Plan this opinion essay about transport with the ideas and outline below, write it on a 40-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model answer.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
The number of cars owned by each household in cities should be limited by law.
Do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
Pick two or three points from one or both columns. You do not need all of them, and your own examples score better than memorised ones.
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 250 minimum
Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.
Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
Some people propose that the law should limit how many cars each urban household may own. I agree with this idea to a large extent, because cities face serious problems that unrestricted car ownership makes worse.
The most obvious reason is congestion. City streets were often designed long before the car, and they cannot hold the number of vehicles that many families now own. When a household has three cars, each parked on the road, space for pedestrians, cyclists and buses shrinks, and traffic slows for everyone. Pollution is the second concern. Exhaust fumes contribute to asthma and other respiratory illnesses, and in cities such as Delhi and Beijing, air quality has reached dangerous levels. A limit would reduce both the number of vehicles and the emissions they produce.
Such a law would also encourage better habits. If families knew they could only own one or two vehicles, they would think carefully before using them for short trips and would be more willing to walk, cycle or take public transport. Singapore already controls ownership through expensive licences, and its roads remain relatively free-flowing as a result.
However, a strict rule could be unfair if applied without exceptions. Large families, people with disabilities and those who run small businesses from their vehicles may genuinely need more than one car. The law should therefore allow exemptions, and it should be introduced together with improvements to buses, trams and cycle lanes so that people have real alternatives.
In conclusion, limiting car ownership in cities would ease traffic and improve health, provided that the policy is flexible and supported by good public transport. For these reasons, I broadly agree with the proposal.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| car ownership | having a private car |
| parking shortage | not enough parking |
| vehicle limit | cap on cars |
| urban traffic | traffic in cities |
| personal mobility | ability to travel as one wishes |
| carpooling | sharing a car |
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