Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-14

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)

In the modern world, people are migrating to big cities in large numbers. This is understandable because people are looking for better opportunities, which they are most likely to find in major cities.

There are suggestions that the best way to provide housing for the people is by building huge apartment blocks. In my opinion, I completely agree with this statement and the government should look towards this infrastructure development and provide adequate homes for the people migrating.

Firstly, the main reason why this is a good idea is that nowadays people prefer to live alone in their own apartments.In most cases, apartments are

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You establish a clear position by saying, “I completely agree,” and you identify a relevant issue: people moving to cities need homes. However, the response addresses the question only minimally. The claim that people prefer to live alone in apartments is introduced but not explained, and the text ends before giving a complete reason, example, or consideration of why tall blocks are the best solution. The required minimum length is not met, so there is too little development to support your position or address the task fully. To improve, explain how high-rise housing accommodates more residents on limited urban land, support this with a specific example, and develop a second relevant point before concluding.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic sense of organisation: the opening introduces urban migration, the next paragraph states your opinion, and “Firstly” signals the start of a supporting point. These features help the reader follow the intended direction. However, there is no clear overall progression because the response stops partway through the first supporting idea, at “In most cases, apartments are”. As a result, the point is not connected to an explanation or example, and there is no conclusion. The linking is also limited, with “because” and “Firstly” doing most of the work. Build complete paragraphs around separate reasons, use clear links between claims and evidence, and finish with a brief summary of your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a generally appropriate range for the topic, including “migrating,” “opportunities,” “infrastructure development,” and “adequate homes.” These choices communicate the broad subject clearly and show some ability to use more formal vocabulary. However, the range is limited by repetition of general terms such as “people,” “cities,” and “apartments,” and some phrasing is less precise: “provide housing for the people” and “look towards this infrastructure development” do not express the idea as naturally as they could. Aim for more specific housing vocabulary and collocations, such as “urban residents,” “high-rise residential buildings,” and “expand the housing supply.” This would make your argument more precise without requiring unnecessarily complex words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You show some control of complex sentence forms, for example, “This is understandable because people are looking for better opportunities, which they are most likely to find in major cities.” The opening sentences are generally clear, and the use of a relative clause adds variety. However, the range remains narrow, and the final sentence is incomplete: “In most cases, apartments are” leaves the reader without a finished clause. There is also a punctuation issue where a space is missing after the full stop in “apartments.In most cases”. Use a wider mix of complete sentence patterns, check punctuation between sentences, and ensure every supporting point is expressed in a finished sentence.

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