Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-21

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)

Large cities by nature are crowded, lack space and are expensive to live in. In order to meet the growing demands of the population that shifts to such cities from smaller cities, towns or villages, adequate housing must be available. One of the solutions to this problem could be the large scale construction of tall apartment blocks.

Apartment blocks take up considerably less space than any other types of housing, as they make use of the vertical space which would otherwise go unused in other forms of housing. This is particularly advantageous in a large city, where open land is limited in the first place.

In large cities, such apartments would provide a decently affordable means of housing. Residents would have access to necessary amenities as well. They provide a perfect means of stay for in the middle class, who cannot afford to stay in large country style or designer houses in the city, as well as would not compromise by staying in the particularly poorer parts of town.

One potential issue that can arise is that if the demand for such apartment blocks increases, their price is also likely to go up eventually. This might result in these once affordable apartments to no longer be budget friendly. Another issue is that the city might appear to look dull and colourless due to the large prevalence of similar looking apartment blocks.

In conclusion, despite some issues, tall apartment blocks are indeed the best way to provide homes in large cities as the pros far outweigh the cons,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of tall apartment blocks. The ideas are relevant, focusing on space efficiency and affordability. However, the development is somewhat limited. While you mention that these buildings provide amenities and are suitable for the middle class, the arguments could be more thoroughly extended with specific examples or deeper analysis of the socio-economic impacts. The conclusion is abrupt and lacks a final summarizing sentence, which slightly weakens the overall impact of the argument. To reach a higher band, ensure that each body paragraph provides a more detailed exploration of the points raised rather than just stating them.

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, such as space efficiency or potential drawbacks. Cohesive devices like 'In order to', 'This is particularly advantageous', and 'One potential issue' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, the transition between the final body paragraph and the conclusion is slightly disjointed, and the conclusion itself is incomplete, ending with a comma instead of a period. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring a more polished ending would enhance the coherence of the piece.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your ideas clearly. Phrases like 'growing demands', 'vertical space', and 'budget friendly' are appropriate for the context. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'means of stay for in the middle class' (which is grammatically awkward) and 'the city might appear to look dull' (which is slightly redundant). While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, it lacks the more sophisticated or precise lexical items that would characterize a higher band score. Focus on using more academic collocations to improve precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are clear and error-free, which allows for easy reading. However, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'as well as would not compromise' (which lacks a clear subject) and the awkward phrasing 'means of stay for in the middle class'. Punctuation is generally good, but the final sentence ends with a comma, which is a significant error in formal writing. To improve, aim for a greater variety of complex structures and ensure that subject-verb agreement is consistently maintained throughout the text.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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