top of page

Many Major Cities Today Are Becoming Bigger and More Crowded - Task 2 Band 9 Essay Writing Sample

Updated: Mar 18

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.


Write about the following topic:


Many major cities today are becoming bigger and more crowded.

Why is this happening?

What measures can be taken to solve this problem?


Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experiences.


You should write at least 250 words.


Task 2 Band 9 Essay Sample Answer

Get your personalised IELTS Essay Feedback from a former examiner


Download IELTS eBooks, get everything you need to achieve a high band score



Model Essay 1

In recent times, the expansion and densification of major urban areas have become pronounced phenomena, driven by the allure of better employment prospects and advanced living standards. This essay posits that such growth stems from economic magnetism and the quest for enhanced amenities, and argues that strategic urban planning and investment in rural infrastructure are crucial to mitigating these trends.


The gravitational pull of cities is largely economic. Individuals flock to urban centers in pursuit of diverse job opportunities not found in rural areas, drawn by the promise of higher wages and career progression. This migration is compounded by the superior healthcare, education, and entertainment facilities available in cities, making them attractive living environments despite their crowdedness. However, this influx results in overpopulation, leading to housing shortages, increased living costs, and traffic congestion. To illustrate, cities like Tokyo and New York witness thousands annually migrating for opportunities, exacerbating urban density issues.


Addressing these challenges necessitates a two-pronged approach. Firstly, implementing comprehensive urban planning strategies can enhance living conditions and manage growth more effectively. This includes developing affordable housing projects, expanding public transportation networks, and creating green spaces to improve livability. Singapore’s model of integrated urban planning, which balances residential and commercial development with environmental sustainability, serves as a paradigm. Secondly, bolstering rural economies through investment in infrastructure, education, and technology could reduce the urban-rural divide, diminishing the compulsion to migrate. Initiatives like internet expansion in rural India have shown potential in creating local jobs and retaining populations.


In conclusion, while cities grow due to their economic and social appeal, this trend is not without its drawbacks. Strategic urban planning and rural investment stand out as viable solutions to the challenges posed by urbanization. By adopting such measures, it is possible to create more balanced and sustainable population distributions, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for all residents.


Download IELTS eBooks, get everything you need to achieve a high band score



Model Essay 2

The burgeoning size and density of metropolitan areas today are chiefly the result of enhanced employment opportunities and the pursuit of a higher quality of life. This essay contends that urban migration is fueled by economic and social aspirations, and proposes the decentralization of services and promotion of telecommuting as effective remedies.


Central to the issue is the economic allure of cities. High-paying jobs, often concentrated in technological, financial, and cultural sectors, are predominantly urban phenomena, enticing individuals from varied backgrounds to converge in search of prosperity. For instance, Silicon Valley's tech boom has drawn a global workforce, intensifying the region's population density. Moreover, the social infrastructure of cities, from educational institutions to healthcare facilities, amplifies their attractiveness, though it inadvertently leads to overcrowding, escalating living costs, and environmental degradation.


To alleviate such urban pressures, strategic decentralization of economic activities and services stands paramount. By fostering economic hubs outside major cities, the government can dilute urban concentration. The success of China's policy in developing cities like Chengdu as tech centers underscores the potential of this strategy in reducing metropolitan congestion. Concurrently, promoting telecommuting could further lessen the need for urban migration. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the viability of remote work, significantly reducing the daily influx into city centers and proving that many jobs do not necessitate physical presence, thereby potentially diminishing urban allure.


In sum, while cities continue to grow due to their economic and lifestyle opportunities, adopting policies aimed at decentralizing economic activities and encouraging remote work could mitigate the adverse effects of urbanization. By embracing such strategies, it is conceivable to achieve a more sustainable balance, ensuring cities remain vibrant yet livable spaces for future generations.


Download IELTS eBooks, get everything you need to achieve a high band score



Model Essay 3

Nowadays, the predominant cities around the world are overwhelming sprawling into the suburb as well as extremely overcrowded. The underlying reasons for the phenomena are the number of job vacancies and the fruitful prospects of careers. Those issues can be tackled by the improvement of transportation and the promotion of new industrial areas.


To begin with, the metropolitan offers better job opportunities regardless of the quantity or the quality. To be specific, the multinational headquarters are typically located in capital cities. In most scenarios, the head offices not only hire more professionals than the branches but also align the back-office workers with the top management teams. As a result, surrounding themselves inside the corridors of power is likely to set them apart from their co-workers in other divisions and help them to advance through their careers from knowing influential board members in organizations. Take a banking industry as an example, the headquarter employees account for three times expat opportunities than those in branches. Therefore, staying in major cities represents the more available jobs and the big salary in the near future.


However, the above advantages of major cities can be gradually eliminated by the better public transportation. In other words, the faster and sound public transportation effectively reduce the traffic hours, and also efficiently encourage city residents to move to the satellite towns for spacious living spaces. In addition, the government should promote or provide tax incentives for the big cloud-giant enterprises or small-and-medium start-ups to transfer the headquarters to the undeveloped areas. These policies, in turn, trigger a positive cycle, which creates job vacancies and attracts people to new developing industrial areas. Thus, the quick traffic access and the implementing moving tax subsidies for corporations are the best solutions for congestions in cities.


To sum up, professional advantages are constantly drawing people to the major cities and raising the city population density exponentially; however, this problem can be dealt with the improved transportation system and the decentralisation of the facilities that we can currently avail only in the urban settings.


Get your personalised IELTS Essay Feedback from a former examiner


Download IELTS eBooks, get everything you need to achieve a high band score

bottom of page