Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-04

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)

The Rapid growth of population has increased the urgent need of additional housing in many large cities. Some people argue that the best way to provide enough homes in large Cities is to build tall apartment blocks. I strongly believe the view point that building tall apartments can be helpful only when a balanced approach with proper horizontal housing and urban planning is followed.

The strong argument to the statement is that building vertical houses can reduce overuse of precious urban land that further can be used for making schools, parks, hospitals, etc. urban land is astronomical and scarce, tall apartments helps to give better living place to a hundred families in the limited area and it provides cost effective experience of living. However, providing tall basic facilities like schools, parks, hospitals, helps to reduce distance making that leads to less commuting roads and helps in more congestion on increasing use of public transport by people rather than personal vehicles. It benefits both environment and saves time by reducing pollution and traffic on roads respectively.

Moreover, building tall apartments is not the only solution. Vertical housing favours small families to live in a limited space whereas it doesn’t always favour all the families especially Joint families. more people accommodate at a single area results in putting pressure on municipal corporation which leads to blocked sewage, congestion on roads, scarcity of water to the houses, etc. It results in a need for extra care of buildings and public systems that low-earning residents can't afford. Conversely, horizontal housing provides more space to families and more affordable public systems limiting traffic in a particular area.

To conclude, tall building tall apartments helps in accommodating more families in a limited area, reducing scarcity of land but it comes up with it's own issues like increased stress on municipality, more traffic in a particular area. Therefore, it is not the only solution to fix the problems in large cities. A balanced approach must be taken where building horizontal and Vertical apartments is necessary along with proper urban planning and fulfilling the requirements of the public system.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position on whether tall apartment blocks are the best solution for urban housing. The writer outlines a balanced view, acknowledging both the benefits of vertical housing, such as efficient land use, and its drawbacks, such as municipal strain and unsuitability for joint families. However, the development of ideas is slightly uneven; while the first body paragraph touches on land scarcity and environmental benefits, the transition into public transport and basic facilities is somewhat convoluted and under-developed. To reach a higher level, the main arguments regarding infrastructure strain and spatial limitations could be extended with more specific examples or deeper exploration, ensuring that every supporting point directly reinforces the central thesis without shifting focus too abruptly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a logical conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different arguments, such as the advantages of vertical living versus its challenges. However, cohesion is occasionally mechanical or faulty. For instance, transitional phrases like 'The strong argument to the statement' sound unnatural, and referencing is at times unclear, such as the abrupt shift in the second paragraph regarding public transport and traffic congestion. Additionally, the misuse of cohesive devices like 'However' and 'Conversely' affects the smooth logical flow between sentences. To improve, the writer should ensure that ideas progress naturally from one sentence to the next using more precise and varied cohesive ties.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'astronomical', 'municipal corporation', and 'horizontal housing'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form throughout the text. Examples include 'building tall apartments' phrased awkwardly as 'building tall building tall apartments' in the conclusion, 'view point' written as two words, and phrasing like 'reducing distance making that leads to less commuting roads'. Spelling and word-choice errors, such as lowercase letters at the start of sentences ('urban land is astronomical') and incorrect capitalization ('Cities'), occur but do not severely impede communication. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to refine word choices and collocations for greater precision and naturalness.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at relative clauses and conditional-style reasoning, such as 'building tall apartments can be helpful only when a balanced approach... is followed.' There are, however, some errors in grammar, punctuation, and article usage that persist throughout the response. These include missing or incorrect articles ('the best way', 'a balanced approach'), subject-verb agreement slips like 'tall apartments helps', and awkward prepositional usage inside grammatical patterns, such as 'putting pressure on municipal corporation'. Punctuation and capitalization errors also appear, including comma splices and uncapitalized words at the beginning of sentences. Despite these errors, the structures are generally controlled well enough that meaning rarely becomes obscure, fitting the characteristics of this level.

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