Plan this advantages and disadvantages essay about cities 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 cities are building more and more high-rise apartment blocks to house their growing populations.
Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
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 cities are constructing more and more high-rise apartment blocks to house their growing populations. I believe that the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages, although design and planning are crucial.
The key advantage is efficient use of land. In a crowded city, space is limited and expensive, and building upwards allows many more families to be housed on a small plot, which eases housing shortages and may reduce prices. Compact, dense development also shortens journeys to work, shops and schools, so people can walk or use public transport, and this saves energy and reduces emissions. It also protects farmland and green belts around the city from being built on. Cities such as Hong Kong and Singapore have accommodated millions of residents in tall blocks while keeping large areas of countryside untouched.
On the other hand, high-rise living has drawbacks. Residents may feel isolated from neighbours and the community, and families with young children often lack outdoor play space. Lifts and maintenance are costly, and a breakdown or fire is more dangerous in a tall building; poor construction can have tragic consequences, as the Grenfell Tower fire in London showed. Large developments can also overshadow nearby streets, strain local services such as schools and clinics and be built from concrete and steel, which generate a high level of carbon emissions.
These problems are not unavoidable. Good design can provide shared gardens, community rooms, shops and nurseries within or beside blocks, while strict safety regulation and quality inspection can lower the risks. Planners can mix tall buildings with parks and mid-rise housing.
In conclusion, high-rise housing offers a practical response to land shortage and urban growth, and because most of its social and safety drawbacks can be reduced through careful planning, I think the benefits are greater.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| high-rise building | very tall block |
| population density | people per area |
| land shortage | too little space |
| sense of community | feeling of closeness |
| urban planning | designing cities |
| construction costs | cost of building |
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