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)

the increasing population in large cities has created a serious demand for housing. some people believe that tall apartment blocks is the best solution to this problem. i largely agree with this view because high rise buildings accommodate more people in limited space, although other solutions are also necessary.

one of the main advantage of tall apartment buildings is that they can provide homes for many families without occupying large areas of the land. in densely populated cities, land is often expensive and limited. therefore building upwards allows developers to construct more homes in smaller areas. for example, in karachi, apartment builidings can accommadate numerous families where constructing separate houses would acquire considerably more land. moreover these buildings can be developed near workplaces, schools and public transport, helping residents save time and reducing traffic congestion.

on the other hand, tall apartment blocks also have some disadvantages. firstly, their construction and maintainance is expensive making unaffordable for low income families. secondly, a large large number odf residents can put pressure on essential services such as including water supplies, electricity and sewage systems. without proper planning this may reduce peoples quality of life. furthermore some families prefer independent houses because they offer greater privacy and outdoor spaces.

in conclusion, i largely agree that building tall aprtment blocks is an effective way to address housing shortages in large cities because it make effective use of limited land. nevertheless, government should also introduce afforable housing schemes for the people who want separate houses and comfortable accommodation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you “largely agree” because high-rise buildings house more people on limited land, while acknowledging that other measures are needed. You address both the benefits and drawbacks, and the Karachi example helps illustrate how apartments can use land efficiently. The points about access to workplaces and pressure on services also support your discussion. This is a well-focused response with relevant ideas that are generally extended and supported. To strengthen it further, develop the less fully explained points: for instance, specify how governments could address pressure on water, electricity and sewage, and explain more directly why affordable schemes or separate houses are necessary alongside apartment construction.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall progression: an introduction states your view, the second paragraph explains advantages, the third considers disadvantages, and the conclusion restates your position. Linking phrases such as “therefore,” “moreover,” “on the other hand” and “in conclusion” make the relationships between points easy to follow. Paragraphing is appropriate, and the discussion remains focused. Some connections are a little mechanical, however, because several points are introduced in a list-like sequence with “firstly,” “secondly” and “furthermore.” You could improve flow by showing more explicitly how the disadvantages qualify your agreement, and by linking the final recommendation to the service pressures discussed in the previous paragraph.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “densely populated,” “limited space,” “traffic congestion” and “essential services.” These choices communicate the main ideas clearly, and phrases such as “housing shortages” and “low income families” are relevant to the task. However, spelling and word-choice errors sometimes reduce precision: “accommadate,” “maintainance,” “aprtment” and “afforable” should be corrected, while “acquire land” is not the natural collocation for using land. There is also an accidental repetition in “a large large number.” Aim to check spelling carefully and use more precise collocations, such as “require more land” and “affordable housing.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a concession in “although other solutions are also necessary” and a conditional structure beginning “without proper planning.” Most ideas remain understandable, and the paragraph structure gives you a sound basis for developing more varied sentences. Some grammatical errors persist, though. For example, “one of the main advantage” needs a plural noun, and “making unaffordable” is missing a subject or a suitable construction such as “which makes them unaffordable.” There are also agreement and article problems in “tall apartment blocks is” and “government should.” Capitalisation and punctuation need attention, particularly at sentence beginnings and around “without proper planning.”

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