Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-29

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)

Many people believe that high rise building infrastructure is the best for urban areas. I believe that it is true given the advantages it provides regarding lower damage to environment and smart use of land. However, if a city is not designed in an order there might be congestion and traffic issues.

Generally, the advantage of constructing tall buildings is that trees would not have to be cut down on a large scale. Parks and gardens could be created as buildings do not cover vast land, this in return would improve the air quality in the city. Many wild animals would also be able to live if their habitat is protected. For instance, the capital city of Pakistan the Islamabad is divided into sectors that include tall apartment blocks. By this smart design greenery can also be seen around the apartments. Many squirls also live on trees that grew in parks that were built on land in between these buildings.

In contrast, many families packed in a high rise building and compact city design can lead to severe air pollution and congestion. There may also be traffic issues in morning and in evening time, when people go to work and leave for home. For example, In major cities of China where same method of housing is being used many people get stuck in traffic for hours. They reach home late at night completely exhausted.

In conclusion, in big cities tall building apartments are necessary to facilitate rising population and preserving greenary. Meanwhile, if it the city is designed poorly it can lead to congestion, traffic and air pollution.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you support tall apartment buildings because they use land efficiently and can help preserve green space, while acknowledging that poor planning may cause congestion and pollution. The Islamabad example gives relevant support, and the China example illustrates the drawback. This covers both your view and a counterpoint. However, the environmental benefit is not fully explained: the claim that trees need not be cut down does not by itself show how apartment construction protects existing habitats, and the animal example is brief. The traffic point is also asserted more than analysed. Develop these links and explain why high-rise housing is the best approach compared with alternatives to make the argument more fully supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your position, separate body paragraphs present benefits and drawbacks, and the conclusion restates your view. The progression from land use and greenery to congestion is easy to follow, and examples are placed alongside the relevant claims. Some linking is effective, particularly “For instance” and “In contrast,” but transitions can feel mechanical, and a few references are unclear. In “this in return,” the connection to the preceding idea is awkward, while “the same method of housing” does not specify exactly which method you mean. Use more precise referencing and connect each example explicitly to the point it supports to strengthen the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic, including “high rise,” “habitat,” “congestion,” and “air quality,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “compact city design” and “smart design.” However, some choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise: “high rise building infrastructure” is awkward, “lower damage to environment” is not idiomatic, and “greenary” is misspelled. “Squirls” is also misspelled, and “packed in a high rise building” does not express the intended idea naturally. Aim for accurate collocations and check spelling, especially in topic vocabulary, to make your argument more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including conditional structures such as “if a city is not designed in an order there might be congestion” and a relative clause in “trees that grew in parks.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “many families packed in a high rise building … can lead” has a faulty subject construction; “the capital city of Pakistan the Islamabad” has an incorrect article and sentence structure; and “if it the city is designed poorly” contains an extra word. There are also article and preposition issues in phrases such as “in morning and in evening time.” Review sentence construction and articles, and proofread for small errors while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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

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