Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-02

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 8.0)

It is often argued that constructing high-rise residential towers is the most effective solution to the housing shortage in major urban centers. I largely agree with this viewpoint, as high-density vertical development optimizes limited urban land and minimizes infrastructure costs. However, tall apartment blocks must be supported by adequate planning to prevent modern urban drawbacks like overcrowding and isolation.

Arguments for Building Tall Apartment Blocks

Efficient Land Utilization: Large cities face severe physical land constraints. Building vertically allows municipal authorities to house thousands of residents on a small geographic footprint, making high-rise construction the only realistic option to scale housing supply quickly.

Cost-Effective Infrastructure and Services: High-density living concentrates public utility demand. Water, electricity, sewage, waste management, and public transportation networks are significantly cheaper and simpler to build and maintain when serving a localized vertical population rather than a sprawling suburban expansion.

Reduction of Urban Sprawl: Horizontal expansion destroys agricultural land and green belts surrounding cities, increasing commuter reliance on private vehicles. Vertical housing keeps populations closer to commercial centers, cutting average daily transit times and urban carbon footprints.

Limitations and Potential Drawbacks

Social Isolation and Psychological Impact: Studies show that living in massive high-rise developments can foster feelings of anonymity and detachment from the surrounding neighborhood, particularly for children and elderly residents who lack access to ground-level communal spaces.

Infrastructure Strain and Traffic Bottlenecks: Without proportional investments in roads, parking, schools, and parks, high-density residential towers can overwhelm surrounding neighborhood infrastructure, causing localized congestion and degraded municipal services.

High Construction and Maintenance Costs: Elevators, specialized fire safety systems, structural engineering, and deep foundations make high-rise buildings significantly more expensive per square meter to construct and maintain than medium-density alternatives.

Alternative and Complementary Approaches

While tall towers provide immediate volume, sustainable city planning often relies on a hybrid model:

Mid-Rise, Mixed-Use Developments: 6–10 story buildings along primary transit corridors provide high density while preserving neighborhood character and encouraging ground-level economic activity.

Brownfield Redevelopment: Converting abandoned industrial sites and underutilized inner-city lots into residential zoning maximizes existing space without expanding outward.

Conclusion

Building tall apartment blocks is undeniably the most practical and scalable method for meeting the overwhelming demand for urban housing. While high-rise living presents social and infrastructural challenges, these can be mitigated through thoughtful urban design, integrated public transport, and dedicated community spaces. Vertical development remains the cornerstone of modern metropolitan housing strategy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The response covers all parts of the task well with a clear, well-developed position throughout. The arguments presented are fully extended and supported, moving seamlessly from efficient land utilization to cost-effective infrastructure and the reduction of urban sprawl. Counter-arguments such as social isolation and infrastructure strain are also acknowledged and thoroughly explored before a well-reasoned conclusion. The response achieves a high level of task fulfillment by addressing the prompt from multiple economic, social, and environmental angles. To move even closer to the highest level, the student could integrate slightly more nuanced real-world qualifying examples to further substantiate the theoretical benefits of vertical living.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

Ideas are logically sequenced, demonstrating clear progression throughout the essay. The use of explicit headings for different sections, combined with standard paragraphing, ensures that the structure remains transparent and easy to follow. Cohesive devices are managed well, with clear signposting phrases like 'However,' 'While tall towers provide immediate volume,' and 'Consequently' guiding the reader effortlessly through the arguments. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, separating the affirmative arguments, drawbacks, and alternative models into distinct, digestible blocks. To achieve an even higher level of cohesion, the essay could rely less on explicit headings and more on seamless transitional sentences between paragraphs to unify the structure organically.

Lexical Resource: Band 8.0

The writer demonstrates a wide, fluent, and flexible range of vocabulary, employing skillful use of uncommon lexical items such as 'vertical development,' 'geographic footprint,' 'urban carbon footprints,' and 'brownfield redevelopment.' Word choice and collocation are handled with a high degree of precision throughout the essay. There are only occasional minor inaccuracies, but these do not impede communication in any way. Spelling and word forms are consistently accurate. To push into the highest band, the student could incorporate even more sophisticated idiomatic expressions or academic collocations to elevate the stylistic register further.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8.0

The essay displays a wide range of structures, including complex sentences with subordinate clauses, participial phrases, and conditional frameworks. The majority of sentences are entirely error-free, reflecting a strong command of grammar and punctuation. Control over verb tenses, article usage, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions within complex patterns is consistently maintained. For example, structures such as 'While tall towers provide immediate volume, sustainable city planning often relies on a hybrid model' are handled with absolute accuracy. To reach the highest tier of performance, the writer could experiment with even more diverse syntactic inversions or rhetorical structures while maintaining flawless precision.

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