Cambridge IELTS 13 Test 4 Writing Task 2: World Hunger
Cambridge IELTS 13 · Test 4 · Academic Writing Task 2Problem and solutionSociety
The question states that, despite advances in agriculture, many people around the world still go hungry. Candidates must explain why this is the case and suggest what can be done to solve the problem.
The question
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. In spite of the advances made in agriculture, many people around the world still go hungry. Why is this the case? What can be done about this problem? Write at least 250 words.
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How to read the question
- This is a problem and solution essay with two direct questions: why is this the case, and what can be done. Both must be answered fully, ideally in separate body paragraphs.
- The phrase in spite of the advances made in agriculture is important: the world already produces enough food, so the causes you give should explain why food does not reach people, not simply that there is too little food.
- Strong causes include poverty and high food prices, conflict, poor infrastructure and storage, food waste, and climate shocks such as drought.
- Solutions should match the causes you give, for example cash support to tackle poverty, investment in roads and storage to tackle waste, and support for small farmers to tackle low local production.
- Around the world means the answer should take a global view, not focus only on one country or on homelessness in rich cities.
- There is no need to give a personal opinion on whether the statement is true, but you may state which solution you think is most effective.
Suggested position
Hunger persists not because the world grows too little food, but because poverty, conflict and poor infrastructure prevent many people from obtaining it; tackling these root causes through economic support, better storage and transport, and international cooperation offers the best solution.
Paragraph plan
- 1
Introduction
Paraphrase the statement that hunger continues despite agricultural progress, then outline your answer: the problem is access rather than production, and it can be addressed by tackling poverty, waste and conflict.
- 2
Body paragraph 1: why people still go hungry
Explain that poverty means many families cannot afford food even when it is available, that wars and unstable governments disrupt farming and aid, and that poor roads and storage cause large amounts of harvested food to be lost before it reaches markets. Mention climate shocks such as drought.
- 3
Body paragraph 2: what can be done
Propose solutions linked to each cause: investment in rural roads, cold storage and irrigation; training and affordable loans for small farmers; social safety nets such as cash transfers and school meals; and international efforts to keep aid flowing in conflict zones.
- 4
Conclusion
Summarise that hunger is mainly a problem of distribution and poverty, and that coordinated action by governments and international organisations can greatly reduce it.
Ideas and arguments
- Poverty: the world produces enough food, but the poorest families cannot afford it, especially when prices rise sharply.
- Conflict: wars destroy farms, displace people and block deliveries of food aid.
- Post-harvest losses: without proper roads, storage and refrigeration, a large share of crops in poor regions rots before reaching consumers.
- Climate change: droughts and floods destroy harvests in regions that depend on rain-fed farming.
- Unequal access to technology: modern seeds, fertiliser and irrigation are often too expensive for small farmers.
- Solution: invest in rural infrastructure such as roads, warehouses and irrigation systems.
- Solution: support smallholders with training, affordable credit and drought-resistant crops.
- Solution: provide safety nets such as cash transfers and free school meals, and protect humanitarian access in conflict zones.
Band 8+ model answer
302 words · An original model answer written for ieltswrites, not an official answer. It stays in English, as in the exam.
Modern farming methods have greatly increased the amount of food the world can produce, yet millions of people still do not have enough to eat. In my view, this is largely because hunger is a problem of access rather than production, and it can therefore be reduced by tackling poverty, waste and conflict.
The most fundamental reason why people go hungry is poverty. In many low-income countries, food is available in the markets, but the poorest families simply cannot afford it, particularly when prices rise suddenly after a poor harvest elsewhere. Conflict makes the situation much worse, as wars destroy farms, force people to leave their land and prevent aid from reaching those in need. In addition, poor infrastructure means that a significant share of the food grown in developing regions never reaches consumers: without good roads, storage facilities and refrigeration, crops often rot before they can be sold. Finally, droughts and floods, which are becoming more frequent, can wipe out the harvests of farmers who depend entirely on rainfall.
Several measures could address these problems. To reduce waste, governments and international organisations should invest in rural roads, warehouses and cold storage, so that food can be moved efficiently from farms to cities. Small farmers could also be given training, affordable loans and drought-resistant seeds, enabling them to grow more and earn more. To protect the poorest people directly, social safety nets such as cash transfers and free school meals have proved highly effective in many countries. Lastly, the international community must insist that humanitarian aid can pass safely through conflict zones.
In conclusion, hunger persists not because the world grows too little food, but because poverty, conflict and weak infrastructure prevent people from obtaining it. Addressing these root causes is the most realistic way to ensure that agricultural progress benefits everyone.
Why this answer scores highly
- Task Response
- Both questions are answered fully, with causes that address the key point that hunger persists despite agricultural progress, and solutions that are directly linked to those causes and explained realistically.
- Coherence and Cohesion
- The essay devotes one paragraph to causes and one to solutions, and signposting such as the most fundamental reason, in addition, several measures could address these problems and lastly guides the reader clearly.
- Lexical Resource
- Topic vocabulary such as food insecurity, post-harvest losses, smallholders, safety nets and humanitarian access is used precisely and naturally.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- The answer uses complex sentences with relative and adverbial clauses, passive voice, and modal verbs for recommendations such as should and could, with accurate control throughout.
Useful vocabulary
- food insecurity
- not having reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food
- malnutrition
- poor health caused by not eating enough or not eating the right food
- agricultural advances
- improvements in farming methods and technology
- crop yields
- the amount of crops produced on an area of land
- post-harvest losses
- food that is lost or spoiled after it is harvested and before it is eaten
- subsistence farmers
- farmers who grow only enough food for their own families
- smallholders
- farmers who work a small area of land
- rural infrastructure
- roads, storage, water and power systems in the countryside
- food distribution
- the way food is moved and shared out to people
- humanitarian aid
- help such as food and medicine given to people in a crisis
- social safety net
- government programmes that protect the poorest people
- drought-resistant crops
- plants that can grow with very little water
- root causes
- the basic reasons why a problem exists
- price volatility
- sudden, large changes in prices
Common mistakes
- Answering only one of the two questions, or giving the solutions just one sentence in the conclusion.
- Ignoring the phrase in spite of the advances made in agriculture and simply arguing that farmers need better technology, without explaining why existing progress has not ended hunger.
- Giving solutions that do not match the causes discussed, which weakens the logic of the essay.
- Using unrealistic solutions such as rich countries should give all their food away, without explaining how they would work.
- Inventing precise statistics about the number of hungry people instead of reasoning from well-known causes.
- Repeating hungry and hunger throughout instead of using food insecurity, malnutrition and lack of access to food.
Frequently asked questions
- Which Cambridge book is this question from?
- This question about why many people still go hungry despite advances in agriculture is Writing Task 2 of Test 4 in Cambridge IELTS 13 Academic, published in 2018.
- Do I need to give my opinion in this essay?
- The question does not ask for an opinion, so focus on explaining causes and solutions. You can still say which solution you think would be most effective.
- How should I organise a why and what can be done essay?
- Use one body paragraph for the causes and one for the solutions, and make each solution respond to one of the causes you gave.
- How many words should I write for this Task 2?
- Write at least 250 words; about 270-310 words is usually enough to answer both questions fully in 40 minutes.
Free and timed, with a live word count, just like the computer-delivered test. Then get an instant AI band score.
The exam simulator runs on a computer. Open this page on a laptop or desktop to practise.