The charts detail the proportion of Australian secondary school graduates who were unemployed, employed or further education in 1980, 1990, and 2000.
Write at least 150 words.
Nowadays young people spend too much of their free time in shopping malls. Some people fear that this may have negative effects on young people and the society they live in. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
WRITING TASK 1
The given pie charts detail the proportion of Australian secondary school graduates who were unemployed, employed or pursuing further education, in 1980, 1990, and 2000.
Overall, from 1980 to 2000, the proportion of Australian students who were employed grew, while there as a decline in both the proportion of those pursuing higher levels of education and those who were unemployed.
In 1980, half of the Australian secondary school leavers chose to continue their education. After a 10- year period, this number dropped to only 38% and remained almost unchanged in 2000. Meanwhile, the figures for those who were unemployment were the smallest, at only 10% in 1980, 12% in 1990, and finally dropping back down to 8% in 2000.
On the other hand, over the years Australia saw an increase in the percentage of students who received a job after graduation from secondary school, from 40% in 1980 to 55% in 2000, which was the largest figure among all examined categories.
(161 words)
WRITING TASK 2
As countries and cities become more and more developed, the occurrence of large shopping malls is on the rise and due to factors such as advertising and boredom, young people are being lured into shopping malls where they are aimlessly wasting their time and money. Personally, I believe that this can have a number of detrimental impacts on young people and the society they live in.
Firstly, by spending time in shopping malls, young people are exposing themselves to large amounts of advertising and products which only drives their desire to purchase and consume more. Young people will end up feeling that they need to have things that, in reality, they don’t, and this can create an unhealthy state of mind, and a consumeristic attitude to life. As a result, the society they live in will suffer from the many drawbacks of consumerism such as wasted energy and resources, and landfills full of goods that have been overproduced.
Secondly, not only is spending too much time in shopping malls having a negative impact on the minds of today’s youth, but it is also having many negative impacts on their physical health. Young people who spend too much time wandering around shopping malls are missing out on important time that could be spent outdoors playing sport or participating in other recreational activities. It is well known that those who spend time outdoors involved in such activities mentioned above will enjoy a much healthier lifestyle and be less at risk of suffering from a range of common diseases caused by a sedentary lifestyle, such as obesity and diabetes.
In conclusion, I believe that parents need to spend more time teaching their children about the importance of spending their free time wisely, and avoiding the pitfalls of a consumeristic lifestyle.
(297 words)