Ielts writing Essentials (book 2)

TOPIC NO. 19
IMPROVE THE ISOLATED LIVES OF CITIES
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
With the increasing number of people in cities, most do not know their neighbours and the
sense of community is lost. What is causing this? How can we turn it around?
You should write at least 250 words.
The life of people in the city, unlike in the countryside, is generally characterised by a lack of
community feeling. A number of reasons can be attributed to this tendency among city
dwellers. This situation can be addressed effectively if certain proactive steps are taken by the
urban population. One of the major reasons for the isolated lifestyle in cities is the busy
schedule of people due to extended working hours and long commuting time. To explain it
further, many business firms in cities demand their employees to work beyond the usual hours
owing to heavy traffic congestion getting to and fro from work is a time consuming affair.
Even at home, people need to be engaged in their household chores, which leave them with
hardly any time to interact even with their immediate neighbours.
Furthermore, the ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity of people in cities, who come from
different parts of a country or even other nations, does create serious hurdles for easy
socialisation. For instance, in a city like Bangalore presently Bengalura, in India, people from
all parts of the country who speak different languages live in the same apartment building.
This makes it difficult for them to interact easily with each other.
An ideal way to deal with this problem is to encourage people to visit their neighbours on
weekends and make friends with them. For example, occasionally, people who live next door
can be invited for dinner or a special occasion, which can improve the interaction with them.
Joining neighbourhood cultural forums and charity groups is another effective method to
create a sense of community among the city dwellers. For example, families that live in
apartments or housing colonies can form associations and meet occasionally to work for the
welfare of the neighbourhood. Finally, using a common language like English for
communication is also every useful. Such initiatives can definitely enhance a sense of unity
and increase socialisation among people who live in cities.

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