Writing to Persuade- English Language Exam Examples (AQA Higher Paper)

       Write an article for Living Today magazine which persuades young people to improve their diet and lifestyle (24 marks)

 

McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut...the list of fast food restaurants is getting bigger and bigger; just like the invisible – but very real- threat of, to name a few:

·         heart disease

·         high blood pressure

·         obesity

·         high cholesterol

·         sexual dysfunction

·         diabetes

I’m sure all of you watched ‘Super Size Me’ where documentary maker Morgan Spurlock challenged himself to eat only McDonalds for a whole month. Sure- it seemed like a good idea at the time and made many of you just crave a Big Mac but let’s remember he did not come out of the experiment unscathed- he gained nearly two stone, his cholesterol level skyrocketed and he lost his ability to ‘perform’ in the bedroom. Now I’m not sure about you, but I’d rather trade a Big Mac for a beautiful woman any day; wouldn’t you? I would also trade a Big Mac for a slimmer figure, healthier heart and liver, healthier body and longer life span. It seems utterly ludicrous to me that any one of you would go in to a pawn shop and trade any of these things for a fast food diet. However, that is what we are doing on a daily basis and it needs to stop. Now.

Couple this dietary problem with the new ‘infestation’ of computer consoles (X-Box One, PS4, etc.) that encourage us to become couch potatoes and we are becoming a nation of Jabba-the-Hutt-like fat, lazy, unsociable creatures with a shorter life span. I witnessed a family of five last week waiting for a meal at Pizza Hut who were all ‘socialising’ on Facebook on their mobiles while ignoring each other. Does anyone else find that slightly ironic or is it just me?

It seems as though we can not see the woods for the trees; we are supposed to be a more health conscious nation but at the same time we are spending more on fast food and home entertainment systems and focusing less on healthy living. I saw an advertisement the other day for ‘Change for Life’ encouraging healthier eating and living but the very next advert was selling a game for the PS4 and the one after was advertising a fast food company- where is the logic in that?

I am sure that we all agree that change is needed. Yes, we want to live longer; yes, we want to be sociable and yes, we want to enjoy life to the maximum. We do not want to be Jabba-the-Hutts any more- put down your computer console controller and pick up a football, tennis ball, hockey stick or whatever your chosen interest in and make the change today.

As the famous proverb goes, “The best wealth is health” so invest in your own health rather than the fat cat’s pockets of the fast food chains and entertainment industries.