Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-03

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)

In large cities, construction of tall apartment buildings is the best solution to provide sufficient homes. I slightly agree with this statement, however there are potential downsides to it which can be managed.

In countries like India, the urban population has increased drastically, primarily due to migration from rural areas, while the land remains limited. Tall apartment blocks can serve as a solution to optimize the limited land resources in large cities as they reduce the area required for residential purposes. This is because more apartments can be built on a relatively smaller area of land. This helps in accomodating a larger set of people within a relatively smaller piece of land. Since the same piece of land is used to build multiple apartments, the cost of land attributed to each apartment goes down significantly, thereby making housing a little more affordable. In addition, a smaller area reserved for residential purposes due to taller apartment blocks can help in increasing the green cover for the cities and reduce deforestation, resulting in a better air for people to breathe.

However, taller builds can be more prone to collapses and earthquakes. Hence, it is imperative to ensure that the building material used to contruct these tall apartment blocks should be of premium quality and the material along with the location of the land is approved by the relevant authorities to ensure the buildings are safe. Additionally, proper disaster management protocols, for example, fire escapes, earthquake protocols should be in place as taller apartment buildings can result in a chaotic situation during emergencies as everyone tries to escape the building at the same time.

In conclusion, as long as the potential downsides of taller apartment blocks like increased vulnerability to collapses and chaos are well managed, the upsides like affordable housing, optimized land utilization and increased green cover, will outweigh them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear, nuanced position that slightly agrees with the prompt. The writer covers both sides of the argument, discussing the economic and spatial benefits of tall apartment blocks as well as the safety and emergency challenges. Ideas are generally relevant, fulfilling the criteria for a balanced discussion, though some points show a slight tendency to over-generalize, such as the claim regarding green cover and deforestation. To reach a higher band, the main arguments—particularly regarding urban land optimization and infrastructure safety—would need deeper extension, providing more specific real-world examples or detailed consequences rather than broad assertions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression throughout. The writer uses standard cohesive devices effectively to guide the reader, such as 'This is because', 'In addition', and 'However'. Paragraphing is used logically to separate the introduction, body paragraphs focusing on advantages and disadvantages, and the conclusion. Referencing is generally clear, though referencing and transitional phrases occasionally feel a bit mechanical. To achieve a higher level of cohesion, the writer could employ more sophisticated, less predictable cohesive devices and ensure smoother transitions between the complex ideas within paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task and demonstrates an attempt to use less common lexical items, such as 'optimize', 'infrastructure', and 'vulnerability'. There are some successful word choices and collocations, though minor slips and slight inaccuracies occur, such as the spelling error 'accomodating' instead of accommodating and 'contruct' instead of construct. While communication is never impeded, a wider and more flexible control of less common vocabulary with precise stylistic awareness would be necessary to push into the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The writer demonstrates a good control of grammar and punctuation, successfully utilizing a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional and concessive clauses in phrases like 'In conclusion, as long as the potential downsides... will outweigh them.' There are frequent error-free sentences, alongside a few minor persisting errors in prepositions and article usage, such as 'resulting in a better air for people to breathe'. The punctuation and syntactic structures are handled with enough competence to maintain clear meaning and show a strong foundation in complex sentence formation.

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