IELTS Writing Task 2/ Essay Topics with sample answer.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample 483 - Government should try to reduce air traffic by taxing it more heavily

IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Air traffic is increasingly leading to more noise, pollution, and airport construction. One reason for this is the growth in low-cost passenger flights, often to holiday destinations. Some people say that the government should try to reduce air traffic by taxing it more heavily.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.



Model Answer 1:
Air traffic causes more noise and pollution, and due to their increasing demand for reduced prices, more airport constructions are visible all around the world. This is why, many argue that the government should impose high taxes to dissuade people from travelling by air especially those who are travelling for holidays. However, I completely disagree with this argument because I believe that it can hamper the nation’s overall economic growth and people's freedom to move and travel.

Introducing a heavy tax on air travel proves to be catastrophic for the tourism and hospitality industry. That is to say that if tax is increased considerably, it would render flights more expensive and suppress air travel demand eventually. This can have a devastating impact on the tourism industry, including tour operators, hotels, restaurants and local businesses that heavily depend on tourism. For example, if air travel is heavily taxed in a popular tourist attraction, it would be less affordable for holidaymakers, thus reducing visitor numbers, and decreasing spending on food, accommodation and destination. It is therefore obvious that putting a high tax on air travel will lead to disastrous economic consequences.

Imposing a high tax on air transport might also prove a hindrance to people's freedom to move for various reasons including business and travel needs. That is to say that companies may refrain from sending executives on business trips or attending trade fairs and conferences due to the increased costs of air travel while people will find it hard to travel to meet their relatives and family. This can put obstacles in the way of business collaboration, global business opportunity and economic growth. It can also put a dent in people's social interactions. 

To reiterate, I believe that higher taxes on air travel will slow down economic growth because the increased costs of travel might hurt the tourism sector and foreign trade opportunities. It is also a bad idea as it will restrict people from travelling and meeting others while also limiting business travel.


Sample Answer 2:
Over the recent years, the popularity of air services has been in demand. Some people claim that air traffic causes inevitable pollution; others see the other side of the coin. I disagree that government bodies are obliged to decrease air traffic using taxation.

To begin with, if the state increases the taxes, it will significantly affect lower-class people. They will not travel as much as they did before because of the inability to afford tickets. In fact, many families with children will suffer. Some parents might have promised to take the child to popular resort ”Disney World” in the USA or to ski in the mountains in Eastern Europe, but will be forced to refuse them. In addition to this, taxing only lower-class people will emphasise the severity of other issues of these days- the inequalities between humans. It is undoubtedly imposing taxes only on several numbers of people is unfair. As a result it may make them feel humiliated and discontent with the air services.

Secondly, governments need to consider reexamining the approach to the eco-system. There is a variety of pollutions, for instance traffic from buses, cars and trains should be the primary concern. It is unreasonable to suggest that it is more common problem which requires more attention. Many cosmopolitan cities are more likely to get polluted from the above mentioned types of pollutions than air pollution.  Moreover, it can lead to long-term effects on their health, especially on respiratory system.

One could draw the conclusion that the taxation should be equally distributed according to income levels among all classes of people. Governments ought to identify the problems related to traffic and select the appropriate ones to work on.

[ by - Anastasia Shytina ]

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