Academic Writing - Task 2 (Model answer)

The threat of nuclear weapons maintains world peace. Nuclear power provides cheap and clean energy.

The benefits of nuclear technology far outweigh the disadvantages. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Many countries use nuclear power to provide electricity as this pollutes the atmosphere less and is inexpensive when compared to the burning of fossil fuels which are non-renewable or coal which has a huge environmental cost. In terms of military power, some countries that have developed nuclear weapons such as North Korea ensure that neighbouring countries are balanced due to the fear of destruction these weapons will cause.

There are several drawbacks to using nuclear power and there are disastrous real life examples. The two nuclear bombs dropped on Japan led to a great loss of lives. The tragedy continues today with diseases like cancer as it is not easy to clear an area of radiation. Other examples include Chernobyl and more recently the leak in the power station in Fukushima. There is fear of contaminated water, soil and a spread of radiation by wind. Furthermore, disposing hazardous materials is difficult and even sealed containers dumped into oceans are dangerous.

In terms of politics, countries with nuclear weapons often bully and threaten other neighbouring countries or enemies. A single country has the power to destroy the planet merely because of a disagreement. For these reasons there are many agreements between countries to reduce the amount of nuclear weapons they have.

In my opinion, governments should invest in other types of energy like hydro-electric power, wind power, or solar energy which are also environmentally friendly. Nuclear technology has disastrous effects on human life and infrastructure. Accidents and leaks spread and the negative effects caused by contamination are evident years after the event occurs. The short term benefits are not worth the long term costs.

Question taken from Cambridge IELTS Sample Task 2B