IELTS General Writing Task 2 — Practice Draft

Some people think that there are now too many cars on the roads and that they are spoiling our towns and cities. Do you agree or disagree? (Version 2)

A One-Sided Opinion Essay
with a Funnel Approach Introduction

Never have cars been so affordable as these days. And now, the fleet of private vehicles in many metropolises has become a pressing issue. In the past, the car was a privilege of the very few. Yet today, seemingly due to the steady growth of the economy whilst a substantial plummeting in cars' prices, private vehicles have entered on the middle-class' radars, flooding the roads of many countries in turn. The consequences of such a trend, however, have been catastrophic.

Being regarded by some as an icon of the modern world, private vehicles have taken over the roads of many cities. From chaotic traffic jams to the high levels of air pollution, the intense use of cars acts as the catalyst to a myriad of problems. Worse, on behalf of boosting the economy, these drawbacks have been swept under the carpet thus far.

The stakes, however, have changed. And today, the levels of pollution are such that it might be impossible to reverse, some evidence would suggest. What is more, many cities have been shaped focusing mainly on private cars, leaving few or no public space for social gathering. In fact, many have been reclaiming the cities back, demanding the creation of public spaces, such as parks, squares and the like, instead of car parks.

Hence, that this is a wide and far-reaching issue with no clear outcomes is more than overt. And yet, I believe that cities should be far more people-oriented, prioritising pedestrians and both collective and environmental friendly forms of transport. Regardless, if no action is taken immediately to curb the rise in the number of cars, I fear that the life in cities might even worsen.