Plan this positive or negative 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:
Many people now travel more than an hour each way to reach their workplace.
Is this a positive or negative development?
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.
Many people now spend more than an hour travelling in each direction to reach their workplace. I think this is a negative development, although it brings a few benefits.
There are some advantages. Long commutes often allow people to live in cheaper, quieter and greener areas outside expensive cities while still working in well-paid jobs there, giving them more space for families. A person with a train journey can use the time productively by reading, studying or answering emails, and some people enjoy the time to relax between work and home. Where employers have offices in only a few cities, travelling further may also widen job opportunities.
However, the costs outweigh these gains. Spending two or more hours a day travelling leaves less time for family, exercise, sleep and hobbies, and studies link long commutes to higher stress, back pain and lower life satisfaction. Fares, fuel and parking can also take a large part of a salary, making the cheaper housing less of a bargain. Tired employees may be less productive and more likely to be late or absent. From an environmental viewpoint, millions of long journeys by car or train produce emissions and add to congestion. Those who drive risk accidents when they are exhausted, and in many cities delays are frequent and unpredictable.
A better situation would be one in which people live closer to work. Governments can support this by building more affordable housing near employment centres and improving local public transport, while employers can allow home working on some days to reduce the number of journeys.
In conclusion, although long commutes may enable cheaper housing and better job choices, the harm to health, family life and the environment is greater, so I regard the trend as mainly negative.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| daily commute | regular trip to work |
| rush hour | busiest travel period |
| travel expenses | money spent on transport |
| quality time | time spent meaningfully with family |
| exhausting | very tiring |
| flexible working | choice over time or place of work |
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