Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-13

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 7.5)

Rapid urbanization has exacerbated housing shortages in major metropolitan areas, sparking debate over the most effective solutions. While constructing high-rise residential towers is often viewed as the primary method to address this crisis, I only partially agree with this view. Although vertical development maximizes land efficiency, a balanced urban strategy requiring varied housing models and improved infrastructure is necessary to ensure sustainable living standards.

On the one hand, high-rise apartment complexes offer an efficient response to severe land scarcity in densely populated cities. By expanding vertically rather than horizontally, high-rises accommodate thousands of residents on a relatively small footprint. This density makes public utilities and transportation networks vastly more cost-effective to deploy, as infrastructure does not need to stretch across vast geographic distances. Cities like Singapore and Tokyo demonstrate how high-density tower blocks can successfully house millions while preventing urban sprawl and preserving adjacent natural green spaces.

On the other hand, relying exclusively on tall apartment buildings creates significant social, architectural, and financial drawbacks. High-rise construction requires specialized engineering, premium materials, and heavy ongoing maintenance, which frequently drives up housing costs rather than making homes affordable for low-income residents. Furthermore, dense high-rise developments can put immense strain on local services, causing severe traffic congestion and overwhelming public utilities if not carefully integrated. Socially, high-rise living often fosters isolation, offering fewer communal areas compared to traditional mid-rise or mixed-use neighborhoods.

To effectively solve the housing shortage, municipalities should adopt a multifaceted urban planning model. Developing medium-density housing such as townhouses and four-to-six-story apartment buildings provides a sustainable balance between land efficiency and liveability. Additionally, investing in high-speed public transit to link suburban satellite towns with city centers enables governments to distribute populations more evenly, alleviating the pressure on central urban cores without forcing high-density vertical living on everyone.

In conclusion, while high-rise apartment blocks play a vital role in optimizing land use in overcrowded cities, they are not a standalone solution. A comprehensive strategy that combines vertical construction with medium-density housing and regional infrastructure development is far more effective in delivering sufficient, liveable homes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response fully addresses all parts of the task by taking a well-supported, nuanced position on whether tall apartment blocks are the best way to provide housing in large cities. The writer presents a clear stance in the introduction ('I only partially agree with this view') and sustains this position throughout the essay. Main ideas are fully developed and extended with relevant examples, such as referencing Singapore and Tokyo to illustrate the benefits of vertical density, while counterbalancing these points with the social and financial drawbacks of high-rises. The conclusion neatly ties these arguments together to advocate for a multifaceted urban planning model. All requirements of the prompt are thoroughly met with high-level insight.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

Ideas are logically sequenced, guiding the reader smoothly from the introduction through well-defined body paragraphs to a coherent conclusion. Paragraphing is used skillfully and appropriately, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the prompt (e.g., 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'). Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Additionally', and 'In conclusion' are managed naturally and unobtrusively, ensuring seamless transitions between sentences and paragraphs. Referencing and substitution are handled accurately, maintaining a clear logical progression throughout the entire essay without any mechanical errors in structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

The writer demonstrates a wide, fluent, and flexible lexical resource that enables precise communication. Less common vocabulary items and collocation are used skillfully and naturally, such as 'rapid urbanization', 'urban sprawl', 'land efficiency', and 'multifaceted urban planning model'. Word choice is generally precise and appropriate for an academic context, with only occasional minor slips that do not impede understanding. The vocabulary deployed successfully elevates the formal tone of the response, showing a high level of control over sophisticated lexical chunks.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response exhibits a wide range of complex grammatical structures used with a high degree of flexibility and accuracy. The majority of sentences are error-free, featuring sophisticated subordinate clauses, participial phrases, and conditional structures (e.g., 'By expanding vertically rather than horizontally, high-rises accommodate thousands of residents...', 'Although vertical development maximizes land efficiency...'). Punctuation is handled flawlessly. Only very occasional, non-systematic slips occur, which do not detract from the overall high quality and precision of the grammar.

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