IELTS Writing Task 2: 'small families' essay skeleton

Let's return to the 'small families' question below:

In many countries today, people in cities either live alone or in small family units, rather than in large, extended family groups. Is this a positive or negative trend?

Here's my essay skeleton (using the plan that I wrote here):

..........

Introduction
It is true that cities are seeing a rise in smaller families and one-person households, while the extended family is becoming a rarity. In my opinion, this is a negative development.

Paragraph 2, topic sentence
As families become smaller, the traditional family support network is disappearing, and this can have a negative impact on children as they grow up.

Paragraph 3, topic sentence
The trend towards people living alone is perhaps even more damaging because of the psychological effects of reduced human interaction.

Conclusion
In conclusion, I believe that individuals thrive when they are part of larger family groups, and so it is worrying that many people are choosing to live alone or in such small family units.

..........

Note:
It's a good idea to practise writing essay 'skeletons' because they force you to produce a very clear, coherent essay structure.