Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-26

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 6.0)

In these years, the population has reached its peak in many countries which require more house space to live with a family. To solve this problem, building tall apartments has become a solution, while some argue that authorities should expand living areas to forests and mountains, I firmly believe that high-rise buildings are more advantageous mainly due to their small space that fit many families.

Large high-rise apartments take about the same space as a residential area and can make home for almost double the number of citizens then a villa. Tall buildings are often a status symbol in many developed nations as they showcase wealth among people. After that, in city areas where ground space is limited, skyscrapers are a great solution to prevent taking more space and use the area efficiently. For instance, cities like Mumbai which have overpopulation with no more expandable space have to make long towers for its residents. By doing that, the government effectively use the extra space and plan the city accordingly.

Nevertheless, tall towers are often not considered good for living, due to their design and how small amount of area it provides to spend whole life in. Although cutting down forests or expanding villages to mountains are preferred by many individuals. Doing that can unlock plenty of space to make houses and live a peaceful life. Switzerland, for example, does not make bigger towers or staked homes, it expands the villages onto mountains, which takes citizens closer to nature and maintains the traffic caused by overpopulation.

To conclude, While there are certain merits of expanding more area of cities to live a quiet life, I firmly believe that high-rise apartments are a more logical choice, given their clear advantage of using small space more efficiently.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The arguments regarding space efficiency in high-rise buildings are relevant and supported by examples like Mumbai. However, the development is somewhat uneven; the counter-argument regarding expanding into nature is introduced but lacks depth, and the example of Switzerland is slightly tangential to the core issue of 'providing enough homes' in large cities. While the position is consistent, the ideas could be extended further to reach a higher band. The response covers all parts of the task well, but the analysis remains at a somewhat general level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the main arguments. Cohesive devices such as 'Nevertheless', 'For instance', and 'To conclude' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'After that' to start a sentence, which does not effectively link the previous idea to the next. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved to achieve a more natural progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'status symbol' and 'efficiently', which are used correctly. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'make home for' instead of 'provide homes for', and 'maintains the traffic' which is unclear in context. The range is sufficient for the task, but more precise and varied vocabulary would be needed for a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'In these years' (incorrect prepositional phrase), 'which require more house space' (subject-verb agreement), and 'the government effectively use' (should be 'uses'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some run-on sentences and comma splices. The errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score in this criterion.

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

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