Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-16

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)

It is widely argued that the most effective method to supply enough homes in big cities is constructing multi-story apartment blocks. In my opinion, I partially agree with this point of view because I think it is a practical solution to provide accommodation in major cities. However, another effective approach to fulfil accommodation is building smaller houses outside the urban cities.

To begin with, constructing high-rise apartments is a practical way to deal with housing storage in large cities. This is because land in major cities is very limited and expensive. For instance, If policymakers build apartments for accommodation in crowded cities, there will be enough space for other infrastructure such as schools, colleges, universities, water management centers and waste management centers. Moreover, If city planners build high-rise housing units near business hubs, it is highly likely to control daily traffic congestion in major cities.

On the other hand, building small houses outside the major cities is an effective alternative to provide better living conditions and reduce urban overcrowding. For example, it provides facilities for many individuals to live with their children and parents and spend their important time with them, which strengthens family bonds. Furthermore, if local authorities develop infrastructure in rural areas and improve facilities in suburban places, they will supply sufficient accommodation also build schools, toilets and waste management departments.

In conclusion, if governments implement a balanced approach by building high-rise apartments in urban centers and expanding opportunities and housing facilities in suburban regions, they will manage population growth and ensuring a high quality of life for all citizens.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you partially agree that tall apartment blocks are effective, while also proposing housing outside city centres. You address both sides and give relevant reasons, including limited and expensive urban land, access to infrastructure, and reduced congestion near business hubs. The conclusion also brings the two approaches together. This meets the task well, but some ideas are less fully developed than others. For example, the family-bond benefit of smaller houses is asserted rather than clearly linked to how this approach provides enough homes, and the claim that high-rise housing will control congestion needs more explanation. Develop each main point with a clearer cause-and-effect link or a specific example to make the argument more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphs generally focus on one approach, and signposts such as “To begin with,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” make the progression easy to follow. This provides a coherent arrangement, though some connections are mechanical and a few references are not fully clear. In the final body paragraph, “they will supply sufficient accommodation also build schools” joins two outcomes without a clear grammatical or logical link. The relationship between suburban housing and stronger family bonds could also be made more explicit. Use linking phrases selectively and make the connection between each example and its main point clear, rather than relying mainly on paragraph-opening transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “high-rise apartments,” “urban overcrowding,” “infrastructure,” and “traffic congestion,” which helps communicate the main ideas. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “implement a balanced approach.” However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “housing storage” does not express the intended idea, “fulfil accommodation” is awkward, and “outside the urban cities” is imprecise. “Waste management centers” is repeated, limiting variety. These choices do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and naturalness. Aim to learn common collocations for housing and urban planning, and check that each noun and verb combination expresses the intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including conditional clauses such as “if policymakers build apartments” and a relative clause in “which strengthens family bonds.” Most sentences communicate their meaning, and the overall argument remains easy to follow. Some grammatical errors persist, however. In “they will supply sufficient accommodation also build schools,” the second verb needs a connector and a parallel structure; the conclusion’s “they will manage population growth and ensuring” also mixes verb forms. The sentence beginning “For instance, If policymakers…” has an unnecessary capital after the comma, and “spend their important time” has an awkward determiner pattern. Review coordination, parallel verb forms, and punctuation in longer sentences to improve control.

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