Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-28

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 6.5)

As the populations of large cities continue to grow, providing sufficient housing has become a major challange. Some people believe that constructing tall apartmet buildings is the best way to accomodate increasing number of residents. I largely agree with this view, although constructing high-rise building need to be combined with appropriate urban planning.

The main advantage of tall apartment buildings is that they allow large numbers of people to live in a relatively small area. Land in major cities is often scarce and expensive, so constructing houses with large gardens may be impractical. Building upwards allows developers to make much more efficient use of limited land. In addition, concentrating housing in high-density areas can make it easier for governments to provide public transport, schools and other essential services. For example, a well-planned high-rise development near a railway station can accommodate thousands of residents while reducing the need for extensive new roads.

However, relying exclusively on high-rise buildings can create other problems. If large numbers of apartments are constructed without sufficient infrastructure, residents may face overcrowded public transport, inadequate recreational spaces and pressure on schools and healthcare facilities. There are also concerns about the quality of life in poorly designed high-rise developments, particularly when residents have limited access to parks and community areas. Therefore, simply constructing more towers does not necessarily solve a city's housing problems.

In my view, tall apartment blocks are one of the most effective ways to increase housing capacity in densely populated cities, but they should form part of a broader development strategy. Governments should ensure that new residential areas are supported by transport links, green spaces and essential public services.

In conclusion, high-rise housing makes efficient use of scarce urban land and can accommodate large populations. Nevertheless, its success depends on careful planning and investment in the infrastructure surrounding these buildings.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student presents a clear position throughout the response, acknowledging that tall apartment blocks are effective while arguing that they must be combined with appropriate urban planning. All parts of the prompt are fully addressed. The introduction outlines the writer's stance, and body paragraphs explore both the advantages of high-rise buildings, such as efficient land use and centralized public services, and their drawbacks, such as infrastructure strain and reduced quality of life. Ideas are well-developed and supported with logical explanations and examples, such as reference to transport links near railway stations. The conclusion neatly summarizes the main points and reiterates the balanced thesis. The response successfully meets all requirements of the task with a well-developed argument and a clear position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the introduction to the advantages, the counter-arguments, and finally the balanced conclusion. Cohesive devices are used effectively to guide the reader through the argument, as seen with phrases like 'The main advantage', 'In addition', 'However', and 'In my view'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each new idea or counter-argument receiving its own dedicated paragraph. Referencing is clear, and the overall arrangement of information is coherent and easy to follow, representing a strong performance in this criterion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting some less common lexical items such as 'sufficient housing', 'urban planning', 'high-density areas', and 'infrastructure'. However, there are a few spelling and typographical errors, notably 'challange' instead of 'challenge' and 'apartmet' instead of 'apartment', as well as a minor grammatical slip in 'high-rise building need'. Despite these occasional inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey precise meanings, and the errors do not impede communication. The use of functional academic phrasing throughout supports the overall clarity and structure of the essay well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer exhibits a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over various structures such as conditional clauses ('If large numbers of apartments are constructed...') and concessive clauses ('although constructing high-rise building need to be combined...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, though a few grammatical errors persist, such as the subject-verb agreement issue in 'high-rise building need' instead of 'needs', and the missing article in 'increasing number of residents'. Punctuation is generally accurate, and complex sentence structures are handled well overall without obscuring the intended meaning. The control of grammar is solid, aligning comfortably with a band 7 profile.

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