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?
Sample Response
Every city has its architectural 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 price of land.
In most large cities, land is scarce and, consequently, it isand consequently, it is very valuable. This has led to the construction of tall buildings which occupy only a small area of land while providing substantial floor spacelots of floor space where people can live or work. Buildings of this type are made of concrete and steel and can be built comparatively quickly using prefabricated materials. They do not use local materials, such as stone, timber or brick, which used to give cities their individual character. Consequently, many cities nowIn consequence many cities. now look very much the same and visitors might not know whether they wereyou might not know whether you were in Brisbane, Bangkok or Berlin while walking along the streetwhen you are on the street.
While I realise that we cannot stand in the way of progress, I believe that cities should preserve their individualitytry to keep some individuality. For example, in Paris, very tall buildings are prohibitedit is prohibited to build very tall buildings in the centre of the city, as this would spoil the appearance of the skylineoverall appearance of the skyline. Other cities have chosen to design unique buildings to give each city a distinctive appearanceto ensure they look different. The twin towers in Kuala Lumpur andor the Opera House in Sydney are examples of this approach, and I agree with this approachthis kind of initiative.
All in all, although it is regrettable that modernmodem cities look similar, I tend to feel that this is unavoidable. However, it 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 essay fully addresses both why modern cities resemble one another and whether this is desirable, presenting a nuanced but clear view that similarity is regrettable yet often unavoidable. Its strongest feature is the well-developed chain from expensive land and standardized construction to lost local character, supported by relevant city examples. Only rare punctuation and spelling slips remain; prioritize final proofreading while preserving the precise, balanced argument.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both parts of the task are fully developed through a convincing economic explanation, clear evaluation and relevant examples of preserving identity.
As a refinement, make the final judgement explicitly connect the unavoidable economic pressure with the value of selective design controls.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas are logically sequenced across focused paragraphs, and cohesion supports a clear movement from causes to evaluation and conclusion.
Correct the accidental sentence break after 'cities' to preserve otherwise seamless progression.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is flexible and precise across architecture, economics and cultural identity, with effective use of topic-specific terms.
Proofread the isolated spelling error 'modem' so that lexical accuracy matches the demonstrated range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex sentences is handled accurately, with only rare minor punctuation lapses that do not affect clarity.
Remove the stray full stop in 'many cities. now' and retain the otherwise strong control of subordination and comparison.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS Writing Task 2
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?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.