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Having Children Later in Life Essay

This is an essay on having children later in life.

It is on causes (or 'reasons') and effects. You have to explain why men and women are deciding to have children later on in their life, and then explain how this can impacts those families and society.

Many men and women are making the decision to have children later in life.

Why is this trend occurring?

What are the impacts of this development on both family and society?

Analysis and Organisation

As always, you should read the question carefully to make sure that you don't miss out any of the tasks that you need to address.

Children Later in Life Essay

You should spend at least a few minutes doing this at the start of the test before you start to brainstorm your ideas and write.

This is what you must cover in your essay:

  • Why families may be delaying childbirth
  • How his can impact families
  • How it can impact society

There are several ways that you could organise your essay but you want to make sure it is logical and that you write enough on each task.

You could write one paragraph on the causes and another on the impacts. Or you could write one paragraph on each task - one for the causes, one for the impacts on families, and one for the impact on society.

In the sample essay below, the first pattern has been followed. Now take a look at the model essay.

Model Essay

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Many men and women are making the decision to have children later in life.

Why is this trend occurring?

What are the impacts of this development on both family and society?

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

Write at least 250 words.

Essay on having a family later in life - Model Answer

In the past, it was a natural step that a couple would get married fairly young, and then start a family. However, this is no longer the case and the delaying of childbirth is becoming very common. This essay will consider the reasons for this trend and the possible effects on families and society.

The driving force behind this trend is changing employment patterns. As more women have pursued an education and entered the workforce, they tend to marry later and have children later in their life. This is unavoidable in many cases because women cannot combine family and work well due to costly childcare. Another factor is all the other opportunities available to everyone. For example, many men and women choose to travel around the world or take the chance to work in another country, thus delaying settling down.

There are a number of possible impacts on families and society. Firstly, with regards to families, it can be more difficult for older women to get pregnant and they may experience more health problems, such as a miscarriage, high blood pressure or diabetes, during pregnancy. Also, the parents may find the whole experience of bringing up children more tiring if they are older. In one respect it may be positive for society because if people are choosing to work for longer, a country will have a productive workforce. On the negative side though, in the long-term falling fertility rates will mean an aging population with a lack of young people to work and take care of the elderly.

In conclusion, there are several reasons that people are having children later in life, and this can have a number of impacts, both positive and negative. Given the fact that society continues to change, this trend is likely to continue well into the future.

(302 words)

Comments

This essay on having children later in life would score highly in the IELTS test for the following reasons.

The Task

The essay addresses all three parts that are referred to in the question - the reasons and the impacts on families and society.

Evidence and support is provided for all three points, so all parts of the task are fully covered.

Coherency and Cohesion

The essay is well-organised as each paragraph has a central idea. One body paragraph explains the causes and the other discusses the impacts.

The ideas are all easy to follow and paragraphs and sentences are linked together well.

Vocabulary

There is a good range of vocabulary and some evidence of less common vocabulary and phrases that shows the writer has a good command of the English language.

For example:

  • natural step
  • driving force
  • combine family and work
  • with regards to families
  • In one respect

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

The grammar is very accurate, and there is evidence of a wide range of complex sentences.

For example:

  • As more women have pursued an education and entered the workforce, they tend to marry later and have children later in their life
  • Also, the parents may find the whole experience of bringing up children more tiring if they are older.
  • Given the fact that society continues to change, this trend is likely to continue well into the future.

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