IELTS Task 2 sample essay: Raising Fuel Prices

It is sometimes claimed that raising the price of fuel is the most effective way to protect the environment. While higher fuel costs can reduce unnecessary driving, I disagree that this is the best approach, because on its own it is unfair and leaves the main sources of pollution untouched.

The first problem is that fuel taxes fall hardest on those with the fewest choices. A wealthy commuter can absorb a higher price or buy an electric car, but a care worker in a rural area, who has no bus service and must drive between clients, simply pays more and drives just as far. A policy that makes poorer households pay most while changing little about their behaviour is difficult to defend, and it often provokes public resistance that weakens support for environmental action in general.

Secondly, environmental damage comes from far more than private vehicles. Power stations, factories and heating systems produce a large share of emissions, and fuel prices barely affect them. Real progress depends on giving people cleaner options: reliable public transport, safe cycling routes and electricity generated from renewable sources. When a cleaner choice is also convenient and affordable, people switch willingly, whereas a price rise without alternatives mostly produces frustration.

This does not mean fuel prices have no role. A moderate tax can discourage short, unnecessary journeys, and its revenue could fund the very alternatives described above.

In conclusion, making fuel more expensive is a useful tool but not the best one. Protecting the environment requires investment in clean transport and energy, with fuel taxes playing a supporting role rather than carrying the whole burden.