Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-26

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)

I personally agree with the idea of building tall apartment blocks in large cities in order to provide enough homes. In todays time and age, the global population is growing rapidly and to accomodate them, we need more houses and apartments. This need is clearly evident in large metropolitian cities because people from all corners of the world come to these big metro cities in search of jobs and a comfortable livelihood. Hubs like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore are burdened with the problem of accomodating so many native folks as well as immigrants.

I can speak about Mumbai with experience because I've spent my childhood here and have witnessed the growth and development of this city. Mumbai historically is just an amalgamation of 7 islands, so space here is scarce. On top of that it has to carry the weight of being the financial capital of India. So naturally, builders have to make tall skyscrapers and high rise apartments in order to accomodate the over-populated city while also keeping the profits in mind. They not only have to think about the apartments but also the parking spaces and other amenities of a society. I have seen some buildings with their initial floors dedicated to parking and the flats start from the 5th or 6th floor.

Although for some people, this may feel like a very dystopian society and they may feel claustrophobic to live in such buildings. Especially people who are from the country side, might feel like they are living in a concrete jungle of some sort.

Aside from these problems, I feel tall buildings still have an overall positive impact on large cities because the unused space, which is obviously very expensive, saves lots of money of builders as well as the government. The government can then utilise these spaces to create green enviroments such as forests, parks, and reclaimation areas. So in summary, high rise buildings can save time of constructing big townships, money, reduce pollution while still accomodating large cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the opening: you agree that tall apartment blocks are an effective way to provide homes in large cities, and you maintain this view through the conclusion. The Mumbai example gives relevant support, particularly the explanation that limited land and the city’s role as a financial centre encourage high-rise construction; the detail about lower floors being used for parking also makes the discussion concrete. You acknowledge a drawback—some residents may feel claustrophobic—and then explain why you still see high-rises as beneficial. To strengthen the response further, develop this counterpoint and clarify how building upward would enable the government to create the green spaces you mention. Some claims, such as reduced pollution and saved construction time, are asserted rather than explained.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: it introduces your position, develops it through the Mumbai example, recognises a disadvantage, and ends with a summary of benefits. Paragraphing generally supports this progression, and transitions such as “Although” and “Aside from these problems” help signal shifts in the argument. However, some links between ideas are abrupt or rely on familiar signposting. For example, the move from residents’ possible discomfort to the claim that high-rises save money and space could be connected more explicitly. The final paragraph also combines several outcomes—green areas, construction time, and pollution—without showing how each follows from the main argument. More precise referencing and clearer links between claims would make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of topic vocabulary, including “metropolitan cities,” “financial capital,” “high-rise apartments,” “amenities,” and “claustrophobic.” These choices help communicate the urban-housing issue and show some flexibility beyond basic vocabulary. There are, however, several spelling errors, including “todays,” “accomodate,” “metropolitian,” “enviroments,” and “reclaimation.” Some expressions are also imprecise or awkward: “carry the weight of being the financial capital” and “saves lots of money of builders” do not sound fully natural. “Unused space” is unclear in context, since the point appears to be that high-rise buildings use land efficiently. More accurate spelling and collocations would make your vocabulary more controlled and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses such as “because people from all corners of the world come…” and the contrast introduced by “Although.” Most sentences communicate your meaning clearly, and the paragraph about Mumbai includes several well-controlled structures. Some grammatical and punctuation issues remain. In “Especially people who are from the country side, might feel…,” the introductory phrase is awkwardly separated from the subject by a comma; the sentence would be clearer as “People from the countryside might especially feel…”. “Mumbai historically is just an amalgamation…” has an unnatural placement of the adverb, and “saves time of constructing” uses an incorrect grammatical pattern. Review sentence boundaries and punctuation as well as common verb-and-noun patterns to improve accuracy.

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.