Oct 18 IELTS Writing

• IELTS writing, speaking,wordlist
• water wave chapter 7 and part of chapter 8

In many countries, the proportion of older people is steadily increasing. Does this trend have positive or negative effects on society?

Technological change and the increase in personal wealth have contributed to the improvement in life expectancy, and many countries have seen their population ageing at an unprecedented pace. The problems of this demographic change far outweigh its positive impact.

One social problem related to population ageing is that the medical cost will increase dramatically and hurt the economy. The need for medical care as well as the spending on it tends to increase with age. Elderly people are prone to health problems such as heart disease, arthritis and cancer, so a country with a large proportion of people over 65 has to increase the expenditure on medical services to treat aging-related conditions. This leads to a budget cut for education, infrastructure projects and scientific research, which can affect a society adversely not only in the quality of life but also in longterm economic growth.

Another problem is that the productivity of the whole society will drop as the number of workers aged 65 and above increases. An ageing society normally has to raise the pension eligibility age to keep the pension scheme running, so it is not unusual for senior citizens to stay in the workforce even in their 60s. These people, however, struggle with cognitive decline and other conditions which can limit their ability to process information and handle work. If they delay retirement, their poor performance may have an adverse impact on companies' productivity and profitability. This can exacerbate the economic problem mentioned earlier and have an adverse impact on social progress.

On the other hand, it is possible that societies can tap into the wisdom and experience of elderly people. Having worked for decades, they are experts in their fields of work and have practical experience, specialist knowledge and work-related tips that they can share with younger generations. Senior business managers, for example, teach young people how to manage a company and to deal with complaints and queries of clients, while veteran researchers can pass on their knowledge to young scientists about how to oversee and execute projects. This would not happen if people did not live long lives.

In conclusion, a rapidly-ageing population can impose a strain on the medical system and reduce the productivity of a country. These social issues cannot be tackled easily, although the wisdom of elderly people can yield benefits for society.