More and more people today are spending large amounts of money on their appearance in order to look younger.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 2 question on IELTSX. More and more people today are spending large amounts of money on their appearance in order to look younger.

Spending Money Appearance Look Younger Positive Negative - IELTS Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Why do people want to look younger? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

Write at least 250 words.

A student's answer to this task, and the feedback on it

Written by an IELTSX user under exam conditions and published unedited and anonymously. Band 8.5 ยท 265 words.

More and more people nowadays spend significant amounts of money on their appearance in an attempt to look younger. This trend is mainly driven by social pressure and personal insecurity, and in my opinion, it represents a largely negative development.

One key reason why people want to look younger is the strong influence of modern beauty standards. Media and advertising consistently promote youth as a symbol of attractiveness, success, and happiness, while ageing is often portrayed negatively. As a result, many individuals feel pressured to hide signs of ageing in order to be socially accepted. Another important factor is career competitiveness. In certain professions, especially those related to entertainment or business, younger-looking employees are often perceived as more energetic and adaptable. This encourages people to invest in cosmetic products and procedures to maintain a youthful appearance and protect their professional opportunities.

Despite these motivations, I believe this trend has more disadvantages than benefits. To begin with, spending excessive amounts of money on appearance can create financial stress, particularly when people prioritise cosmetic treatments over essential needs. Furthermore, an obsession with looking young may harm mental health by causing anxiety and dissatisfaction, as ageing is a natural and unavoidable process. On a wider social level, this trend reinforces age discrimination and undermines the value of experience and wisdom that older individuals contribute to society.

In conclusion, although the desire to look younger is understandable due to social and professional pressures, the excessive focus on youth is a negative development. Society would benefit more from promoting healthy lifestyles and self-acceptance rather than unrealistic standards of eternal youth.

Examiner feedback

This is an exceptionally strong essay that demonstrates high-level control of English. The response is logical, well-structured, and written with a degree of clarity and precision that is characteristic of a high-level candidate. To reach a Band 9, the writer could provide even more specific examples (e.g., mentioning specific industries or social media platforms) to further 'fully' extend the task response.

Task Response - 8

- The essay sufficiently addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying clear drivers (social pressure/career) and presenting a firm stance on the nature of the development. - Main ideas are well-extended and supported with logical reasoning (e.g., the link between career competitiveness and youthful appearance). - The position is clear and consistent from the introduction through to the conclusion.

Coherence & Cohesion - 9

- Cohesion is used so naturally that it attracts no attention; the flow between sentences and paragraphs is seamless. - Paragraphing is skillfully managed, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct central topic (reasons vs. consequences). - The progression of arguments is logical and easy for the reader to follow without any effort.

Lexical Resource - 8

- Uses a wide range of vocabulary flexibly to convey precise meanings (e.g., "portrayed negatively," "age discrimination," "unrealistic standards of eternal youth"). - Demonstrates a strong grasp of collocation and style (e.g., "prioritise... over," "reinforces... discrimination"). - Very rare inaccuracies, though perhaps lacks the "extraordinary" level of sophistication found in a Band 9 response.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 9

- Displays a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy. - The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is handled with precision. - Complex structures (relative clauses, passive voice, conditional logic) are used effortlessly.

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