Government should spend money on building train and subway lines to reduce traffic congestion – IELTS Writing Task 2 Discursive Essays

The Essay Writing section of the IELTS Writing Module can be a difficult task for many IELTS Aspirants. Thus, it is vital that you polish your essay writing skills before attempting the IELTS.

Below is a sample IELTS Essay for the IELTS Essay topic:

Some people believe government should spend money on building train and subway lines to reduce traffic congestion. Others think that building more and wider roads is the better way to reduce traffic congestion. Discuss both views and give your opinion. OR

Some people think that governments should spend money on railways. Others believe that there should be more investment into new roads. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

Band 8.5 Sample Essay 1:

Traffic congestion has become the bane of citizens in many parts of the world. In order to mitigate this problem, some suggest that public transportation, such as trains and subway lines should be constructed. Meanwhile, others are firm in their belief that building wider roads makes more sense. Both of these methods will be analysed below.

On the one hand, building trains is an effective method to improve traffic condition. There is compelling evidence to support investment in public transportation. In countries where subway systems are up to standard, the number of private vehicles that participate in traffic is small, and city dwellers can save hours of delay and also thousands of dollars on travel expenses. That is not to mention a significant number of gallons of fuel saved, which means slowing down the exploitation of natural resources.

There are, however, others who express doubts on this approach. Their suggestion is that a better way to alleviate traffic jam is to make bigger road systems. The undeniable fact is that in many developing countries today, roads are narrow and in a desperate state of disrepair, which greatly obstructs the travels to their destinations. Someone’s small accidents, a flat tyre, for example, can bring traffic to a halt, which is a commonly-seen problem in roads that have only two lanes.

To conclude, both methods discussed above provide sustained relief on our roadways; however, it is my opinion that the method to build trains and subway makes more sense in terms of environmental protection.

Band 8.0 Model Essay 2:

The high volume of traffic is a huge problem for many big cities. Therefore, there is a widely held view among a number of people that governmental bodies should pour money in building such public transport systems as train and subway lines. Others, however, argue that road expansion is the more proper way. To my mind, though widening streets benefits us, this can not alleviate traffic congestion.

It is not by chance that developing public vehicles is considered one of the common approaches to reduce traffic jams. To day, people have indeed used too many private vehicles whose disadvantages can be listed. The long line of cars at peak hours is a typical example, which may lead to lengthy delays. This can also cause other serious consequences such as traffic accidents. Accordingly, it is widely believed that building underground tunnels can solve heavy traffic jams due to empty spaces beneath the ground.

However, according to others, road extension is a better alternative because this solution does not demand more efforts. Also, extending road does not seem as costly as developing underground transport systems. Another reason for this is that bigger roads will create more spaces for vehicle owners, helping them to circulate easily during peak hours. By doing so, traffic congestion can be alleviated.

In my opinion, road expansion is not a long-term measure because people tend to drive their vehicles regularly on newly widened streets. In other words, traffic jams might continue to occur. Therefore, government should take other solutions into consideration for safer transportation.

Bonus topics:

1. One way to solve the problem of congestion in cities is to build sky trains which run overhead rather than on or under the ground. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this solution to solve congestion?
2. In a number of countries, some people think it is necessary to spend large sums of money on constructing new railway lines for very fast trains between cities. Others believe the money should be spent on improving existing public transport. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

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