IELTS Writing Task 2 (Exercises) : INDULGING CHILDREN

Topic : INDULGING CHILDREN

Useful words and phrases:

1. adverse (adj)
2. cope with sth (collocation)
3. deprive sb of sth (collocation)
4. developmental stage (collocation)
5. dire (adj)
6. inadvertently (adv) – inadvertent (adj)
7. indulge (v) – indulgence (n) – indulgent (adj)
8. lenient (adj)
9. over-indulgence (np)
10. parenting problem (collocation)
11. personal hygiene (np)
12. preadolescent (adj)
13. satisfy all the needs (collocation)
14. spoon-feed (vp): (figuratively) too spoiled for someone, too easy on someone
15. unfavourable (adj)

Exercises:

Task 1: Write sentences from given cues. Make changes to the cues when needed.

1. although /I / often / indulge / favourite / chocolates /I / maintain / healthy / weight / exercise/daily.
   ________________
2. by / give out / print / sheets / facts / theories / teachers / spoon-feed / us / what / we / need / exam.
   ________________
3. children / third world / country / very ill / and / dire / need / clean water.
   ________________
4. there / a lot / website / organisation / that / help / young parent / deal / parenting problem.
   ________________
5. you / cannot / function / proper / when / you / deprive / sleep
   ________________

Task 2: Fill in the blanks with suitable words/phrases

Parents often give children everything they ask for and do what they like. Is it good for children? What are the consequences when they grow up?

1___________children has become a common 2___________ in many modern families. From my perspective, this practice may create some immediate 3___________impacts on children and also results in long-term consequences for them.

In the short term, it is possible that 4___________ causes some delay to the process in which children learn important life skills. This can be seen in a variety of age groups, ranging from toddlers to teenagers. In Vietnam, for example, many over-caring parents 5___________their children until they are five or six, the 6___________in which they should have already been able to eat independently. Also in Vietnam, there is a common practice that parents assist their 7___________children in taking a bath or a shower. As a result, children may fail to acquire basic 8___________skills at the right time.

In the long run, the consequences are even more 9___________ as over-indulged children grow up. If parents unconditionally 10___________of their children, they may 11___________make their children become over-reliant on other people. When these children enter adulthood, the inability to live independently can cause some difficulties for them to maintain their overall well-being; for instance, they may be unaware of what to do when they catch a fever. Furthermore, it is a norm that over-indulgent parents are 12 ___________and do not require children to face the consequences of their misbehaviour. In general, this 13___________children of the opportunities to learn from mistakes, which may cause their problem-solving skills to be severely lacking in the future.

From the issues outlined above, one can conclude that over-indulgence may produce a number of 14___________effects on children, including the delay in gaining crucial life skills such as self-feeding and the long-term consequence of lacking the ability 15___________ as adults in the future.

285 words

Key/Answer

Task 1:

1. Although I often indulge in my favourite chocolates, I maintain a healthy weight by exercising daily.
2. By giving out printed sheets of facts and theories, the teachers spoon-fed us with what we needed for the exam.
3. The children in third world countries are very ill and in dire need of clean water.
4. There are a lot of websites and organisations that help young parents deal with their parenting problems.
5. You can’t function properly when you’re deprived of sleep.

Task 2:

(1) Indulging
(2) parenting problem
(3) adverse
(4) over-indulgence
(5) spoon-feed
(6) developmental stage
(7) preadolescent
(8) personal hygiene
(9) dire
(10) satisfy all the needs
(11) inadvertently
(12) lenient
(13) deprives
(14) unfavourable
(15) cope with problems