Making Sugary Food and Drink Products More Expensive

Many manufactured food and drink products contain high levels of sugar, which causes many health problems. Sugary products should be made more expensive to encourage people to consume less sugar. Do you agree or disagree?

Annotated response

3 correction notes

Showing 3 correction notes.

The excessive consumption of sugar-laden food and beverages has led to a rise in health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. To , some believe that making sugary products more expensive will discourage consumption. However, I disagree with this approach, as it is neither fair nor effective in addressing the root causes of unhealthy eating habits.

Firstly, increasing the price of sugary products affects low-income consumers without necessarily changing their habits. Many people, especially those from , rely on affordable processed foods due to their low cost and easy availability. Raising prices might financially burden these individuals rather than encourage healthier choices. governments should focus on making nutritious foods more accessible by subsidizing fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Secondly, taxation alone does not guarantee a significant reduction in sugar consumption. People who are accustomed to high-sugar diets may continue to purchase these products despite higher costs. A more effective solution would be educational campaigns that teach consumers about healthy eating habits and the long-term effects of excessive sugar intake. Countries like Japan, for instance, have successfully implemented nutritional education programs in schools, leading to better food choices among the younger generation.

Moreover, manufacturers can reformulate their products to contain less sugar without compromising taste. Some companies have already started reducing sugar levels in their products voluntarily, proving that innovation is a better solution than taxation. Therefore, governments should encourage such initiatives instead of implementing punitive financial measures.

In conclusion, while excessive sugar consumption is a serious issue, increasing the price of sugary products is not the best solution. Instead, promoting education, affordability of healthy foods, and product reformulation would be more effective and equitable in encouraging people to reduce their sugar intake.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.5

The response presents a clear disagreement and develops three well-supported counter-proposals with relevant examples, showing strong task coverage. Its main limitation is that some arguments, such as the claim that taxation is unfair, could be explored in greater depth rather than briefly asserted.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Response

7.5

The position is clear and consistently maintained, all main ideas are relevant and developed with examples, though some points remain somewhat generally supported rather than fully extended.

Coherence and Cohesion

7.5

Paragraphing is logical, sequencing is clear, and cohesive devices such as firstly, secondly, and moreover are used flexibly, with only occasional slightly mechanical linking.

Lexical Resource

7.5

Vocabulary is precise and varied, including items like cardiovascular diseases, reformulate, and punitive financial measures, though a few collocations such as meager backgrounds are imprecise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.5

A wide range of complex structures is used with good control, including concessive and conditional forms, with only minor, non-impeding errors.