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)

Building tall apartments is a practical way to provide more homes in cities. Since land is limited and expensive in large cities, constructing upwards allows many people to live in a small area. For example, one high-rise building can provide homes for hundreds of families. It can also reduce the need to use more land outside the city.

Body Paragraph 2 – Other solutions:

However, tall buildings are not the only solution. Governments can also develop affordable houses in suburban areas and improve public transport between these areas and city centres. In addition, unused buildings can sometimes be renovated and converted into homes. These options can provide housing without making cities completely dependent on high-rise apartments.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, tall apartment blocks are an effective way to provide more homes because they use limited land efficiently. However, governments should also consider suburban housing and the redevelopment of unused buildings.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The student addresses the prompt by discussing whether tall apartment blocks are the best way to provide homes in large cities, providing a clear position and supporting ideas such as land efficiency and alternative solutions like suburban housing and renovations. However, the response suffers from a severe length penalty. Since the text contains only 149 words against the minimum requirement of 250 words, the ideas remain underdeveloped and the scope is significantly restricted. Because the word count requirement is not met, the task achievement score is directly impacted, preventing the essay from reaching a higher band level despite its clear logical flow.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas from the introduction to alternative solutions and a concluding summary. The writer uses basic cohesive devices appropriately, such as 'For example', 'However', 'In addition', and 'In conclusion'. Paragraphing is partially attempted, although the inclusion of text labels like 'Body Paragraph 2 – Other solutions:' disrupts the natural flow of academic formatting. Nevertheless, the relationships between ideas are generally clear, and referencing is handled well throughout the brief response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, incorporating appropriate terms such as 'practical', 'limited and expensive', 'high-rise building', and 'renovated'. Word choices are generally natural and communicate meaning effectively, though the range remains somewhat limited due to the shortness of the response. There are no notable spelling or word-choice errors, and the vocabulary used is precise enough to convey the intended arguments about urban housing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response exhibits a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Since land is limited and expensive in large cities, constructing upwards allows many people to live in a small area.' Grammatical accuracy is quite high within the sentences produced, with correct verb tenses, article usage, and punctuation. While the range of complex structures is limited by the short length of the essay, the sentences that are present are largely error-free and do not impede communication in any way.

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

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