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)

The rapid growth in populations has created a shortage of affordable house in large city. The best way to provide enough home in large city is to build tall apartment blocks. I agree with this view because build tall buildings can accommodate many people in its butt other housing strategies is also better.

One major advantages of tall buildings is it accommodate large people in small land. Such as in one large building there are many families live. That's why the coast of land is divided in to each family. Due to this the person that do not afford house due to low budgets can easily afford apartment. The other benefit of apartment is community all the families that live in one building can make it one community. For Example i live in Lahore. Lahore is the capital city of Punjab that's why people from other cities can come in Lahore for business and jobs. Due to this the land space is minimize for house that high the cost of land. So if we make large buildings than its beneficial for all the public.

However relaying entirely on large buildings can also make problems because if we make many buildings in center of city then it cause many problem like traffic, transport, parking issue, etc. We need to make the mixture of house and large building in city. For example some people have large family there are not fully settle on apartment so they need to buy a house.

In conclusion, in large cities large building help to accommodate many people. Butt there is also drawback of many buildings. The best way is to make buildings and also house in one city.

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 argue that tall buildings are beneficial for density and affordability, and you acknowledge the drawbacks regarding infrastructure. However, the explanation of these points is repetitive and lacks depth. For instance, the argument about 'community' is mentioned but not fully explored. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more detailed examples and extend your reasoning beyond basic statements. The conclusion is clear, but the overall development remains somewhat superficial, which is characteristic of a Band 5.5 or 6.0 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices like 'However', 'For example', and 'In conclusion'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'Butt' (used as a conjunction) and 'That's why'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences can be choppy. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'large buildings', 'house', and 'problems'. There are several errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'coast of land' (cost of land), 'large people' (many people), and 'not fully settle' (not fully suited). While the meaning is generally clear, the limited range of vocabulary and the frequent errors in word formation prevent a higher score. You should focus on learning collocations related to urban planning and housing.

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 ('the person that do not afford'), article usage ('in large city'), and incorrect word forms ('build tall buildings' instead of 'building tall buildings'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While you attempt complex structures, they are often faulty. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like pluralization and verb tense consistency.

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

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