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IELTS Writing task 2: Horizontal and vertical cities

May 20, 2020 Pooja Ph.D. CELTA

IELTS Writing task 2: Horizontal and vertical cities

You should spend 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Some people believe that it is better to live and work in vertical cities. Others, however, think that horizontal cities are better for living and working.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant example from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.

IELTS Writing Task Horizontal and vertical cities With industrialization came urbanisation meaning the formation and development of Metropolitan cities.

Sample Answer

With industrialization came urbanisation meaning the formation and development of Metropolitan cities. These mega cities tended to grow at rapid paces, sometimes vertically and sometimes horizontally. Depending on the authorities and the level of development at the time, there developed vast differences between the two.

The first type of city, the horizontal city, was usually found under rich and liberal governments housing individual cottages with wide lanes and private gardens. Today these cities, also referred to as garden cities, are spread out on a vast area of land usually in sparsely populated expanses. Living and working in such a city would definitely be a pleasure, although the real estate prices in such locations tend to be unusually high. The drawbacks would mainly be regarding the area of natural habitation which constantly needs to be cleared in order to maintain the pace of development.

The other type of city that is the vertical city is more commonplace nowadays. The origin of most of these cities was due to the unfettered growth of population and lack of land for further development, which forced people to move skyward. Here, work is easily available and property prices tend to be much more affordable as compared to the horizontal cities. Although the main problems with these cities include sound nuisance, garbage management, water shortages and a host of other problems, land is not an issue. These urban spaces not only offer modern and sustainable living but also provide room for corporate development.

To give my opinion as a summary, I would state that looking at today’s advancements and weighing the pros and cons of both lifestyle choices, horizontal cities sound very appealing but are not likely to last for very long. In contrast, vertical cities are by far more economical and sustainable. I believe that vertical cities are the way forward.

Feel free to call for suggestions and queries.

IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

email: info at ieltsband7.com

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IELTS Cue Card Talk about a member of your family

May 19, 2020 IELTS Research

IELTS Cue Card Talk about a member of your family you spend a lot of time with

Talk about a member of your family you spend a lot of time with

You should say

Who the family member is?

Why do you spend so much time with them?

How do you spend this time?

And describe the family member.

Sample Answer

We can choose who we spend time with and who we surround ourselves with, except for the people whom we were born among; our family. Whether we like it or not, the family will always be present throughout our life and play a critical role, even in absentia they will leave a memorable impression.

I honestly do not manage to spend all that much time with my extended family due to living away from them in the city. The only family I truly know is my parents. Up until recently both of my parents used to work office jobs, after quarantine they too were forced to stay at home like me. I found myself spending time more with my mother though. During our roof walks post-dinner we had debates on academic and practical subjects both. It’s fascinating to be able to debate two different world viewpoints.

Mum and I would help each other out with our respective pastimes, mine would be drawing and hers would be writing. I introduced my mother to some new books which I thought she would like, to my delight she loved them: Red Notice by Bill Browder especially. She told me all about the intricacies in that book, and I, in turn, showed her the fantasy universes of Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games too.

My mother comes off as a very uptight and strict person when you first meet her; someone you should not trifle with. However, it is after knowing her for my whole life I can indeed confirm that she does indeed smile, and she does in fact, have a silly side too. Sadly, she is not ticklish but one cannot have everything in their lives. I love both of my parents dearly and I am very privileged to have such savvy and understanding people in my life.

Useful words and their meanings
In absentia	When you do something in absentia, you’re not physically present.
Uptight	nervous, anxious, or worried
Trifle with someone or something	to act without seriousness or respect toward someone or something.
Privileged	having special rights or advantages that only a small number of people have
Savvy	used to describe someone with practical knowledge and ability

Follow-up questions:

Speaking Part-3 

Q1. What are the things that you like to do together as a family?
Q2. Do you get along well with your family?
Q3. Are people in your country generally close to their family?
Q4. What kind of families are most common in your hometown?
Q5. How important is the family bonding for you?
Q6. What is your favorite memory with your family members?

Sample Answer here.

Feel free to call for suggestions and queries.

IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

email: info at ieltsband7.com

IELTS online simulator

IELTS BAND 7 Home page

Cue Card # Talk about a time you set a goal

May 15, 2020 IELTS Research

IELTS Cue Card # Talk about a time you set a goal

Talk about a time you set a goal

You should say

What was the goal?

Did you achieve the goal?

What did you learn along the way?

And Explain why you set that goal.

Sample Answer

During Quarantine the world seems to have come to a standstill. Time, weekdays, and routines have become an abstract alien concept to the majority of us. To keep myself preoccupied and to prevent myself from wasting this precious time, I set myself some goals.

My Goals were as follows: getting up early, every single day consistently; continue a modified version of my workout even at home; and to learn a new skill.

The first two goals were easy enough to implement once I got used to the ideas. I made sure to keep my favourite song as an alarm tone. Rather than keeping my phone next to me while I sleep, now I kept it in the kitchen which is all the way across the apartment. Once in the kitchen, I have a glass of water to freshen up and get about the rest of my day.

I soon noticed that getting up became easier every day, my moods got a whole lot better, and I just felt generally more productive. I managed to do variations of indoor yoga six days a week, for I gave myself a pass on Sundays. That’s another thing I did, I made sure not to lose track of the weekdays, I treated every day like a work vacation; a day to get the most out of.

Now as for my last goal, it was to learn a new skill to keep me focused. The skill I chose to learn was animation. It was slow, time-consuming work; reading from the manuals and online free tutorials I could get my hands on. But lo and behold, two weeks later I had finished my very first simple animation of a 90-frame loop of a walking bird. I am very proud of my creation.

So far, the quarantine is still not over but I am proud to announce that I have indeed achieved the goals I have set out for myself – I even look forward to achieving them tomorrow, and every day that is to come in the future. The main thing I learned along this journey is realizing as an adult how much your choices reflect in your lifestyle. How good improvement actually feels, and how easy it is to take that first step into the unknown.

Useful words and their meanings
Quarantine	a period of time during which an animal or person that might have a disease is kept away from other people or animals so that the disease cannot spread
Standstill	a condition in which all movement or activity has stopped
lo and behold (a phrase)	something that you say when you tell someone about something surprising that happened

Feel free to call for suggestions and queries.

IELTS Band 7 Dehradun
Near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun

email: info at ieltsband7.com

IELTS online simulator

IELTS BAND 7 Home page

Cue Card # Talk about a time you were travelling but were delayed

May 13, 2020 IELTS Research

IELTS Cue Card Talk about a time you were travelling but were delayed

Talk about a time you were travelling but were delayed

You should day

Where were you travelling to?

Why were you delayed?

How did you overcome the delay?

And describe the entire episode in detail.

Sample Answer

Travel is a requisite of the modern lifestyle. One cannot achieve globalization without interpersonal communication after all. Even though now the situation has changed quite a bit since the outbreak of this pandemic, travel for essential services still carries on.

My story happened quite a while ago; I believe it was in the December of 2017. Now, I was going to travel to Sri Lanka for a vacation with my family. We were set to arrive at the airport at 4 pm so we could board our 7 pm international flight on time. A tip for travel I always keep in mind is to be as unhurried as possible, be it driving or train travel; you always want to have extra time, it takes away the unnecessary stress.

Naturally, we had a bit of a tussle with our baggage to get it out of the drop off taxi trunk but we managed in the end. As we entered the terminal gates were greeted by the classic coffee scent that permeates most airports. So far, the situation was looking good. We managed to get past check-in, baggage, security and customs with no hiccups at all with an hour to spare.

Here’s where the trouble started. Soon after boarding the flight and idly waiting for a half-hour for the flight to take off, we were asked to deboard as the flight was facing technical issues. So, we boarded the airport bus and were all relocated to a new flight. Our baggage relocation took us another hour. At this point many people were getting very antsy, and for good reason too. This was supposed be a short 3-hour flight and we already had to endure more than 2 hours of waiting time, it was quite preposterous.

My family and I dealt with it by simply getting out our travel pack Uno game. That’s another great tip for anyone who’s travelling with kids; always bring travel-friendly games along because the kids will get bored. We played a variation of games with the card pack, original Uno, bluff, and a couple of games my kids came up with. After some very suspicious game rule changes and some very victorious kids, the announcement of the flight being ready for takeoff started. We arrived that night in Sri Lanka, where we found our waiting cab and managed to drive to the hotel. The journey ended up pretty smoothly despite the technical delay we faced. As they say, “all’s well that ends well”.

Speaking part 3 follow up questions:

Q.1 What are the most common reasons that cause travel delays?

Answer: I think severe weather conditions and technical defect are the two biggest causes of travel delays. Traffic congestion, diversion of routes due to accidents or repair work also lead to travel disruptions.

Q.2 Do you think too many people are dependent on cars as a means of transport?

Answer: Definitely, yes. The number of people who depend on cars for commuting and travelling has gone up considerably in the past few decades.

Q.3 Why do people prefer to travel by car?

Answer: I think there are two main reasons why people prefer to travel by car. Firstly, public transport systems like buses and trains are poorly maintained in many parts of the world. Secondly, cars have become a status symbol. Nobody wants to wait for hours and board an overcrowded bus or train. Those who can afford tend to avoid using public transport facilities and prefer their own mode of transport. It not only saves their time but also gives them comfort and privacy.