Practice Task 5 - Sample Essay 5A - Happiness
Happiness is what people always seek for through years. On my opinion, the causes of happiness may be varied and independent from one and others. It cannot be quantified and measured.
Satisfaction is one of the source of happiness. When we are satisfied with our current situation, we appreciate what we have currently.
Undoubtedly, happiness cannot be independent from the economic situation absolutely. They are related more or less. Shortage of income may cause worry and angst which is avoidable for those wealth in personal prosperity. This circumstance is even more obvious for those having responsibility towards others, parents, for example. They have to, not only take good care of themselves, but also their children, their elder parents.
Another source of happiness may come from the self-consciousness. When someone only concerns himself or herself all the time, it will be easier for her to feel unhappy. A little change happens outside may have no influence on him. He may regard himself is the main character of the world. He may drown into his interior feeling easily but cannot be saved by the external world. Another words, it is important for people to find the inner sustenance, a hobby, for example. Doing what you like always make people happy and run out from the desperate situation.
Happiness always depends on how you face the challenges in your life. It is unmeasurable and it is an attitude. Being an optimist, trying to look another side of issue may help us to overcome hard situation.
(252 words)
Comments:
The writing has some good ideas which try to answer the question: satisfaction with one’s current situation, the link between happiness and one’s economic situation, and the problem of focusing too much on oneself. It opens with an introduction which says that happiness is hard to define and gives the writer’s opinion and concludes that happiness depends on how you face the challenges in life.
The writing would benefit from a better balance of the ideas; i.e. each idea should have an equal amount of evidence and development. Paragraph two is too short. It could be extended and something cut from paragraph four. The writing also needs to answer the second part of the question more directly and say whether people in rich countries are happier than people in poor countries. This could be achieved by a reference to rich countries/poor countries in paragraph three.
Paragraph four attempts to say how people can find happiness but this point needs to be made clearer. It might also answer the task question more effectively if it stated that ‘self-consciousness’ is independent of wealth.
Practice Task 5 - High-level Answer 5B - Happiness
People have always sought happiness in their lives though what happiness is cannot easily be measured or defined. This is particularly so as the causes and feeling of happiness may vary from one person to another. However, many people might argue that there is a link between wealth and happiness.
Undoubtedly, happiness cannot be independent from one’s economic situation. A shortage of income may cause worry and angst, and the inability to buy basic necessities could lead to misery. It would certainly be hard to be happy if you were struggling to feed yourself and had no roof over your head. In contrast, those with wealth and prosperity can enjoy all creature comforts and need never go hungry. As more people in richer countries can afford a comfortable life, it is possible they are happier.
However, it would be wrong to assume that wealth always equates with happiness as people who have all the material possessions that money can buy are not necessarily happy. Those living in richer societies often fall under the spell of consumerism, which encourages a culture of want that can never be truly satisfied. In this respect, someone who can just be content with what they have might be happier, irrespective of whether they are rich or poor. In fact, being optimistic and focusing on friends and relationships rather than material status may bring greater happiness.
It would seem then that happiness depends more on how one faces life, rather than one’s bank balance. Although people from richer countries are more likely to have their basic needs met, material wealth may not directly result in happiness. Having an optimistic outlook and a network of good relationships are also a requisite.
(283 words)