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 an enormous amount of people for the area it occupies.

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 provides for amenities such as stores and hospitals the area it needs to exist and in much higher quantities all over the city, reducing commuting times and increasing life quality. This also significantly reduces the financial burdens of 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 much more to standards and structurally stable than low-rise apartment blocks. 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 5.5

You have clearly stated your position and maintained it throughout the essay. The ideas regarding land efficiency and financial sustainability are relevant and well-supported. However, the development is somewhat limited; for instance, the claim that high-rise buildings are 'much more to standards' regarding natural disasters is a broad generalization that lacks specific evidence or nuance. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are fully extended with more concrete examples or deeper analysis. You have addressed all parts of the prompt, but the depth of your reasoning could be improved to move beyond general assertions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'Additionally,' 'Furthermore,' and 'Consequently' to link your ideas. However, there are some issues with sentence-level cohesion, particularly with sentence fragments like 'Increasing the housing capacity of cities' and 'reducing the bills that have to go into repairs.' These fragments disrupt the flow. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, the mechanical nature of some transitions and the occasional lack of sentence integration prevent a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'accommodate,' 'financial burdens,' and 'structurally stable.' There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'much likely to withstand' (should be 'more likely') and 'the area it needs to exist' (which is slightly awkward phrasing). While you attempt to use more sophisticated language, the control is not always consistent. To improve, focus on more precise collocations and ensure that your vocabulary choices sound natural in an academic context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'due to its high density' (referring to 'apartment blocks' which is plural, so 'their' would be correct), and the aforementioned sentence fragments. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for sentence completeness and pronoun-antecedent agreement would be highly beneficial.

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