Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14
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)
Overpopulation has become a major concern in metropolitan cities. It is widely suggested that to overcome the problem of housing shortage, it is necessary to construct multi-storey residential units. This essay is firmly in favour of this notion for several compelling reasons.
A key justification for this stance is that the growing population in major cities has raised numerous challenges for authorities. Large numbers of people are migrating from rural to urban areas in search of better employment, healthcare and educational opportunities. That is why traffic congestion and dense commuting have become prevalent. It is becoming difficult for people to find accommodation in spacious houses because there is not enough land available. The only possible solution to this problem is that the government should make strategies to give housing to the local residents. For example, establishing apartment buildings can provide residence to a large number of individuals.
Another pivotal factor is that it is not affordable for every citizen to purchase their own house in a developed city because the cost of living is quite high. In many developed countries, people prefer to live in apartments by paying reasonable rents. The major advantage is that people do not have to worry about the renovations or other responsibilities. Moreover, apartments are much safer to live because it is up to owners to provide security for these residential buildings. For instance, everyone prioritises to live in a peaceful and safe residential area that is exactly provided by the apartments.
In conclusion, i would say although there are several demerits of living in building blocks, still its advantages outweigh them.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position in favour of building tall apartment blocks to solve housing shortages in large cities. The ideas are generally relevant and extended, such as discussing the cost of living, safety, and rural-urban migration. However, some arguments tend to generalise or lack deep extension. For instance, the point regarding safety in apartments is somewhat simplistic and could be further elaborated with more rigorous examples. Despite these minor limitations in depth, a clear position is maintained throughout the essay and all core elements of the prompt are successfully covered, fitting comfortably into the Band 6.5 to 7.0 profile.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay displays a clear overall progression and logical organisation. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving from an introduction to body paragraphs discussing migration and affordability, and concluding with a summary. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'A key justification for this stance', 'Another pivotal factor', and 'In conclusion'. However, some of the referencing and transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive in structure. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately throughout the text, ensuring the reader can follow the writer's line of thought without significant confusion.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'overpopulation', 'metropolitan cities', 'housing shortage', 'traffic congestion', and 'cost of living'. There are also several attempts at less common lexical items, though some collocations and word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'dense commuting' or 'everyone prioritises to live'. Spelling is generally accurate, and errors do not impede communication. The vocabulary deployed is sufficient to allow some flexibility and precision, aligning well with the descriptors for Band 6.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional-like structures effectively. There are several error-free sentences, such as 'It is widely suggested that to overcome the problem of housing shortage, it is necessary to construct multi-storey residential units.' However, a few grammatical and punctuation errors persist throughout the text, including lowercase capitalization at the start of the final paragraph ('In conclusion, i would say...') and minor prepositional or phrasing inaccuracies like 'to live because it is up to owners'. These errors rarely impede communication, demonstrating a solid Band 6 level of grammatical control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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