Global challenges

About Topic 7
The global challenges topic includes economic issues, their impact on people and society,
changes in demographics, movements of populations between countries and inside countries, long term trends in population and industry, severe global problems such as famine, drought and malnutrition, and also the possible causes of all these issues, their effects and possible solutions to them.

There are often connections between this topic and the other topics, especially 4 Nature, the environment and energy, 8 Cities and infrastructure, 9 The countryside and agriculture, and 10 Government and the authorities. This means that you may sometimes need to combine vocabulary from two (or possibly three) topics to answer a Task. For example, a Task may ask about the effect of economic problems on the countryside, and you would then use vocabulary from Topics 7 and 9.

Topic 7 example Task
‘Unemployment remains the biggest challenge to school-leavers in most countries’
How far do you agree with this assessment? What other challenges face young people
today? (school-leavers = young people who leave school without going on to further studies.)

Explanation of the Task
This is another Opinion>Personal viewpoint type essay (it asks how far you agree with an
idea.) You should introduce the topic and give your opinion in the introduction, then explain why you have this view. You should briefly consider the opposing view, then restate your opinion in the conclusion. This particular Task has an extra element, which sometimes happens in Task 2: it asks you to suggest some other challenges also. You should combine these ideas in the main body of the essay, as in the example below.


Band 9 model essay
Youth unemployment is certainly a worrying challenge for most countries, especially at a time of economic instability and social unrest. However, to say that this is the largest issue is to overlook a range of equally pressing matters, as we will discuss now.

It must be admitted that joblessness can undermine a young person’s economic prospects and consequent social mobility. Nevertheless, this issue can be ameliorated by coordinated action between the state and the private sector, as we have seen, for instance, in Canada recently. When this is realized, we can see that other concerns are at least as serious.

Foremost among these is perhaps the issue of age demographics, whereby young people bear the burden for an increasingly elderly population with high longevity. This means that young people will pay higher taxes and work longer hours, possibly forcing them to migrate to countries where this pressure is lower. The effect of this is the ‘brain drain’ situation which can be seen in southern Europe, where young, ambitious people prefer to leave their countries altogether, exacerbating the problem for those remaining.

Furthermore, we must remember that a substantial proportion of young people globally face
existential threats such as famine, drought or outbreaks of disease. These problems are often caused by (or are compounded by) civil war, political instability or the corruption of people in power locally. Such risks are a danger to their safety in addition to their livelihood, and so would appear to be far more serious than unemployment.


To conclude, it seems logical to accept that joblessness is a major challenge for young people. However, persistent trends in demographics among developed countries and the presence of physical dangers in developing countries should be regarded as at least as severe.
(290 words)


Explanation of the topic vocabulary and examples in Speaking

a challenge = a problem or difficulty to be faced
Example =The West faces many challenges due to its ageing population.

economic or political instability = a rapid, unmanaged change in a country’s economy or
political situation
Example =Economic instability causes many people to move abroad to seek reliable work.

social unrest = riots, protests or fighting by the public against each other or the government
Example =Social unrest is spreading from the countryside to the cities, and the police are not responding.

an issue = a topic, subject or question that must be considered
Example =The issue of petrol price inflation is not often discussed in the media.

pressing matters = urgent, important issues
Example =I could not go to the college reunion because of more pressing matters at home with my family.

joblessness = a synonym for ‘unemployment’
Example =Joblessness among older people is actually higher than among recent graduates.

economic prospects = the future possibilities for a national economy
Example =The economic prospects for very small countries are quite positive these days.

social mobility = the ability of people to progress in terms of salary, lifestyle and social status
Example =The greatest aid to social mobility is good education and training.

the private sector = private businesses, as opposed to ‘the public sector’ meaning stateowned or controlled services
Example =I definitely want to work in the private sector after I graduate. It is a more stimulating environment than the public sector.

demographics = the changes in society in terms of age, income, numbers, origins and location in a country
Example =Demographic changes in Scandinavia have been dramatic, with substantial immigration and an ageing indigenous population.

longevity = the tendency to have a long life expectancy
Example =Japanese people have perhaps the highest longevity in the world.

to migrate = to move permanently between countries
Example =Migration within the Eurozone is a highly controversial issue at present.

‘brain drain’ = the tendency for intelligent or successful workers to migrate out of a country
(usually expressed in quotes ‘’)
Example =Southern Europe is experiencing a high ‘brain drain’ these days, because of the lack of economic prospects.

existential threats = a threat to existence or life
Example =The economy of my country faces an existential threat from collapsing oil revenues.

an outbreak = the start of a widespread problem such as disease or conflict
Example =The outbreak of Ebola is a great concern for doctors globally.

civil war = war between people inside a country
Example =It will take many years for our nation to recover from the civil war of the 1990s.

livelihood = the way a person makes a living
Example =Many villagers sell handicrafts, as this is the only livelihood they can find.

developed countries = countries considered to have advanced economies, industries and
social infrastructure
Example =Developed countries contribute aid to those nations affected by famine.

developing countries = countries not generally considered to be fully developed yet
Example =Illiteracy is a huge challenge for developing countries to overcome.

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