Please evaluate my IELTS academic writing task 2. Thank you very much!

In some countries, many more people are choosing to live alone nowadays than in the past. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

In recent years, in several countries, there is an increase in the number of people who are preferring to live without the daily support from their families. In my opinion, while this trend has some adverse effects, the upside outweighs/overshadows the downside.

On the one hand, living alone might have some challenges. Firstly, people who live alone may suffer from feelings of loneliness, homesickness and worry. They must shoulder the burden of all household bills and obligations on their own. Furthermore, people who are self-sufficient may be more jeopardized than others. For example, if they have a heart attack or any other unexpected sickness, no one can take notice of them to the hospital immediately, which could lead to severe consequences or even death.

On the other hand, although living alone has some disadvantages, its merits surpasses difficulties. Firstly, living alone helps people to develop a sense of responsibility and independence. While living with family, they may take lots of things for granted but when they are alone, since there is no one they can count on, they need to learn to take care of their health, clean up their room and pay bills on time. Additionally, individuals who opt for living alone have complete freedom of their lifestyle. They can design their homes in their own unique style, do whatever they want without worrying about disturbing others.

In conclusion, the number of single-person families is on the rise these days and while living alone has some difficulties, I would contend that the advantages outweigh the drawbacks.