健康類是 Task 2 第三熱門主題。肥胖題很容易寫成「都是個人不運動」——但 Band 7 要的是結構性分析。本篇示範。

題目

Obesity rates have risen sharply in many countries over the past thirty years, creating significant public-health and economic burdens.

What are the main causes of this trend, and what measures could governments take to address it?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

題型：Problem/Solution (causes + measures)。

完整範文（294 字）

¹ Obesity rates have more than doubled in most developed economies since the 1990s, placing enormous pressure on health services and reshaping the everyday experience of ageing. ² The trend stems from two interacting causes — a transformed food environment and the near-disappearance of physical activity from daily life — and governments must address both if meaningful reversal is to be possible.

³ The first major cause is the industrial reshaping of the food supply. ⁴ Ultra-processed foods engineered to maximise caloric density and palatability now dominate supermarket shelves, while aggressive advertising makes them the cheapest and most convenient option, particularly in lower-income neighbourhoods. ⁵ A 2023 WHO review estimated that around 60% of calories consumed in the UK and US now come from such products, a share virtually unknown two generations ago. ⁶ Alongside this dietary shift, routine physical activity has collapsed: sedentary office work, car-dependent commuting and screen-based leisure have together eliminated most incidental movement from the average day.

⁷ Addressing both causes requires policies that go beyond asking individuals to "make healthier choices". ⁸ Governments should introduce meaningful taxes on ultra-processed products and sugary drinks, combined with clear front-of-pack warning labels — measures that reduced sugary-drink consumption by around 20% in Mexico after 2014. ⁹ In parallel, authorities should rebuild the physical conditions for active living: protected cycle lanes, walkable neighbourhoods and subsidised participation in organised exercise. ¹⁰ Schools, in particular, deserve targeted investment, since habits formed before adolescence exert a disproportionate influence across the lifespan.

¹¹ In conclusion, rising obesity is driven less by weakened willpower than by a food environment and urban form that jointly make unhealthy choices the path of least resistance. ¹² Reversing the trend therefore demands structural policy rather than moral exhortation.

句句解析

§1 — Intro

  • 句 1 (Hook with scale): "Obesity rates have more than doubled in most developed economies since the 1990s..." — 具體數字（doubled）+ 時間錨點。
  • 句 2 (Signpost): "The trend stems from two interacting causes..." — 明確兩個原因 + if meaningful reversal is to be possible 用 if-to be 倒裝句展示 grammar。

§2 — Causes

  • 句 3 (Cause 1 — food supply): "The first major cause is the industrial reshaping of the food supply." — 結構性語言。
  • 句 4 (Develop): "Ultra-processed foods engineered to maximise... palatability now dominate..." — participle phrase + topic-specific。
  • 句 5 (Evidence): "A 2023 WHO review estimated... 60%..." — 機構 + 數字。
  • 句 6 (Cause 2 — sedentary): "Alongside this dietary shift, routine physical activity has collapsed..." — 轉場自然 + 三個 parallel phrase（sedentary office work, car-dependent commuting, screen-based leisure）。

§3 — Solutions (paired)

  • 句 7 (Signpost): "Addressing both causes requires policies that go beyond asking individuals to 'make healthier choices'." — 明確拒絕「個人責任論」——成熟立場。
  • 句 8 (Solution 1 — for Cause 1): "...taxes... combined with... warning labels — measures that reduced sugary-drink consumption by around 20% in Mexico after 2014." — 真實 policy + 數字。
  • 句 9 (Solution 2 — for Cause 2): "...rebuild the physical conditions for active living: protected cycle lanes, walkable neighbourhoods..." — 結構性語言對應。
  • 句 10 (Targeted sub-policy): "Schools... deserve targeted investment..." — 增加層次。

§4 — Conclusion

  • 句 11 (Restate cause): "...driven less by weakened willpower than by a food environment and urban form..." — less by X than by Y 是 Band 7+ 對比結構。
  • 句 12 (Restate solution): "...structural policy rather than moral exhortation." — moral exhortation 高階詞彙收尾。

四大評分項證據表

| 評分項 | 本篇證據 | Band | |--------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------| | Task Response | 兩個原因、兩個配對解方；立場明確（結構性而非個人責任）；結論呼應兩問；有真實 policy 證據 | 7 | | Coherence & Cohesion | 段落功能分明；signpost 清楚（Alongside, In parallel, Addressing both）；parallel phrases；referent 穩定 | 7 | | Lexical Resource | Topic-specific（ultra-processed, caloric density, palatability, front-of-pack labels, walkable neighbourhoods）；搭配（moral exhortation, path of least resistance） | 7 | | Grammar Range | Passive（engineered to maximise, formed before adolescence）；cleft-like（if meaningful reversal is to be possible）；less by X than by Y 對比 | 7 |

三個可複製的動作

1. 把「個人責任」題升級成結構題

句 7 "policies that go beyond asking individuals to 'make healthier choices'" 是關鍵——直接告訴評分員你不寫陳腔濫調。可複製到任何健康/行為題。

2. less by X than by Y 對比結構

"driven less by weakened willpower than by a food environment..." ——一句話濃縮整個立場。比 "X is not just due to Y, but also Z" 高階得多。

3. 三個 parallel phrase 發展原因

句 6 的 "sedentary office work, car-dependent commuting and screen-based leisure" ——三個 compound adjective 名詞片語並列。Grammar Range 和 Lexical 雙加分。

延伸閱讀：Task 2 五種題型判斷・Task 2 Problem/Solution 範文・Task 2 常考主題 · 健康