IELTS Speaking Part 2: A Tall Building You Like or Dislike – Model Answers 2026

This is a new Part 2 topic in the official IELTS Speaking question bank for May–August 2026. You have one minute to prepare and two minutes to speak. Start with the building immediately.

Cue Card

Describe a tall building you like or dislike.

You should say:
– What it is used for
– Where it is
– What it looks like
– And explain why you like or dislike it

Model Answer

The Shard in London is a building I find genuinely impressive despite having complicated feelings about what it represents. It stands in Southwark on the south bank of the Thames, directly across from the City of London, and at three hundred and nine metres it remains the tallest building in the United Kingdom.

The shape is distinctive and immediately recognisable. It tapers from a wide base into a series of angled glass panels that come to an asymmetric point at the top, giving it the appearance of a shard of glass thrust upward from the ground, which is exactly what the architect Renzo Piano intended. At night it illuminates the surrounding skyline in a way that changes depending on the weather and the season. In fog it becomes half-visible and looks almost architectural in a different sense, like something that belongs to a different story entirely.

The building houses offices, a luxury hotel, private apartments, a public observation deck, and several high-end restaurants. It is one of the most comprehensively monetised buildings in Europe.

The reason my feelings about it are complicated is that it sits in one of the historically poorer parts of London and was built during a period when the surrounding borough was experiencing significant social deprivation. The contrast between what the building represents, extreme concentrated wealth, and what existed around it when it was built is something that London’s architectural critics have written about at length and that I find difficult to ignore when I look at it.

Despite all of that, it is an extraordinary piece of engineering. The tension between admiring the craft and questioning the context is, I think, the most interesting thing about it.

Why This Works

The answer describes the building with precision and then takes a genuinely nuanced position (admiring but complicated) rather than a flat preference. The closing sentence names the tension directly, which signals analytical thinking.

📌 Band 7-8 Vocabulary:
– asymmetric — lacking symmetry, not identical on both sides
– comprehensively monetised — designed to generate income from multiple sources
– social deprivation — a lack of access to resources and opportunities
– architectural critics — professionals who analyse and evaluate buildings and design
– nuanced — showing careful consideration of different aspects

IELTS Speaking Part 3: Tall Building Questions and Model Answers

Question 1: Are there many tall buildings in your country?

Model Answer:
It depends on the city. In major urban centres the skyline has changed significantly over the past two decades. London’s financial and residential high-rise development has accelerated since the 2012 Olympics, and there is ongoing public debate about whether the pace of that change has benefited residents or primarily served developer and investor interests. In smaller cities and rural areas, tall buildings are rare and often controversial when proposed. The planning system in the UK allows for local objection to developments that are considered out of character, which has preserved the low-rise character of many historic town centres.

Question 2: What are the differences between tall buildings in your country?

Model Answer:
The differences are primarily generational and functional. Buildings constructed before the 1980s tend to be concrete residential towers built under post-war social housing programmes, many of which have developed significant maintenance and social problems. The Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017 brought long-standing concerns about the safety and management of this housing stock to national attention in the UK. Newer towers are predominantly glass, privately owned, and oriented toward commercial or premium residential use. The gap between these two categories, in terms of investment, safety standards, and public perception, is one of the more uncomfortable divisions in British urban life.

Question 3: Why are different places designed differently?

Model Answer:
Climate, available materials, cultural values, land scarcity, and economic priorities all shape architectural decisions. Cities like Hong Kong and Singapore build vertically because land is genuinely scarce and expensive. Amsterdam and Prague preserve horizontal skylines because their historical architecture defines their cultural identity and economic appeal as tourist destinations. In the US, the relationship between height and commercial ambition is deeply ingrained. The Manhattan skyline was not planned. It emerged from a zoning system that allowed building heights to reflect land value, which produced a skyline that is essentially a three-dimensional map of real estate economics.

Question 4: What are the advantages of living in tall buildings?

Model Answer:
Location and views are the most commonly cited advantages. Premium high-rise apartments in cities like London and New York are typically positioned in desirable central areas with amenities and transport that standalone housing in the same locations cannot provide. Higher floors offer natural light, reduced street noise, and views that carry genuine psychological benefits. Research from Columbia University in the US has found that access to natural light is one of the strongest environmental predictors of workplace and residential wellbeing. The disadvantages, reduced connection to the street, dependence on elevators, limited outdoor space, tend to matter more over time than they do at the point of purchase.

Examiner Tips for IELTS Speaking Part 2 Tall Building

Tip 1: Take a nuanced position rather than a flat like or dislike.
The tension between admiring the craft and questioning the context is a far more interesting answer than simply saying the building is beautiful.

Tip 2: Describe the shape with specific language.
Asymmetric, tapers, angled glass panels. Architectural vocabulary used accurately signals strong language range.

Tip 3: For Part 3, use real events and real research.
Grenfell Tower, the Manhattan zoning system, Columbia University research. Named references make Part 3 answers authoritative.

Common Mistakes on This Topic

Saying only “it is tall and beautiful” without any specific description
Failing to explain why you like or dislike the building beyond aesthetics
Part 3 answers with only personal opinion and no supporting evidence or example
Opening with “I would like to describe a tall building that I like…”

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a confirmed IELTS Speaking Part 2 topic for 2026?
Yes. A Tall Building You Like or Dislike appears in the official IELTS Speaking question bank for May–August 2026 as a new topic.

Do I have to choose a famous building?
No. A building in your own city or neighbourhood that you have a genuine reaction to is equally valid.

What if I dislike all tall buildings?
That is a perfectly strong position. Explaining why tall buildings seem inhuman in scale, disconnected from street life, or inappropriate for a specific environment is a sophisticated and interesting answer.