Some people think the newly built houses should be the same as the old house style in local areas. Others argue that local authorities should allow people to build houses in their own styles. Discuss both views and give your opinion
Sample Response
While some believe that new houses should be built in an identical style to the existing ones in the area, others argue that people should have the freedomhave freedom to design their houses to their own liking. For me, I strongly support the latter idea.
On the one hand, houses constructed in the same styledesign as surrounding buildings can givebring the area a sense of uniformity and maintain traditional values, which helps boost the local economy. To illustrate, in Hoi An - a famed ancient city in Vietnam that is known for its touristy streets filled with old houses, all the buildings are required to duplicate the style of age-old ones in the area. This is to preserve the ancient look, which is one of the city’s main attractions. Even international brands such as Starbucks have to comply with this requirementconform to this obligation.
On the other hand, I side with the view that how a house is designed should be left to the owners aloneshould lie with the owners alone and not the authorities. To begin with, a traditional design may cause inconvenienceinconveniences. For instance, a modern family of five would find it difficult to live in a single-storey house on a limited plot of landwith limited land area. Therefore, if the government prohibits multi-storey buildingsprohibits buildings with multiple storeys, the family would have to live in discomfort. Furthermore, a design from another time may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Being able to reside where they feel content is anyone’s individual liberties, thus, being forced to live in a house whose design they dislike would be unreasonable.
In conclusion, although there are sound reasons why newly built houses should mirror the area’s existing architectural style, I believe that it is best that people have authority over the design of their own housestheir own houses’ design. ThisBecause that would bring the residents both happiness and convenience.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response directly covers both views, maintains a clear preference, and supports each side with specific, persuasive examples. Its principal limitation is a small cluster of grammatical and collocational lapses, including an agreement problem and a fragmented final sentence. The highest-priority improvement is to polish these local errors while preserving the essay's strong development and logical balance.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both positions are explored in depth, and the writer's preference is clear, relevant, and consistently supported.
Refine the first view by making the link between architectural uniformity, heritage preservation, and economic benefit even more explicit.
Coherence and Cohesion
Paragraphing is purposeful and progression is easy to follow, with cohesive devices used naturally across the argument.
Integrate the final reason into the preceding conclusion sentence so the ending forms one polished, unified statement.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is flexible and often precise, with effective language for architecture, regulation, preservation, and personal preference.
Replace informal or awkward choices such as touristy and anyone's individual liberties with more exact academic phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is handled accurately overall, with only occasional agreement, punctuation, and sentence-boundary errors.
Correct the agreement in anyone's individual liberty and avoid beginning a standalone fragment with Because in the conclusion.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people think the newly built houses should be the same as the old house style in local areas. Others argue that local authorities should allow people to build houses in their own styles. Discuss both views and give your opinion
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.