Tool or game
Lesson
Speaking Part 3: Cities and community
Abstract Part 3 questions about community, change and the future of cities. Practise topic vocabulary, comparing past and present, and building a nuanced answer.
Abstract questions need abstract nouns
Part 3 rewards precise vocabulary for ideas, not just things:
| Idea | Vocabulary |
|---|---|
| Belonging | a sense of community / belonging, social cohesion, close-knit |
| City life | anonymity, isolation, urban sprawl, high-density housing |
| Change | gentrification, displacement, regeneration |
In a close-knit village, everyone knows everyone, whereas big cities offer a degree of anonymity that some people find liberating and others find isolating.
Comparing past and present
Compared with a generation ago,… · There used to be…, whereas now… · People are far less likely to… than they once were.
Nuance: two sides of one answer
The highest-scoring answers show that an issue is complex:
On the one hand, regeneration brings investment. But it can also lead to displacement, when long-term residents are priced out by rising rents.
Practise freely
Questions 1–6
Match each term with its meaning, A–G. There is one meaning you don't need.
-
anonymity
-
gentrification
-
urban sprawl
-
social cohesion
-
close-knit
-
displacement
Questions 7–8
Choose the answer that would score highest.
-
"Do people feel less connected to their neighbours than in the past?"
-
"Is regeneration of old city areas always positive?"
Your turn: a Part 3 discussion
Answer each question for 40–60 seconds.
- Why do some people feel lonely in big cities?
- How have neighbourhoods in your country changed in the last twenty years?
- What can city planners do to create a stronger sense of community?
- Do you think more people will choose to live in small towns in the future?
Speaking
4:00
Your recording stays on this device. Nothing is uploaded.
Check your answer
Model answer
1. It sounds paradoxical, being surrounded by millions of people and still feeling alone, but I think it's precisely the anonymity that causes it. In a village, people notice if you haven't been seen for a few days. In a city, you can go weeks without a meaningful conversation, especially if you've moved there for work and your family is elsewhere.
2. In Bangladesh, the biggest change has been the shift from houses to high-density apartment blocks. A generation ago, families in a neighbourhood often knew each other for decades. Now people move more frequently, and in many buildings neighbours barely know each other's names. Having said that, local social media groups have revived a sense of community in some areas, for things like lost pets or power cuts.
3. I'd say the most effective thing is to design spaces where people naturally meet: small parks, wide pavements, and markets rather than huge shopping centres. Planners could also make sure regeneration doesn't price out existing residents, because a community can't develop if people are constantly being displaced.
4. Possibly, yes, at least among people who can work remotely. If reliable internet reaches smaller towns, they offer cheaper housing and a slower pace of life, which is very attractive. But I suspect that for most young people, the jobs and opportunities in big cities will remain hard to give up.
