Divided Communities

1. Discuss the questions on the PowerPoint slide with a partner.

2. Read the text below (A or B) and tell your partner about the text you have read.
Discuss what kind of people you think would choose to live in these areas.
3. What do people who choose to live in these places gain and lose by separating
themselves from the wider community?
4. Why do you think this is a trend?

A) Escape to a kid-free village

For those driven to distraction by screaming children in the local pub and library, a
brave new world beckons. The days of dodging skateboarders and worrying about
meeting threatening youths after dark are over. Adult-only villages have arrived.

Anyone under 45 is excluded from the new developments, modelled on retreats that
have been hugely successful in the United States. Residents can play golf, relax in
the swimming pool or spend an afternoon reading, all safe from interruption by
noisy kids and flying footballs. (Pallant, 2005)

B) Gated communities more popular, and not just for the rich
To find refuge, the wealthy here live in gated suburban communities with exclusive
names, like Barkley Estates and Oakland Plantation. Six-foot brick walls and iron
fences encircle these enclaves of luxury homes. Electronic gates and 24-hour
security guards keep outsiders out.

Adapted from Advanced Skills – Haines GW/NP 05/08/2021

A mile away, Gina Rojas, a waitress and single mother, also enjoys a gated lifestyle.
However, she lives in a one-bedroom apartment that rents for just $492 a month. An
iron fence surrounds her development. She needs a coded card to get past the
electronic gates that guard all three entrances. In cities and suburbs from New York
to Los Angeles, wealthy homeowners no longer are the only ones retreating behind
gates. The desire to lock out the outside world cuts across all income groups,
according to a recent survey. (Slaght 2007)
5. Match the words below from the texts with their meanings.

1. exclusive a. a mother who is not married

2. development b. safety

3. single mother c. small area of land belonging to a group of people surrounded

by another larger area

4. enclave d. an area containing many houses or flats built close together

5. exclude e. limited to only one person or a group of people

6. refuge f. a private and safe place

7. retreat (n) g. keep out

6. Write one paragraph for an essay on the title below. Synthesise appropriate
information from the two texts and ensure you paraphrase and cite correctly.
(approx. 150 words)
Communities are becoming increasingly divided. Discuss.

Adapted from Advanced Skills – Haines GW/NP 05/08/2021

Model Answer

Communities are becoming increasingly divided. Discuss.

Topic Sentence: One way in which individuals are isolating themselves from society is
through living in their own estates or gated communities. In some parts of the
United States, there are even (first supporting/example) adult-only villages. Here,
residents spend their free time away from children because anyone under 45 is
excluded. (Pallant, 2005). (why significant) This clearly shows that an increasing
number of residents are choosing to remove themselves rather than experience the
threat of violence in the streets or noise. (linking sentence to second
support/example) This issue is not only confined to the wealthy however. In some
cities, there are one-bedroom, relatively inexpensive apartments which are guarded
by electronic gates needing coded cards. As Slaght (2007) states: ‘The desire to lock
out the outside world cuts across all income groups.’ (future implication) Built up
walls, and iron fences could become a regular feature of city landscapes as
communities continue to become segregated.

140 words

Adapted from Advanced Skills – Haines GW/NP 05/08/2021