2025-08-20

IELTS Writing Task 2 Discussion — Housing Prices: 15 Common Mistakes and Fixes

Master IELTS Writing Task 2 housing prices discussion essays with advanced real estate economics and urban planning vocabulary, Band 9 samples, and expert strategies for consistent Band 7+ scores.

This comprehensive guide addresses the 15 most common mistakes students make in IELTS Writing Task 2 housing prices discussion essays and provides expert fixes for achieving Band 7-9 scores. Master sophisticated real estate terminology, proven essay structures, and advanced argumentation techniques while learning from detailed Band 9 sample analysis and examiner insights.

Housing prices discussion essays challenge candidates to explore complex relationships between property markets, government regulation, economic factors, and social equity. Success requires sophisticated vocabulary, balanced argumentation, and nuanced understanding of housing economics' multifaceted impact on individuals, communities, and national economies.

Housing prices discussion questions in IELTS Task 2 typically present contrasting viewpoints about government intervention, market forces, affordability solutions, or regulatory approaches. Your task is to present both perspectives fairly while demonstrating sophisticated understanding of real estate economics and urban planning principles.

Common housing prices discussion topics include:

  • Market-driven pricing versus government price controls
  • Housing subsidies versus free market solutions
  • Foreign investment restrictions versus open market policies
  • Social housing programs versus private sector development
  • Rent control measures versus landlord property rights
  • Urban density policies versus suburban expansion strategies

Success demands demonstrating nuanced understanding of how housing markets intersect with economics, demographics, policy-making, and social welfare while maintaining analytical objectivity and balanced perspective.

Mistake 1: Oversimplified Housing Market Arguments

Common Error: "Houses are too expensive so the government should make them cheaper for people to buy."

Why It's Wrong: This lacks analytical depth expected at higher band levels. Housing markets involve complex interactions between supply-demand dynamics, interest rates, zoning regulations, construction costs, and demographic trends requiring sophisticated analysis.

Expert Fix: "Contemporary housing affordability challenges reflect complex interactions between supply constraints, monetary policy impacts, regulatory frameworks, demographic pressures, and investment capital flows, necessitating multifaceted policy responses addressing both market mechanisms and social equity considerations."

Advanced Vocabulary: supply constraints, monetary policy impacts, regulatory frameworks, demographic pressures, investment capital flows

Mistake 2: Confusing Discussion with Personal Housing Experience

Common Error: Beginning with "I think housing prices are too high because my family can't afford to buy a house in our city."

Why It's Wrong: Discussion essays require objective analysis of different viewpoints, not personal opinions or individual housing experiences.

Expert Fix: Begin analytically: "Housing economists and urban planners continue debating whether market-based pricing mechanisms or regulatory intervention more effectively address housing affordability while balancing economic efficiency with social equity and sustainable urban development."

Mistake 3: Limited Housing Economics Vocabulary Range

Common Error: Repeatedly using basic terms like "expensive," "cheap," "houses," "buying," "prices."

Why It's Wrong: Restricted vocabulary limits band score potential and fails to demonstrate academic writing sophistication in real estate economics.

Expert Fix: Employ sophisticated alternatives:

  • Expensive → unaffordable, cost-prohibitive, price-inflated
  • Cheap → cost-effective, accessible pricing, affordable housing stock
  • Houses → residential properties, housing units, dwelling inventory

Mistake 4: Weak Housing Market Research Examples

Common Error: "In some countries, housing prices are very high and young people cannot buy homes."

Why It's Wrong: Vague references that don't demonstrate analytical thinking or awareness of specific housing policy research.

Expert Fix: "Research by the OECD Housing Database indicates that housing price-to-income ratios in major metropolitan areas have increased 40% since 2000, with cities like Vancouver and Sydney implementing foreign buyer taxes that reduced price growth by 15-20% while increasing affordability for domestic purchasers."

At BabyCode, we've guided 500,000+ students through housing prices discussion essays using our specialized real estate economics vocabulary modules and evidence-based argument development frameworks. Our comprehensive approach helps students master sophisticated housing terminology while developing balanced analytical skills that consistently achieve Band 7+ scores.

Mistake 5: Unbalanced Housing Policy Argument Development

Common Error: Writing 200 words supporting government intervention, 50 words for market solutions.

Why It's Wrong: Discussion essays require approximately equal development of both perspectives to demonstrate comprehensive understanding of housing complexity.

Expert Fix: Allocate 125-140 words to each viewpoint, ensuring thorough analysis with specific examples and supporting evidence for both regulatory and market-based housing approaches.

Mistake 6: Ignoring Housing Market Complexity

Common Error: "The government should just build more houses to solve the housing crisis."

Why It's Wrong: This oversimplifies complex housing systems including land availability, construction capacity, financing mechanisms, zoning restrictions, and infrastructure requirements that influence housing development.

Expert Fix: "Housing supply expansion requires coordinated approaches addressing land use regulations, construction industry capacity, infrastructure financing, environmental constraints, and community planning while ensuring sustainable development that meets diverse housing needs across income levels."

Mistake 7: Poor Housing Statistics Integration

Common Error: "Housing prices have gone up in many cities around the world."

Why It's Wrong: Vague statistics that don't support specific arguments or demonstrate research awareness of housing market trends.

Expert Fix: "According to Knight Frank Global Residential Cities Index, prime residential property prices increased by an average of 7.4% annually across 100 cities between 2020-2024, with regulatory measures like stamp duty increases in London and Sydney correlation with 25% price moderation compared to unrestricted markets."

Mistake 8: Inadequate Social Impact Analysis

Common Error: Focusing exclusively on economic factors without acknowledging social consequences and community impacts.

Why It's Wrong: Modern housing discussions require understanding complex relationships between housing costs, social mobility, community stability, and intergenerational wealth transfer.

Expert Fix: "Housing affordability impacts extend beyond individual financial capacity to encompass community cohesion, educational continuity, social mobility pathways, and intergenerational wealth accumulation while influencing neighborhood demographics, cultural diversity, and economic vitality across metropolitan regions."

Our specialized housing vocabulary system teaches 500+ advanced real estate economics, urban planning, and policy analysis terms through contextual application exercises. Students master sophisticated housing terminology including market dynamics, regulatory frameworks, and financing vocabulary, achieving significant improvements in Task 2 housing essay band scores.

Mistake 9: Weak Transitions Between Housing Arguments

Common Error: "Another advantage of government housing policies is..."

Why It's Wrong: Poor transitions disrupt essay flow and fail to demonstrate advanced academic writing sophistication.

Expert Fix: "Conversely, market-oriented economists emphasize..." or "While regulatory approaches address affordability, free-market advocates highlight..."

Mistake 10: Insufficient International Context Analysis

Common Error: "Every country should use the same housing policies to solve affordability problems."

Why It's Wrong: Lacks nuanced understanding of diverse economic systems, cultural preferences, legal frameworks, and geographic constraints that influence housing policy effectiveness globally.

Expert Fix: "Housing policy effectiveness varies significantly across different economic contexts, with Nordic social housing models succeeding in high-tax welfare states while Singapore's public housing approach reflects unique geographic constraints and authoritarian governance structures that may not translate to democratic market economies."

Mistake 11: Generic Housing Conclusions

Common Error: "Both government control and free markets are important so countries should use both approaches together."

Why It's Wrong: Fails to synthesize arguments or demonstrate sophisticated analysis of integrated housing policy approaches.

Expert Fix: "While both regulatory intervention and market mechanisms offer distinct advantages, optimal housing affordability likely emerges from hybrid frameworks that combine targeted government support with competitive market incentives, ensuring both accessibility and economic efficiency through evidence-based policy calibration."

Mistake 12: Misunderstanding Housing Finance

Common Error: "Banks should give cheaper loans to everyone so they can buy houses more easily."

Why It's Wrong: Oversimplifies complex financial considerations including credit risk assessment, monetary policy, systemic stability, and asset bubble prevention.

Expert Fix: "Housing finance policy requires balancing credit accessibility with systemic financial stability through prudential regulations, down payment requirements, stress testing protocols, and macroprudential measures that prevent speculative bubbles while maintaining lending standards that support sustainable homeownership."

Mistake 13: Poor Infrastructure Integration Analysis

Common Error: "Building more houses will solve the housing shortage problem."

Why It's Wrong: Ignores broader infrastructure considerations including transportation, utilities, schools, healthcare, and employment centers that influence housing viability and community sustainability.

Expert Fix: "Sustainable housing development requires integrated infrastructure planning encompassing transportation networks, utility capacity, educational facilities, healthcare services, and employment accessibility while ensuring environmental sustainability and community amenity provision that supports long-term residential viability."

Mistake 14: Inadequate Demographic Understanding

Common Error: Focusing exclusively on young homebuyers without acknowledging diverse housing needs across demographic groups.

Why It's Wrong: Demonstrates limited understanding of housing markets' complexity involving seniors, families, migrants, students, and diverse income levels with varying housing preferences and constraints.

Expert Fix: "Housing policy effectiveness requires addressing diverse demographic needs including aging populations requiring accessible housing, growing families needing larger units, young professionals seeking urban proximity, and immigrant communities navigating cultural preferences while ensuring inclusive development across income levels and life stages."

Our comprehensive housing writing program combines advanced vocabulary development, balanced argument construction, and detailed evidence-based analysis training. Students receive expert feedback on essay organization, housing terminology usage, and analytical sophistication through our specialized real estate economics assessment system, ensuring consistent Band 7+ performance.

Mistake 15: Weak Environmental Impact Understanding

Common Error: "Building new houses creates jobs and helps the economy without considering any negative effects."

Why It's Wrong: Oversimplifies complex environmental considerations including land use, carbon emissions, resource consumption, and sustainable development that influence housing policy decisions.

Expert Fix: "Housing development sustainability requires balancing economic growth with environmental stewardship through green building standards, brownfield redevelopment, public transit integration, and energy-efficient design while minimizing urban sprawl and preserving agricultural land and natural ecosystems."

Question: Some people believe that government intervention is necessary to control housing prices and ensure affordability, while others argue that free market forces should determine property values. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Sample Response:

Contemporary housing affordability debates increasingly examine whether regulatory intervention or market mechanisms more effectively balance property accessibility with economic efficiency and sustainable urban development. This fundamental discussion influences urban planning policies, financial regulations, and social welfare approaches across diverse economic and demographic contexts worldwide.

Government intervention advocates emphasize market failure correction, social equity promotion, and community stability that regulatory measures provide through targeted affordability programs and price stabilization mechanisms. Housing subsidies, rent control policies, and social housing development enable lower-income households to access stable accommodation while preventing displacement from gentrification and speculative investment. Regulatory frameworks can implement inclusionary zoning requirements, foreign buyer taxes, and vacant property levies that prioritize community needs over investment returns while maintaining neighborhood character and socioeconomic diversity. Furthermore, government intervention addresses information asymmetries, prevents discriminatory practices, and ensures housing quality standards that protect vulnerable populations from exploitation while promoting long-term community development and social cohesion.

Conversely, free market supporters argue that supply-demand dynamics, price signals, and competitive forces more efficiently allocate housing resources while encouraging innovation, quality improvement, and responsive development. Market pricing reflects true scarcity values, encourages efficient land use, and incentivizes construction industry investment that expands housing supply through competitive development processes. Deregulated markets attract private capital, reduce bureaucratic delays, and enable flexible responses to changing demographics and preferences while promoting economic growth and employment creation. Additionally, market mechanisms reward quality construction, neighborhood improvements, and maintenance investment through property value appreciation while preventing government resource misallocation and reducing taxpayer burden through private sector efficiency.

In my opinion, effective housing policy requires balanced approaches that combine targeted government intervention with competitive market incentives, recognizing that pure market solutions may inadequately serve low-income populations while excessive regulation can stifle supply and innovation, necessitating evidence-based calibration adapted to local economic conditions and social priorities.

Analysis:

  • Task Response: Comprehensively addresses both viewpoints with clear, well-reasoned personal opinion emphasizing balanced approaches
  • Vocabulary: Sophisticated housing terminology (regulatory intervention, inclusionary zoning, price signals, gentrification, information asymmetries)
  • Grammar: Complex sentence structures demonstrating advanced language control and academic register
  • Coherence: Logical progression with effective transitions connecting housing policy arguments
  • Examples: Specific, relevant examples (foreign buyer taxes, rent control, zoning requirements, social housing programs)

Real Estate Economics

  • Property market dynamics analysis
  • Housing price-to-income ratios
  • Affordability index calculations
  • Market speculation management
  • Investment capital flow regulation
  • Asset bubble prevention strategies

Government Housing Policy

  • Inclusionary zoning implementation
  • Social housing program development
  • Rental assistance program administration
  • Foreign buyer tax application
  • Vacant property levy enforcement
  • Rent stabilization mechanism design

Urban Planning Integration

  • Transit-oriented development planning
  • Mixed-use zoning optimization
  • Brownfield redevelopment incentives
  • Infrastructure capacity assessment
  • Community amenity provision requirements
  • Environmental sustainability standards

Housing Finance Mechanisms

  • Mortgage lending standard regulation
  • Down payment assistance programs
  • Shared equity loan structures
  • Housing trust fund administration
  • Tax increment financing utilization
  • Public-private partnership development

Our comprehensive housing vocabulary platform ensures students master sophisticated real estate economics terminology through contextual application and repeated practice. The system's intelligent tracking monitors vocabulary development progress while providing personalized recommendations for expanding housing policy and urban economics writing capabilities.

  1. Some people believe that foreign investment in residential property should be restricted to protect local housing affordability, while others argue that international capital improves housing quality and economic growth. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

  2. Rent control policies versus free market rental pricing each have supporters among housing economists. Discuss both perspectives and provide your viewpoint.

  3. Some argue that social housing programs effectively address homelessness and poverty, while others believe they create dependency and reduce work incentives. Discuss both views and state your opinion.

  4. High-density urban development versus suburban sprawl continue generating debate among urban planners. Discuss both approaches and give your own view.

  5. Some people think that housing should be treated as a human right with guaranteed government provision, while others believe property ownership reflects personal responsibility and market success. Discuss both viewpoints and provide your opinion.

Structure Mastery

  • Introduction: Present both housing policy perspectives with balanced consideration
  • Body Paragraph 1: Develop government intervention arguments with regulatory evidence
  • Body Paragraph 2: Analyze free market benefits comprehensively
  • Conclusion: Synthesize arguments with integrated housing policy philosophy

Vocabulary Enhancement Techniques

  • Replace basic housing terms with sophisticated real estate economics alternatives
  • Integrate urban planning terminology and policy concepts appropriately
  • Use evidence-based research and housing market collocations accurately
  • Demonstrate understanding of housing complexity while maintaining clarity

Example Development Strategies

  • Reference specific housing policies or market interventions
  • Include relevant statistical findings about affordability and price trends
  • Compare different national approaches to housing regulation and market management
  • Analyze real-world housing programs and their documented outcomes

Our comprehensive housing writing program combines advanced vocabulary development, balanced argument construction, and detailed evidence-based analysis training. Students receive expert feedback on essay organization, housing terminology usage, and analytical sophistication through our specialized real estate economics writing assessment system, ensuring consistent Band 7+ performance.

Q: How can I quickly develop sophisticated housing vocabulary for IELTS Writing? A: Focus on learning real estate economics and urban planning collocations in academic contexts rather than basic property terms. Practice using expressions like "inclusionary zoning," "affordability index," and "market speculation" in complete analytical sentences. Read housing policy research to understand sophisticated terminology usage patterns.

Q: What's the optimal essay structure for housing prices discussion questions? A: Use a balanced 4-paragraph structure: introduction presenting both housing perspectives, two body paragraphs with equal development (approximately 130-145 words each), and conclusion synthesizing arguments with your housing policy philosophy. Maintain 290-310 words total for comprehensive analysis.

Q: How do I avoid oversimplifying complex housing market topics? A: Acknowledge multiple factors influencing housing costs. Instead of stating "houses are expensive," discuss "housing affordability challenges reflect complex interactions between supply constraints, monetary policy, demographic pressures, and regulatory frameworks requiring comprehensive policy responses addressing both market efficiency and social equity."

Q: Should I include personal housing experiences in my discussion essay? A: Avoid personal anecdotes entirely. Focus on housing research, policy analysis, market studies, and comparative international approaches. Maintain objective, analytical tone throughout while demonstrating sophisticated understanding of housing economics and policy complexity.

Q: How can I make my housing arguments more academically sophisticated? A: Integrate real estate economics concepts, urban planning principles, policy analysis frameworks, and demographic considerations. Discuss evidence-based effectiveness, sustainability implications, and social equity rather than simple affordability complaints or basic market observations.

Expand your IELTS Writing expertise with these complementary housing and economics resources:

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