This is an IELTS Writing Task 2 sample answer essay from the real IELTS exam/test related to the topic of staying fit.

It’s an easy topic but difficult when you actually start writing about it.

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*Before reading it, listen to the audio below and take notes to improve your listening:

IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer General Training: Staying Fit (Real Past IELTS Exam/Test)

Some believe that the best way to stay fit is to join a gym or health club while others think doing everyday activities such as walking and climbing stairs is enough.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Real Past IELTS Exam/Test

Many think that going to the gym is unnecessary and you can get in adequate shape simply through your day-to-day routine. In my opinion, there are benefits to a generally active lifestyle but joining a gym is still the best guarantee of a basic level of fitness.

The health benefits of everyday activities are apparent for those who are very active walkers. Doctors advise the average person to walk 10,000 steps a day to be healthy. These steps can now be easily recorded with a FitBit or Apple Watch, which means that there is less need than ever to set aside gym time. This clear goal can encourage individuals to become more aware of their daily habits and slowly change or supplement them. For example, instead of taking the elevator to one’s apartment or work, you can add a few hundred steps by taking the stairs. While at work you can walk around more often and all your progress will be digitally recorded. This dedication may become habit, eliminating the need for regular, dedicated workouts.

Despite the advantages of walking detailed above, the gym nets more impactful results. The number one leading cause of death globally is heart disease and the only way to combat it is through dietary changes and exercise. Researchers have long extolled the benefits of aerobic exercise for heart health. The most effective aerobic workouts happen at the gym on treadmills and ellipticals. Many doctors recommend that patients at risk of heart disease sign up for gym memberships and commit to a regular workout schedule as walking alone does not provide the intense workout required to strengthen the heart and prevent early death.

In conclusion, going to the gym is crucial to being in good shape. Healthy habits ranging from good nutrition to taking part in sports to making time for the gym are important checks against the inclination today towards a passive, sedentary lifestyle.

Word Count: 315

Analysis

1. Many think that going to the gym is unnecessary and you can get in adequate shape simply through your day-to-day routine. 2. In my opinion, there are benefits to a generally active lifestyle but joining a gym is still the best guarantee of a basic level of fitness.

1. Paraphrase the overall topic for the whole essay.
2. Give your opinion – make it clear.

1. The health benefits of everyday activities are apparent for those who are very active walkers. 2. Doctors advise the average person to walk 10,000 steps a day to be healthy. 3. These steps can now be easily recorded with a FitBit or Apple Watch, which means that there is less need than ever to set aside gym time. 4. This clear goal can encourage individuals to become more aware of their daily habits and slowly change or supplement them. 5. For example, instead of taking the elevator to one’s apartment or work, you can add a few hundred steps by taking the stairs. 6. While at work you can walk around more often and all your progress will be digitally recorded. 7. This dedication may become habit, eliminating the need for regular, dedicated workouts.

1. Write a topic sentence with a clear main idea at the end.
2. Begin to develop it.
3. Use specific examples like the Apple Watch and FitBit.
4. State the result of your specific examples.
5. Continue to develop your main idea.
6. The more you develop it, the higher your task achievement score will be.
7. Finish the paragraph by stating the overall result related to the question.

1. Despite the advantages of walking detailed above, the gym nets more impactful results. 2. The number one leading cause of death globally is heart disease and the only way to combat it is through dietary changes and exercise. 3. Researchers have long extolled the benefits of aerobic exercise for heart health. 4. The most effective aerobic workouts happen at the gym on treadmills and ellipticals. 5. Many doctors recommend that patients at risk of heart disease sign up for gym memberships and commit to a regular workout schedule as walking alone does not provide the intense workout required to strengthen the heart and prevent early death.

1. Write about topic sentence with another clear main idea at the end.
2. Begin developing that main idea. You might have to explain your main idea first.
3. Use researchers if possible but don’t quote specific research.
4. Include specific details and use strong vocabulary.
5. This is a very long, complex sentence. Only write these if you are very confident in your English.

1. In conclusion, going to the gym is crucial to being in good shape. 2. Healthy habits ranging from good nutrition to taking part in sports to making time for the gym are important checks against the inclination today towards a passive, sedentary lifestyle.

1. Repeat your opinion.
2. Add a final detail or thought to get full marks from the IELTS examiner for task achievement.

Vocabulary

What do the words in bold below mean?

Many think that going to the gym is unnecessary and you can get in adequate shape simply through your day-to-day routine. In my opinion, there are benefits to a generally active lifestyle but joining a gym is still the best guarantee of a basic level of fitness.

The health benefits of everyday activities are apparent for those who are very active walkers. Doctors advise the average person to walk 10,000 steps a day to be healthy. These steps can now be easily recorded with a FitBit or Apple Watch, which means that there is less need than ever to set aside gym time. This clear goal can encourage individuals to become more aware of their daily habits and slowly change or supplement them. For example, instead of taking the elevator to one’s apartment or work, you can add a few hundred steps by taking the stairs. While at work you can walk around more often and all your progress will be digitally recorded. This dedication may become habit, eliminating the need for regular, dedicated workouts.

Despite the advantages of walking detailed above, the gym nets more impactful results. The number one leading cause of death globally is heart disease and the only way to combat it is through dietary changes and exercise. Researchers have long extolled the benefits of aerobic exercise for heart health. The most effective aerobic workouts happen at the gym on treadmills and ellipticals. Many doctors recommend that patients at risk of heart disease sign up for gym memberships and commit to a regular workout schedule as walking alone does not provide the intense workout required to strengthen the heart and prevent early death.

In conclusion, going to the gym is crucial to being in good shape. Healthy habits ranging from good nutrition to taking part in sports to making time for the gym are important checks against the inclination today towards a passive, sedentary lifestyle.

Answers

unnecessary not needed

adequate shape fit enought

day-to-day routine daily activities

generally active lifestyle getting up to a lot

best guarantee most likely chance of

basic level of fitness minimum health

health benefits good for your health

apparent ostensible

active walkers people who walk a lot

advise give advice

easily recorded can be tracked simply

FitBit a watch for checking your health

less need than ever not so important

set aside gym time go work out

clear goal obvious aim

aware know about

daily habits what you do everyday

supplement add to, complement

taking the elevator using the elevator

progress moving forward

digitally recorded make a record of

dedication commitment to

eliminating getting rid of

regular everyday, consistently

dedicated workouts exercising for a specific purpose

detailed above mentioned before

nets gains/gets you

impactful results effective

leading cause of death globally most people around the world die from this

heart disease heart attacks, high cholesterol, etc.

combat fight

dietary changes better nutrition

extolled recommend highly

aerobic exercise lung-based exercise (running, swimming, etc.)

treadmills running machines in gyms

ellipticals similar to treadmills but you don’t take actual steps

patients sick people

sign up for gym memberships join a health club

commit to a regular workout schedule consistently go to the gym

intense workout required good exercise needed

strengthen make stronger

prevent early death.keep you alive

crucial very important

ranging from including

nutrition eating right

taking part in sports joining in a sport

making time freeing up time

checks balances

inclination like to

passive not active

sedentary lifestyle sitting around a lot

Pronunciation

ʌnˈnɛsɪsəri 
ˈædɪkwɪt ʃeɪp 
ˈdeɪtəˈdeɪ ruːˈtiːn
ˈʤɛnərəli ˈæktɪv ˈlaɪfˌstaɪl
bɛst ˌgærənˈtiː 
ˈbeɪsɪk ˈlɛvl ɒv ˈfɪtnɪs
hɛlθ ˈbɛnɪfɪts 
əˈpærənt 
ˈæktɪv ˈwɔːkəz
ədˈvaɪz
ˈiːzɪli rɪˈkɔːdɪd 
fɪtbɪt 
lɛs niːd ðæn ˈɛvə 
sɛt əˈsaɪd ʤɪm taɪm
klɪə gəʊl 
əˈweə 
ˈdeɪli ˈhæbɪts 
ˈsʌplɪmənt 
ˈteɪkɪŋ ði ˈɛlɪveɪtə 
ˈprəʊgrəs 
ˈdɪʤɪtli rɪˈkɔːdɪd
ˌdɛdɪˈkeɪʃən 
ɪˈlɪmɪneɪtɪŋ 
ˈrɛgjʊlə
ˈdɛdɪkeɪtɪd ˈwɜːkaʊts
ˈdiːteɪld əˈbʌv
nɛts 
ˈɪmpæktf(ə)l rɪˈzʌlts
ˈliːdɪŋ kɔːz ɒv dɛθ ˈgləʊbəli 
hɑːt dɪˈziːz 
ˈkɒmbæt 
ˈdaɪətəri ˈʧeɪnʤɪz 
ɪksˈtəʊld 
eəˈrəʊbɪk ˈɛksəsaɪz
ˈtrɛdmɪlz 
ɪˈlɪptɪkəls
ˈpeɪʃənts 
saɪn ʌp fɔː ʤɪm ˈmɛmbəʃɪps 
kəˈmɪt tuː ə ˈrɛgjʊlə ˈwɜːkaʊt ˈʃɛdjuːl 
ɪnˈtɛns ˈwɜːkaʊt rɪˈkwaɪəd 
ˈstrɛŋθən 
prɪˈvɛnt ˈɜːli dɛθ.
ˈkruːʃəl 
ˈreɪnʤɪŋ frɒm 
nju(ː)ˈtrɪʃən 
ˈteɪkɪŋ pɑːt ɪn spɔːts 
ˈmeɪkɪŋ taɪm 
ʧɛks 
ˌɪnklɪˈneɪʃən 
ˈpæsɪv
ˈsɛdntəri ˈlaɪfˌstaɪl

Listen and repeat:

Vocabulary Practice

Remember and fill in the blanks:

Many think that going to the gym is u_______________ and you can get in a_______________ simply through your d_______________. In my opinion, there are benefits to a g_______________ but joining a gym is still the b_______________ of a b_______________.

The h_______________ of everyday activities are a_______________ for those who are very a_______________. Doctors a_______________ the average person to walk 10,000 steps a day to be healthy. These steps can now be e_______________ with a F_______________ or Apple Watch, which means that there is l _______________ to s_______________. This c_______________ can encourage individuals to become more a_______________ of their d_______________ and slowly change or s_______________ them. For example, instead of t_______________ to one’s apartment or work, you can add a few hundred steps by taking the stairs. While at work you can walk around more often and all your p_______________ will be d_______________. This d_______________ may become habit, e_______________ the need for r_______________, d_______________.

Despite the advantages of walking d_______________, the gym n_______________ more i_______________. The number one l_______________ is h_______________ and the only way to c_______________ it is through d_______________ and exercise. Researchers have long e_______________ the benefits of a_______________ for heart health. The most effective aerobic workouts happen at the gym on t_______________ and e_______________. Many doctors recommend that p_______________ at risk of heart disease s_______________ and c_______________ as walking alone does not provide the i_______________ to s_______________ the heart and p_______________.

In conclusion, going to the gym is c_______________ to being in good shape. Healthy habits r_______________ good n_______________ to t_______________ to m_______________ for the gym are important c_______________ against the i_______________ today towards a p_______________, s_______________.

Listen and check:

Listening Practice

Here’s a video about taking 10,000 steps a day to lose weight:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TVAePIbIh4

Reading Practice

Here is some advice from doctors on the best ways to stay fit:

https://www.fitnessmagazine.com/health/doctors-tips-to-stay-healthy/

Speaking Practice

Practice answer the questions from the real IELTS speaking exam below:

Health

1. How often do people in your country go to the doctor?
2. Are doctors always trustworthy?
3. How will hospitals change in the future?
4. Is traditional medicine an important part of your culture?
5. What makes a person healthy?

Writing Practice

Practice with the writing topic below then check with my sample answer:

Many feel that going to the gym is the best way to stay fit. Others think there are more effective methods.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Real Past IELTS Exam/Test

IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer: Gym/Exercise (General Training)