Having Children Later in Life

Nowadays, more and more people decide to have children later in their life. What do you think are the reasons for this? Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?

Annotated response

5 correction notes

Showing 5 correction notes.

These days, an increasing number of people have chosen to become parents later in their lives. A few explanations for this trend could be offered, as well as its positive and negative effects on society.

First of all, the trend of delayed parenthood could be attributed to two main reasons. To start with, people are attaching more weight to their professional lives rather than their personal ones. A considerable number of young adults nowadays a concrete foundation for their career and only start building a family once they have achieved certain professional milestones. Furthermore, many people are of the opinion that children are better raised in families with sound financial statuses. Such a family can mostly be found among older couples, who have spent years working and accumulating their wealth.

As to the impacts of delayed parenthood on society, I strongly believe that can outweigh the other. On the one hand, having older parents can bring many benefits for a child. Since the couple will probably have had a stable financial background, the child proper education about loans and debts. Another advantage is that aged parents are more knowledgeable, meaning that the child can be reprimanded appropriately from their upbringings, which is a positive sign for an upright citizen. On the other hand, older mothers are more prone to grave health risks during pregnancy and their children are more exposed to innate diseases. It has been proven that women having kids after the age of thirty can be dangerous for both themselves and the babies, which is why this decision is not recommended by health staff.

By and large, people choose to bear children at older ages due to their their careers and the belief that a better financial state will be better for a child. Nevertheless, how this trend can impact society is both positive and negative.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The response addresses both parts of the task clearly, offering plausible reasons for delayed parenthood and a direct, justified verdict that the benefits and drawbacks balance each other. Its strongest aspect is the logical, well-signposted organisation and generally flexible language, while the main limitation is occasional awkward or inaccurate phrasing that slightly clouds meaning.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Response

7.0

The essay answers both questions, develops relevant reasons and advantages and disadvantages with explanation, and presents a clear (if nuanced) position that neither side outweighs the other, though some points rely on assertion rather than full support.

Coherence and Cohesion

7.0

Ideas are organised in logical paragraphs with clear cohesion devices and a summarising conclusion, with only occasional mechanical progression.

Lexical Resource

6.5

There is a good range of topic-related vocabulary and some precise expressions, but several awkward collocations and word-form slips reduce precision at points.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.0

A variety of complex structures is used with generally good control, although minor errors such as 'will likely to have' and 'neither its advantages or disadvantages' recur without impeding understanding.