In this post: Cities, the countryside and housing, then social issues such as health, longevity, inequality and risk.
Task 2 Topic Vocabulary (2) · 3 parts
- 1. Culture, media and crime
- 2. Cities, housing and society (you are here)
- 3. Economy, all-purpose arguments, practice
✦ In this post
4. Cities, the countryside and housing: urbanisation, housing shortages, buying vs renting
Cities, the countryside and housing is the topic where my vocabulary notes are most complete. I wrote about whether people moving from rural areas to cities is positive or negative (Task 6), whether new houses should be built in cities or the countryside, city residents growing distant from their neighbours, cars causing heavy traffic, and “why do people in some countries insist on owning a home?” (Task 41, overall 7.5).
Core vocabulary
| Word / phrase | Meaning | Common collocations | My sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| urban areas / metropolitan areas | cities | urbanization, urban centres | (notes) urban area, metropolitan area, cityscape, urban landscape |
| rural areas / the countryside | areas outside towns and cities | Note: suburban means on the edge of a city, not the countryside | In Task 6 I wrote suburban for rural, and the meaning drifted. |
| residents / inhabitants | people who live in a place | Don’t use dwellers | Some people reckon that the residents in these nations… |
| infrastructure | basic facilities such as roads, hospitals and schools | uncountable; well-established infrastructure | Infrastructure such as hospitals and schools is already well established (rewritten) |
| job vacancies / employment opportunities | open positions / chances to find work | a vast number of job vacancies | (notes) benefit of cities: greater employment opportunities |
| close-knit communities | communities where people know and support each other | — | (notes) benefits of the countryside: peaceful environment, lower cost of living, scenic landscapes |
| traffic congestion | roads blocked by too much traffic | heavy traffic, overcapacity of public transport | (notes) urban problems: noise pollution, limited personal space, social isolation |
| the cost of living | how much it costs to live somewhere | the cost of living increases | the cost of living increases because of the scarcity of fundamental materials like housing and foods (Task 6) |
| the scarcity of housing | a shortage of homes | become increasingly pronounced | as the global population continues to grow, the scarcity of housing has become increasingly pronounced |
| erode the sense of community | gradually weaken neighbourly ties | — | interactions between neighbours have become increasingly infrequent, eroding the sense of community |
| narrow the gap between cities and the countryside | reduce urban–rural inequality | — | the new constructions in the suburban area help to narrow the gap between cities and the countryside |
| a symbol of social status | something that shows a person’s position in society | houses represent social status | Another factor is that houses sometimes represent social status (Task 41, corrected) |
| the gap between rich and poor | inequality of wealth | increase / widen the gap | this situation will increase the gap between rich and poor in the community (Task 41) |
Arguments you can use
| Position | Arguments | Examples you can use |
|---|---|---|
| Rural-to-urban migration is negative | ① Rural areas lose workers, so development stalls ② Cities become overcrowded; living costs rise and quality of life falls | Many rural construction projects stall because there aren’t enough workers. |
| Build new houses in cities | ① Convenient: no need to wait for new facilities ② Saves government money, since infrastructure already exists | Hospitals and schools in Taipei are already in place, so people can move in as soon as houses are finished. |
| Build new houses in the countryside | ① Better quality of life: a slower pace, affordable prices, close relationships ② Narrows the urban–rural gap | New towns drive rural development. |
| Why neighbours grow apart | ① Different working hours, so they never meet ② People search online first instead of asking neighbours for help | When there’s a problem, people google it rather than knock on a neighbour’s door. |
| Solutions | ① Community events ② More public facilities | Community parks, activity centres. |
| The emphasis on owning a home is negative | ① Unfriendly to young people, who can’t afford house prices ② Widens the wealth gap; family background matters more | In traditional Taiwanese culture, a man is often expected to have a home ready before marriage. |
A topic sentence you can adapt, plus an example
Topic sentence: However, I firmly believe that this is a negative development. First and foremost, this situation is unfriendly to the younger generation.
The paragraph I actually wrote (Task 41, corrected): Since the prices of houses are too high for youngsters to afford, it is difficult for them to buy houses when they are still rookies or freshmen in the workplace. Secondly, this situation will increase the gap between rich and poor in the community. When having a house is important, the importance of family backgrounds will be overemphasized simultaneously, further leading to unfairness.
Task 41 scored 8 / 8 / 7 / 8, overall 7.5, one of my highest-scoring essays. My analysis: both questions (why people value owning a home, and whether this is positive or negative) were answered directly, and my position stayed consistent from the introduction to the conclusion. The example, that in Taiwan a man is expected to have a home before marrying, was specific and closely tied to the “social status” argument. However, my original misspelled property as poverty (“own their poverty”), and rookies or freshmen is a little informal for new employees; young professionals or people who have just started working would be better.
5. Social issues: health, longevity, inequality and risk
Social issues is the most mixed section of my notes. I’ve picked the four types that come up most often: health (fast food and sugary food), longevity and population ageing, inequality, and taking risks.
Core vocabulary
| Word / phrase | Meaning | Common collocations | My sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| life expectancy | how long people live on average | life expectancy is increasing | With the improvement of the medical care, life expectancy of human beings has increased in decades (more natural: in recent decades) |
| an ageing / aging population | a population with a growing share of older people | — | aging population poses financial burden on both the government and households (burden is countable here, so it needs a) |
| be strained | (of services) under pressure | the medical service will be strained | the medical service will be strained if the number of the old generation increases |
| retirement age / pension | the age people stop working / regular payments after retiring | be eligible to receive a pension | (phrase from my notes) who will be eligible to receive a pension |
| alleviate one’s burden | reduce someone’s load | — | the help from the elderly can undoubtedly alleviate their burden as well as the expenditure on babysitters |
| invaluable insights | extremely useful understanding | — | the invaluable insights they give to younger generation (a group name needs the) |
| the underprivileged / the financially disadvantaged | people with fewer advantages / people on low incomes | — | some underprivileged individuals in such countries cannot enjoy the advantages of a happy life |
| wealth distribution | how wealth is shared across society | — | the wealth distribution can give them a chance to more fulfilling lives (missing a verb: a chance to lead more fulfilling lives) |
| take risks | do something that might fail or be dangerous | in personal and professional lives | if we take risks in the workplace, we may reach better chances to get a promotion or higher salary |
| go bankrupt | be unable to pay debts | — | we may go bankrupt as a result of inappropriate conduct of investing in risky portfolios (corrected) |
| in a destructive manner | in a way that causes damage | — | risks may impact our lives in a destructive manner simultaneously |
| impose a higher tax on | tax something more heavily | impose a tax on junk food | Some people state that this problem can be solved if the authorities concerned impose related taxes |
| an unbalanced diet | a diet lacking the right mix of foods | — | increasing the price of sugary products will result in an unbalanced diet (Task 7) |
Arguments you can use
| Position | Arguments | Examples you can use |
|---|---|---|
| Downsides of an ageing population | ① A financial burden on governments and families ② Strained healthcare that crowds out spending on other sectors | Training doctors and nurses takes a lot of money and time. |
| Upsides of an ageing population | ① Grandparents help with childcare, easing the load and babysitting costs for working parents ② They share life experience and valuable insights | Young people asking older relatives for career advice. |
| Richer countries make people happier | ① A budget for more leisure facilities ② Redistribution improves life for the disadvantaged | The large resorts in Singapore and Macau. |
| Benefits of taking risks | ① At work: better promotion and pay ② Personally: investments may bring high returns | Shares are riskier than bonds but can earn more. |
| Drawbacks of taking risks | ① Losing your job, sacrificing health and family time ② Bankruptcy from bad investments; injuries from extreme sports | Giant swings, skydiving, bungee jumping. |
| Against raising the price of sugary food | ① Unfair to people on low incomes ② Education is more effective | Higher prices raise manufacturers’ revenue, which might even lead them to produce more. |
A topic sentence you can adapt, plus an example
Topic sentence: On the contrary, the advantages of an aging population surpass the disadvantages.
My supporting reason: Firstly, old people can assist in taking care of their grandchildren, further relieving their offspring’s pressure. In other words, since modern parents tend to work during weekdays, the help from the elderly can undoubtedly alleviate their burden as well as the expenditure on babysitters.
The strength of this argument is that it is grounded in everyday life: almost everyone can think of an example from people they know. My notes also remind me that for topics like this, personal experience or everyday examples are enough, so don’t force in statistics. An everyday example explains cause and effect clearly and is more convincing than an invented percentage.
Continue reading · Part 3 of 3
IELTS Notes in English · Writing Language (post 4 of 4)
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✦ Target Your Future
Some days you practise for hours and the score still does not move. I hope these notes remind you that the setbacks are part of the road: every recording you replayed, every essay you rewrote and every sentence you finally dared to say is progress you have already made.
I wrote this down so the next person can take fewer detours. You do not have to follow my method exactly. Find a rhythm that works for you, rest when you need to, and come back for the next small step.
I hope what you take away is more than a number on a score report: a little more confidence in yourself, and the courage to step a bit closer to the world.
— Ting
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