Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-07

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)

There has been always an argument whether the establishment of high-rise buildings is the most optimal solution to provide sufficient housing in big cities. I strongly associate with this view, as high-rise developments allows cities to accommodate growing populations efficiently while making better use of limited urban land.

The primary reason for supporting high-rise housing is that it enables a large number of people to live within a relatively small area. As urban population continues to flourish, available land in major cities becomes increasing scare and expensive. Constructing vertical rather than horizontal allows government and developers to provide thousands of dwellings without consuming vast areas of land. For instance, a single high-rise complex can accommodate hundreds of families on a plot what might otherwise contain only a few detahced houses. This approach is particularly valuable in densely-populated cities, where expanding into surrounding rural areas would lead to the loss of agriculture and natural habitat.

Another significant advantage is that high-density housing can enable the provision of public infrastructure ore efficient. When people live close together, government can provide transport network, school, hospitals and other essential services within a smaller geographical area. Furthermore, apartment buildings can be relatively affordable as the cost of land and infrastructure is distributed among a large number of residents.

In colclusion, I strongly agree that constructing tall apartment blocks is the best way to provide housing in large cities. By making efficient use of limited land and allowing infrastructure and housing to be provided more economically, such developments offer an overall practical solution to the obstacles forged by rapid urban population growth.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response clearly addresses the prompt and maintains a consistent position throughout. The arguments regarding land efficiency and infrastructure provision are relevant and well-developed. The introduction clearly states the writer's stance, and the body paragraphs provide logical support for this position. To reach a higher band, the student could provide more nuanced counter-arguments or explore the potential downsides of high-rise living (such as social isolation or maintenance costs) to demonstrate a more balanced and comprehensive analysis of the 'extent' of their agreement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the use of cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'For instance', and 'In conclusion' is effective. However, there are minor issues with referencing and flow; for example, the phrase 'what might otherwise contain' is slightly awkward. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure allows the reader to follow the argument without difficulty. To improve, the student should focus on ensuring that transitions between sentences are smoother and less mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. The student uses some good collocations like 'densely-populated cities' and 'urban population'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and form, such as 'flourish' used to describe population growth (where 'expand' or 'increase' would be more precise) and 'increasing scare' (should be 'increasingly scarce'). Additionally, 'ore efficient' is a clear typographical error. While the range is adequate, more precise and sophisticated vocabulary would be needed to reach the 8.0 band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'high-rise developments allows' (subject-verb agreement), 'Constructing vertical rather than horizontal' (missing noun), and 'government can provide transport network' (missing article). Despite these errors, the meaning is always clear, and the punctuation is generally accurate. To achieve a higher score, the student needs to demonstrate more consistent control over complex structures and eliminate basic errors in subject-verb agreement and article usage.

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

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