Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-07-30

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

The best way to provide enough homes in large cities is to build tall apartment blocks.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

In recent times, there has been a long debate on the construction of infrastructure and large apartment buildings. While some argue that it is necessary to construct tall apartment blocks to provide homes in large cities, I believe it is equally important to consider the environment around us.

The construction of huge apartment buildings requires a lot of steady ground. The accumulation of this ground happens through mass deforestation which has a huge impact on the planet. Climate change is one example of the effects of deforestation. Extreme weather conditions make it difficult for agriculture and increases health issues. To prevent climate change in future, afforestation and sustainable practices must take place.

Apart from this, large cities with urbanised tall buildings are responsible for the lack of homes of various animals. For instance, the cutting of vast forests is causing many wild animals such as lions, bears to roam the streets with danger of being hit by traffic.

Admittedly, critics might argue that with the growing population it is necessary to construct enough houses to provide people with a place to stay. Over the years, the shifting of people from small towns or villages into big cities is increasing steadily. For example, in search of better education and jobs, many parents are sending their kids away from home and into major cities. This is causing overpopulation in many cities as there are many individuals constricted to a small area.

Yet, with proper planning and land distribution, I believe we can provide enough homes without the need to build multiple apartments.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position against the idea that tall apartment blocks are the best solution. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. The argument focuses heavily on deforestation and wildlife displacement, which, while relevant to environmental concerns, does not fully engage with the urban planning aspect of the prompt. The suggestion of 'proper planning and land distribution' as an alternative is mentioned but remains vague and lacks specific examples or logical explanation of how this would accommodate the growing population mentioned in the counter-argument. To reach a higher band, you should provide more concrete examples of alternative housing solutions or explain the trade-offs more thoroughly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The progression of ideas is generally easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Apart from this' and 'Admittedly', to link ideas. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the connection between the environmental argument and the housing solution could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, though the link between 'steady ground' and 'mass deforestation' is slightly tenuous in terms of logical flow. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and supports the structure of your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'infrastructure', 'urbanised', 'afforestation', and 'sustainable practices'. There are some instances of slightly unnatural word choices, such as 'accumulation of this ground' and 'constricted to a small area', which slightly affect the precision of your expression. While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, the control is not always consistent. To improve, focus on collocations and ensuring that words are used in their most natural context. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but lacks the sophistication required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'lack of homes of various animals' (should be 'loss of habitat') and 'the shifting of people... is increasing' (should be 'the shift of people'). Punctuation is generally correct, but there are minor issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. You should aim to increase the variety of complex structures and proofread carefully to eliminate minor slips in subject-verb agreement and word order.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.