This is an IELTS writing task 2 sample answer essay from the real IELTS exam related to the topic of old people and exercise.

It is a 2-part question so you must answer both questions fully, in separate paragraphs.

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IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer Essay: Old People & Exercise (Real Past IELTS Exam)

Even though doctors advise old people to get more exercise, many old people do not get enough.

What are the reasons for this?

What are some possible solutions for this?

Real Past IELTS Exam

Many elderly people today, despite recommendations from doctors, do not get adequate exercise. I believe this is largely related to their upbringing and simple psychology, while the best solutions augment existing remedies.

The most basic sources of this problem are historical and psychological. Many old people today grew up in a period when exercise was not ubiquitous. Gyms in schools and as private businesses are a more recent development so they have not become ingrained habits for past generations. Moreover, men may have experience playing a sport but female athletics were historically underfunded and even banned in many nations, which has an effect on elderly women in particular. This history intermingles with normal human psychology. People are naturally embarrassed to stand out or appear foolish in public. Feeling self-conscious is an initial barrier that prevents many elderly from taking up a new sport or going to the gym for the first time.

The most efficacious solutions involve better accommodating the elderly. One way to do this would be to build more parks for exercise. In some East Asian countries such as Vietnam and South Korea, they have been building both small and large, rural and urban parks with basic exercise equipment for decades. They are easy to use, common and the elderly have become acclimated to them. Many more elderly would exercise if there was an expansion and replication of these successful policies. Another related fix would be to build more fitness centres. This may not have a huge impact at the moment, because gym members tend to be younger, but as a new generation of old people rises up, these centres will become more important and allow governments to take a proactive, rather than reactive, approach.

In conclusion, there are both historic and fundamentally human reasons for why old people do not exercise today. In my opinion, the solutions are not novel but would clearly lead to improved health for the elderly.

Analysis

1. Many elderly people today, despite recommendations from doctors, do not get adequate exercise. 2. I believe this is largely related to their upbringing and simple psychology, while the best solutions augment existing remedies.

  1. Paraphrase the overall topic of the essay.
  2. Clearly answer both questions. My answers are complete but you don’t have to fully include your main ideas here.

1. The most basic sources of this problem are historical and psychological. 2. Many old people today grew up in a period when exercise was not ubiquitous. 3. Gyms in schools and as private businesses are a more recent development so they have not become ingrained habits for past generations. 4. Moreover, men may have experience playing a sport but female athletics were historically underfunded and even banned in many nations, which has an effect on elderly women in particular. 5. This history intermingles with normal human psychology. 6. People are naturally embarrassed to stand out or appear foolish in public. 7. Feeling self-conscious is an initial barrier that prevents many elderly from taking up a new sport or going to the gym for the first time.

  1. Write a topic sentence with your main ideas at the end. This question asks for reasons (plural) so you must have at least 2. More than 2 would be difficult to develop fully.
  2. Explain or give background on your main idea.
  3. Develop your main idea.
  4. Fully extend or add a related idea.
  5. Transition to your second reason.
  6. Explain your second reason.
  7. Develop it as much as possible.

1. The most efficacious solutions involve better accommodating the elderly. 2. One way to do this would be to build more parks for exercise. 3. In some East Asian countries such as Vietnam and South Korea, they have been building both small and large, rural and urban parks with basic exercise equipment for decades. 4. They are easy to use, common and the elderly have become acclimated to them. 5. Many more elderly would exercise if there was an expansion and replication of these successful policies. 6. Another related fix would be to build more fitness centres. 7. This may not have a huge impact at the moment, because gym members tend to be younger, but as a new generation of old people rises up, these centres will become more important and allow governments to take a proactive, rather than reactive, approach.

  1. Write another topic sentence with a new clear main idea at the end. You also need 2 solutions because the question asks for solutions (plural).
  2. Explain your main idea.
  3. Use specific examples to support your opinion fully.
  4. Draw out the results of your examples.
  5. Make your point fully clear and relate it back to overall question.
  6. Transition to your other solution.
  7. Develop that solution as fully as possible too.

1. In conclusion, there are both historic and fundamentally human reasons for why old people do not exercise today. 2. In my opinion, the solutions are not novel but would clearly lead to improved health for the elderly.

  1. Repeat your opinion.
  2. Fully summarise your opinion and make a strong concluding statement.

Vocabulary

What do the words in bold below mean? Figure them out from the context of the sentence:

Many elderly people today, despite recommendations from doctors, do not get adequate exercise. I believe this is largely related to their upbringing and simple psychology, while the best solutions augment existing remedies.

The most basic sources of this problem are historical and psychological. Many old people today grew up in a period when exercise was not ubiquitous. Gyms in schools and as private businesses are a more recent development so they have not become ingrained habits for past generations. Moreover, men may have experience playing a sport but female athletics were historically underfunded and even banned in many nations, which has an effect on elderly women in particular. This history intermingles with normal human psychology. People are naturally embarrassed to stand out or appear foolish in public. Feeling self-conscious is an initial barrier that prevents many elderly from taking up a new sport or going to the gym for the first time.

The most efficacious solutions involve better accommodating the elderly. One way to do this would be to build more parks for exercise. In some East Asian countries such as Vietnam and South Korea, they have been building both small and large, rural and urban parks with basic exercise equipment for decades. They are easy to use, common and the elderly have become acclimated to them. Many more elderly would exercise if there was an expansion and replication of these successful policies. Another related fix would be to build more fitness centres. This may not have a huge impact at the moment, because gym members tend to be younger, but as a new generation of old people rises up, these centres will become more important and allow governments to take a proactive, rather than reactive, approach.

In conclusion, there are both historic and fundamentally human reasons for why older people do not exercise today. In my opinion, the solutions are not novel but would clearly lead to improved health for the elderly.

Answers

elderly people old people

despite recommendations from doctors regardless of what doctor’s advise

adequate enough

largely mostly

upbringing how they are raised

simple psychology basic human nature

augment existing remedies extend already present solutions

most basic sources foundation of

historical from history

grew up raised

period time in the past

ubiquitous common

more recent development happened in the last several decades

ingrained habits fixed habits/routines

past generations old people

female athletics women doing sports

underfunded not enough money for

banned not allowed

in particular especially

intermingles combines with

naturally embarrassed unsurprisingly ashamed

stand out noticeable, conspicuous

appear foolish in public look silly in front of people

feeling self-conscious know others are watching them

initial barrier stops them at the beginning

prevents stops

taking up starting to do

for the first time initially

efficacious solutions effection remedies

better accommodating make them more comfortable

one way to do this would be a possible method is

rural countryside

urban cities

basic exercise equipment simple machines for working out

decades many years

common ubiquitous

acclimated getting used to

expansion more and more

replication repeated

successful policies ideas that worked

related fix similiar remedy

fitness centres gyms

huge impact large effect

tend usually

rises up ascend

proactive not reacting, acting first

reactive acting in response

approach method

fundamentally human reasons related to human nature

novel new

clearly lead to improved health definitely result in better health

Pronunciation

Listen and repeat:

ˈɛldəli ˈpiːpl 
dɪsˈpaɪt ˌrɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃənz frɒm ˈdɒktəz
ˈædɪkwɪt 
ˈlɑːʤli 
ˈʌpˌbrɪŋɪŋ 
ˈsɪmpl saɪˈkɒləʤi
ˈɔːgmənt ɪgˈzɪstɪŋ ˈrɛmɪdiz
məʊst ˈbeɪsɪk ˈsɔːsɪz 
hɪsˈtɒrɪkəl 
gruː ʌp 
ˈpɪərɪəd 
ju(ː)ˈbɪkwɪtəs
mɔː ˈriːsnt dɪˈvɛləpmənt 
ɪnˈgreɪnd ˈhæbɪts 
pɑːst ˌʤɛnəˈreɪʃənz
ˈfiːmeɪl æθˈlɛtɪks 
ˈʌndə ˈfʌndɪd 
bænd 
ɪn pəˈtɪkjʊlə
ˌɪntə(ː)ˈmɪŋglz 
ˈnæʧrəli ɪmˈbærəst 
stænd aʊt 
əˈpɪə ˈfuːlɪʃ ɪn ˈpʌblɪk
ˈfiːlɪŋ sɛlf-ˈkɒnʃəs 
ɪˈnɪʃəl ˈbærɪə 
prɪˈvɛnts 
ˈteɪkɪŋ ʌp 
fɔː ðə fɜːst taɪm
ˌɛfɪˈkeɪʃəs səˈluːʃənz 
ˈbɛtər əˈkɒmədeɪtɪŋ 
wʌn weɪ tuː duː ðɪs wʊd biː 
ˈrʊərəl 
ˈɜːbən 
ˈbeɪsɪk ˈɛksəsaɪz ɪˈkwɪpmənt 
ˈdɛkeɪdz
ˈkɒmən 
əˈklaɪmeɪtɪd 
ɪksˈpænʃən 
ˌrɛplɪˈkeɪʃən 
səkˈsɛsfʊl ˈpɒlɪsiz
rɪˈleɪtɪd fɪks 
ˈfɪtnɪs ˈsɛntəz
hjuːʤ ˈɪmpækt 
tɛnd 
ˈraɪzɪz ʌp
prəʊˈæktɪv
ri(ː)ˈæktɪv
əˈprəʊʧ
ˌfʌndəˈmɛntli ˈhjuːmən ˈriːznz 
ˈnɒvəl 
ˈklɪəli liːd tuː ɪmˈpruːvd hɛlθ 

Vocabulary Practice

Remember and fill in the blanks:

Many e___________________e today, d______________________________________s, do not get a______________e exercise. I believe this is l_____________y related to their u______________g and s_____________________y, while the best solutions a_________________________s.

The m______________________s of this problem are h_______________l and psychological. Many old people today g____________p in a p____________d when exercise was not u_______________s. Gyms in schools and as private businesses are a m_______________________t so they have not become i______________________s for p___________________s. Moreover, men may have experience playing a sport but f______________________s were historically u_____________________d and even b_____________d in many nations, which has an effect on elderly women i__________________r. This history i__________________s with normal human psychology. People are n_____________________d to s______________t or a____________________c. F_____________________s is an i__________________r that p__________s many elderly from t______________p a new sport or going to the gym f____________________e.

The most e________________________s involve b________________________g the elderly. O______________________________e to build more parks for exercise. In some East Asian countries such as Vietnam and South Korea, they have been building both small and large, r________l and u________n parks with b_________________________________t for d_____________s. They are easy to use, c___________n and the elderly have become a_______________d to them. Many more elderly would exercise if there was an e________________n and r___________________n of these s________________________s. Another r______________x would be to build more f____________________s. This may not have a h_________________t at the moment, because gym members t________d to be younger, but as a new generation of old people r__________p, these centres will become more important and allow governments to take a p_______________e, rather than r_____________e, a________________h.

In conclusion, there are both historic and f____________________s for why older people do not exercise today. In my opinion, the solutions are not n__________l but would c____________________________h for the elderly.

Listen and check:

Listening Practice

Watch below about some of the parks I reference in Vietnam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIgrmB42pTU

There’s no talking in that video, so you can practice your listening with a BBC London video:

Reading Practice

Read about some studies related to how important exercise is for old people below:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/older-people-need-regular-exercise-and-studies-find-they-are-better-off-for-it/2017/04/14/2d385666-1a30-11e7-9887-1a5314b56a08_story.html

Speaking Practice

Answer the following questions from the real IELTS speaking test:

Running Read my sample answer here.

Do you like running?

When was the last time you went for a run?

Do you like to watch running competions on TV?

Is your hometown a good place for running?

Real IELTS Speaking Exam

Writing Practice

Write about the following related topic (retirement) then check with my sample answer:

Some think that governments should support retired people financially while others believe they should take care of themselves.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Real Past IELTS Exam

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