Essay Practice 4: Encouraging healthy lifestyles
Essay Practice 4 of a set220-260 words. Semi-formal discursive essay.
Four paragraphs: introduction → body on bullet A → body on bullet B → conclusion with a clear verdict. Two bullets developed in depth. Your opinion lives in how you evaluate each bullet (concession, comparison, qualifier) and is stated cleanly at the end. The structure card below has the word counts.
In your English class you have been discussing how governments and schools can encourage people to lead healthier lives. Now your teacher has asked you to write an essay on this topic.
Write an essay discussing TWO of the measures below. Explain which one you think would be most effective, giving reasons in support of your answer.
Some opinions expressed in the discussion:
Write your essay in 220-260 words in an appropriate style.
This is the structure Cambridge expects. Four paragraphs, two bullets developed in depth, opinion delivered through evaluation and verdict — not through a fourth invented idea.
Paraphrase the topic + name the two bullets you'll discuss + hint at your verdict.
Topic sentence + advantages + concession (limits/qualifier) + example. Develop in depth.
Topic sentence + evaluation + explicit comparison with Body 1 + your evaluative angle.
Clear verdict — which of the two bullets matters more, and why. No new arguments.
Which two of the three given bullets will you discuss? (The model below uses school sports and taxes on unhealthy food.)
What OTHER measure could encourage healthier lifestyles, that isn't in the three bullets? Some examples (but come up with your own):
From memory — no notes, no dictionary — brainstorm arguments for the two bullets you picked AND your own third measure.
Read carefully. Notice how the writer (1) discusses two of the three bullets, (2) adds a fresh measure of their own, and (3) delivers a clear verdict. Highlighted phrases are the advanced structures examiners reward.
Total: 248 words ✓ (within 220-260)
Participle clause opener (intro): "With rates of obesity and lifestyle-related illness climbing..." — a participle clause sets the scene in a single elegant phrase
Evidence-led topic sentence (Body 1): "There is strong evidence that..." — asserts authority before the "but"
"Not only... but also" (Body 1): shows two distinct benefits without a boring list
Concessive clause (Body 1): "However, as budgets are squeezed..." — pivots to the structural limit, not a throwaway one
Contrastive linker (Body 2): "by contrast" — signals the second bullet and a scale-change
Real, datable evidence (Body 2): "the UK's soft-drinks levy" — named policy beats vague "some taxes"
Equity caveat (Body 2): "can hit low-income families hardest" — shows you understand trade-offs, a Band 5 marker
Own-point signal (Body 3): "A further measure worth considering is..." — the examiner IMMEDIATELY recognises independent thinking
Specific case study (Body 3): "Countries such as Chile..." — a precise, real policy always outperforms abstract claims
Conditional inversion (Conclusion): "Were governments to act more decisively..." — instead of "If governments acted more decisively..."
Cleft-pattern (Conclusion): "it is well-designed policy — combining taxes with stricter advertising rules — that delivers..." — emphasis falls exactly on the winning factor.
Discuss TWO of: school sports / public health campaigns / taxing unhealthy food. Add your own measure. Explain which is most effective.
With rates of obesity and lifestyle-related illness climbing across much of the developed world, the question of how to encourage healthier habits has become increasingly urgent. This essay will examine school sports programmes and taxes on unhealthy food before turning to a further measure of my own.
47 words
Evaluate it — show the benefit AND an honest limit. Band 5 essays reward balance, not cheerleading.
There is strong evidence that daily physical activity in schools not only improves fitness but also builds lifelong habits. Children who enjoy regular PE lessons are more likely to remain active as adults. However, as budgets are squeezed, sport is frequently the first subject cut, and the benefit disappears precisely where it is most needed.
55 words
Less scaffolding — you lead. Your job: contrast this bullet with Body 1, and hint at which is more effective.
Taxes on sugary drinks and processed food, by contrast, work at population scale. After the UK's soft-drinks levy was introduced, manufacturers quietly reformulated products, cutting sugar consumption without shoppers even noticing. That said, such taxes can hit low-income families hardest, and without accompanying support they risk punishing the people who can least afford healthier alternatives.
55 words
This paragraph is not required by Cambridge. Most candidates score better by developing the two bullets in depth and skipping this tab. Add a fourth body paragraph only if you (1) write naturally short and need help reaching 220 words, or (2) are confidently aiming for Band 5 and have spare word-count budget. If you add it, keep it to 45-55 words so the two main bullets still get full treatment.
This is the paragraph that lifts the essay to top-band territory. You add a measure NOT in the three bullets — showing independent thinking. Keep it slightly shorter (45-55 words).
Any genuine health-promoting measure that isn't "school sports", "public health campaigns" or "taxing unhealthy food". Strong options include: restricting junk-food advertising aimed at children, free gym access, workplace wellness programmes, walkable city design, free healthy school meals, mental health support, or parental modelling.
A further measure worth considering is the regulation of junk-food advertising aimed at children. Countries such as Chile, which introduced warning labels and banned advertising directed at under-14s, have seen measurable drops in consumption — proof that shaping the environment around children can be more powerful than expecting willpower alone.
49 words
Short and decisive. Name the winner — and weave in your own point from Body 3. No new arguments.
In conclusion, although school sports remain valuable, it is well-designed policy — combining taxes with stricter advertising rules — that delivers the most lasting change. Were governments to act more decisively, healthier habits would follow far more widely than individual effort alone can achieve.
42 words
Read it as one piece. Do the five sections flow? Is your own measure distinct from the two given bullets? Is the verdict clear?