IELTS Task 2 Life in the present or future

I know I have not been able to post much in the last few days (but will be back in a few days with an overview of Task 1 of the writing test). Today's blog post has another model answer on the topic of present V future, which do you think is more important. The question asks "to what extent do you agree or disagree" so there is a lot of scope in any answer which can take a balanced view or agree or disagree 100%! 

My answer seeks to take a more balanced approach and starts with a quote, the full quote being: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

Starting an essay with a quote from a famous person is quite a good way to start an introduction!

Question: Some people think it is best to think about the present and consider any thought about the future to be a complete waste of time and effort. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

To paraphrase John Lennon, life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. It is clear that some people live only for the present moment and pay scant regard for the future. This kind of person is more often than not, satisfied in a spontaneous life of hedonistic experience. There are also however, other kinds of people who spend their time living in and contemplating possible or potential future eventualities that may or may not come to pass. Neither way of thinking is satisfactory is it is pursued to the exclusion of the other, it is always better to live in the present moment whilst at the same time keep one eye focussed on future opportunities and plans that require thought and time in order to achieve short term and long term goals.

It is in fact essential to dedicate some time and effort with all due diligence to the present. Every single human being has certain needs that must always be satisfied within the scope of the present. Necessities such as food, shelter and clothing as well as more abstract needs like belonging, esteem are all needs that cannot be catered for if a person lives only for tomorrow. There are also certain aspects of life such as family, work and education that cannot be neglected and require almost constant attention in the present although this does not necessarily mean that one should therefore start to ignore possible future opportunities or possibilities; there is a clear need to prioritise current undertakings in order to facilitate future opportunities.

Putting in place plans and mechanisms to achieve future success is also important. Goals and ambitions are an inherent aspect of the human condition. Most individuals will aspire to something that will hopefully allow them to move onwards and upwards to something bigger, better and ultimately more fulfilling and challenging. Most things that are aspirational and have value in a person’s life are predicated upon the requirement of investing a large amount of effort over a sustained period of time. It is therefore necessary to think about the future in order to be able to set achievable goals can thus enable people to progress in their work and educational lives.

To conclude, there is not perfect way to divide a focus on living in the present and/or living in the past; the appropriate ratio of division will differ from person to person. What is true however is that no single individual should dedicate all their thoughts and efforts to either living in the moment or planning exclusively for the future. Life is all about a balance or equilibrium that is individually determined between the two dichotomies which should be achievable by each and every one of us.