ESSAY INFORMATION:
Written by: Xuân Phi, 29/08/2022
Supported by: Ex-BC Examiner, 30/08/2022
Question: As transport and accommodation problems are increasing in many cities, some governments encourage businesses to move to rural areas. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
(IELTS Academic – 27/08/2022)
ANSWER (8.0+):
It is prevalent that governments are recommending firms to relocate to the countryside to alleviate issues regarding transport and housing in urban areas. Although this tendency poses a threat to the environment and may result in a shortage of skilled labour in rural areas, the benefits including more job opportunities for local people and the narrowed wealth gap between regions are more significant.
On the one hand, there are two drawbacks associated with encouraging enterprises to move to the countryside. The first is that it can trigger environmental damage in the area. This is explained by the fact that industrial activities implemented by these companies often release a substantial amount of waste. If such businesses pay scant attention to proper waste treatment, more untreated waste could be discharged into local water bodies and land, contaminating the living areas of rural residents. Another demerit is the lack of highly qualified labour. More specifically, as most people living in small towns and villages are less likely to receive sufficient education to pursue more intellectually involved professions, firms in such places often find it challenging to recruit skilled employees.
On the other hand, the relocation of corporations to the hinterland offers more noticeable benefits. The first one is there can be more employment opportunities for rural dwellers. To be more specific, although it may be hard to employ white-collar workers, businesses can still provide jobs for numerous blue-collar ones. As a result, they can acquire higher income and have a better quality of life. Additionally, this can minimise the financial gap between rural and urban areas. This is because an increasing number of companies operating in the countryside can enable the rural economy to thrive and attract more foreign investment, thus discouraging more people from residing in big cities.
In conclusion, I completely agree that the merits such as the provision of better job opportunities and the narrower financial gap in different areas over the demerits of environmental contamination and the shortage of highly skilled workers because these downsides can be tackled by offering relocation packages to skilled workers to convince them to work in rural regions and rigorous monitoring by environmental agencies to prevent any major environmental harm from discharge of waste.
(World count: 370)
WORD LIST:
ENGLISH | TIẾNG VIỆT |
A shortage of skilled labour | Sự thiếu hụt lao động có kỹ năng |
The narrowed wealth gap | Khoảng cách giàu nghèo được thu hẹp |
Pay scant attention to proper waste treatment | Ít chú ý đến việc xử lý chất thải đúng yêu cầu |
Local water bodies and land | Các vùng nước và đất đai địa phương |
The lack of highly qualified labour | Thiếu lao động có trình độ cao |
Intellectually involved professions | Các ngành nghề liên quan đến trí tuệ |
The hinterland | Vùng xa thành thị |
Minimise the financial gap | Giảm thiểu khoảng cách tài chính |
Attract more foreign investment | Thu hút nhiều vốn đầu tư nước ngoài |
Relocation packages | Gói di dời |