IELTS with Mujahid · Academic Writing
| City | Hours of sunshine per year |
|---|---|
| London | 1,180 |
| New York | 2,535 |
| Sydney | 2,473 |
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The line graph compares average monthly temperatures in London, New York and Sydney across a calendar year, while the table shows the total annual hours of sunshine each city receives.
Overall, London and New York follow a similar seasonal pattern, with warm summers and cold winters, whereas Sydney displays the opposite trend, being warmest at the start and end of the year. Notably, despite its milder temperature range, London receives by far the least sunshine of the three cities.
In London and New York, temperatures rise from lows of around 8°C and 4°C respectively in January to summer peaks in July, when New York reaches approximately 29°C and London around 23°C, before falling again towards December. New York therefore experiences the more extreme range of the two, with both colder winters and hotter summers.
Sydney, by contrast, begins the year at roughly 26°C, its warmest point, and gradually cools to a low of about 16°C in July, before climbing back to around 24°C by December. Regarding sunshine, New York receives the most at 2,535 hours annually, closely followed by Sydney at 2,473 hours, while London receives only 1,180 hours, less than half the figure for either of the other cities.
Advances in medical care have meant that people across the world are living significantly longer than previous generations. In my opinion, despite the genuine economic pressures this creates, the advantages of increased life expectancy clearly outweigh the disadvantages.
The benefits are considerable. Most fundamentally, longer lives mean that individuals have more time with their families, more opportunity to pursue personal goals, and a greater chance of seeing grandchildren grow up. Longer life expectancy also reflects broader improvements in public health, such as reduced infant mortality and better treatment of once-fatal diseases, which benefit society as a whole. Furthermore, older people who remain healthy contribute enormously to their communities, whether through continued employment, volunteering, or providing childcare that allows younger parents to work.
Nevertheless, an ageing population does present real challenges. Healthcare systems and state pension schemes face mounting financial strain as the ratio of working-age taxpayers to retirees declines. In countries such as Japan, where a substantial proportion of the population is over 65, governments have had to raise retirement ages and reform pension systems in response. There is also the concern that extending lifespan without extending healthy lifespan may simply prolong years of illness and dependency.
However, these difficulties are largely matters of policy and planning rather than arguments against longevity itself. Governments can adapt through phased retirement, investment in preventive healthcare, and immigration policies that broaden the workforce. Given that the alternative would be shorter lives and higher mortality, I firmly believe the advantages of rising life expectancy outweigh its drawbacks.