Writing Task 2: Two-Part (Direct) Question Essay: Question 6
Syllabus W.task2
In many countries, growing numbers of people are staying in paid employment well beyond the traditional retirement age, whether by choice or by necessity.
Why is this happening? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
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Worked solution
Examiner notes
Task Response
The introduction paraphrases the trend and previews both a clear cause and a clear stance in a single, tightly controlled sentence. Each body paragraph is dedicated to exactly one of the two questions (the first explains the reason (financial pressure combined with longer healthy lifespans) with a specific, developed example; the second evaluates the trend and defends the “positive” stance with an equally specific example (the mentoring draughtsman)) and the conclusion restates both answers without introducing new material.
Coherence & Cohesion
Clear signalling phrases (“The principal reason…”, “Turning to whether this shift is beneficial…”) mark the transition from the “why” question to the “positive or negative” question, so the two-part structure is unmistakable to the reader. Reference chains such as “his situation” and “such expertise” tie sentences together within each paragraph without repetitive linking words.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is precise and appropriately formal (“pension provision”, “economically active”, “institutional knowledge”, “accumulated know-how”), with no unnatural repetition of “work” or “retire” thanks to varied phrasing (“remaining economically active”, “continues… as a mentor”).
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
The essay shows a wide, accurate range of structures: a non-defining relative clause, a comparative structure (“less a choice than a necessity”), and varied sentence openings across all four paragraphs, with no grammatical errors.