Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-05

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)

With the ever-growing population, the best way to accommodate the rising number of people seems to be building tall apartment blocks. I completely agree with this view because it is economical and houses a lot more people in a small area than short-story buildings.

One major advantage of high-rise building is its incredible efficiency with land and financial investments. A single tall apartment block can house hundreds of people while a shorter variant has trouble accommodating tens of people. Additionally, in urban areas such as cities, it is much more economical long-term to invest in high-rise apartment blocks due to its high density. This density then allows for amenities such as stores and hospitals to exist in much higher quantities all over the city, reducing commuting times and increasing life quality. This also gives a significant financial boost to the government which then allows for better and taller apartment blocks. Increasing the housing capacity of cities.

Furthermore, high-rise buildings are much likely to withstand the test of time and survive natural disasters because they are often up to standards and structurally stable. Consequently increasing the number of homes in the long run and reducing the amount of funding that goes into housing. In addition, this improved integrity also reduces the number of repairs that have to be conducted in various parts of a building such as the pipes and electrical lines. reducing the bills that have to go into repairs and providing more finances for housing.

In conclusion, i believe building tall apartment blocks is the best way to provide enough homes in large cities because it is the most financially wise choice.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt clearly and maintains a consistent position throughout. The arguments regarding land efficiency, economic benefits, and structural integrity are relevant and logically developed. However, the essay could be improved by acknowledging counter-arguments or potential drawbacks of high-rise living, such as social isolation or infrastructure strain, to provide a more balanced and nuanced discussion. While the ideas are well-supported, the development is somewhat repetitive in its focus on financial aspects. To reach a higher band, ensure that the exploration of ideas is more diverse and comprehensive, moving beyond just the economic perspective to include social or environmental considerations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'Furthermore', and 'Consequently' are used effectively to guide the reader through the arguments. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly mechanical, and some sentences are fragmented, such as 'Increasing the housing capacity of cities.' and 'reducing the bills that have to go into repairs...'. These fragments disrupt the cohesion of the paragraph. Improving the integration of these ideas into full, complex sentences would enhance the overall flow and coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. The student uses terms like 'accommodate', 'high density', 'amenities', and 'structurally stable' effectively. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, which is generally successful. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'short-story buildings' (should be 'low-rise buildings') and 'much likely to withstand' (should be 'more likely to withstand'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Expanding the range of vocabulary to include more precise academic collocations would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is a good attempt at using complex sentences, but there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with sentence fragments and punctuation. For example, 'reducing the bills that have to go into repairs and providing more finances for housing' is a dependent clause functioning as a sentence. Additionally, there are minor errors in subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'due to its high density' (referring to 'apartment blocks' plural). While the meaning is always clear, the frequency of these errors limits the score. Increasing the variety of error-free complex structures is recommended.

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