Band 8 essay sample: noise pollution in cities.

Many city residents now live with a constant background of engines, sirens and drilling. This noise has several clear causes, and while it can never be removed entirely, I believe that smarter transport and planning could reduce it more than most people expect.

The largest source is road traffic, particularly in cities designed around the private car. Every additional vehicle adds to the noise, but heavy trucks and motorbikes contribute far more than their share. Online shopping has also filled residential streets with delivery vans from early morning until the late evening. On the street where I grew up, a new supermarket warehouse brought trucks past our windows every few minutes. Within a year, several families with young children had moved away.

Density is the second major cause. As cities grow upward, homes are built above bars and beside busy junctions, so the same noise reaches more people. When a rooftop bar opened above my sister's apartment, she began sleeping with earplugs every weekend. Building work is particularly disruptive, since it often begins at dawn and can continue for years in a fast-changing neighborhood.

Fortunately, most of the noise comes from sources that can be managed. Electric buses and delivery vans are almost silent at low speeds, and lower speed limits in residential areas reduce both tire noise and accidents. Planning rules matter just as much: if new apartments beside main roads needed thick windows and bedrooms facing away from traffic, residents would be protected from the start. Cities could also restrict construction hours, allowing heavy noise only in the middle of the day.

In short, urban noise grows out of how we move and how we build. If authorities focus in these two areas rather than relying on complaints from individual residents, cities can become noticeably calmer without becoming less lively.