Sample essay: opinion

A sample answer written by us, with comments on how it meets each criterion. We do not give it a band: only certificated IELTS examiners award bands.

The question

Some people say that the best way to reduce traffic in cities is to make public transport free. To what extent do you agree?

Sample answer

Traffic congestion is one of the most serious problems of modern cities, and free public transport is often suggested as the answer. While I agree that lower fares would help, I do not believe that this alone is the best solution.

There is a clear argument in favour of the idea. For many families the cost of bus and metro tickets is a real burden, so removing fares would persuade some drivers to leave their cars at home. A person who pays nothing for the journey to work has a strong reason to use the bus, especially when fuel and parking are expensive.

However, price is not the main reason why people drive. In my experience, most commuters choose a car or a motorcycle because it is quicker and more convenient. If buses are crowded, slow and unreliable, people will avoid them even when they are free. Moreover, a city that collects no fares has less money to spend on new routes and vehicles, so the service may become worse, not better.

For this reason, I think the money would be better spent on improving the system itself. More frequent services, separate bus lanes and safe, clean stations would attract far more passengers than free tickets. These measures could be combined with higher parking charges in the centre, which would discourage unnecessary car journeys.

In conclusion, although free travel would bring some benefit, I believe that a fast and reliable service is a more effective way to reduce traffic. People will give up their cars only when public transport is genuinely the better choice.

About 265 words.

Comments

Task response. The question asks "to what extent". The introduction gives a clear position, partial agreement, and every paragraph supports it. The conclusion repeats the position in new words.
Coherence and cohesion. Five paragraphs, each with one job: position, the case for, the case against, a better alternative, conclusion. Connectors are few and logical: while, however, moreover, for this reason, although.
Lexical resource. Topic vocabulary is used precisely: congestion, fares, commuters, unreliable, bus lanes, parking charges. Collocations are natural: a real burden, a strong reason, unnecessary journeys.
Grammatical range and accuracy. There is a mixture of simple and complex sentences: conditionals ("If buses are crowded, ... people will avoid them"), relative clauses ("which would discourage ..."), and concession ("although ...").

What to copy, and what not to

Copy the method: a position in the introduction, one idea to a paragraph, examples from ordinary life, a conclusion that answers the question. Do not memorise the essay. The official criteria say that memorised or plagiarised scripts may be penalised, and a learned essay never quite fits a new question.

Try it yourself

Write your own answer to the same question taking the opposite position, that free transport is the best solution. Then choose another from our practice questions.

Sample essay: discuss both views All writing pages

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