Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The best way to provide enough homes in big cities is to develop tall apartment blocks. To be honest, I disagree with this view because tall apartment blocks may damage a infrastructure of the city . In many cases, if government provide develop tall apartment blocks, it may cause an overpopulation which can lead to a heavy traffics in the large cities.

Firstly, tall apartment may damage the infrastructure of the city. It is because when natural disasters such as earthquake may occurs, tall apartment blocks may be destroyed. Subsequently, it can damage a different places in large cities such as hospitals or schools. For example, Almaty was located in very dangerous zone where may be a strong earthquakes occurs. However, governments keep build tall apartment blocks in Almaty. As a result, when an earthquake occurs, a large number of infrastructure may damaged by cause of tall buildings.

Moreover, tall apartment blocks can cause an overpopulation and heavy traffics in the large cities. It is because nowadays a large number of people often moves the cities and lives in the tall apartment blocks. For example, Almaty is the most overpopulated city in Kazakhstan and a large number of people frequently moves to the city. Subsequently, people from Almaty suffers from overpopulation and it cause heavy traffics.

In conclusion, I believe that large buildings can cause overpopulation or can cause a damaged the infrastructure of the large cities. On the other hand, tall apartment buildings may be a well places who want to live in the large cities. Initially, tall building can provide a large number of the tourist and may increase the popularity of city.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You state a clear disagreement in the introduction and give two relevant reasons: earthquake risk and pressure on transport in growing cities. The Almaty examples help connect these points to a real place. However, the response only partially develops the question of whether tall blocks are the best way to provide enough homes. The discussion focuses mainly on possible disadvantages, while the brief final point that tall buildings can attract tourists does not explain how this affects housing provision or balance your position. Some claims also need clearer support—for example, explain how apartment construction itself leads to overpopulation rather than accommodating people who already need homes. Develop the reasoning and address the housing trade-off more directly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs signalled by “Firstly” and “Moreover,” and a conclusion. These markers help readers identify the main points, and each body paragraph generally stays with one topic. However, progression is limited because the ideas are repeated rather than extended: overpopulation and heavy traffic appear in both the second body paragraph and the conclusion. Some links are inaccurate or unclear, particularly “Subsequently” before the consequences of the earthquake example and “On the other hand” before a point that does not clearly contrast with the preceding claim. Use fewer formulaic transitions and make the relationship between each example and its claim explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main concerns, including “natural disasters,” “earthquake,” “overpopulation,” and “infrastructure.” The examples also show an attempt to use language relevant to urban development. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are noticeably inaccurate, sometimes making the intended meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “a heavy traffics,” “a different places,” “a well places,” and “provide a large number of the tourist.” Repetition of “tall apartment blocks,” “large cities,” and “cause” also limits flexibility. Aim for more precise phrases such as “traffic congestion,” “urban infrastructure,” and “accommodate residents,” and check whether nouns are countable and whether the chosen phrase fits its context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some complex sentences using “because,” “when,” and “which,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and attempts at longer sentences often contain frequent errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For instance, “if government provide develop” combines incompatible verb forms, while “when natural disasters such as earthquake may occurs” has problems with the clause structure and subject–verb agreement. Other examples include “people … moves” and “infrastructure may damaged.” These errors can make the reader pause to interpret the message. Practise building accurate simple sentences first, then add subordinate clauses and check each clause for a clear subject and correctly formed verb.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.