Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-04

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)

Globally increasing population also leads to the high percentage of density .large cities are too crowded .Many people argue that tall apartment blocks will help to provide enough homes to everyone in cities.In my opinion,this will be a beneficial step to cope with large population.

To begin with , tall apartment can easily provide a shelter to a large number of families where they can easily live with all the facilities . However this will be able to cope with all the problems that local authorities are facing for providing enough home to the individuals .For example the government of US provide homes in tall apartments to population so that they can save a large amount of land later which could be used for commercial use .

To continue, this will leads to many diseases anyone can feel especially senior citizens lonely when there childs are not with them because in large apartments no one know each other very deeply .However it also leads to lacks of personal place as the homes in apartments are usually small so it is not possible for some families to adjust .For instance if a joint family willing to live in two bedroom house then it is going to be very hard for the them all .

In conclusion, tall apartments will be able to cope with this problem only if the size of roms are big in addition to by providing various other services to the members of families of differnt age .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position, though the development of ideas is somewhat limited. You provide a reason for supporting tall apartment blocks (land efficiency) and a counter-argument regarding social isolation and space constraints. However, the arguments are brief and lack depth. For instance, the example regarding the US government is vague and does not clearly explain how this policy specifically addresses the housing crisis. To improve, ensure that each main idea is supported by a more detailed explanation or a more specific, illustrative example. The conclusion is relevant but could be more effectively linked to the main body arguments to provide a stronger summary of your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'However', and 'In conclusion' to signal transitions. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'To continue' to introduce the second body paragraph. Additionally, there are instances where the flow between sentences is disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the transition from the benefits of tall buildings to the drawbacks is abrupt. Improving the variety and precision of your linking words will help create a smoother progression of ideas throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'density', 'local authorities', and 'commercial use'. However, there is a reliance on simple, repetitive language, and some word choices are imprecise or incorrect, such as 'provide a shelter' (should be 'provide housing') and 'adjust' (should be 'accommodate'). There are also minor errors in word formation, such as 'roms' (rooms) and 'differnt' (different). To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and a wider range of academic vocabulary to express your ideas with greater sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('this will leads to', 'government... provide'), missing articles ('in large apartments no one know each other'), and awkward phrasing ('when there childs are not with them'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several missing spaces after commas and periods. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed accurately. Proofreading for small errors like pluralization and articles will significantly improve your score.

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

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