Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-07

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)

Nowadays an increasing number of population in big cities face a huge housing problem, in my opinion the perfect way to overcome this issue asthe city have limited land mass is to build higher buildings with appartment blocks ,and to increase the affordability of homes.

Over the years each city faces the challenge of housing its citizens as the it becomes more croweded , with higher job offers and the demand for homes , the limited ressources of land makes it impossible to embrace this many people , so its favorable to use the areas left and build taller buildings appartments blocks ,studios, duplexes for all people with different classes and decrease the demand for units, this gives the city a new path for economic growth.for instance in tokyo japan the most populated city , construct its building on a smaller area to keep the prices and the demand for housing in balance.

Another compeling factor when the appartments becomes so rare to find as more people starts to move in for occupation or educational purposes the properties starts to become expensive and the tenants start take use of the situation , so its best for the city council for them to restore balance in the housing market is to start to use the remaining areas for taller building as they take less space and use the abuandant space to secure more units for example new york faced this issue lately and fix this its started take the abandant buildings and turning them to a skyscrapers to meet the demand of the people and keep prices in balance .

In summary the perfect way to fix the housing issue is to build taller buildings , this essay gives two reasons why its beneficial for the people and create a stable housing market.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you support building taller apartment blocks, and both body paragraphs give relevant reasons—limited land and the need to increase housing supply and affordability. The Tokyo and New York examples also help connect your argument to real cities. This addresses the main question, but some points are asserted rather than fully explained. For instance, the claim that taller buildings will “decrease the demand for units” is unclear: they may increase supply, but the link to demand needs explaining. The New York example also shifts from constructing tall buildings to converting abandoned buildings into skyscrapers, so its relevance is not fully established. Develop these examples and explain more precisely how high-rise housing affects availability and prices.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs with separate supporting points, and a concluding summary. The ideas generally progress from land scarcity to rising prices, and phrases such as “for instance” and “Another… factor” signal examples and a new point. However, several sentences are overloaded with multiple ideas, making the relationships between claims difficult to follow. The first body paragraph moves from population growth to land use, building types, economic growth, and Tokyo without clear transitions. Linking expressions such as “so” and “for example” are sometimes used mechanically, and references such as “this issue” are not always precise. Break up long sentences and make each paragraph’s central claim and supporting explanation more distinct.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of housing and urban-development vocabulary, including “limited land mass,” “housing market,” “tenants,” “studios,” and “duplexes.” This gives you enough language to communicate the main argument, and some choices show an attempt to be specific. However, spelling errors and inaccurate word choices are noticeable, including “croweded,” “ressources,” “compeling,” and “abuandant.” Some collocations are also unnatural: “higher job offers” would be better expressed as “more employment opportunities,” while “take use of the situation” does not clearly convey the intended meaning. Repeated use of “buildings” and “housing” also limits variety. Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations for housing supply, construction, and affordability.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “as” and “when,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, control of sentence structure is uneven. The opening sentence runs several ideas together, while the second body paragraph contains a difficult construction: “for the city council for them to restore balance… is to start…” Subject–verb agreement and verb forms also need attention, as in “the properties starts” and “the tenants start take use.” Articles, plurals, and punctuation are inconsistent, and several sentences lack clear boundaries. Aim for shorter, complete sentences first, then add subordinate clauses where the relationship between ideas is clear. Review agreement and verb patterns such as “start to take advantage.”

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