Raising the State Pension Age

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 in the state pension age and state briefly the reasons governments give and the effect on people who cannot keep working.
2. Body 1: the first part, the main reasons governments give, such as longer life expectancy, fewer workers for each retired person and pressure on public finances.
3. Body 2: the second part, the groups most affected, such as people in physically demanding jobs and those who lose work in their fifties, with an example.
4. Body 3: the second part, realistic measures, such as a phased timetable, early-retirement rules for heavy work and retraining support, with their likely effects.
5. Conclusion: a short summary of the balance between fiscal needs and fairness, with your recommendation.

Idea bank

• Life expectancy: people now spend more years drawing a state pension, so the cost to the state rises over time.
• Dependency ratio: when there are fewer workers for each retired person, each worker pays a larger share of pension costs.
• Phasing in: the UK began raising the state pension age to 67, phased in between 2026 and 2028, giving workers time to plan.
• Heavy work: construction workers, nurses and carers may be unable to continue until the new age, and an early-retirement option would reach them.
• Job loss in middle age: workers who lose jobs in their fifties may find it hard to get hired again, leaving them in a gap before the pension starts.
• Support measures: means-tested support for those with no savings, and retraining and flexible hours for older jobseekers, would reach the people most affected.

Useful vocabulary

• life expectancy: Rising life expectancy means that pensions are paid for longer.
• the dependency ratio: The dependency ratio is the number of workers supporting each retired person.
• to strain public finances: An ageing population can strain public finances.
• to phase in: The increase is being phased in gradually to give people time to adjust.
• physically demanding: Physically demanding jobs are hard to continue into later life.
• early retirement: Early retirement could be offered to workers in heavy industries.
• to fall into a gap: Some workers fall into a gap between losing a job and receiving the pension.
• to retrain: Older workers may need support to retrain for less physical roles.
• age discrimination: Age discrimination can make it hard for older people to find new work.
• to be means-tested: Support could be means-tested for people with no savings.

Common mistakes

• Answering only the reasons part, or giving a weak and generic answer to the second part.
• Listing reasons without explaining why each one matters, such as how life expectancy raises costs.
• Presenting 'the government wants to save money' as the only reason, without acknowledging other arguments.
• Suggesting measures that do not address the group in question, such as more gyms for people who cannot work.
• Failing to use a specific country as an example, such as the UK, which makes the answer more convincing.

Examiner tip: For the second part, name the group affected and explain how each measure would reach them, such as a phased timetable or targeted early-retirement rules.