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?
Same question Compare all 3 answers See different approaches and band scores for this IELTS task.Sample Response
Many large cities are facing a serious housing shortage, and tall apartment blocks are often presented as the main answer. Although high-rise buildings can provide homes for many people, I only partly agree that they are the best solution. Cities should also improve lower-density housing and use land more carefully.
On the one hand, apartment towers have clear advantages in crowded urban areas. Land in city centres is expensive and limited, so building upwards allows a large number of families to live near workplaces, schools and public transport. This may reduce the need for people to travel long distances from the suburbs. In addition, when many residents live in one building, services such as water supply and rubbish collection can be organised more efficiently. For young workers or small families, a flat in a tall block may be more affordable than a house.
However, relying too much on this type of housing can create other problems. Very tall buildings may make an area feel overcrowded, especially if there are not enough parks, shops or medical facilities nearby. Some residents also prefer a small house because they need outdoor space for children or elderly relatives. If every available site is used for towers, cities can lose their local character and become less pleasant places to live. Furthermore, poorly managed apartment blocks sometimes have problems with noise, safety and shared areas.
In my view, high-rise apartments should be an important part of housing plans, particularly close to transport hubs. Nevertheless, local authorities need a mixture of homes, including medium-rise buildings and renovated empty properties. Building tall blocks alone can increase the number of homes, but it cannot guarantee a good quality of life for all urban residents.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use academic wording Original: main answer Suggested revision: main solution Why it matters: Solution is more precise than answer when referring to a policy response.
- 2. Clarify housing action Original: improve lower-density housing Suggested revision: expand the supply of lower-density housing Why it matters: The revision states clearly what cities should do to the housing supply.
- 3. Use precise adverb Original: building upwards Suggested revision: building vertically Why it matters: Building vertically is a more precise formal expression for high-rise development.
- 4. Use commute precisely Original: travel long distances from the suburbs Suggested revision: commute long distances from the suburbs Why it matters: Commute precisely describes regular travel between suburban homes and workplaces.
- 5. Use consistent terminology Original: a flat in a tall block Suggested revision: an apartment in a high-rise block Why it matters: This wording is more formal and consistent with the essay's earlier terminology.
- 6. Strengthen formal phrasing Original: relying too much on Suggested revision: relying too heavily on Why it matters: Too heavily is the more natural formal collocation with relying.
- 7. Clarify development action Original: used for towers Suggested revision: developed with high-rise blocks Why it matters: The revision describes urban land development more precisely.
- 8. Use housing term Original: shared areas Suggested revision: communal areas Why it matters: Communal areas is a more precise term for spaces shared by residents.
- 9. Specify housing variety Original: mixture of homes Suggested revision: mix of housing types Why it matters: Housing types better conveys the intended variety of building forms.
- 10. Use precise property term Original: empty properties Suggested revision: vacant properties Why it matters: Vacant is the more precise formal adjective for unoccupied properties.
Suggested Rewrites
- main answer main solution
- improve lower-density housing expand the supply of lower-density housing
- building upwards building vertically
- travel long distances from the suburbs commute long distances from the suburbs
- a flat in a tall block an apartment in a high-rise block
- relying too much on relying too heavily on
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response is strongest in its consistently clear position and balanced, logically organised examination of both the capacity benefits and quality-of-life drawbacks of high-rise housing. Its main limitation is that some support remains general, particularly the claims about affordability and efficient services. The highest-priority improvement is to develop one or two central claims with more specific causal explanation or a concrete urban example.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Response
The essay directly answers the question with a clear qualified position and develops relevant advantages, drawbacks and alternatives throughout.
Deepen the strongest claims with a concrete example or an additional causal step showing why a mixed housing strategy works better.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically through a clear four-paragraph structure, with cohesive devices and referencing used smoothly.
Make the relationship between the drawbacks paragraph and the proposed mixed solution even tighter through a brief explicit link.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a broad, natural range of housing and urban-planning vocabulary with generally precise word choice.
Increase specificity by replacing broad phrases such as 'other problems' with a more exact category of urban impact.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately and flexibly, with consistently clear punctuation and agreement.
Continue refining style by varying the repeated conditional and modal patterns used to explain consequences.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
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?
Your response
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