Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-16

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many places, new homes are needed, but the only space available for building them is in the countryside. Some people believe it is more important to protect the countryside and not build new homes there.

What is your opinion about this?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 6.5)

There is an ongoing debate regarding the need to build new homes along the countryside as it is the only space available. While others think that construction of new homes must be avoided in the countryside to protect the clean environment. This essay will discuss both perspectives before explaining why I believe it is important to preserve nature.

On the one hand, many people are moving to big cities to find empolyment opportunities, higher education and better lifestyle. This results in the majority of cities becoming overcrowded due to immense rise in the population. To accomodate the needs of population, many housing schemes are building new societies in the ouskirts of these large cities. For example, to attract people, these housing societies offer facilities like schools, mini marts, clinics and other amenities. But these developments expand on nearby farms or orchards which are destroyed in the process. Moreover, in poorly developed cities new houses are built in an unplanned manner which leaves no space available for the future development. Additionally, people are also preferring to shift to rural areas in order to experience clean and organic lifestyle which is offering better health and wellbeing.

On the other hand, countryside is calm with its serene environment, pure air and healthy lifestyle. There is plenty of land available for construction which is the main reason of attraction for people to start new societies in these places. Although these developments offer many benefits to people, it will bring in pollution and nosie too. Eventually, this will effect the countryside life resulting in the same fate as cities over the years.

In my opionion, high-rise buiding like apartments and penthouses must be encouraged to deal with the rising need of accomodation. This will occupy less space and house more families.

To conclude, countryside must be protected to preserve the nature. Governments and developers must plan and work together to ensure sufficient housing needs are fullfilled in the cities rather than in the countryside.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both sides of the issue (protecting the countryside versus building new homes) and clearly stating a personal position in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are relevant, such as urban overcrowding and the appeal of rural life, though some points, like the mention of high-rise buildings, are introduced rather abruptly in the final body paragraph without full extension. The position is clear throughout, and the arguments are supported with logical reasoning and relatable examples, fitting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 7. Overall, the task is well-addressed with a distinct viewpoint maintained from start to finish.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, body paragraphs addressing each perspective, a counter-proposal paragraph, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'On the other hand,' 'Moreover,' and 'Additionally' are employed to guide the reader through the text, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression experiences a minor bump when the text shifts abruptly to high-rise buildings in the fourth paragraph. Nevertheless, the overall arrangement is coherent and easy to follow, aligning closely with Band 6.5 to Band 7 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully incorporating less common items such as 'overcrowded,' 'serene environment,' and 'accommodate.' However, there are a few noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, including 'empolyment' (employment), 'accomodate' (accommodate), 'ousskirts' (outskirts), 'nosie' (noise), 'effect' (affect), and 'opionion' (opinion). Additionally, phrases like 'clean and organic lifestyle' are slightly unnatural in collocation. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from achieving a higher lexical band, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing subordinate clauses and conditional ideas effectively (e.g., 'While others think that construction...'). There is good control of basic grammar, but several errors occur in sentence structure and punctuation. For instance, the sentence starting with 'While others think...' is a sentence fragment dependent on the main clause. Other minor slips include 'high-rise buiding' (buildings) and 'needs are fullfilled' (fulfilled). Despite these persistent errors, they rarely impede communication, and the writer demonstrates a reasonable variety of structures, earning a Band 6.0.

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

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