住所偏好題在 2024 重新登榜——疫情後 remote work 改變了通勤模式。本篇示範 Discussion 題雙方並重、最後給出個人立場的標準寫法。

題目

Some people prefer to live in big cities, while others would rather live in small towns or rural areas.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

題型：Discussion (Discuss both views)——必須兩方都展開，再表達自己的立場。Task Response 7 的硬要求是「兩方都不能寫得敷衍」。

完整範文（295 字）

¹ Where to settle has become an increasingly fluid decision now that remote working has loosened the link between employment and postcode. ² Each setting offers genuine advantages, and although I see merit in both, I would ultimately favour mid-sized towns over either extreme.

³ Those who choose major cities tend to value the density of opportunity. ⁴ Capitals and regional hubs concentrate employers, universities, hospitals and cultural institutions in ways that smaller settlements cannot match, which translates into faster career progression and broader social exposure. ⁵ A 2024 LinkedIn dataset of 1.2 million UK profiles showed that workers based in London changed roles, on average, every 2.6 years, compared with 4.1 years for their counterparts outside the South East — a difference often credited to sheer proximity to alternatives. ⁶ For ambitious young professionals, this churn is a feature rather than a flaw.

⁷ Advocates of small-town life, conversely, emphasise quality of life. ⁸ Lower housing costs, shorter commutes and tighter neighbourhood ties allow residents to allocate time and money in ways that frantic city life rarely permits. ⁹ Recent moves towards distributed work have made these towns considerably more practical for skilled workers, removing what used to be the decisive trade-off between income and tranquillity.

¹⁰ Personally, I find the case for moderate-sized towns the most persuasive. ¹¹ They retain enough employer choice to keep careers viable, while preserving the affordable housing, walkable streets and human-scale community life that pure metropolitan centres have largely sacrificed. ¹² Provided digital infrastructure continues to improve, this middle path is likely to prove the most sustainable choice for the coming decade.

句句解析

§1 — Intro

  • 句 1 (Context): "Where to settle has become an increasingly fluid decision now that remote working has loosened the link..." — 用「時代背景」開場，loosened the link between employment and postcode 是 Band 7+ 搭配。
  • 句 2 (Thesis): "Each setting offers genuine advantages... I would ultimately favour mid-sized towns over either extreme." — Discussion 題的關鍵：先承認雙方，再給第三選項立場。✓ Task Response

§2 — 大城市方

  • 句 3 (Topic): "Those who choose major cities tend to value the density of opportunity." — density of opportunity 一個 noun phrase 點出主旨。
  • 句 4 (Develop): "Capitals and regional hubs concentrate employers, universities, hospitals and cultural institutions..." — 四 noun 並列，translates into 是 Band 7 動詞。
  • 句 5 (Evidence): "A 2024 LinkedIn dataset... 2.6 years... 4.1 years..." — 數據 + 對比。
  • 句 6 (Punchy close): "For ambitious young professionals, this churn is a feature rather than a flaw." — a feature rather than a flaw 是高階 idiomatic。

§3 — 小鎮方

  • 句 7 (Pivot): "Advocates of small-town life, conversely, emphasise quality of life." — conversely 標記轉折。
  • 句 8 (Develop): "Lower housing costs, shorter commutes and tighter neighbourhood ties allow residents to allocate..." — 三 noun 並列對應 §2 的四 noun。
  • 句 9 (Trend): "Recent moves towards distributed work have made these towns considerably more practical..." — removing what used to be the decisive trade-off 是 reduced relative，文法高階。

§4 — 個人立場 + Conclusion

  • 句 10 (Position): "Personally, I find the case for moderate-sized towns the most persuasive." — Discussion 題必須有獨立立場句。
  • 句 11 (Reason): "They retain enough... while preserving... that pure metropolitan centres have largely sacrificed." — while preserving + relative clause 雙手法。
  • 句 12 (Forward look): "Provided digital infrastructure continues to improve..." — Provided that 條件子句結尾。

四大評分項證據表

| 評分項 | 本篇證據 | Band | |--------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------| | Task Response | 雙方都充分展開（§2 四 noun + 數據；§3 三 noun + trend）；個人立場明確（mid-sized towns）；給出立場理由與條件 | 7 | | Coherence & Cohesion | 段落功能分明；signpost（conversely, Personally, Provided that）；referent 穩定（these towns, this churn） | 7 | | Lexical Resource | Topic-specific（density of opportunity, distributed work, walkable streets, human-scale community）；搭配（loosened the link, allocate time and money） | 7 | | Grammar Range | Reduced relative（removing what used to be...）；participle（preserving the affordable housing）；conditional（Provided digital infrastructure）；em-dash gap | 7 |

三個可複製的動作

1. Discussion 題給「第三立場」

不要只選 A 或 B；句 2 的 "I would ultimately favour mid-sized towns over either extreme" ——一句話把立場升級到 nuanced，Task Response 立刻 7 起跳。

2. a feature rather than a flaw 收尾

§2 句 6 把缺點翻譯成優點。任何 Discussion 題都能套："For [target group], [trait] is a feature rather than a flaw"。

3. Provided that 條件結尾

句 12 的 "Provided digital infrastructure continues to improve" ——結論不寫死，留一個條件，展示 critical thinking。

延伸閱讀：Task 2 五種題型判斷・Task 2 Discussion Essay 範文・Task 2 常考主題 · 城市與居住