IELTS Essay: Communication between Young and Old People

Sample Answer

The old and young often cannot communicate well because of major differences in perspective. It is natural that older people will have a more mature outlook and younger people be more radical in their views. A good example of this would be in Vietnam where the older generation holds very conservative, traditional views related to familial structures, careers, and social values that conflict with the more modern, progressive positions of the younger generation. Young people have heard the traditional arguments for years and want to rebel, often out of naivety. Older people have the benefit of experience and and feel young people should follow their advice. This basic antagonism underlies poor communication between the generations.

The best solutions all rely on compromise. Young people ought to accept that their lack of life experience puts them at a disadvantage in understanding the world. Many of their opinions are premature and will evolve over time. This implies that they should make greater efforts to understand the counsel of their elders. Their elders, in turn, must realise that their experiences are a small sample size from a unique time period. If, for example, they had to struggle to earn a living and raise a family, they must concede this only a single instance that cannot be simplistically generalised. Moreover, times have changed and what was sound advice in the past, may be largely irrelevant today.

In conclusion, the old and young are in different life stages and naturally have contrasting mindsets and the best solutions require a self-reflective modesty from both demographics. In this way, they will be able to learn more from each other.