Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-13

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)

Some people believe that vertical construction is the best way to meet the housing demand in big cities. I strongly agree with this statment because vertical construction provides cheaper housing and causes less disturbance of the green built.

Vertical construction is cheaper because a developer can builts more flats on the small piece of land in the vertical direction to a height allowed by the local authorities. This means that you can built a lot more aparments on a small piece of land, that in case of horizontal construction could make only few apartments. This reduces the cost of development and therefore flats cost less. This is evident from the fact that a flat in a highrise building cost a lot less in big cities than a single story building in the same area.

Similarly, vertical construction is more enviromental friendly approach compared to other solutions such as horizontal construction which requires larger area. For vertical construction, green built disturbance is minimum as less number of tress are cut down or a small agriculture land is converted into a building site. This is because vertical construction expands vertically and thereby requires less area. Therefore, we can save more area for agriculture and green built which will support healthier lifestyle. Shanghai and Shenzhen are the two best examples of vertical construction where a large number of people live in a highrise building that is build on a small area which otherwise would have been provided shelter for few families.

In conclusion, highrise construction is an environmental and budget friendly solution to providing housing to people in big cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you strongly agree that tall buildings can help meet urban housing demand. You develop two relevant reasons—lower development costs and less pressure on green or agricultural land—and support them with examples such as Shanghai and Shenzhen. This addresses the task and gives the response a clear line of argument. To strengthen the discussion further, explain more directly why these benefits make tall apartment blocks the *best* solution, rather than simply a useful one, and acknowledge a limitation or alternative, such as the need for transport and services around dense housing. Some claims, including that flats in high-rise buildings cost much less, would also benefit from more precise support rather than broad generalisation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised clearly into an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, with each body paragraph focused on one main reason. The progression from affordability to environmental impact is easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Similarly,” “This means,” and “Therefore” help show relationships between ideas. The conclusion also returns to your central position. To make the flow more natural, reduce repeated explanations of the same point: the second paragraph restates several times that vertical construction uses less land. Some links are also slightly mechanical, so vary how you connect evidence to its implications and make references such as “This” more explicit where needed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “housing demand,” “vertical construction,” “local authorities,” and “development,” which helps communicate the main argument. However, the range and control are limited by repeated wording—especially “vertical construction,” “small piece of land,” and “area”—and by inaccurate word forms, spelling and collocations. Examples include “statment,” “enviromental friendly,” “green built,” and “highrise.” These errors are noticeable and sometimes make the intended meaning less immediate, even though the overall argument remains understandable. Build a more precise range for urban planning and housing, and check spelling and natural combinations. For example, use “environmentally friendly,” “green space,” and “high-rise apartment building” consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including cause-and-effect structures with “because,” “This means,” and “Therefore.” Most ideas can be followed, but errors occur frequently in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction. For instance, “a developer can builts” should use the base form after “can,” while “a flat … cost” needs subject–verb agreement. In “could make only few apartments,” the article and phrasing need correction, and “which otherwise would have been provided shelter” has a faulty relative-clause structure. These recurring problems limit accuracy and can slow the reader. Practise checking each sentence’s subject and verb, and review articles and clause structure, especially in longer sentences.

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

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