This is an IELTS Sample Answer for Task 2 Writing about cities from January, 2018 – it’s a good question as far as boring IELTS questions go!
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There’s nothing really that tricky with this question. The main area my students struggled with was not supporting their main ideas enough in the first paragraph.
Read this sample answer and analysis and complete the vocabulary exercises below it in quizlet.
Check out the links to articles and videos to become more familiar with the topic.
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The recent questions from the IELTS writing task 2 exam are here, task 1 is here and the speaking questions and topics are here.
Dave
Task 2 IELTS Sample Answer
Living in large cities today poses many problems for people.
What are these problems? Should governments encourage more people to live in smaller towns?
More and more people live in cities today than at any point in the past and this trend will likely continue in the future. This has resulted in many problems including extreme overcrowding and governments should take measures to make living outside cities more attractive.
There are a wide range of drawbacks associated with the rise of modern cities but one of the most obvious issues is related to population density. The large number of people crammed into a relatively small area has caused expensive housing, increased traffic and severe pollution. For example, apartment prices in mega-cities like Tokyo and New York have soared to the point where only the wealthiest inhabitants can afford decent living standards. Regardless of financial status, all city dwellers have to deal with more and more traffic jams as the population increases while the area of cities remains fixed. Finally, all these people living and travelling in one place puts a tremendous strain on the environment and some cities, like Beijing in China, have become dangerously polluted.
In my opinion, governments have a duty to encourage citizens to move to more rural areas. If cities continue to expand unabated then the above problems will only get worse. We might one day find ourselves living in densely packed, heavily polluted cities that resemble scenes from a dystopian science fiction film. In order to prevent this from happening, the government can give tax breaks to companies that choose to locate offices and production facilities outside the city. This will provide more jobs for people who are willing to live in the countryside.
In conclusion, the concerns related to overcrowding in cities can and should be somewhat countered by governments incentivising living in rural areas. If this is done then we may still face problems related to cities in the future, but at least they will not be as serious.
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Analysis
Introduction: 1. More and more people live in cities today than at any point in the past and this trend will likely continue in the future. 2. This has resulted in many problems including extreme overcrowding and governments should take measures to make living outside cities more attractive.
1. The first sentence simply restates what the general topic is – expanding cities.
2. The second sentence gives my opinion about what the main problem with this is and my opinion that governments should encourage people to live outside cities.
Body Paragraph 1: 1. There are a wide range of drawbacks associated with the rise of modern cities but one of the most obvious issues is related to population density. 2. The large number of people crammed into a relatively small area has caused expensive housing, increased traffic and severe pollution. 3. For example, apartment prices in mega-cities like Tokyo and New York have soared to the point where only the wealthiest inhabitants can afford decent living standards. 4. Regardless of financial status, all city dwellers have to deal with more and more traffic jams as the population increases while the area of cities remains fixed. 5. Finally, all these people living and travelling in one place puts a tremendous strain on the environment and some cities, like Beijing in China, have become dangerously polluted.
1. The first sentence is a topic sentence that includes my main idea for the whole paragraph (the main problem is population density / overcrowding).
2. The second sentence expands my main idea by saying that overcrowding has caused other problems related to housing, traffic and pollution. I must describe all three of these issues in order to effectively support my topic sentence.
3. The third sentence explains the first problem – expensive housing.
4. The fourth sentence explains the second problem – traffic jams.
5. The fifth sentence explains the third problem – pollution.
Body Paragraph 2: 1. In my opinion, governments have a duty to encourage citizens to move to more rural areas. 2. If cities continue to expand unabated then the above problems will only get worse. 3. We might one day find ourselves living in densely packed, heavily polluted cities that resemble scenes from a dystopian science fiction film. 4. In order to prevent this from happening, the government can give tax breaks to companies that choose to locate offices and production facilities outside the city. 5. This will provide more jobs for people who are willing to live in the countryside.
1. The first sentence is a topic sentence that includes my main idea for the whole paragraph (governments should encourage people to live in rural areas).
2. The second sentence supports my opinion by saying that problems in cities are only getting worse.
3. The third sentence further supports my opinion by saying how terrible life in cities may someday get. It’s important to say ‘might’ because I don’t want to make an argument that is too strong in a short essay.
4. The fourth sentence suggests governments have the power to do this by giving corporations tax breaks.
5. The fifth and final sentence extends my solution by saying that more people will move to the countryside if jobs are available there.
Conclusion: 1. In conclusion, the concerns related to overcrowding in cities can and should be somewhat countered by governments incentivising living in rural areas. 2. If this is done then we may still face problems related to cities in the future, but at least they will not be as serious.
1. The first sentence restates the main ideas from the sample answer as well as my overall opinion. Make sure you have an overall opinion because the question directly asks you whether or not governments should encourage people to live outside cities.
2. The second sentence adds an extra detail (claiming that by doing this inevitable future problems related to cities will not be as severe) that is needed to get above a Band 7 for Task Achievement according to some, but not all, examiners.
Vocabulary Practice
I really love this website – Quizlet – because it’s so convenient to practice with!
Don’t believe me? Click on the link below and use it to easily learn some high-level vocabulary from the sample answer above:
Quizlet Vocabulary Study
Cities Articles
Cities of the Future
The World’s Most Overcrowded Cities
How to Prevent Overcrowding
Ghost Cities of China
Urban Threats
Rural Support Problems
Cities Videos
Top 10 Most Overcrowded Cities
New York City Problems
The Future of Cities
Responses to Urban Issues
Animated Short Film
Example Notes
Here are some notes I made about cities (on my Instagram page)!
Now it’s Your Turn! Comment below on our IELTS Sample Answer:
Tell us about your city! Is it big? What kind of problems are there? Do you live in a small town?
Hi Mr. Dave,
Can you help me with this sentence: “Finally, all these people living and travelling in one place puts a tremendous strain on the environment and some cities, like Beijing in China, have become dangerously polluted.”?
Is the part “All these people living and travelling in one place” a gerund? Can we make a gerund that involves a subject? For example, “Tourists damaging the natural heritage has caused negative impacts on the environment.”
Yes, that does function as a gerund and you can use the sentence construction that you suggested!
Hi Dave! Please asses this essay with band scores. And please tell me which area I need to improve the most?
People from rural areas tend to migrate in cities for more employment possibilities and better living standards. This tendency creates many problems there, which include overpopulation and traffic congestion; however, I believe that government can combat these problems by taking suitable steps.
The major problem in cities is increasing population density as cities act as a magnet for rural area dwellers due to the availability of more job opportunities. Due to this most people stay deprived of basic amenities, such as home, water and electricity. This can be evident from slum areas in metro cities like Delhi and Bombay and the people who live there have to rely on nearby water bodies for bathing, drinking and cleaning. The scarcity of water is the problem of people who live in colonies too. Hence, the increasing number of people in cities arise many difficulties regarding living.
Another considerable issue in cities is traffic congestion. More and more people possess their own cars these days but the roads of the cities are comparatively less wide. For instance, in Delhi, it is very common to see jams in city center during peak hours. Henceforth, people find difficulty to travel even a very short distance in metropolitan cities.
Nevertheless, these problems can be solved by taking effective steps. Firstly, the government should decentralize employment opportunities by establishing businesses in rural areas. As, the more the job opportunities in countryside, the less the migration would be. Moreover, the government ought to levy taxes on cars entering the city center so that more people would opt public transportation and traffic jams could be avoided. Carpooling is another way out to reduce traffic congestion. Also, pedestrian areas ought to be constructed in city center so that more people would be encouraged to walk or cycle.
In conclusion, even though the problems of city life are significant, I believe that decentralization of jobs and opting public transport and cycles can lessen these problems
Hi Himan!
For band scores, you can sign up here: course.howtodoielts.com/band-scores-corrections
Your ideas are good but you could improve your CC a lot.
What score are you aiming for?
Hi Mr. Dave,
Can you help me with this sentence:Some people think that zoos are all cruel and should be closed down. Others however believe that zoos can be useful in protecting wild animals.
Some individuals believe zoos are beneficial for preserving animals, while others are not agreeing. They think the disadvantages of zoos outweigh their benefits, and zoos cause many animals offense, so they must be shut down.
These days many people accept that zoos help protect endangered species. Humans threaten animals in many ways such as logging into rainforests and poaching. Animal habitats are being destroyed by activities exacerbating global warming, increasing temperature, and deteriorating their natural environment. Therefore, zoos can protect some endangered and extinct animals. Based on these reasons, zoos can provide a safe and similar environment with trained staff for treating and preserving animals. Successful samples such as Pandas were rescued from extinction danger for many years.
On the other hand, there are some convincing arguments against zoos because there are some suspects to the main objective of zoos, such as economic and entertainment intents. Also, their facilities are not equal to each other and do not have appropriate qualifications. They keep animals in cages, and it is too cruel. So, the officials should take responsibility for animal conservation in the wildlife parks’ same natural environment. Scientists can observe animals’ behaviors for educational goals, and tourists can visit.
In conclusion, protecting animals is vital, but this does not have to be in cages and zoos. The official should follow it, and environmental institutions and zoos do not open anymore.