Task 7 — Expressing Opinions

Should fast food be banned near schools?168 words

I understand why many people want fast food banned near schools; childhood obesity is a serious issue, and easy access to greasy meals every lunchtime clearly doesn't help. That's a strong and fair point. However, I still disagree with an outright ban. My main reason is that banning shops nearby doesn't actually teach children to eat well; it just moves the problem a few streets away, and determined students will simply walk further or order delivery. Education changes habits far more than restrictions do. For example, my old school ran cooking and nutrition workshops, and students genuinely started making better choices on their own. My second reason is fairness to local businesses, many of them small family shops that would lose most of their customers overnight through no fault of their own. A blanket ban punishes them for a problem that parents and schools should address together. So while I share the concern about health, I believe better food education, not bans, is the smarter and fairer solution.

Should public transport be free?199 words

Many people argue that public transport should be completely free, and I can see the appeal; it would help low-income families and encourage people to leave their cars at home, cutting pollution. Those are genuinely good goals. However, I disagree that making it entirely free is the right approach. My main reason is funding: someone still has to pay for the buses, drivers, and maintenance, and if fares vanish, that money comes from taxes or from cutting services. Cities that tried it often ended up with overcrowded, poorly maintained systems. For instance, a town near me made buses free and within a year the service became so unreliable that people went back to driving anyway. My second reason is that heavily discounted fares for those who need them achieve the same social benefit without bankrupting the system. For example, offering free travel to students, seniors, and low-income riders would help exactly the people who need it, while everyone else pays a small, fair fare that keeps the buses running well. So rather than free transport for everyone, I believe cheap, reliable, well-funded transport, with targeted discounts for those who truly need them, is the wiser and more sustainable choice.