Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-25

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)

Nowadays, many large cities have a shortage of homes because their populations are growing. Some people believe that building tall apartment blocks is the best way to solve this problem. I partly agree with this idea because it can provide many homes, but there are also other possible solutions.

To begin with, there is an array of reasons to believe that building tall apartment block is the best way. They save land and houses more people. Tall buildings can provide many houses on a small amount of land. In addition, a single apartment block can have hundreds of apartments, so many families can live in one building, while the same number of houses would require a much larger area of land.

In addition to this there are numerous other factors such as reducing housing shortages. Building more apartments can increase the number of available homes and help solve housing problems in large cities. When there are more homes available it can help reduce the shortage of accommodation. People may also be able to live closer to their workplace and public transport. For instance, high rise buildings built near train stations can provide homes for many workers and allow them to travel easily without using cars. Secondly, it is convenient for residents. Apartment blocks can be built near workplaces, schools and public transportation, making daily travel easier.

In conclusion, I agree that building tall apartment blocks is an effective way to provide enough homes in large cities. This is because they can house many people while using less land and can help reduce housing shortages.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt directly, presenting a clear position that the author partly agrees with the statement. Key ideas are introduced, such as land conservation, housing capacity, and convenience. However, some arguments lack deep extension. For example, the point about reducing housing shortages in the third paragraph overlaps heavily with general statements about providing homes, showing a slight tendency to repeat ideas rather than fully developing fresh supporting points. Nevertheless, all parts of the task are addressed, and the overall position is maintained throughout the essay. This performance aligns well with the Band 6.5 to Band 7 range, settling comfortably at a Band 6.0 due to some under-developed extension and slight repetition of core ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate introduction, body arguments, and conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'To begin with', 'In addition to this', and 'Secondly', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive ('In addition... In addition to this'). Referencing is generally clear, and the central topic of each paragraph is maintained, ensuring the reader can follow the writer's line of reasoning easily. This demonstrates the characteristics of Band 6.0 to Band 7.0, with the occasional mechanical use of cohesive markers leaning towards a solid Band 6.5, rounded to 6.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'shortage', 'accommodation', 'public transport', and 'convenient'. There are attempts at less common phrasing like 'an array of reasons', which shows ambition. However, there are some minor lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'houses more people' (where 'houses' is used as a verb somewhat awkwardly) and 'building tall apartment block' (missing pluralisation). While communication is never impeded and the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, these occasional slips keep the score at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional ideas effectively (e.g., 'When there are more homes available it can help...'). There are several error-free sentences, alongside a few noticeable grammatical errors, such as the singular/plural mismatch in 'building tall apartment block' and missing punctuation in introductory phrases like 'In addition to this there are numerous'. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, and the overall sentence structure variety supports a competent handling of grammar suitable for Band 6.0.

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

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