The bar chart below shows the percentage of government spending on roads and transport in 4 countries in the years 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005.
Write at least 150 words.
People should look after their health for personal benefits, rather than a duty for a society. 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 bar chart shows the proportion of government expenditure on road and transport in four countries (Italy, Portugal, UK, USA) every five years between 1990 and 2005.
Overall, it can be seen that governments in mainland Europe spent far more money on roads and transport than those in the UK and USA. It is also clear that the UK spent the least amount of money on roads and transport in all measured years.
In 1990, Portugal spent the most amount of money on roads and transport at approximately 27%, followed by Italy at about 22%, while the USA and UK both spent only around 10% of their government budget. In 1995 however, all countries reduced their road and transport spending by between 1-3%.
By 2000 while Portugal continued to reduce its road and transport spending down to around 22%, Italy had increased its spending to approximately 23%, overtaking Portugal as the leading spender on transport infrastructure in 2000. The UK and USA had both increased spending in 2000 by about 3%. In 2005, all countries except USA further reduced their spending with Portugal, Italy, UK and the USA at 20%, 19%, 8% and 15% respectively.
(196 words)
WRITING TASK 2
It has been argued that people today should care for their own personal health purely to enjoy the personal benefits that are gained from having good health, rather than as a duty to others in their society. Personally I believe that people should take good care of their health not only to reap the associated benefits, but also as a way of helping to uplift the lives of the citizens within their own cities and countries.
Many people claim that the secret to a happy life is through achieving and maintaining good health, and I also stand by this notion. When someone experiences good physical and mental health they are able to enjoy their life to the fullest. Good health allows people to pursue their hopes and dreams and enjoy human relationships with family and friends. Without good mental and physical health, these ideals are difficult to attain.
In addition to this, today, people are suffering from mental and physical sickness and diseases more so than ever before. This, in turn, causes a heavy load on a country’s healthcare industry and causes large financial burdens to the country’s national budget, which comes at the cost of the tax paying citizens. If people were to look after their health better, it would reduce such financial burdens and the money could then be spent on other services that would benefit the quality of life for the society as a whole.
In conclusion, I firmly believe that all people should strive to achieve and maintain the highest levels of health possible not only so that they can be happy and enjoy their own life, but also so that they can contribute towards a more happy and healthy society around them.
(287 words)