Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-18

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)

Whether the best approach to provide sufficient housing in large cities is through by building tall apartment blocks remains a contentious issue. While many people disagree with this view, I strongly believe that it is best viable solution to the problem as long as there is proper planning to avoid congestion and pressure on public services.

On one side, cities are getting crowded and have scarce land to accomodate large population. This is because many people are migrating to cities looking for high paying job opportunities and better standard of living. As a result, there is a shortage of housing supply to meet the growing demand. Moreover, due to shortage in accomodation, the cost of living in cities is also increasing. Constructing tall towers can provide apartments to multiple people. For instance, Hong Kong was able to tackle overcrowding by building tall vertical skycrappers. This approach also allowed to keep the property prices low.

On the other side, building tall apartment blocks can provide housing to large number of people but it create issues such as road congestion and excess pressure on publc services. Many people living in the city often rely on their personal vehicles to commute. Due to scarce land, the roads and highways in the cities may not be able to manage the high number of cars and can lead to traffic congestion. Moreover, public services such as hospitals, schools, and other government facilities may not be able to cater the large population. However, with proper urban planning these issues can be mitigated. For instance, in Singapore, the government has build bus stops in every 400 meters to make it easier for people to travel. Citizens often rely on public transport to travel within the city and rely less on personal vehicles. The government have also build schools and hospitals in region outside the city. By doing so, they are able to construct large infrastrcture projects to accomodate large number of children in schools and patients in the hosptal.

In conclusion, I strongly believe building tall apartment blocks is the most effective way to provide enough homes to the general populace. Even with limited area, they can cater the increasing demand and keep the cost of living in the city low. However, it is important to plan the city efficiently to avoid road congestion.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction, where you state that tall apartment blocks are the “best viable solution,” and it remains consistent in the conclusion. You address the main issue and acknowledge a relevant drawback—pressure on roads and public services—before explaining that planning can reduce these problems. The Hong Kong and Singapore examples help support your reasoning. This fits a response that addresses the task and extends its ideas with support. Some claims, however, are broad or not fully explained: for example, you say Hong Kong’s towers kept property prices low, and that Singapore built facilities outside the city, without clarifying how these measures demonstrate that high-rise housing is the best approach. Develop the evidence and qualify such claims to make the argument more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear four-paragraph structure, with an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs and a conclusion. The progression is easy to follow: you explain the demand for housing, consider disadvantages of high-rise development, and then argue that planning can address them. Linking phrases such as “As a result,” “Moreover” and “However” generally make relationships between ideas clear. This is effective overall, though the repeated “On one side” and “On the other side” framing is somewhat formulaic, and some links between claims could be more explicit. For instance, the Singapore discussion moves from bus stops to schools and hospitals without clearly connecting each example to the specific pressures identified earlier. Use more varied transitions and make the relationship between examples and claims precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “housing supply,” “overcrowding,” “traffic congestion,” “public services” and “urban planning.” These choices make the subject clear, and you attempt less common expressions such as “scarce land” and “vertical skyscrapers.” However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “best viable solution,” “cater the large population” and “keep the property prices low.” There are also spelling errors in words such as “accomodate,” “skyscrappers” and “infrastrcture.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and control. Aim to learn common collocations as complete phrases and proofread spelling; for example, use “the most viable solution,” “meet the needs of a large population” and “keep property prices low.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses with “While,” “because” and “although,” and most ideas remain clear. Some sentences show good control, such as “However, with proper urban planning these issues can be mitigated.” There are nevertheless some errors in agreement, articles and verb forms. For example, “it create issues” should be “it creates issues,” “the government have also build” should be “the government has also built,” and “to cater the large population” needs a grammatical pattern such as “to cater for the large population.” The opening phrase “is through by building” also combines incompatible constructions. Review agreement and verb forms, and check that each sentence’s structure is complete and consistent. This would build on the range already present.

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