Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-12

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)

In todays modern era, many people think that constructing number of houses in big residential areas can be made possible by building tremendous apartment which resembels like blocks. I partially agree with the statement and discuss the reasons behind it.

To embark with, if the houses in the cities are constructed like apartments than it can provide shelter to many homeless people and also consider space for making other commercial things like parks, school, gyms. For instance, the busy cities like Mumbai in India is designed with tall buildings instead of small houses to provide enough space for public convenience and smooth flow of traffic. Moreover, planning for building large aparments can also be beneficial to the government as they spend less time to investigating while conducting surveys. Hence these are things people find comfort in living big aparments in cities.

Consequently, the houses which are constructed in block like structure does not have proper facility for ventilation and the houses will not have enough space and it will be in risk if any natural disasters occurs and it will be time consuming to construct tall buildings. For instance, many people are complaining that they are not getting enough sunlight and they dont have space to sit and relax and feel the fresh air. So these are the consequences which the people overcome when they live in the apartment in residential areas.

In conclusion, I agree with the statement that constructing large buildings can be beneficial for the accomodation of many people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is stated as partial agreement in the introduction, and you give relevant reasons on both sides: apartment blocks can house more people and leave room for shared facilities, while they may limit sunlight, ventilation and personal space. The Mumbai example also helps illustrate the space argument. However, the conclusion says simply that you agree, so it does not preserve the qualified position announced earlier. Several points are asserted rather than explained: for example, the claim that apartment planning saves the government time on surveys is unclear, and the disadvantages are not weighed against the benefits. Develop each main reason with a clearer explanation or example, and make your final position consistent with your discussion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. This makes the overall line of discussion easy to follow. You also use linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “For instance,” and “In conclusion.” At times, however, these transitions feel mechanical, and some connections between ideas are unclear. “Hence these are things people find comfort in living big apartments” does not clearly follow from the point about government surveys, while “Consequently” introduces a contrasting disadvantage rather than a consequence. Use more precise links and make each paragraph progress from a clear main idea to its explanation and example. The conclusion should also connect back to your stated partial agreement.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “homeless people,” “commercial,” “ventilation,” “natural disasters,” and “public convenience.” This gives you enough language to communicate the main advantages and disadvantages. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “constructing number of houses,” “tremendous apartment,” “space for making other commercial things,” and “investigating while conducting surveys.” Spelling errors such as “resembels,” “aparments,” and “accomodation” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural combinations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe “high-rise apartment buildings” and “space for public facilities.” This would make your ideas clearer and more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional and relative structures, as in “if the houses in the cities are constructed like apartments” and “the houses which are constructed in block like structure.” The main ideas remain understandable, but errors in sentence structure and agreement occur across the response. For example, “the busy cities like Mumbai in India is designed” has a plural subject with a singular verb, and “the houses … does not have” also needs plural agreement. In “it will be in risk if any natural disasters occurs,” the conditional clause and verb form are not controlled. Review subject–verb agreement, articles, and conditional patterns, then proofread longer sentences. More accurate control of these structures would make your reasoning easier to follow.

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