In the past, buildings often reflected the culture of a society but today all modern buildings look alike and cities throughout the world are becoming more and more similar. What do you think is the reason for this, and is it a good thing or a bad thing?
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Sample Response
Every city has its distinctive architectural characterarchitectural character, but the similarities between cities are more obvious these days than in the past. In my opinion, one reason for this is the high costprice of land.
In most large cities, land is scarce and consequently it is very valuable. This has led to the construction of tall buildings which occupy a relatively small footprintoccupy only a small area of land while providing considerable floor spacelots of floor space where people can live or work. Such buildingsBuildings of this type are made of concrete and steel and can be built relativelycomparatively quickly using prefabricated materials. They do not use local materials, such as stone, timber or brick, which used to give cities their individual character. In consequence many cities. now look very much the same and you might not know whether you were in Brisbane, Bangkok or Berlin when you are on the street.
While I realise that we cannot stand in the way of progress, I believe that cities should try to preservekeep some individuality. For example, in Paris it is prohibited to build very tall buildings in the centre of the city, as this would spoil the overall appearance of the skyline. Other cities have chosen to design unique buildings to give the cities a distinctive appearanceto ensure they look different. The twin towers in Kuala Lumpur or the Opera House in Sydney are examples of this approach, and I agree with such initiativesthis kind of initiative.
All in all, although it is regrettable that modernmodem cities look similar, I tend to feel that this is unavoidable. However, even if their buildings are similar, cities may maintainit can be argued that, even if the buildings are similar, cities will maintain their own character as a result of cultural diversity, the terrain and the climate, which ultimately determine how people live.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response is strongest in its mature, controlled explanation of how land scarcity and standardized construction methods reduce cities’ architectural individuality, supported by well-chosen examples. Its main limitation is that the judgment on whether this trend is bad remains somewhat qualified rather than explored in equal depth. Make the evaluative position explicit earlier and develop its consequences more fully.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response addresses both questions with a clear explanation of the cause and a consistently negative, though nuanced, evaluation supported by relevant examples.
State the evaluative position in the introduction and develop why the loss of architectural individuality matters as fully as the causal explanation.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically through cause, possible responses, and a qualified conclusion, with effective paragraphing and cohesive links.
Make the transition from explaining the cause to evaluating the trend slightly more explicit so the argument’s two parts are even more clearly balanced.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is wide, precise, and natural, including effective topic language such as “architectural character,” “prefabricated materials,” and “cultural diversity.”
Proofread carefully to remove the isolated typographical slips and preserve the otherwise consistently polished lexical control.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately and flexibly, with errors rare and meaning consistently clear.
Maintain the same structural range while checking final punctuation and transcription details to eliminate the few surface-level lapses.