PTE Academic Writing Test 6

Some people believe that governments should invest heavily in public transport to reduce traffic congestion and pollution, while others argue that funding should focus on improving roads for private vehicles. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Essay type: Discuss both views. Your essay is scored on content, form, grammar, vocabulary and spelling.

Summarise the passage in writing.

The transition from a linear to a circular economy represents one of the most significant shifts in contemporary industrial thinking. The traditional linear model, often summarised as 'take, make, dispose', assumes an endless supply of raw materials and an unlimited capacity to absorb waste. As resource scarcity intensifies and landfills overflow, this assumption has become untenable. A circular economy, by contrast, seeks to keep products, components, and materials in use for as long as possible, designing out waste from the very beginning of the production process. Rather than treating discarded goods as worthless, it regards them as valuable inputs for new cycles of manufacture.

Achieving circularity requires coordinated change across multiple actors. Manufacturers must rethink product design to facilitate repair, disassembly, and recycling, while businesses experiment with models that prioritise access over ownership, such as leasing and product-as-a-service schemes. Governments play a complementary role through regulation, incentives, and standards that discourage waste and reward resource efficiency. Consumers, too, are integral to the system, since their willingness to repair rather than replace, and to favour durable goods, ultimately determines demand. Critics caution that the concept is not a universal remedy; some materials degrade with repeated reuse, and certain processes remain energy intensive. Moreover, rebound effects, in which efficiency gains stimulate greater overall consumption, can erode anticipated benefits. Nevertheless, proponents argue that the circular approach offers a credible pathway toward decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation. By aligning commercial incentives with ecological constraints, it promises both reduced pressure on natural systems and the creation of new industries and employment opportunities centred on reuse, remanufacturing, and recovery.

Your summary is scored on content, form, grammar and vocabulary.