Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16

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 this day and age, due to globalisation, population density has risen as a result. most of the people prefer cities for work; hence, they need space to live. I totally agree that building high-rise apartments and skyscrapers plays a significant role in a country’s economy.

On the one hand, these high-rise buildings are more beneficial than multiple residential areas which require a huge area, while multiple apartments can squeeze in more homes on each floor. High-rise apartment blocks usually offer homes at a price lower than a house on land. Bungalows, semi-detached, double story houses would usually be a pain in the wallet for those who are new in the city. By building more apartments, more affordable housing can be accessible to many layers of society. For instance, we can visualise examples in Shanghai and Chengdu where most of the structures are modern and high-rise, with more than 50 floors, which provide several facilities to the people who live in these apartments. Consequently, these buildings are more economical and cost-effective compared to villas or residential houses.

On the other hand, although this notion has more advantages, there are several challenges that we need to face. These high-rise structures require advanced planning, and had has environmental concerns such as deforestation to build these structures; more trees need to be cut, and it would lead to a rise in temperature. Moreover, surviving in such urbanising areas is becoming increasingly challenging for underprivileged individuals. I believe that these buildings are crucial for the economy of the nation; instead of living in congested areas, people need to live in these apartments because more and more people can live in an apartment compared to a small house.

To conclude, tall apartment structures are rapidly growing in big cities to solve population density issues. Although they have some disadvantages, proper planning and sustainable policies are required.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear position throughout, agreeing that building tall apartment blocks is the best way to provide enough homes in large cities. The student supports their viewpoint with relevant arguments concerning affordability, space efficiency, and economic benefits, and illustrates this with examples from Shanghai and Chengdu. However, the connection in the thesis statement linking high-rises to a country's economy feels slightly tangential to housing provision, and the conclusion mentions that they play a role in solving population density issues while briefly noting disadvantages. The ideas are generally well extended, meeting the requirements for a band 6.5 or 7.0, though the development could be slightly more refined to reach higher bands. Therefore, a band 6.5 is awarded.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is coherent with a clear overall arrangement and logical paragraphing. The response begins with an introduction that states the student's position, followed by body paragraphs presenting contrasting views ('On the one hand', 'On the other hand'), and concludes appropriately. Cohesive devices such as 'consequently', 'although', and 'moreover' are used, though referencing and transition management can occasionally feel somewhat mechanical or repetitive. For instance, the transition into the second body paragraph could flow more naturally. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate the different aspects of the argument. Overall, the organizational structure is easy to follow, supporting a band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'globalisation', 'population density', 'cost-effective', and 'underprivileged individuals'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'double story houses would usually be a pain in the wallet', which uses an informal idiom inappropriate for an academic essay. Additionally, phrasing like 'had has environmental concerns' shows lexical and grammatical interference. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, the minor slips in register and precision keep the score at a band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The student attempts complex structures using subordinate clauses and transition phrases (e.g., 'although this notion has more advantages, there are several challenges that we need to face'). However, there are notable grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'most of the people prefer cities for work; hence, they need space to live' (semicolon usage and comma splices) and 'and had has environmental concerns such as deforestation to build these structures'. Punctuation is occasionally faulty, and these errors create minor distractions for the reader, though they rarely impede overall communication. This performance aligns with a band 6.0.

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

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