Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

Some people agree that the best way to provide enough homes in large cities is to build apartment blocks and some people disagree with this view.In my prespective, i agree on the term of this happening in large cities.

Building tall apartment blocks takes very less space in cities where the place is very crowded .One major part of agreeing to this statement is that many people can not afford to build their own homes as it is very expensive around the globe to build one, also building a home yourself can take a lot of time and that is what people have the least in this busy era.In addition this tall apartment blocks provide a very beautiful view which mostly people are in favour of and also these apartment blocks are very cheap in contrast to building your own home.

For example, in UK the cost of builiding your own home is in millions which is something everyone can not afford.Another factor includes the mortgage payment that goes on for years which is not possible for everyone to pay on time because the other daily life expenses are quite expensive too.

Although it has some drawbacks that it demolishes the natural environment and the natural beauty of a city the positive impact of building tall apartment blocks go past its drawbacks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is clear: you agree that tall apartment blocks are a suitable way to provide housing in large cities. You give relevant reasons, including limited urban space, affordability, and the time needed to build a house, and you acknowledge a drawback concerning the natural environment. However, the response addresses the task only partially because these points are briefly stated rather than explained or supported with specific evidence. The UK example about building costs is broad, and the conclusion does not develop your view further. The response is also 41 words below the required minimum; 13 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Develop each main reason with explanation or a concrete example, and address why this is the best approach compared with alternatives.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction states your view, the body gives supporting reasons and an example, and the final sentence acknowledges a disadvantage. Linking expressions such as “In addition,” “For example,” and “Although” help show relationships between ideas. However, progression is limited because several different claims—space, cost, time, and appearance—are crowded into one paragraph without clear development. The contrast between the environmental drawback and the benefits is also compressed into a single concluding sentence. Separate the reasons into focused paragraphs and use each paragraph to explain one main point. This would make the organisation clearer and reduce the sense of ideas being listed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your main ideas, including “apartment blocks,” “crowded,” “mortgage payment,” and “natural environment.” There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “daily life expenses.” However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, which makes parts of the response less natural. For example, “very less space” and “the positive impact … go past its drawbacks” do not express the intended ideas idiomatically; “building” and “expensive” are also repeated. Check spelling and word forms, including “perspective” and “building.” Aim to use precise housing and urban-planning vocabulary, while ensuring that new expressions fit their context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including a concession beginning “Although,” and a sentence explaining why people may not have time to build a home. These structures allow you to express reasons and contrast, but control is uneven. Errors in sentence boundaries and punctuation appear in the opening, where there is no space after the full stop, and several long sentences join multiple ideas without clear punctuation. There are also issues with articles, agreement, and sentence construction, as in “the positive impact … go past its drawbacks.” Capitalisation is inconsistent, including “i.” Use shorter, accurately punctuated sentences when presenting several points, then practise combining ideas with controlled subordinate clauses.

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