The table below shows daily oil production in 4 countries from 2000 to 2004.
Write at least 150 words.
In many places, people’s lifestyles are changing rapidly, and this affects family relationships. Do you think the advantages of such developments outweigh the disadvantages?
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 diagram illustrates the daily production of oil in four countries during the period between 2000 and 2004.
Overall, Congo was the leading producer of oil per day during the five-year period, while Chad produced the least amount of oil per day over the same period. Meanwhile, the amount of oil generated per day each year in Congo decreased over time, while the opposite was true for that of other countries.
Starting with 205,000 barrels per day in 2000, Nigeria’s daily oil production slightly fluctuated around 200,000 to end up at 213,000 barrels per day in 2004. In contrast, Congo’s oil production figures were the highest in the first year of the period at 275,000 barrels per day, however, gradually decreased over the years to reach 203,000 barrels per day in 2004.
It can also be seen that Somalia produced 5,000 barrels of oil each day in 2000, but later boosted its daily production capability considerably to 10 times more barrels per day in 2004. Finally, oil production in Chad did not begin until 2003, generating 8,000 barrels per day, sharply increasing to 50,000 barrels per day in 2004.
(189 words)
WRITING TASK 2
In the present age, people have dramatically changed the way they live, which in turn affects their family relationships. Personally, I think this tendency comes with both positive and negative effects.
On the one hand, changing lifestyles bring about various positive impacts on family connections. Firstly, people are paying more attention to their well-being nowadays, and therefore family members tend to go to fitness centres together to lead healthier lifestyles. As a result, spending time working out together will help to bridge the generation gap and promote better communication between family members. To illustrate, when a child takes part in some forms of sport or physical activities with their parents, they will feel more open to share things and seek advice from them. Secondly, thanks to developments in technology, devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptop computers have not only become an indispensable part of our lives but have also helped to make communicating with our friends and families much easier, particularly between those who are separated by long distances.
On the other hand, changes in lifestyles also have their downsides when it comes to family relationships. To begin with, the overuse of such technological devices mentioned above, can also hurt family relationships. For example, if family members become too immersed in using their devices for individual recreational purposes, like checking their social media accounts or browsing their favourite websites, they may neglect their relationships with other family members. Consequently, the amount of quality time that a family spends together is likely to reduce, negatively impacting family relations. Furthermore, these days, people are becoming more and more career-oriented and are subsequently losing the balance between work and family life. In fact, it has become more common that family members are less available at home, even outside of official working time, leading to weakened family interactions.
In conclusion, while some changes in lifestyle are advantageous to family relationships, the opposite is true for other changes.
(324 words)