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)

In the contemporary era , only way to deal with increasing demand for homes in big cities is to make tall building with apartments because tall building acquire less space as compared to houses.

Tall buildings have less space . Nowadays, children like to play in their own garden rather than going outside . As apartments do not include this facility ,it only has small balconies which are not suitable for children to play .Moreover, older people cannot even enjoy sun bath without gardens . In large buildings two ot three lifts be there to go up . Hence , it is hard to get escalator on time . If there is any emergency , it would be difficult for older people to use lifts because they do not have energy as youngsters have .

However, to make big houses government either has to cut trees in forests , has to buy land which is fertile . If government bought land which is suitable for growing crops , it would leads to lack of food and people might have to suffer from starving . Deforestation could caused by cutting of trees which can lead to problems for instance soil erosion and increase in pollution level. To get rid of such problem solution would be tall buildings.

To conclude, although tall buildings have various benefits , negatives of it cannot be neglected . I believe government should try to focus on introducing new facilities in tall building which can be beneficial to make older people' life convenient as well .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the benefits and drawbacks of tall apartment blocks. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and occasionally repetitive. For instance, the argument regarding the lack of gardens for children and the elderly is clear, but the reasoning regarding the government's land use is slightly underdeveloped and lacks specific examples or a more nuanced exploration of urban planning. The position is generally clear, but the conclusion introduces a suggestion that was not fully integrated into the body paragraphs. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more detailed explanations and perhaps consider alternative perspectives on urban density more thoroughly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or slightly inaccurate. For example, the transition 'Hence, it is hard to get escalator on time' is confusing, as the previous sentence mentions lifts, not escalators. Additionally, the logical progression between ideas is sometimes interrupted by abrupt shifts in focus. While there is an attempt to use linking words like 'Moreover' and 'However', the overall flow is occasionally disjointed. Improving the variety and precision of your linking phrases will help create a smoother, more professional argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms such as 'big houses', 'tall building', and 'good/bad' concepts. There are also some noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'sun bath' (sunbathing) and 'get escalator' (wait for the lift). While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of more sophisticated or academic vocabulary limits the score. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific terminology related to urban development, such as 'high-density housing', 'urban sprawl', or 'infrastructure'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'it only has small balconies', 'it would leads to'), article usage (e.g., 'in big cities', 'in tall building'), and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'two ot three lifts be there'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas and periods. While the meaning is usually understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for small errors would be highly beneficial.

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