EXAM PRACTICE A2
Read Text 2A and 2B and then read the directed writing question.
Text 2A
This material is from a website promoting veganism (the exclusion of eating or using animal
products).
For the animals
Preventing the exploitation of animals is not the only reason for becoming vegan, but for many it
remains the key factor in their decision to go vegan and stay vegan. Having emotional
attachments with animals may form part of that reason, while many believe that all sentient
creatures have a right to life and freedom. Specifics aside, avoiding animal products is one of
the most obvious ways you can take a stand against animal cruelty and animal exploitation
everywhere. A more detailed overview on why being vegan demonstrates true compassion for
animals can be found here.
For your health
Well-planned vegan diets follow healthy eating guidelines, and contain all the nutrients that our
bodies need. Both the British Dietetic Association and the American Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics recognise that they are suitable for every age and stage of life. Some research has
linked vegan diets with lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and lower rates of heart disease,
type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.
Going vegan is a great opportunity to learn more about nutrition and cooking, and improve your
diet. Getting your nutrients from plant foods allows more room in your diet for health-promoting
options like whole grains, fruit, nuts, seeds and vegetables, which are packed full of beneficial
fibre, vitamins and minerals.
For the environment
From recycling our household rubbish to cycling to work, we're all aware of ways to live a
greener life. One of the most effective things an individual can do to lower their carbon footprint
is to avoid all animal products. This goes way beyond the problem of cow flatulence!
Why is meat and dairy so bad for the environment?
The production of meat and other animal products places a heavy burden on the environment -
from crops and water required to feed the animals, to the transport and other processes
involved from farm to fork. The vast amount of grain feed required for meat production is a
significant contributor to deforestation, habitat loss and species extinction. In Brazil alone, the
equivalent of 5.6 million acres of land is used to grow soya beans for animals in Europe. This
land contributes to developing world malnutrition by driving impoverished populations to grow
cash crops for animal feed, rather than food for themselves. On the other hand, considerably
lower quantities of crops and water are required to sustain a vegan diet, making the switch to
veganism one of the easiest, most enjoyable and most effective ways to reduce our impact on
the environment. For more on how veganism is the way forward for the environment, see our
environment section.
For people
Just as veganism is the sustainable option when it comes to looking after our planet, plant-
based living is also a more sustainable way of feeding the human family. A plant-based diet
requires only one third of the land needed to support a meat and dairy diet. With rising global
food and water insecurity due to a myriad of environmental and socio-economic problems,
there's never been a better time to adopt a more sustainable way of living. Avoiding anima
products is not just one of the simplest ways an individual can reduce the strain on food as well
as other resources, it's the simplest way to take a stand against inefficient food systems which
disproportionately affect the poorest people all over the world. Read more here on how vegan
65 diets can help people.
Text 2B
This passage is a magazine article by a chef attacking veganism.
Dietary exclusion has become a common signifier of identity and social status. Veganism shouts
purity, superiority and virtuousness. The ability to refrain from messy, animalistic pleasures of
eating meat and dairy implies to vegans that they're more civilised than the rest of us.
Regrettably, this strength of feeling leaves them susceptible to false beliefs. Prominent vegans
are prone to sharing vile, baseless pseudoscience concerning diseases such as Alzheimer's,
osteoporosis and cancer.
Perhaps most damaging of all is the view that a vegan diet is necessarily healthy. In reality, any
health benefits of plant-based eating come from what is added, not excluded. Vegans will
usually eat large quantities of fruit and vegetables, fresh ingredients and plan their mealtimes
carefully. All these strategies are available to meat eaters, but vegans are often more motivated,
if only so they can be overbearingly smug and self-righteous about it later on.
As part of a varied diet, meat, fish, eggs and dairy are not damaging to most people's health.
Although oft-cited studies reveal links between processed meat and cancer, these show only
small increases in risk for unusually high rates of consumption. The vast majority of us eat
amounts well in line with health recommendations, and many are looking to reduce their intake -
a far more sensible approach than exclusion.
In fact, excluding animal products entirely comes with many dangers, because a solely plant-
based diet is not nutritionally complete. Plant sources of essential vitamins and minerals, such
as iodine and vitamin D, are hugely unreliable. Lack of B12, a vitamin not produced by plants, is
a particular problem and has the potential to cause many devastating and irreversible
conditions.
An increasing number of aspirational celebrities are adopting vegan diets and veganism is fast
becoming an ultra-fashionable lifestyle regime. In this context, it is a restrictive weight-loss diet
masquerading as a healthy one. Previous generations of vegans may have lacked the
glamorous aesthetic of their modern counterparts, but they at least took care to ensure their
diets were safe, healthy and sustainable. Millennial veganism seems to be more concerned with
Instagram likes.
Adapted from 'The angry chef: the dangers of a vegan diet' by Anthony Warner; Sunday Times
Magazine (1 October 2017).
Question 1
Imagine that you are a student in an international boarding school.
Write a speech, to be given in a school assembly, giving your views on whether or not the
school should switch to a vegan diet.
In your speech you should:
● evaluate the views on diet given in both texts
● give your own views, based on what you have read, about healthy eating.
Base your speech on what you have read in the texts, but be careful to use your own words.
Address both of the bullet points.
Begin your speech: 'Are you happy with school food?'
Write about 250 to 350 words.