Some people think that living in big cities is bad for people's health.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 2 question on IELTSX. Some people think that living in big cities is bad for people's health.

Living in big cities is bad for people health - IELTS Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Write at least 250 words.

A student's answer to this task, and the feedback on it

Written by an IELTSX user under exam conditions and published unedited and anonymously. Band 7 ยท 318 words.

Big cities are known to be a threat to one's health nowadays. While some argue that concrete jungles have a negative effect on people's health because of pollution like air and noise pollution, I do firmly believe the reverse is true nowadays, with rural areas being the most commonplace with factories and farming.

On the one hand, it is conceded that cities pose health issues, since major global problems are prevalent. It is believed that pollution is the main factor, like noise pollution leading to a stressful life or air pollution, which is thought to overtake city places, encouraging cardiovascular diseases. The everyday hustle and bustle of the city may annoy individuals, sometimes even evoking anger, thus leading to stress. In addition to that, a vast number of means of transport are known to produce CO2 emissions, polluting the air, which in turn can lead to diseases related to the heart or lungs.

On the other hand, rural areas should be the main concern. Since many factories are run in the outskirts, it is self-evident that most of the emissions are produced there, and there is more risk of the outbreak of various diseases, such as asthma or cancer. Moreover, many suburban areas are heavily focused on agricultural practices, running horse farming, cattle farming, or plantations. These practices, however, may lead to some serious problems instead of benefiting. Horse manure or the excessive use of fertilizers make it the ground for breeding some insects like home ants or fungi. As a result, the spread of various illnesses is ubiquitous in rural rather than in urban areas, leading to more health risks.

In conclusion, while some believe that living in big cities can affect one's overall well-being due to noise and air pollution, I strongly disagree with this statement, since outskirts pose serious health issues with factories and farming practices leading to the main pollutants spreading across the area.

Examiner feedback

The essay successfully addresses the prompt by taking a clear position and supporting it with well-organized arguments comparing urban and rural health risks. Coherence, lexical resource, and grammatical accuracy all demonstrate solid Band 7 performance with appropriate paragraphing and varied structures.

Task Response - 7

- Fully addresses the prompt by taking a clear counter-position regarding urban versus rural health risks. - Presents developed main ideas supported by relevant explanations. - Maintains a clear position throughout, though some rural arguments are slightly generalized.

Coherence & Cohesion - 7

- Logically organizes information with a clear progression from introduction to body paragraphs and conclusion. - Uses appropriate cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand' and 'Moreover'. - Establishes a clear central topic within each paragraph.

Lexical Resource - 7

- Uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow flexibility and precision like 'concrete jungles' and 'ubiquitous'. - Incorporates less common lexical items with awareness of style. - Minor collocation inaccuracies do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 7

- Employs a variety of complex structures with frequent error-free sentences. - Demonstrates good control of grammar and punctuation overall. - Minor awkward phrasing occurs but does not reduce clarity.

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