MJ IELTS | 8.5

Opinions vary regarding the ideal age for children to begin formal schooling. While some argue that an early start provides cognitive and academic advantages, others believe that delaying schooling allows for a more natural developmental process. Although early education fosters essential skills, I contend that young children benefit more from an unstructured learning environment before entering formal education.

Enrolling children in school at an early age can provide substantial academic benefits. Foundational subjects such as mathematics and literacy require consistent exposure, and beginning them at a young age can result in stronger cognitive development. Studies suggest that early education enhances problem-solving abilities, critical thinking, and language acquisition. In particular, children who start learning a second language early often attain near-native fluency, as their brains are more adaptable to linguistic patterns. Furthermore, structured schooling fosters discipline and social interaction, which are crucial for future academic success.

Despite these advantages, postponing formal education offers a more balanced approach to a child’s overall development. Young children learn best through exploration and play rather than structured lessons. Early childhood is a critical period for emotional, social, and physical growth, which may be stifled by rigid academic frameworks. For instance, a child observing nature, engaging in imaginative play, or interacting with family members naturally develops curiosity and problem-solving skills. This experiential learning builds a strong cognitive foundation without the pressure of formal academics. Moreover, delaying school entry prevents potential stress and burnout, ensuring children are emotionally prepared for structured learning environments.

In conclusion, while starting school early provides cognitive and linguistic advantages, allowing children to explore the world informally before beginning formal education fosters a more well-rounded development. A flexible approach that integrates structured learning with natural exploration would be the most beneficial for young learners.

Unfortunately, instant gratification has become a core characteristic for many, with millions of people around the globe wanting to achieve everything quickly. This can be attributed to the intense competition among businesses along with ever-growing social media consumption, and I consider it a totally negative development.

People’s desire for instant gratification is firstly the result of intense competition in most of today’s industries. Businesses are competing to address people’s needs instantly to win their trust so that they become loyal customers. In other words, in an era when there is an unlimited access to products and services, only those companies which can immediately cater for the needs of customers survive. As a result, people have become accustomed to receiving their deliveries to arrive on the same day, food within an hour and news within seconds after they break out.

Social media is another culprit. Millions of viewers today spend hours daily swiping up and down watching shorts on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and most notoriously, TikTok. This not only shortens their attention span but also makes it difficult for them to persistently pursue their goals or remain patient when needed. To illustrate this point further, take a TikTok user, who spends hours glued to their phone eager to get the next dose of dopamine. This unfortunately comes with severe personality shifts, making the user unable to concentrate for extended hours and put in a consistent effort to realize their goals.

The overall effect of all these is undoubtedly negative. When people lose their patience and abilities to persevere, it is likely that they will give up on their goals on the first round of adversity they face. Society made up of great numbers of such individuals is unlikely to make tangible progress in their lives, as tenacity and determination lie at the core of any form of development. A scientist trying to come up with a cure for cancer, for example, needs to be extremely resilient and go through dozens of trials-and-errors, each of which may take years. If they choose to remain persistent and continue putting in more effort, however, they may eventually make a breakthrough, bringing about a positive change to the lives of millions. Unfortunately, many people’s desires for immediate satisfaction are eroding such invaluable human qualities.

In conclusion, people’s willingness to achieve everything instantly is mainly the product of competitive business environment and excessive social media use. This unfortunately brings about negative personality changes in people, which can lead to dire consequences if not addressed properly.

Environmental degradation and extinction of certain animal species are some of the greatest issues we are facing today. Despite this, it has been suggested that there is no need for humanity to make a special effort to preserve wild animals as history is fraught with such cases of extinction. I totally disagree with this point as humanity is largely responsible for the current demise of animals and wildlife protection has a bearing on our survival as a species on this planet.

Firstly, in previous cases of mass extinction, humanity was not responsible for what was happening. They were the result of factors beyond human control – either a natural disaster or a drastic climate change. The demise of dinosaurs is an excellent case in point, as it happened due to a meteor strike, causing massive upheavals on the Earth, eventually ending the dinosaur era. The extinction of animals happening today, on the other hand, is the direct result of human actions, due to habitat destruction and climate change that we have created in the first place, making humans both accountable and responsible for wildlife protection.

Secondly, if we are to ensure the sustainability of our own existence on this planet, wildlife conservation should be our ultimate responsibility. Ecosystems are delicate collections of different organisms, with potentially devastating effects if a single species disappears forever. The demise of a certain mammal in the area, such as rabbits, may deprive several predators of their essential food source, potentially leading to the further extinction of other animals. Such losses of wildlife could have far-reaching consequences for life on Earth – and ultimately humanity – in ways we cannot yet fully grasp. In fact, such devastation could transform our planet into something completely different from what it is today.

In conclusion, animal preservation is our ultimate responsibility if we are to ensure our sustainability on this planet as a species. It is not only important because humans are responsible for the current round of animal extinction, but also because it is essential for our own future.

The line graph compares changes in the number of people attending different activities at a particular social center based in Melbourne, Australia over two decades. Overall, the film club was the number one activity at the center, followed by martial arts and table tennis, which became significantly more popular in the latter part of the period. Once quite a popular course, Amateur dramatics, experienced a sharp decline in the number of its participants, while musical performances – offered only after 2005 – gained in popularity.

The number of participants for the film club started at 65 in 2000. It then experienced a slight fall but quickly bounced back to its initial level by 2020. The second most popular activity in 2000 was martial arts, practiced by about 35 people. It also went through mild fluctuations throughout the period, finishing at approximately 37 in the final year. Next came amateur dramatics, with roughly 25 attendees in 2000. Despite a negligible increase over the first five years, the figure then plummeted, hitting its all-time-low of just 5 in 2020.

The other activities, albeit much less popular initially, experienced remarkable rises. Especially significant was the growth in the number of people taking up table tennis, which soared from its starting rate of just 17 to as high as 53, surpassing first the figure for amateur dramatics in 2010 and then for martial arts in 2015. Similarly, musical performances became increasingly popular over the period, from the time they were first introduced in 2005 to the final year, when they attracted nearly 20 people.

The bar chart compares Australian men and women in terms of the hours they spend working during a normal week. Overall, while the shares of women spending up to 10 and 20 hours working are significantly higher, a noticeably greater proportion of men has long-hour jobs. It is also interesting to note that the shares of those who work over 80 hours are equal for both sexes.

The shares of women who spend less time working are higher than those of men in the first two categories. 15% of Australian women work up to 10 hours weekly, as opposed to 5% of men who fall into this category. Women lead again in the 10-to-20-hour category, with just under 25% compared to roughly 13% of men.

As for those who spend longer hours working, male domination can be observed. Nearly 45% of men allocate between 30 and 50 hours to work, while another 30% spend somewhere between 60 and 80 hours. The figures for women are lower, at approximately 35 and 18% respectively. Equal proportions of males and females devote over 80 hours per week to work, with 10% each.

It is interesting to note that the highest proportions of both genders spend between 30 and 50 hours working, while the shares of those who work over 80 hours are the lowest. In addition, greater proportions of women are engaged in part-time jobs, in stark contrast to men who tend to allocate longer hours to their jobs.

Urban planning has become one of the most critical aspects of city infrastructure, at a time when cities are fraught with problems such as traffic congestion, overcrowded public transport and pollution. In response to these issues, it has been proposed that specific areas of cities should be allocated to different needs of urban dwellers, such as education, entertainment and shopping. In my opinion, this will create further problems instead of improving the current situation.

Several advantages of this policy certainly make it an appealing approach. Designating specific areas for certain facilities improves convenience and efficiency to a certain extent. Those planning to shop, for example, can visit a shopping district, assured that they can find something they desire at one of the department stores in the area. Entertainment seekers can also visit multiple leisure centers and amusement parks given that the majority of entertainment facilities are clustered in a specific part of the city. This also helps improve safety at such vulnerable institutions as primary schools, which can then be found within an educational area, where private car access is limited. Parents in this case can rest assured that their children will be safe from any traffic-related accidents during their schooling.

However, this enhanced accessibility comes at a significant cost. Especially in cities with heavy traffic, such an arrangement of urban facilities is likely to intensify the problem. Commutes will become an even greater concern if urban residents have to travel to various parts of the city for their diverse needs. Imagine a parent needing to pick up their children from school on their way home, while having to do some grocery shopping and buy food from a takeaway. For each of these, they will have to travel to different parts of the city, spending significantly more fuel, energy, and time. Instead, modern cities are recommended to have self-contained neighborhoods, which preferably include all the necessary facilities, including schools and universities, shopping and leisure centers as well as office blocks. This not only cuts time spent on commute, but also reduces congestion on roads.

In conclusion, although specifying separate areas of a city for different societal needs seems attractive at first glance, in my view, creating communities with easy access to all the modern facilities is far more effective. Therefore, governing bodies should apply this arrangement to city infrastructure to cut commute time and mitigate traffic-related issues.

Cultural assimilation is one of the most conspicuous trends in the 21st century, at a time when global brands are dominating international markets. As a result of this, people across the globe are exposed to the same media content, are following the same fashion fad and even having dinner at different branches of the same restaurant. I tend to consider it a negative development overall as it comes at a significant cost of local cultures and global diversity.

Erosion of cultural differences and monotony are the direct drawbacks of this. When people across the globe show similar tastes for the products, food and media content they consume, they are likely to adopt attitudes, ways of life and perspectives different to their own. This puts time-honored traditions and cultural heritage of various nations at risk of extinction. The prevalence of fast food culture is a particularly good example of this, with many, especially youth, choosing internationally renowned fast food chains over their local cuisine.

Homogenization of cultures also brings excessive uniformity to the world, with populations in different parts of the world leading similar lifestyles, celebrating the same holidays and enjoying food and music that are essentially the same. Cultural exploration and travel will lose their appeal as a result, as unique cultural features fade and one encounters the same practices being applied everywhere. A European tourist willing to experience unique customs, wearing styles and exotic food of Eastern countries, for example, can hardly satisfy their curiosity as differences in the ways of life between these two parts of the world have become increasingly vague.

In conclusion, I believe the overall impact of global preference for similar products, media contents, fashion and food items are mostly negative. Due to the loss of cultural diversity and monotony it causes, the drawbacks resulting from the increased uniformity in people’s lives far outweigh any benefits it provides.

The pie charts show the proportions of energy produced from five sources in a particular country in 1995 and 2005. Overall, coal, gas, and petrol dominated energy production in 1995, contributing similar shares. By 2005, the shares of coal, gas, nuclear energy, and other sources increased, whereas petrol's contribution decreased significantly.

Looking first at predominant energy sources—coal, gas, and petrol—these each accounted for approximately 29% of energy production in 1995. By 2005, coal and gas saw slight increases to just over 30% each, while petrol's share dropped by one-third to just under 20%.

Nuclear power and other energy sources contributed much smaller shares in 1995 but experienced noticeable increases over the period. Nuclear energy rose from just over 6% to slightly above 10%, while other sources grew from 5% to 9%.

In summary, the country primarily relied on gas, coal, and petrol for energy production in 1995. While coal and gas remained significant contributors a decade later, petrol's importance declined. Although nuclear power and other sources became slightly more prominent, they remained less significant overall.