Task
Some people prefer to live in a house, while others feel that there are more advantages to living in an apartment.
Are there more advantages than disadvantages of living in a house compared with living in an apartment?
Candidate’s Answer
This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 7.0 score.
In big business cities there are two options available for the type of accommodation: houses and apartments. Some people prefer to live in apartments and some like to live in houses.
In big business cities, where almost everyone is going out daily for work or study, apartments provide a much more comfortable and safe way of living. The advantages include the fact that there is one key and lock they have to take care of, and also the sense of being a part of a big family. Usually a guard sits at the main gate, so children can play around in the compound with their next door friends. In addition, not much daily cleaning is required in apartments as no staircase has to be clean, which is a difficult task—all housewives know it very well. But a key advantage is that it is safe to go on vacation for a long trip.
On the other hand, houses have their own attraction for its inhabitants. Garden lovers usually prefer houses as they can have their own garden. It is also easy to keep a pet, especially a dog in a house because a dog can play around the garden. If someone is interested in maintaining cars himself, it can only be possible in houses where one can have his own garage.
Where people are sometimes much more concerned about their privacy, living in apartments can be very difficult for them. It may also be the case that someone is not able to deal with other people, for instance, next-door neighbors, and than a house can be the best choice for such people.
However, sometimes houses can be a bad choice for low-income people. Maintaining a big house and running it properly can be a problem for such cases.
At the end, I must say both options can be good or bad, depending on the personal considerations. But from my point of view, I must say apartments seem a gift of modern way of life which is not common in my hometown.
Examiner’s Comment
This script is from a very high-level candidate who does not read the task carefully and who loses marks for this and for a lack of paragraphing.
This answer is a sophisticated response to the first question in the task. Reasons for increases in both long-distance and local travel are analysed and argued. However, the second question on the benefits for the traveller is not addressed at all, so the task is only partially answered and this limits the rating. Although the answer is logically organised and ideas are well linked, unfortunately there is no attempt at paragraphing. This makes it more difficult for the reader to identify the main points in the argument. A wide range of language is used naturally and accurately. There are no noticeable mistakes in the use of vocabulary or grammar and only rare lapses in the use of punctuation and spelling. Otherwise, the writer has full control of the language used.
