Grandparents Looking After Their Grandchildren

The question

How to approach this two-part question question

A two-part question asks two direct questions. Answer both fully, one in each body paragraph.

1. Paraphrase the topic and say how you will answer both questions.
2. Body 1 answers question one with reasons and an example.
3. Body 2 answers question two with reasons and an example.
4. Conclude with a short summary of both answers.

How to plan this answer

Structure

1. Introduction: paraphrase the rise of grandparent childcare and state your answer: it has become common because of childcare costs, and it is healthy when it is agreed and limited.
2. Body 1: why it has become common, covering the high cost and limited places in nurseries and the fact that many grandparents are healthier and living close to their grandchildren.
3. Body 2: the benefits and strains for children and grandparents, covering bonding and learning on one side and physical tiredness and loss of personal time on the other.
4. Body 3: a judgement that the arrangement is healthy when it is by agreement, with clear limits on days and hours.
5. Conclusion: restate your answer to both questions and suggest the arrangement works best as one option among others.

Idea bank

• Nursery fees that take up most of a second parent's wage, making grandparent care the realistic choice.
• A grandmother who collects a child from school twice a week, giving the child routine and a trusted adult.
• A grandfather with arthritis who finds long days of lifting and chasing a toddler physically exhausting.
• Counter-argument: grandparents may feel obliged to help, which can create resentment if the arrangement is not discussed.
• An agreed schedule of two days a week, which leaves time for grandparents to rest, travel and pursue their own interests.

Useful vocabulary

• to rely heavily on: Many working families rely heavily on grandparents for childcare.
• a stopgap solution: Grandparent care is often a stopgap solution until a place becomes available.
• to bond with: Children bond with grandparents through shared stories and routines.
• to be a source of: Regular contact can be a source of comfort for both generations.
• to juggle work and: Parents struggle to juggle work and family responsibilities.
• to put a strain on: Full-time care can put a strain on an older person's health.
• an informal arrangement: Many families make an informal arrangement without writing down the terms.
• to step in: Grandparents often step in when a nursery place falls through.
• to set clear boundaries: Setting clear boundaries helps both sides avoid resentment.
• to be affordable: Family care is more affordable than private nursery places for many households.

Common mistakes

• Answering the 'why' question with 'they love children' rather than explaining the economic and social causes.
• Describing the arrangement as wholly positive or wholly negative, without a balanced judgement.
• Ignoring the second question about whether the arrangement is healthy for grandparents as well as children.
• Generalising about all grandparents, rather than discussing typical circumstances with a specific example.

Examiner tip: Answer both questions in clearly separated paragraphs, and give a concrete example for each claim about health, such as a grandparent who has agreed a set schedule.