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W R ITIN G
Essay 1
A As a non-smoker myself, I totally agree w ith
this statem ent tha t smokers should pay for
any treatm ent for sm oking-related illnesses.
Smokers know the risk o f smoking, so why
should society have to pick up the bill?
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B Looking at the smokers' argument, they say
th at they should receive free health
treatm ent like everyone else because they
also pay taxes like everyone else. However,
I don't th ink this argum ent is valid because
they are using many more health services
than non-smokers, but they pay the same
am ount in taxes. Smokers also say that they
pay very high cigarette taxes, w hich covers
the cost o f higher health costs for smokers.
I disagree w ith this too, because in many
countries people buy cigarettes on the black
market at a very low price, and so the
governm ent receives no money in taxes.
C Smokers are killing themselves and killing
other people too. Smokers pay more for life
insurance and health insurance to private
companies, so it is fair th at they also pay
more for treatm ent in the public health
service. In fact, they should be co ntributing
to the health care o f non-smokers too, as
passive smoking causes major health
problems.
D To summarise, I w ould say th at it is right th at
smokers pay extra for all the extra costs that
they place on society. If smokers paid more
m oney to cover th eir extra health costs, it
would help smokers and the government.
Unfortunately, it w ould not help non-
smokers in my country, as we have to
breathe in their smoke every day in bars and
restaurants and at work. I think smokers
should pay more taxes, and I support
governments that have banned smoking in
public places too!
72 U N IT 8 S ic k n e s s a n d H e a lth
E ssa y 2
A I completely disagree with the idea that
smokers should not receive free treatment
for smoking-related illnesses if other people
in the country are receiving free medical
treatment without any limits or conditions.
Is it right for smokers to pay, while drug
addicts and alcoholics receive expensive
medical treatment free?
B Anti-smokers think that smokers have chosen
a ‘dangerous lifestyle’ and should therefore
not expect free health treatment paid for
from general taxes. The problem with this
argument is that we are making a judgement
about someone’s lifestyle before we decide to
give them free treatment or not. Do we refuse
to give medical treatment to someone who
has a car accident driving dangerously on the
motorway without a seatbelt? Of course not.
Most reasonable people would argue that it is
impossible to decide who has a ‘dangerous
lifestyle’ and who does not.
C Smokers already pay a huge amount to the
government every time they buy a packet of
cigarettes through cigarette taxes. In Greece
for example, we pay 70 % tax on cigarettes,
which means that I pay almost three euros to
the government for every packet of cigarettes
I buy. The government uses some of that
money to finance the health service, so why
shouldn’t I get free health treatment? I pay
more money in taxes than a non-smoker, so I
should get more from the health system. That
is logical.
D In conclusion, I would say that it is very
important that smokers are treated in the
same way as other people. It is very dangerous
to say that someone’s right to free health
treatment should be on the basis of their
lifestyle. Who is going to play God and decide
whether a particular lifestyle is ‘good’ or
‘bad’? And who is going to decide whether you
should live or die?
 W R ITIN G

C Both essays are organised in the same way. Skim the essays again. Match the paragraphs (A-D)
with the paragraph descriptions (1-4).

....... 1 Briefly summarise your arguments and re-emphasise your opinion.

....... 2 List your arguments to support your opinion.
....... 3 Clearly state your agreement/disagreement and rewrite the original question in
your own words.
4 Briefly state the opposing arguments and attack this position.

D Look at the useful language structures highlighted in the essays. Find an example of the writing
features below. There may be more than one example for each of the writing features.

Essay writing features

1 signpost words to indicate final paragraph
2 open question that supports your position
3 question (with answer) that supports your opinion

4 personal experience to support your opinion

5 opposing an argument
6 phrase to express agreement/disagreement with essay question

EH Academic and general training: essay

> Read the question and decide if you personally
agree or disagree with the statement.
►Take at least five minutes to note down your
points to support your position (agree or
disagree).You will also need to note down one
or two opposing arguments in order to
attack them.
►Use the simple four-paragraph organisational
structure. See section 4C.
►Use some of the writing features in 4D, like using
questions and personal experience to support
your arguments, using punctuation and short
sentences to add impact, etc.
►Allow a few minutes at the end to read through
and check your essay.

^ E X A M You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

p Practice
Write about the following topic:

Governments around the world spend too much money on tre a tin g illnesses and diseases and
n o t enough on health education and prevention.

Do you agree or disagree w ith this statem ent?

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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