Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-19
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)
Housing is a great issue nowadays and it is a hot toppic of debate nowadays that how to accomodate people more efficiently in big cities. People think that tall apartment blocks are the most efficient way of accomodating a large number of people while acquiring less land. From my perspective, apartment blocks are a great way of accomodating large number of people they come with some issues which we need to solve.
The most benefical thing about apartment blocks is that a large number of people can be residing in a single block while less land is acquired. By building tall towers instead of building seprate houses, land can be saved and used for other purposes. As the population is increasing, we need more land which is often obtained by deforestration which comes with a lot of negative affects on climate and contributes to global warming. This can be prevented through building apartment blocks. Besides the environmental benefits, apartment blocks come with some social benefits. Instead of a small neighbourhood, people residing apartment have a big neighbourhood resulting in a number of social activities like celebrating festivals. This community is beneficial in many ways for example if a person gets sick, his/her neighbours take care of him/her. People often cook dishes and send it to each other as a gesture of hospitality.
Besides all the positive aspects people often ignore the negative aspects of living in apartment blocks. A great concern while living in apartment blocks is safety from natural disasters for example fire, earthquake. It has been observed repeatedly that people living in apartment blocks often get stuck in case of fire or earthquake which results in number of casualties. Recently 30 poeple died of suffocation as they got stuck in their apartments when a fire broke out. However, these incidents happen usually due to the negligence of apartment builders and management. In order to save cost contractors often use cheap materials in building and it results in a sudden collapse during earthquake. On the other hand, negligence by management often causes more casualities as they ignore safety concerns which turn out to be an accident.
In conclusion, apartment blocks are a great solution to accomodate people especially considering the increasing population but the safety measures should be kept in mind both while building and managing these apartments. The contractors should build structures capable of surviving possible earthquakes and they should provide emergency exits for people residing there. On the other hand the management should keep a proper check and balance of emergency exits and kits like fire extinguishers.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses the prompt directly, presenting a clear position that while high-rise apartment blocks are an efficient solution for urban housing, certain safety issues must be addressed. The writer extends and supports ideas well, discussing environmental protection from deforestation and social community benefits, alongside a counter-discussion on structural safety and fire hazards. Although the introduction contains a slightly vague thesis statement ('apartment blocks are a great way of accomodating large number of people they come with some issues which we need to solve'), the overall development of ideas throughout the body paragraphs satisfies the Band 7 requirements for addressing all parts of the task with a clear position.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from an introduction to environmental/social benefits, followed by safety concerns, and concluding with constructive recommendations. Cohesive devices such as 'Besides', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are used adequately to guide the reader. However, paragraphing could be slightly refined, and occasional mechanical transitions prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Overall, the structural flow meets the criteria for Band 7.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully incorporating less common terms such as 'deforestration', 'negligence', 'casualties', and 'suffocation'. However, there are repetitive phrases ('hot toppic of debate nowadays', 'accomodate people') and minor spelling or lexical errors ('benefical' instead of beneficial, 'toppic'). While precision is occasionally lacking, the vocabulary allows the message to be communicated clearly, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over conditional and subordinate structures (e.g., 'As the population is increasing, we need more land which is often obtained...'). However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation slips, including run-on sentences in the introduction ('apartment blocks are a great way... people they come with'), missing articles, and preposition choices ('died of suffocation'). These errors do not impede communication, placing the response solidly at Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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