Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-02

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)

Around the world, the construction of tall apartment blocks in large cities has become increasingly common in recent years. Many people believe that large apartment blocks provide enough homes. From my perspective, I strongly agree with this statement.

First and foremost, large cities have limited land available for the construction of new houses; therefore, they can construct large apartment blocks to accommodate the growing population. Another reason for the increasing construction of apartment blocks is that governments should safe the land for degradation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, as it is only 83 words long. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed. While you have stated a clear position, the ideas are severely underdeveloped. You have introduced two main points—land scarcity and environmental protection—but you have not provided any supporting evidence, examples, or a conclusion to fully develop your argument. To improve, you must expand each body paragraph with specific examples and ensure you reach the required length to allow for a full exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response shows a basic attempt at logical organization. You have used a clear opening statement and transition signals like 'First and foremost' and 'Another reason'. However, because the essay is so short, there is no real progression of ideas. The paragraphing is also incomplete, as the essay ends abruptly after only two brief points. To improve, you should aim for a standard four-paragraph structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs with supporting evidence, and a conclusion, ensuring that ideas flow logically from one to the next.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is functional but quite limited. You have used some appropriate terms such as 'construction', 'accommodate', and 'degradation', but the range is insufficient to demonstrate a higher level of lexical control. There is a minor error in word choice: 'governments should safe the land' should be 'governments should save the land' or 'protect the land'. To achieve a higher band, you need to incorporate a wider range of topic-specific vocabulary and collocations related to urban planning and housing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The grammar is generally accurate in the few sentences provided, and you have successfully used a complex sentence structure with 'therefore'. However, the range of structures is very limited due to the brevity of the text. There are no significant errors that impede communication, but the lack of variety in sentence length and complexity prevents a higher score. To improve, try to incorporate a wider variety of grammatical structures, such as passive voice, conditional sentences, or relative clauses, while maintaining the accuracy you have shown here.

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