Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17

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 big cities, the construction of tall apartment blocks is an efficient way to provide homes. However, I do not agree with this view because these apartments are often quite small in size and there are privacy issues faced by residents.

In well-developed cities, apartment blocks can be unsuitable for comfortable living. All the essential rooms, such as the kitchen, bathroom, and living room, are cramped into a small apartment. This can create a suffocating environment. As we know, air pollution is a very common issue in big cities. For example, in Pakistan, a large number of people live in apartment blocks. There is often not enough space to do household chores, such as washing clothes, as balconies can be very congested. Living in an apartment with a large family is very challenging in Pakistan.

The other prime reason is that there is a lack of privacy for individuals. Apartments that are very close to each other can create noisy situations. People may become involved in each other's affairs, which can reduce peace and privacy. For instance, in Islamabad, life in apartments can be difficult because there can be a lot of noise, especially during national holidays. Everybody is doing their work, which causes considerable noise. As a result, residents may feel stressed and mentally disturbed.

In conclusion, although tall apartment blocks provide homes for many people, they also have numerous drawbacks. Living in apartments can be particularly challenging for large families because they face many obstacles in maintaining a peaceful life. Therefore, I firmly believe that it is not a good decision to rely solely on high-density housing to provide homes for communities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position against building tall apartment blocks, supporting this with two main arguments: small apartment sizes and privacy issues. The position is maintained throughout the essay. The ideas are extended and supported, such as mentioning specific examples like the situation in Pakistan and Islamabad. However, some arguments tend to over-generalize slightly, which places the response comfortably within the Band 7 descriptor. All parts of the task are addressed, and the overall development is clear and coherent.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, starting with the introduction of the writer's stance, followed by body paragraphs focusing on apartment size and privacy, and ending with a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'However,' 'All the essential rooms,' 'The other prime reason,' and 'As a result.' Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, ensuring the reader can follow the writer's arguments without difficulty, which aligns well with a Band 7 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'suffocating environment,' 'congested,' and 'mentally disturbed.' There are occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'noisy situations' instead of 'noisy environments' or 'noise issues.' However, spelling and word choice errors do not impede communication. The lexical range is sufficient to convey the writer's ideas with some precision, making a Band 6.0 the most appropriate score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating clauses successfully (e.g., 'Although tall apartment blocks provide homes for many people, they also have numerous drawbacks.'). There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as 'Everybody is doing their work' (pronoun-antecedent agreement issue) and slight awkwardness in phrasing, but these errors rarely impede communication and do not obscure the intended meaning. This performance is consistent with the Band 6 descriptors.

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