ESSAY INFORMATION:
Written by: Xuân Phi, 18/09/2022
Supported by: Ex-BC Examiner, 18/09/2022
Question: In some countries, small town-centre shops are going out of business because people tend to drive to large out-of-town stores. As a result, people without cars have limited access to out-of-town stores, and it may result in an increase in the use of cars. Do you think the disadvantages of this change outweigh its advantages?
(IELTS Academic – 17/09/2022)
ANSWER (8.0+):
In various parts of the world, a number of small stores in the high streets of towns have gone bankrupt due to the dominance of large stores located on the outskirts. This has led to difficulty in accessibility for non-car owners and an increase in car usage. While there might be a positive influence to this change, I believe the negative impacts are by far more significant.
On the one hand, large-scale shopping centers may create more employment opportunities for local communities where they operate. These opportunities can vary, ranging from entry-level jobs to management positions. A good example in this case is Walmart. Each of the brand’s supermarkets is estimated to hire up to two thousand people working as customer assistants, goods couriers, or other back-office positions with competitive benefit packages. As many of these employees are from nearby areas, Walmart has been praised by some town councils for helping to curb unemployment, sustaining local development.
However, one of many drawbacks is that the prevalence of suburban shops causes great inconvenience to customers. Many shoppers now are unable to make a quick purchase at nearby convenience stores which used to be omnipresent in town centers, and instead they have to spend time traveling to shop instead of on other profitable endeavours such as studying, working and resting.
Another disadvantage is that the use of personal motorised vehicles is on a rise. As stores become more unreachable on foot, many urban denizens would switch to owning and driving cars, leading to a significant increase in the number of vehicles on the road. This inevitably gives rise to the quantity of exhaust fumes from car engines which exacerbate environmental pollution, as well as congestion and increased damage to road infrastructure.
In conclusion, I agree that the demerits such as inconvenience of shopping to local people and adverse impacts on the environment and traffic issues outweigh the merit of providing a certain number of jobs. Therefore, I maintain that authorities should provide financial and management support to encourage the development of small stores in the downtown.
(World count: 344)
WORD LIST:
ENGLISH | TIẾNG VIỆT |
In the high streets of towns | Trên những con phố lớn của thị trấn |
Non-car owners | Những người không sở hữu ô tô |
Large-scale shopping centers | Các trung tâm mua sắm quy mô lớn |
Entry-level jobs | Những công việc không đòi hỏi kinh nghiệm |
Management positions | Các vị trí quản lý |
Curb unemployment | Giảm sự thất nghiệp |
Suburban shops | Các cửa hàng ngoại ô |
Profitable endeavours | Những hoạt động có ích |
Personal motorised vehicles | Các phương tiện cơ giới cá nhân |
Become more unreachable on foot | Trở nên khó tiếp cận hơn khi đi bộ |