This is an amazing essay, looks like Band 8 to me, nothing to improve here.

156. The wealth gap between 1st world countries and 3rd world countries seems to be increasing. How can we reduce this gap? Do you think that developed countries have a duty to assist developing countries in every way?

Every day the rich countries in the world get richer and the poor countries get poorer. Can we reduce this gap? Of course we can. The question is whether the people in power want to do it?

Reducing the wealth gap can be achieved by cancelling third world debt, cancelling trade and farming subsidies so that third world countries can compete, getting rid of third world corruption and investing and building in third world countries using local people and skills and allowing them ownership of businesses. There are other things as well. Unfortunately there is no profit in business for first world countries to do these things. Some will do them but most will not. The ordinary man on the street wants things to be better for poorer countries and the politicians say that they will help but the politicians will in the end do what business tells them to do. Politicians also rightly feel they have a duty to protect their own countries and keeping economically dominant is part of this duty. Creating effective competition for their own country‛s businesses is not part of what they are expected to do.

This then leads on to whether I believe that developed countries have a duty to help the developing countries. Yes, I do. As an individual I believe that we have a duty to assist the poorer countries with their development in all aspects. We can provide teachers and education and doctors on the small scale and on the larger scale the things that I have talked about in the previous paragraph. Can we do this? Yes. Will we do this? See the previous paragraph again.

In conclusion you can see that I believe that there is a split between what would happen in a perfect world and what actually happens. We have a duty to reduce the wealth gap between developed and developing countries and we can do it, but it is unlikely that this will happen quickly.

(329 words)

157. Should rich countries help poorer ones?

Or does it only help the rich country by keeping the poorer country dependent?

Today, the world is becoming more and more closely linked. Trade has increased and the movement of people between countries is greater than ever before. However, billions of people still live in poverty, and in many places, the gap between rich and poor is widening. This essay will look at the arguments for and against helping poor countries.

There are many reasons for helping poor countries. First of all, there are humanitarian reasons. Like individuals who give to charity, many countries feel it is their religious, social, or moral duty to help people in other countries who are suffering from famine, drought, war, or disease. However, many rich countries also donate money for political or diplomatic reasons. They want to maintain a relationship of dependency with the recipient, or simply to influence the government and direction of the country. A further reason why many countries help poorer ones is for economic reasons. The donors may want to control the supply of commodities such as oil, water, or wheat. Alternatively, the richer country may want to ensure markets for their own products, whether these are planes, computers or shoes.

However, aid is not necessarily the best way to help a country. For one thing, billions of dollars of aid often goes missing, into corrupt governments or inefficient administration. A second point is that many foreign aid projects are unsuitable for the target country. Many agencies build huge dams or industrial projects that fail after a few years or that do not involve the local people. Furthermore, much aid returns to the donor. This can be in the form of expensive specialized equipment and experts from the donor country.

There are many other ways we can help poor countries. Opening up trade barriers, so that poor countries can sell their goods is one way. Another is to remove subsidies so that imported goods from poorer countries can compete fairly. A third method is to forgive debts. Many poor countries have huge interest repayments on old loans.

The needs of the poorer countries may seem obvious. However, although our humanity makes us want to help eliminate poverty and suffering, we must examine the real needs of poor countries and implement solutions that will benefit both them and us.

LEISURE

Some people think that it is important to use leisure time for activities that improve the mind, such as reading and doing word puzzles. Other people feel that it is important to rest the mind during leisure time.

It is generally accepted that we all need leisure time to recover from the stresses of work and everyday life.
Personally, I prefer to be active during this time, as I think this suits me better. However, what we do with our leisure time is up to us and no one can say that any particular activity is the best.

Some people relax by watching movies, reading or surfing the internet. People who have physically demanding jobs may choose these types of activities. If you are a nurse or builder, you may feel that you don't want to do a five-kilometre run after work, because you are already physically tired.

Other people do very sedentary jobs. Computer analysts, for example, may spend all day sitting in front of a computer screen. At the end of the working day, they may be keen to stretch their limbs and improve their health by swimming or going to the gym.

Another factor that influences our choice of leisure pursuit is where we work. People who work indoors often prefer outdoor hobbies, whereas for people who work outdoors, the reverse may be true. I am a student myself and this involves a lot of sitting in lectures, so I need to get out into the fresh air afterwards.

In any situation, the important thing is that people need to stay healthy by choosing what is best for them. The only wrong way to spend free time, in my view, is to have a sedentary job and then go home and watch television.

159. Some people prefer to plan activities for their free time very carefully. Others choose not to make any plans at all for their free time. Compare the benefits of planning free-time activities with the benefits of not making plans.
Which do you prefer - planning or not planning for your leisure time?
Use specific reasons and examples to explain your choice.

Nowadays people have so many things to do that they almost always do not have enough time for it. When we go to bed we carefully think and plan our next day and it continues day in and day out. We wake up, recollect our checklist with things to do and in a few minutes we are already in a car on our way to the office. Often people do not have time for themselves. So, when people have some spare time they want to use it wisely. Some people prefer to plan activities for their free time very carefully. However, others prefer not to make any plans. In this essay I will analyze both cases and present my view in favor of planning free-time activities.

From the one side, not making any plans and just letting the time pass by for some time have some benefits. First of all, a person can just relax, enjoy the beautiful moments, spend his or her time with loved ones, watch a movie, listen to relaxing music, observe the flowers in bloom from the window, contemplate about his or her life and just slow down the pace of life. I think it is a very good way to eliminate one's stress and tension and just leave all troubles and worries behind.

From the other side, careful planning can bring many benefits too. First of all, one can travel. However, traveling requires some planning to be made. For example, one most likely will need a hotel room. So, the reservation should be made beforehand. Also, it is wise to check one's car to avoid breakdowns and have an uninterrupted worry-free trip. Second of all, planning one's activities allows to spend one's free time the way he/she likes. For instance, if I want to play tennis on incoming week-end I will certainly make a reservation for a court because in this case I will not be disappointed with the waste of my time. Personally, I prefer to make plans for my free time because it allows me to spend my vacation or week-ends the way I want it.

To sum up, I think careful planning allows people to derive maximum benefits from their free time. However, I must confess sometimes I allow my self just to stay at home with my friends and family and not make any plans. (394 words)

Date: 2014-12-22; view: 2359