IELTS Speaking Part 3: Health questions and model answers

Why do some people find it hard to live a healthy lifestyle?

Is the government responsible for people's health?

Are people today healthier than in the past?

Should junk food be taxed?

Do people take mental health seriously enough?

How could cities encourage people to be more active?

Why do some people find it hard to live a healthy lifestyle?

Mostly because the unhealthy option is usually the easier and cheaper one. After a long day at work, ordering fast food takes two minutes, whereas cooking a proper meal takes an hour. On top of that, many people simply don't have the time to exercise, or there's nowhere safe and pleasant nearby to do it.

Are people today healthier than in the past?

In some ways, clearly. People live longer and medicine is far more advanced, so diseases that used to be deadly can now be treated. But in other ways we're less healthy: we sit far more than our grandparents did, and problems like obesity and diabetes are becoming more common, even among young people.

Should junk food be taxed?

I'm in favour of it, to some extent. A tax on sugary drinks, for example, seems to make people buy fewer of them in countries that have tried it. But a tax on its own isn't enough. If healthy food stays expensive, people on low incomes are simply punished, so the money raised should go towards making fruit and vegetables cheaper.

Do people take mental health seriously enough?

Much more than ten years ago, but probably still not enough. Younger people talk about stress and anxiety quite openly now, whereas in my parents' generation it was almost a taboo. The problem is that affordable psychologists are still hard to find, so talking about it has become easier than actually getting help.