Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

As stated in the given scenario the best way to provide enough homes in large cities is to build tall apartment blocks. I mostly agree with the statement because high-rise buildings accommodate more people but the quality of life can be compromised in the long run but still i think the benefits of building tall apartment complexes outweigh the disadvantages of it.

The reason I mostly agree with this is because of the fact that a large proportion of the populationtends to move to large citiesin search of better employment opportunities and a higher quality of life but this also leads to scarcity of land which can, in turn, lead to a housing shortage and inflation due to an increase of land prices. Secondly the construction of high-rise apartments can accomodate a large proportion of the urban population very effectively and make very efficient use of land. High-rise housing allows cities to accommodate a growing population without expanding their physical boundaries. By concentrating residents within a relatively small area, urban authorities can make more efficient use of scarce land while reducing the pressure to develop surrounding agricultural or environmentally sensitive areas.

But on the other hand tall apartment complexes worn out with the passage of time and their residents can experience different maintenance issues in their apartments and spaces which can lead to a compromised quality of life which can be very discomforting as most people move to large cities in search of better quality of life but proper maintenance and upgradation of such apartment complexes and continuous development can mitigate this risk of downgrading the quality of life.

In conclusion, I believe that high-rise apartment buildings are one of the most effective ways to address housing shortages in large cities because they allow limited land to be used efficiently. However, their long-term success depends on proper maintenance and adequate urban infrastructure to ensure that residents' quality of life is not compromised.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position agreeing with the statement, supported by relevant ideas. The word count requirement was fully met, and the 16 copied words from the prompt did not negatively impact the score. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the second paragraph effectively explores urban migration and land scarcity, the counter-argument regarding maintenance issues and quality of life is introduced abruptly and lacks concrete examples or full extension. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to explore all supporting points with equal depth and provide more thorough explanation or specific instances to substantiate the main arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear progression of ideas from the introduction through the body paragraphs to the conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct arguments, such as land efficiency versus maintenance challenges. Cohesive devices are employed, though referencing and transitions can occasionally feel a bit mechanical, as seen in the reliance on basic conjunctions and transitional markers like 'Secondly' and 'But on the other hand'. To achieve a higher level, the writer should employ a wider range of cohesive devices more flexibly and ensure that referencing within and across sentences is smoother and less repetitive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the writer's meaning throughout the essay. The student attempts less common lexical items such as 'scarcity of land', 'urban population', and 'environmentally sensitive areas', showing an awareness of topic-related terminology. However, there are minor issues with word choice, repetition, and lexical control, such as 'worn out' instead of 'wear out', and 'upgradation' which is less standard in this context. These minor inaccuracies do not impede communication, but to move up to a higher band, the writer must demonstrate greater precision in word choice, better control of collocations, and a wider range of sophisticated vocabulary used with fewer slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, most notably missing commas in long sentences, run-on structures (such as '...better quality of life but proper maintenance...'), and minor prepositional or structural slips. Crucially, these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear. To reach the next level, the writer needs to produce a higher proportion of error-free complex sentences, ensure better punctuation control particularly regarding comma splices, and demonstrate a consistently wider range of grammatical structures.

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

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