IELTS Task 2 sample essay: Unaffordable Housing
Problem / solutionCities and transport
The question
In many cities, housing has become too expensive for ordinary people. What are the causes of this problem, and what solutions can you suggest?
Try writing your own answer first, then compare. Reading a model before you write tends to make you copy it.
The plan
Position: Causes: too few homes and housing treated as an investment. Solutions: build more, and use tax to discourage empty and speculative ownership.
- Cause: supply has not kept up with jobs and population in cities.
- Solution: release land and fund affordable homes; tax empty and second homes.
Model answer
280 wordsIn many cities, ordinary workers can no longer afford to rent or buy a home near their jobs. This problem stems mainly from a shortage of new housing and from homes being treated as investments, and it can be reduced by building more and discouraging speculation.
The most basic cause is supply. Jobs and young people concentrate in successful cities, but new housing is often slow to follow because of strict planning rules, limited land and opposition from existing residents. When demand rises faster than the number of homes, prices and rents rise with it. A second cause is that property has become a favoured investment. Wealthy buyers, both local and foreign, purchase flats they do not live in, sometimes leaving them empty, which removes homes from the market and pushes prices further from local incomes.
Both causes can be addressed. Governments could release unused public land and simplify planning for homes near transport links, while requiring a share of every new development to be affordable for people on average wages. Councils could also build housing directly, as many did successfully in the past. To deal with speculation, higher taxes on empty properties and second homes would make it less attractive to hold housing as an asset, encouraging owners to sell or rent to people who need somewhere to live.
These measures take time, and new homes cannot be built overnight. In the meantime, limits on sudden rent increases could protect tenants from being forced out.
In conclusion, unaffordable housing results from too few homes and too much speculation. Building more, especially affordable homes, and taxing empty and second properties would gradually bring housing back within reach of ordinary people.
Scored by the MyBandPrep checker on 7 October 2026. An estimate, not an examiner’s mark. How scoring works
Why it works
- Task Response
- Two causes, each explained, and solutions that answer each cause directly, plus a realistic short-term measure.
- Coherence and Cohesion
- Each body paragraph has a single function, with “Both causes can be addressed” as a clear bridge.
- Lexical Resource
- Specific topic vocabulary: “planning rules”, “speculation”, “release unused public land”.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- Accurate complex structures, including passives and participle clauses.
Phrases worth reusing
- stems mainly from
- demand rises faster than
- a favoured investment
- back within reach of ordinary people
- cannot be built overnight
Now write your own
Answer this question in 40 minutes and get an estimated band with the sentences to fix.