Model answer for a two-part question essay on homes and housing.
This task was in the Cambridge IELTS 16 book about learning the background of ones home.
At first, you must look at the general topic, which in this case is about housing, then analyse the task to find out what you need to write about and the type of essay it is. In this case, it has two questions in the instruction words so this is a two-part question essay (direct questions essay). Take a look at how I have structured this and given specific examples to support the main ideas.
After paraphrasing the task question, answer both questions from the task in the thesis statement. Keep the introduction concise though at under 60 words.
Model Answer
In many countries, increasing numbers of people are becoming interested in learning about the history of the house or building where they live. What are the reasons behind this? How can individuals research this?
More and more people are becoming interested in researching the history of the building they live in. This is because they are curious about uncovering stories of previous residents, as well as the home’s architectural history. The best way to research this is by going through city hall property records as well as online resources.
It is becoming a common pastime for those who live in old houses to discover more about how their abode was constructed and the lives of the people that lived there. In the UK particularly, many Georgian and Victorian houses have fascinating architecture and are made from high-quality materials. Furthermore, there may be rumours about strange incidents that happened in the past. For instance, in ‘Skaill House’, Scotland, there were numerous sightings of ghosts in the 1800s. Moreover, there are stories in many parts of England of unexplained happenings and eccentric residents in 19th-century homes that tend to appeal to the morbid fascination of new residents.
The best way to investigate this is to search old deeds and census records at the city hall. This is because most city halls in the UK contain extensive housing information dating back to the 17th century. Many of these records hold intriguing details about the residents lives at the time. Additionally, there is a wide range of websites that deal with these matters where the user can pay a signup fee to uncover detailed information on their homes. For example, the website for the ‘national registry of historic places’ in the UK contains a list of buildings categorised according to architectural style and famous past owners.
To conclude, residents of old buildings desire to find out about previous owners and how their homes were constructed. Resources on the internet and land registry records at town halls are the most effective methods in researching this.
305 words
Task from the Cambridge IELTS 16 book.
Notes.
This answer is specific to the UK as I have mentioned the architectural era, Georgian and Victorian houses, which are common in England / London.
The answer will vary depending on homes in your country, so you would need to take 10 minutes to plan this essay to think of relevant ideas and supporting points.
Vocabulary: property records / city hall / town hall / deeds / residents / land registry / abode / morbid fascination / intriguing / fascinating / eccentric residents / unexplained happenings / architecture.
Above is some of the vocabulary I used in the essay that would indicate a good score in this section of the marking criteria.