through paying a proportion of the expense rather than entirely relying on the government.

[Trish]

4-paragraph structure

1. INTRODUCTION
2. PARAGRAPH ON AGREE SIDE. (include both healthcare and education)
3. PARAGRAPH ON DISAGREE SIDE
4. CONCLUSION

[Mukesh]

People have different view about who should pay for health and education. Some think that it should be done by government and others think that people should pay for this. While I agree that it should not be taken it as granted, but I believe that the government should provide the healthcare and education.

Those who argue that people should pay for this might have several reasons. They might think that people are not paying proper taxes so why government should pay for health and education. For instance, in Pakistan the tax collections is very low and only salaried people are being taxed; whereas, most of the people involved in business commonly evade taxes. But, still avail the government facilities. Furthermore, some also think that if people who do not pay for education or health take the things for granted which result into its improper utilization of services. For example, paying for doctors’ consultation charges will result into more compliance of medications and adopting health life style.

On the contrary, there are people who think that people are already paying huge taxes in the name of VAT, property, income etc. Thus, the state should provide these facilities. In addition to this, people also argue healthy and educated nation will help in alleviation of poverty and people will be less in crime. Both are very good success markers for any nation. Moreover, education and health are the essential services and these are the basic rights of human beings. For example, the World Health Organization raised a slogan of “health for all” in 1977 and since then it is a binding to all the nations. Because of these reasons, I strongly believe that the Government should pay for health and education.
In conclusion, it is argued that people should pay for education and health; I strongly believe that the governments should cover the cost of these basic rights.

[Sven]

Introduction
1. Paraphrase the statement.
2. General answer – state which view you support.

Body Paragraph 1 – (other people’s view) Why government should pay for Healthcare and education
Body Paragraph 2 – (Your View) Why government should NOT pay for healthcare and education

Conclusion – repeat your opinion in the introduction by using different words.

[Simon]

FROM SIMON

As most people suggested above, we need to put the two topics (healthcare and education) together in each of the main paragraphs:

1. Introduction
2. Reasons why some people believe that governments should pay for healthcare and education.
3. Reasons why other people believe that governments SHOULD NOT pay for healthcare and education.
4. Conclusion

Put your opinion in the introduction, conclusion, and in the main paragraph containing the view that you agree with.

[Dil]

Introduction -Paraphrase the topic & my view

Para 1 – Why some people agree the government
pay for health and education
1. Everyone takes these facilities on free
of charge
2. Guaranteed the quality
3. Main areas for a country’s future
development.

Para 2 – Why some people disagree for this
1. Can take as own wish when governments
do not pay.
2. Not regular procedure to take this
facilities when the government are not
controlling

Conclusion - Repeat the introduction using difference words.

[lana]

Dear Simon,

If government didn't pay for these devices, wh would? What does the other side of the argument mean or refer to when refusing the government to pay?

[lana]

Does the question mean to pay instead of patients and students or ti pay the salaries and the cost of hospitals and schools or universities to still running?

[lana]

*services

[ian]

dear simon,

please create another sample writing task two essay
that would be a great help..

[Keddie Z.]

Introduction + opinion: a joint responsibility, both governments and individuals

Paragraph for agree:
1. Governments impose taxes, so it’s the responsibility of governments.
2. Governments pay for them to ensure that people have access to healthcare services and education equally.
3. Lower the cost of our living.

Paragraph for disagree:
People should also bear the weight of paying for the cost of their healthcare and education.
1. Lower the expenditure from governments on healthcare and education, the money can be used to improve public transport network.
2. People have the responsibility to look after themselves well, and the expenditure of the diseases due to their laziness should be paid by the patients themselves.
3. Some charities also can fund hospitals to improve the quality of their healthcare and build schools to help children access to free or better education.

Conclusion:

[Nam Ngo]

I think we should write paragraph include two subjects.

1. Introduction: General overview
2. Para 1:
- healthcare and education: most important things in everyone life, health guarantee an enjoyable and easy life, education give knowledge that make up a good person.
- The better are these subjects, the more possible can we build a world that worth to live for entire life
- Healthcare includes : good hospitals, good nutrious diet, ...
_ education includes: well-qualified teacher, effective learning methods,...
2 Para2:
- Paying more for these subjects mean that civilians must be taxed much more
- paying too much can slow the developement of the country down
3. ending

[Kelvin]

Hi Simon

I prefer treating these two objects as one, which can also be understood as examples of where national budget should go for. My outline is as below

Introduction:
st1- importance of goverment spend to society
st2: Paraphrase the question
St3: Opinion of supporting

Main 1: Positive effects to social development
S
- idea 1: Wise investment in improving physical and mental health by provide education and health care to all citizen. More intelectual the people the more prosperous economy. More healthy more happy people.
- idea 2: equality for all people in accessing these services, enable them to have career or doing business, minimize the gap between the rich and and the poor.

Main 2: Negative effects to society if governments do not finance
- idea 1: Much more money to deal with consequences of high rate of illiteracy: invest in security such as police force, prisons to reduce crime rate, psychological and physical effect of crime
- idea 2: citizens have unhappy life as they cant afford education and health care.

Conclusion: Restate

[Weera]

Thank simon

but please write full essay about this topic as well thank

[ripon]

Dear Simon,

i am new here.Please check my essay and your comments are highly appreciated.

While I accept that in some cases, individuals need to pay for basic necessities such as healthcare and education; I believe that governments have the main responsibilities to ensure proper healthcare and quality education for its citizen.

On the one hand, in certain areas, individuals have to pay for healthcare and education. Treating of serious health issues and meeting the demand of higher education are often associated with a considerable amount of finance and this would be a huge financial burden if such responsibilities are being handled by governments. For example, a huge amount of money is required for the patients who have cancers and cardiac diseases because diagnosis of such diseases is very expensive. Similarly, higher education is so much expensive nowadays that a huge amount of money is needed to enhance higher education for all citizens. For this reason, Governments may need to divert budget from other development projects to meet these demand which would curb the development of a society.

On the other hand, it is the responsibility of governments to ensure basic needs such as health and education for all of its citizens. It is obvious that there are many poor people in a society who may not be capable of shouldering these financial responsibilities. In addition, in order to maintain equality in the society, governments should enhance healthcare facilities as well as infrastructure for quality education so that all the citizens have access to such facilities. Otherwise, a significant proportion of society failed to access these facilities and comprehensive development of society would not be possible. It is, therefore, clear from the above discussion that government should provide education and healthcare facilities for its citizen.

In conclusion, I believe that governments as well as individuals should pay for quality education and efficient healthcare facilities to ensure comprehensive development of a society.

[JMIelts]

Hello

I read the introduction and I dont need to read anything else

While I accept that in some cases, individuals need to pay for basic necessities such as healthcare and education; I believe that governments have the main responsibilities to ensure proper healthcare and quality education for its citizen.

You have several issues. Read it in a loud voice and you are going to notice the mistakes.

basic needs
take care with the "the" word

----

While I am of the opinion that people need to cover their basic needs such ..., I believe that governments ...

[norelyn]

thank you simon for sharing your ideas. ever since i bought your ebook, i have been reading the previous and recent blogs which is full of useful tips.

you are a God sent for struggling ielts takers like me.

[sakura]

here's the task 2 question for ietls july16 Philippines

In many countries, government spending on improving internet access.
Why do u think this is happening?( something like this)
Is this a good developement?

can somebody give opiniion on this..

thanks.

[ripon]

Dear JMIelts,

Thank you for your valuable advice.

[Sara]

I am new at this site.
Is the study through this blog is sufficient to get the band 7or above score or have to do something else.
Kindly give your opinion.

[hoang nguyen huu]

Dear Mr Simon!
I have just written an essay about a topic relating to what is the best tim for children learing forein language. Please help me to check anh assess it. Thank you so much.
Many children nowadays start to learn a foreign language from primary school instead of secondary school or later.
What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Essay
The topic concerning the best time for learning a second language has been coming up quite often on television or newspapers in Viet Nam. Among a number of options, one is that children should begin learning a new language from primary level of education rather than secondary level or later. It is obvious that there can be both positives and negatives when doing this. In this essay, I will be looking closely at both sides and try to draw some conclusion.
Let us begin by looking at the advantages of starting to learn another language apart from mother tongue from primary school instead of secondary school or later. The major one, in my opinion, is that children are at the best age to learn a new language. According to many reliable studies published recently on the operation mechanism of the human brain, the earlier children start learning a foreign language, the better they remember and understand thoroughly. Take my nephew, for example, he started learning English when he was only 6 years old, and now, although he is only 8, he can communicate confidently with an English person.
Turning to the other side of the argument, the main problem is that more academic burden will be added to children’s learning. Let’s consider the following case. In Vietnamese primary schools, pupils have to learn nearly ten subjects per week, so if they start to learn a foreign language at this level, they will not have much time to spend on other recreational activities. For instance, being required to learn in primary school all weekdays and English in two weekend days at an English centre, the 6-year-old daughter of my neighbour is often stressed and she usually cries when his father takes her to school.
All things considered, there can be obviously both pros and cons when starting to learn foreign language early. While that is the best age for children to learn a new language, a burden will be added to their learning. Personally, my conviction is that the benefits will ultimately outweigh the drawbacks. However, depending on the specific contexts, things can be different, and people’s decision should not always be based on a too extreme point of view.

[Jess730]

Open to any suggestion.

It is common knowledge that governments are responsible for people’s well-being. Some individuals are convinced that authorities should fund healthcare as well as education, while others have opposite views.

On the one hand, governments are expected to allocate budgets for such public services as healthcare and education. With the government implementing policies in favor of healthcare, ordinary citizens are less concerned about the fees for surgery, medical equipment, drugs, and hospitalization. These policies can largely reduce patients’ financial burden and thus increase their satisfaction with the government. Also, financial support for education can benefit a large number of students, especially those who are in poverty. By offering free education, expanding libraries and laboratories, and employing eminent teachers, the government is able to prevent students who cannot afford tuition from dropping out and to help students improve academic performance.

On the other hand, other people do not believe that the government has the obligation to pay for healthcare and education. From their perspective, the authority needs to spend its revenue on various fields such as economy and science. As a result of it, the financial support for healthcare and education could be relatively limited, so average inhabitants may end up receiving the most basic services, which can hardly meet their needs and thus are far from satisfaction. Besides, funding schools and hospitals means that the government needs to levy tax; it may eventually increase burden on citizens.

In conclusion, in spite of the taxation, people can actually benefit from funds for medical care and education, because they are closely associated with people’s lives. Therefore, as far as I am concerned, the government is expected to financially support these two public services.

[Jess730]

Dear Simon,
this is my essay answering the question. I have been reading your blog recently and have really learned a lot from it. Many thanks. Looking forward to your comments or suggestion.

It is common knowledge that governments are responsible for people’s well-being. Some individuals are convinced that authorities should fund healthcare as well as education, while others have opposite views.

On the one hand, governments are expected to allocate budgets for such public services as healthcare and education. With the government implementing policies in favor of healthcare, ordinary citizens are less concerned about the fees for surgery, medical equipment, drugs, and hospitalization. These policies can largely reduce patients’ financial burden and thus increase their satisfaction with the government. Also, financial support for education can benefit a large number of students, especially those who are in poverty. By offering free education, expanding libraries and laboratories, and employing eminent teachers, the government is able to prevent students who cannot afford tuition from dropping out and to help students improve academic performance.

On the other hand, other people do not believe that the government has the obligation to pay for healthcare and education. From their perspective, the authority needs to spend its revenue on various fields such as economy and science. As a result of it, the financial support for healthcare and education could be relatively limited, so average inhabitants may end up receiving the most basic services, which can hardly meet their needs and thus are far from satisfaction. Besides, funding schools and hospitals means that the government needs to levy tax; it may eventually increase burden on citizens.

In conclusion, in spite of the taxation, people can actually benefit from funds for medical care and education, because they are closely associated with people’s lives. Therefore, as far as I am concerned, the government is expected to financially support these two public services.

[nina]

Can anyone pass his/her comments on my essay please! My IELTS test is approaching!
People have different views about the governmental subsidies for medical care and education. While some people think that it is the individuals’ responsibility to pay for these services, I strongly disagree with them and believe that the support from the government is needed. In this essay, I will discuss both opinions.
Some people argue that the matters such as health insurance and education are personal and the authorities should not spend the public money for such private requirements. Instead, the public fund should be invested in activities, such as construction of the roads and environmental protection, from which every citizen can benefit equally. Also, if the healthcare is free, people may not take care of themselves. If they have to pay from their own pocket, they will be more careful about their general heath.
However, I believe that, in the one hand, education and health care are very expensive and if the government does not help people financially, many families can not afford them. On the other hand, people pay tax to the government and this money are coming from our own taxes. In fact, it is our own money which is spent on us indirectly. Moreover, education and health are two of the most fundamental needs of every human. Hence, it is fair that everybody even poor residents are able to go to school or be covered with at least a basic health insurance free of charge. If the government does not allocate money for such services, the negative consequences can be more costly. For example, many people will die or many young children will remain illiterate and may become future criminals of the society.
In conclusion, I think education and medical care should be free for all residents of a country, because we pay tax and in return government should subsidize these services.

[Eren]

People have different views about whether costs related to healthcare and education should be met by governments. While I can understand why some people find it unnecessary, I would argue that this should be the responsibility of governments.
On the one hand, there are some sensible reasons to think that healthcare and education spendings should be paid by people who take these services. Firstly, governments have many other responsibilites that require a lot of money, and therefore state budgets should be allocated to other sectors and services. For example,it can be argued that infrastructure and public transport systems are just as important as hospitals and schools, and it is normal to spend money on these services by governments. Secondly, governments already invest huge amounts of money in building hospitals, schools and universities and in providing doctors, nurses, teachers and tutors. In this way, it is completely normal that people are expected to pay for other costs.
However, despite the arguments mentioned above, I believe that all costs in healthcare and education services should be met by governments. These two services are crucial in a community, and all people should be given an opportunity to access hospitals and schools freely. There are many people who cannot afford to pay for healthcare and education, and therefore many people live in poverty. Besides, it would also beneficial for a government to give all citizens a right to take education and healthcare services without needing money. Having said that healthcare and education system in a country undoubtedly help that country’s standing on the global stage, in terms of its economic influence and trading power.
In conclusion, it seems to me that costs in two vital services in a country, healthcare and education, should be paid by governments.

[zhenhe]

i don't think education and the health care is public good because they don't have the characters of public good_non-rivalrious in consumption,so the government should not pay for the education and health care, but it should pay for the poor,since they have not enough income to pay for them.

[Tam]

Dear Mr Simon,
the topic is whether "the gov should pay for healthcare and education" or not.
after reading many opinions above, I encounter that some people think that oposite to "the gov should pay for healthcare and education" is "some other organisations or individuals should pay for healthcare and education"
is this point of view correct?
then can you explain more, which part of the question is being asked? "the gov" or "healthcare and education"?
thank you