Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-05

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 5.5)

It is often argued that in big cities tall apartmental blocks are the better way to provide enough homes. Although it can be dangerous, I strongly agree with this statement owing to overpriced land, congested areas and high cost of living.

People who argued that tall apartments are a good way to provide enough homes in big cities have certain reason. First and foremost, costliness of land is a major problem in big cities. This is because majority of people is from middle class and they cannot buy much land since it is overpriced. Furthermore, high cost of living is another factor. Higher the city, higher would be the living expenses. To illustrate, a family would like to live in an apartment since they cannot meet with daily expenses if they live in big homes. In addition, congested area is also a main reason behind this. Much population in big cities leads to push people to live in small apartments instead of large homes.

On the contrary, these tall apartments can cause certain problems. Firstly, these apartments can be dangerous in times of earthquack. This is because tall buildings have larger threat to be fall when there is any earthquack. To illustrates, if a tall building is not build with authentic material, it may fall easily when there is any natural disaster. Moreover, it can be very difficult for manager to manage much families in a single apartment.

To sum up, people often believe that by making tall aparments in large cities people can be provided with enough homes. Whilst, it can be dangerous but I strongly agree with this statment since overpriced cost of living and inflation in prices of land.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you strongly agree that tall apartment blocks can provide homes in large cities, and you give relevant reasons, including expensive land, congestion and living costs. You also acknowledge a counterargument about earthquake risks, which helps address the issue. However, the support is often general or unclear. For example, the claim that “Higher the city, higher would be the living expenses” does not explain directly why building upwards solves the housing shortage, and the point about managers finding it difficult to manage families is not developed. To strengthen the response, explain the practical link between each reason and high-rise housing, and support key claims with a specific example. The conclusion also repeats the position without adding a clear final justification.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, a paragraph supporting high-rise housing, a paragraph presenting drawbacks, and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “First and foremost,” “Furthermore,” and “Moreover” help signal the order of points. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and some links between ideas are unclear. For instance, “Higher the city, higher would be the living expenses” does not connect smoothly to the claim about choosing apartments, while “Whilst” introduces the conclusion in an awkward way. The opposing paragraph also shifts from earthquake safety to management difficulties without explaining their relationship. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each example explicitly to the paragraph’s main point; vary linking devices rather than relying mainly on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “congested,” “overpriced,” “natural disaster,” and “middle class,” and the reader can generally understand your meaning. However, the range is limited by repeated wording such as “tall apartments,” “big cities,” and “provide enough homes,” and several choices or collocations are inaccurate. Examples include “apartmental blocks,” “costliness of land,” and “larger threat to be fall.” Spelling errors such as “earthquack,” “aparments,” and “statment” also reduce accuracy. Aim to use more precise housing and urban-planning terms, and check common word combinations. For example, “high-rise apartment blocks” is more natural than “apartmental blocks,” while “the risk of collapse” expresses the earthquake concern clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “Although,” “since,” and “if,” so there is some variety. However, errors occur across sentence patterns and sometimes make the intended meaning less clear. Examples include “majority of people is” (article and agreement), “Higher the city, higher would be” (comparative structure), and “a tall building … may fall” after “is not build” (verb form). The sentence “Much population … leads to push people” also has problems with countability and verb construction. Work on subject–verb agreement, articles, comparative forms, and infinitive patterns. Editing each sentence for one main clause and its supporting clause can help you retain complex structures while improving control.

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