Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

It is often argued that in order to provide enough housing in large cities, tall apartment blocks must be constructed. I fully disagree with this statement as the consequences of building apartment blocks in the city will surely outweigh the positive results.

Construction of tall apartment buildings will lead to congestion of the city which will hinder transport in the city. This will work against the public as although they will live closer to work, getting there will be more difficult because people and cars will create a lot of traffic. It might be more be beneficial to build housing for the public in the outskirts of the city as although they might live far away from work, they will not have as much of a problem getting there, saving them time.

Following this point, there will be an increase in noise and air pollution if apartment buildings are built in cities creating a non-conducive work environment. People need fresh air and quiet in order to focus on work hence why housing them outside the city might be better. For example, a lot of people in Kampala inhabitants live inside the city which leads to excessive noise and air pollution from vehicles and industries which affects their productivity.

In my experience, apartments built inside city walls are always more expensive than those outside the city. This discourages the public as they opt to live outside the city to save money on rent. This leads to empty houses inside city walls which is a waste of resources which could have been invested elsewhere to actually benefit the public. Nairobi city is an example of a city that has built apartment buildings inside the city that are mostly uninhabited due to how expensive they are.

In conclusion, although building tall apartment buildings in cities might be of benefit of the public due to living close to their workplaces, it will work against them due to congestion, noise and air pollution and empty houses.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response clearly states a position and maintains it throughout. You address the prompt by discussing the drawbacks of tall apartment blocks, such as congestion, pollution, and affordability. However, the development is somewhat limited. While you provide examples like Kampala and Nairobi, the argument could be strengthened by exploring the counter-argument more deeply or discussing alternative urban planning solutions beyond just 'outskirts'. The ideas are relevant, but some points, such as the claim that city-center apartments are 'mostly uninhabited', feel like generalizations that could be better supported with more nuanced reasoning to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. You use some cohesive devices like 'Following this point', 'For example', and 'In conclusion' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, though some sentences are slightly repetitive in structure. Overall, the progression of ideas is easy to follow, meeting the requirements for a solid band 6.5 or 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'non-conducive', 'excessive', and 'uninhabited'. There are some minor issues with collocation and word choice, such as 'congestion of the city' (better: 'urban congestion') and 'inside city walls' (which sounds slightly archaic or literal; 'in the city center' is more natural). You attempt to use less common vocabulary, which is good, but the overall range is somewhat limited. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and academic phrases to convey your arguments with greater sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is always clear, there are recurring grammatical errors, such as 'a lot of people in Kampala inhabitants' (redundant) and 'might be of benefit of the public' (should be 'to the public'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are some missing commas in complex sentences. You show control over basic grammar, but the frequency of minor errors prevents the essay from reaching the higher bands. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring accuracy will help improve this score.

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