Academic Task 2 writing model in response to a question faced in Sydney in April 2012

(This question taken from IELTS-Blog.com.)

Some people consider thinking about and planning for the future to be a waste of time.  They argue that people should simply live in the moment.  Do you agree or disagree?  Use at least one personal example in your response.

The merits behind attempts people make to guess, alter or control the future are often contested.  Many counter that people should make efforts to live in the moment.  However, I feel that people ought to think regularly about the future and adhere to a plan for their life and career.  To illustrate this, the heightened probability of goal achievement and the benefit derision that occurs when one is prepared for the unknown will be analyzed in this essay.

For one, people are much more likely to achieve their professional targets if they make plans.  Education’s connection to the working world plays as a good example here.  If a person plans to become a doctor, they must put into place a comprehensive plan for their education.  Were they to just ‘live in the moment’, their vocational hopes would fall by the wayside and never be realized.  As this example shows, thinking about the future is necessary practice that all people with goals should engage in.

In addition to this, regular meditation on the future can help a person position themselves to benefit from upcoming changes to their lifestyle.  For instance, before I came to China, I took the time to study the Chinese language.  Because I had the foresight to do this, my transition to life in China was much smoother.  Thus, as my personal experience makes clear, preparing oneself for the future can help a person reap additional benefits that a ‘live in the moment’ mentality cannot.

It is for these reasons that I feel people who commit time to thinking about the future stand to gain in ways other people do not.  Thus, everyone the world over would be best to commit themselves to this lifestyle practice.