There is too much noise in many public places in cities. What are the causes of this problem? What can be done to solve the problem?
Sample Response
Public areas in cities today are becoming increasingly noisy. In my opinion, this change is caused by surging urban populations and shifting attitudes to personal space. The best solutions involve innovative urban design.
The underlying reasons for higher noise levels in public spaces are growing residential figures and changes in social behavior. Firstly, the migration of individuals from the countryside to cities has been well documented over the last century. This trend shows no sign of abating and it is self-evident that more residents talking, operating vehicles, and interacting in public areas will create more noise. Moreover, people are now less self-conscious. This is a uniquely modern trend and is most apparent on social media. Most people are now comfortable making videos in public, taking photos, and talking loudly on their phones. This psychological shift has its benefits but one drawback is the contribution to noise levels.
The most realistic solutions are adaptations by the authorities. I strongly believe that the trends themselves cannot be countered since they follow the dictates of human nature. Attempting to ban phones in public or restrict residency numbers in certain cities would in fact engender greater problems. Instead, governments can make myriad minor adjustments. Public spaces could include more structures, such as trees and statues, in order to absorb sound. On public transport, there could be softer padding so that sound does not bounce and travel as far. There may also be steps that could be taken in terms of traffic and residential areas that would encourage more spread out cities with lower density. These are minor solutions to a large problem, however, their impact in the aggregate would be meaningful.
In conclusion, although cities are becoming noisier as they become more populous and people are more open today, this can be remedied if authorities devise novel counters. In the future, this issue will only become more pressing.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Clarify the attitude Original: shifting attitudes to personal space Suggested revision: changing attitudes toward behaviour in public spaces Why it matters: This wording connects the stated cause more precisely to the public behaviour discussed later.
- 2. Use natural collocation Original: residential figures Suggested revision: urban populations Why it matters: Population, rather than residential figures, is the natural term for the number of city residents.
- 3. Clarify possession Original: the Suggested revision: its Why it matters: The possessive pronoun clearly links the contribution to the psychological shift.
- 4. Use precise wording Original: adaptations by the authorities Suggested revision: measures taken by the authorities Why it matters: Measures taken is a more natural description of government action here.
- 5. Choose an inclusive noun Original: include more structures Suggested revision: include more sound-absorbing features Why it matters: Features can accurately encompass both trees and statues while stating their intended function.
- 6. Specify the material Original: softer padding Suggested revision: more sound-absorbent materials Why it matters: This phrase expresses the acoustic purpose more precisely than softer padding.
- 7. Fix comma splice Original: , however, their impact Suggested revision: ; however, their impact Why it matters: A semicolon correctly joins the two independent clauses before however.
- 8. Use natural collocation Original: novel counters Suggested revision: innovative countermeasures Why it matters: Countermeasures is the natural noun for actions designed to reduce a problem.
- 9. Use measured wording Original: surging urban populations Suggested revision: rapidly growing urban populations Why it matters: This phrase states the population trend clearly without the dramatic connotation of surging.
- 10. Remove emphatic framing Original: it is self-evident that Suggested revision: Delete Why it matters: The causal explanation is clear without claiming that it is self-evident.
- 11. Use natural collocation Original: operating Suggested revision: driving Why it matters: Driving is the natural verb for residents using vehicles in this context.
- 12. Use direct wording Original: engender Suggested revision: create Why it matters: Create expresses the intended result more directly and naturally.
Suggested Rewrites
- shifting attitudes to personal space changing attitudes toward behaviour in public spaces
- residential figures urban populations
- the its
- adaptations by the authorities measures taken by the authorities
- include more structures include more sound-absorbing features
- softer padding more sound-absorbent materials
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response addresses both parts directly and develops a clear causal chain from urban growth and changing public behaviour to practical design-based remedies. Its main limitation is that some proposed measures, particularly statues and softer padding, are asserted more than demonstrated, while a few collocations sound unnatural. The highest-priority improvement is to explain the likely scale and mechanism of each solution with a more concrete example.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both causes and solutions are addressed directly, with relevant ideas extended through explanation and examples.
Demonstrate more convincingly how each design measure would produce a meaningful reduction in city noise.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument progresses logically through well-focused paragraphs, and cohesive devices guide the reader smoothly.
Tighten the long solution paragraph by grouping the design measures around one explicit organising principle.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is wide and flexible, although expressions such as "residential figures" and "novel counters" are slightly unnatural.
Choose more idiomatic collocations, such as "urban population" and "innovative measures," while retaining the current range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide variety of complex structures is used accurately, with only minor punctuation and phrasing lapses.
Review punctuation around conjunctive adverbs such as "however" to eliminate the remaining sentence-boundary slips.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
There is too much noise in many public places in cities. What are the causes of this problem? What can be done to solve the problem?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.