IELTS TASK 2 feb 2020 Today single-use products are still very common.

The Problem With Single-Use Plastics

Today single-use products are still very common. What are the problems associated with this? What are some possible solutions?

These days, it's still apparent that single-use items are popular in the global market. Using these products is most of the time costly and has negative effects on the environment due to increased waste production, however, there are things that could be done to mitigate these effects, which will be discussed further in this essay.

To begin with, the consumption of one-time use products brings more costs and it has a negative effect on the environment. In other words, when someone consumes a single-use item after it served its purpose, it's no longer useful thus, it will be left as a waste product. For instance, disposable bottles containing water or other beverages, after consumption is disposed of, then left, which increases waste accumulated in the surroundings. This scenario is common in metropolitan areas because of the number of people and the popularity of drinking beverages. Most of the time, buyers are not aware that they are spending more money on these products when they could save by drinking refill in their own liquid containers.

Undoubtedly, this issue regarding cost and wastage of single-use items can be solved or mitigated. First, companies, manufacturers, and the government could implement a program or laws where products could be reused or recycled. One example is when all shopping malls use eco-friendly bags instead of plastic bags. Another example is implementing laws that restaurants should not serve single-use plastic straws and cups, instead, people are encouraged to bring their own reusable straws and tumblers. Second is recycling these single-use items to another useful product. Recycling is encouraged in items such as water bottles because they could be used as plant pots and other decorative materials. Eventually, people will get used to adhering to these environmentally friendly activities with constant promotion and encouragement from authorities.

All in all, it will be hard to totally eradicate the use of single-use products but there are ways to lessen its wastage and with public awareness, people will be encouraged to reuse and recycle.

Realistically, you can only write a total of 300 words for this essay. You are writing without timing yourself for this 40 minute task. You are also not allowing yourself time to review, revise, and perfect your essay within the given time frame. There is no sense in writing so many words when you do not even have time to check your work for possible mistakes.

Remember, it is not about the amount of words that you write. It is the quality of the words used, sentence types that you develop, clarity of thought, and grammar rule knowledge that will count towards a strong finishing score at the end of the test. Wordy essays are usually the ones that examiners hate to read because the student takes too long to get to the point, if they eventually get to the point.

There is a very important rule to follow when writing the task 2 essay: KISS it.

Keep It Short Silly !

The shorter but well developed the essay is, the more targeted the response, the higher the overall rubic score. This essay served only one purpose for you. You wanted to show off your knowledge of the English language. You did not care about the clarity of your sentences and paragraphs anymore. You did not even realize that this is an academic essay and yet you used conjunctions every chance you got. You know very well you will lose points for using conjunctions because it shows a lack of English grammar knowledge.

You constantly used word fillers instead of topic sentences, you added information to the prompt paraphrase instead of simply outlining the conversation as required. Here is a sample of the correct paraphrase:

People continue to patronize non recyclable products. While there are several complications connected with this practice, there are a couple of ways to dissuade people from using these commodities. Through this essay, I hope to present some complications related to this situation and propose applicable fixes to the problem.

Always outline the topic, reason, and discussion format as implied in the original prompt. Do not add information such as:

Using these products is most of the time costly and has negative effects on the environment due to increased waste production,

Since you are paraphrasing the information, you have to remember, if it's not in the original prompt, it doesn't go into the paraphrase. Additionally, you never start the discussion in the paraphrase. You start that in the second paragraph.