Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-20

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)

In recent years, the lack of land for residential purposes has become a major problem for big cities. However, some people recently suggested a clever way to tackle this problem in which tall apartment blocks are built to provide sufficient amount of homes. In my view, this solution seems to be ideal but comes with some minimal problems that can be fixed in the future.

The problem with building independent homes is that it takes significant amount of land as each family or individual will take a chunk of land. While n the major cities, that is considered a catastrophic problem due to the lack of land. However, with the appearance of building homes vertically instead, it significantly assisted in reducing the amount of land used for residency as more and more people are living in the same amount of land. For instance, In giant cities such as New York, housing people in independent houses is insufficient and will require much more land than the state have. While with the tall apartment blocks, people will be taking the same space but on the account of the air above instead of the ground. In other words, that will leave much more free land for other uses such as farming and industrial uses.

On the other hand, many people argued that living on top of each other comes with consequences.One example is that the vibrations and noise from movement creates a disturbing environment that most people find annoying. Moreover, another potential flaw of this idea is that it provides less privacy than independent houses as people are close to each other and are able to hear each other voices and conversations. However, all of these drawbacks can be easily adjusted with some techincal solutions such as the use of isolation materials and using thicker walls.

To conclude, land shortage in many parts of the world is considered a hazardous problem. However, with the new solution of tall apartment blocks. That solved most of the issue but leaves with some minor issues that can be resolved easily. In my firm opinion, I completely agree that housing people vertically is the perfect solution.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear throughout: you agree that tall apartment blocks are an effective way to address housing shortages, while acknowledging noise and privacy concerns. The response addresses both the benefits and drawbacks, and the New York example helps illustrate how vertical housing can use land more efficiently. The main ideas are relevant and supported, which makes the argument convincing overall. Some points, however, are asserted more than fully explained: for example, the claim that freed land can be used for farming and industry would benefit from a clearer link to how this helps meet the needs of large cities. The drawbacks are also answered mainly by proposing insulation, without considering whether high-rise housing suits all residents or locations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall structure, moving from the housing problem to the advantages of vertical construction, then to objections and a conclusion. Paragraphing supports this progression, and signposts such as “For instance,” “On the other hand,” and “To conclude” help readers follow the argument. There is some flexibility in how ideas are connected, including the contrast between independent homes and apartment blocks. At times, however, linking is mechanical or the relationship between sentences is unclear. The sequence “However, with the new solution of tall apartment blocks. That solved most of the issue” breaks the conclusion into an incomplete sentence and an awkward follow-up. Avoid starting a new sentence with a fragment, and use pronouns such as “that” only when their reference is unmistakable.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “residential purposes,” “vertically,” “vibrations,” and “isolation materials.” These choices allow you to discuss land use and the disadvantages of apartment living, and the meaning is generally clear. There are also some inaccurate or unnatural word choices and collocations, such as “sufficient amount of homes,” “on the account of the air above,” and “adjusted with some technical solutions.” “Catastrophic problem” is stronger than the context requires, while “hazardous problem” is not a natural collocation here. Spelling errors such as “techincal” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural combinations and check spelling; for example, describe homes as being “built upwards” and drawbacks as being “addressed” or “mitigated.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including conditional and contrastive clauses, as in “While with the tall apartment blocks…” and “as people are close to each other.” This gives the response some structural variety, and most meaning remains understandable. Some grammatical and punctuation errors persist, however. “While n the major cities” is incomplete, and “That solved most of the issue” is a sentence fragment. There are also agreement and article problems in “the state have” and “takes significant amount of land,” as well as a missing space after “consequences.” Work on complete sentence construction, subject–verb agreement, and articles. Revising the final paragraph into a single well-formed sentence would improve control without sacrificing complexity.

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