Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-22

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 argue that high-rise apartment buildings is the most effective way to meet the housing requirements in major cities. Although high-rise developments can accommodate a large number of residents. I believe they should be combined with other methods that make housing is affordable and accessible.

Tall apartment buildings maximise the use of a limited space of land as this would be very beneficial in large cities, as they have expensive land and a growing population. Building upwards allows more families to live on the same plot of land than separate houses. For instance, In a crowded city, one apartment tower can accommodate hundreds of families on one plot of land otherwise, it may be very inefficient to have separate houses. Therefore, it would help people to find homes easily without expanding the city.

High-rise apartment buildings alone cannot solve the housing crisis, as they cannot meet the requirements of every resident. Although these buildings can increase the number of homes available but properties may remain unaffordable for low-income families. Furthermore, densely populated societies require reliable public transport, water supplies, schools and healthcare facilities. For example, if a city constructs a large number of apartment towers without improving the transport system, residents may face crowded buses and lengthy journeys to work. This would lead to a very time-consuming and exhausting day for residents.

In conclusion, I partially agree that tall apartment buildings are an effective way to meet the housing requirements because they make better use of limited urban land. However, they should have adequate facilities for the residents.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you partially agree because towers use scarce urban land efficiently, but they need to be supported by affordability and services. You address both the advantages and limitations, and the examples of a tower housing many families and transport becoming overcrowded are relevant. This meets the task well overall. However, the discussion of affordability is asserted rather than explained—for example, you do not say what measures could make apartments accessible to low-income residents. The point about facilities is more developed through the transport example, while other needs such as schools and healthcare are only listed. Developing these ideas more evenly and explaining how alternatives or supporting policies contribute would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your position, two body paragraphs consider benefits and limitations, and the conclusion restates your view. Ideas generally progress logically, and linking expressions such as “For instance,” “Furthermore,” and “In conclusion” help guide the reader. The main limitation is that some connections feel mechanical or are not fully controlled. In the first body paragraph, “as” is repeated in the opening sentence, making the relationship between the ideas less smooth. The sentence beginning “Although these buildings can increase…” also combines contrasting points awkwardly. Use a wider range of transitions and clearer referencing, and make sure each sentence connects precisely to the point before it.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “high-rise developments,” “housing requirements,” “limited space of land,” “low-income families,” and “densely populated societies.” These choices make the subject clear, and phrases such as “reliable public transport” and “lengthy journeys” add useful specificity. There are, however, some imprecise or unnatural collocations: “limited space of land” would be more naturally expressed as “limited urban land,” while “meet the requirements of every resident” is less direct than “meet every resident’s housing needs.” “Time-consuming and exhausting day” is understandable but somewhat awkward in this context. Aim for more precise collocations and avoid repeating “housing requirements” when a more natural alternative is available.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including subordinate clauses with “Although,” “as,” and “if,” and most of your meaning remains clear. Some grammatical and punctuation errors persist. In the opening, “Although high-rise developments can accommodate a large number of residents.” is a dependent clause incorrectly punctuated as a complete sentence; it should be joined to the following sentence. “Buildings is” also has a subject–verb agreement error, and “make housing is affordable” contains an incorrect verb pattern. Later, “Although these buildings can increase … but properties may remain…” uses two contrasting structures together; remove “but” or recast the sentence. Check agreement, clause boundaries, and verb patterns carefully to improve accuracy while retaining your complex sentences.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.