Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
Everyone has a dream to live in big cities. To live in large cities, it`s very cruical to have well-known living standards. The best way to accommodate people is to live in large cities and build tall apartment blocks.
On one hand, building new apartment raise the standard of living in large cities. As, you live in the heart of city you can easily go to anywhere in the city as it cost less in time and drive. You can access anything easily while living in the city. It can raised your standards of living. You have bigger opportunities in large cities as compared to small cities. People are more comfortable in living apartments as in the bottom of apartment you may have shops / grocery store that can manage your time and you can access everything very easily. For Example, my uncle has appartment in new york city, so he never late in the office as his appartment is in the heart of new york city.
On the other hand, building appartment may interrupt the beauty of city and elevate the global warming, environmental changes, overcrowded city and pollution.To construct high raising buildings may result in deforestation and it`s very alarming sign of climate changes. It can also distruptes the habitats of many creatures who are living there. For example, in London, tall apartment creates saturation and distrupts the natural beauty and natural habitats.
To conclude this statement, I must say that tall apartment helps to accomodate people with homes to raise their standards of living.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of tall apartment blocks. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you mention benefits like convenience and drawbacks like environmental impact, the arguments lack depth and specific evidence. For instance, the example of your uncle in New York is anecdotal and does not fully support the broader argument about urban planning. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more analytical reasoning rather than relying on personal anecdotes. The position is clear, but the overall argument remains somewhat simplistic.
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 'On one hand' and 'On the other hand' to signal shifts in perspective. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of linking words is repetitive. Some transitions are abrupt, and the concluding sentence is very brief, failing to effectively summarize the main points or provide a final thought. Improving the variety of your cohesive devices and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher score. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'high raising buildings' instead of 'high-rise buildings' and 'distruptes' (spelling error). You rely on basic vocabulary like 'big', 'good', and 'easy'. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and topic-specific terminology related to urban development and sustainability. Additionally, be careful with spelling and word forms, as these errors occasionally distract the reader from your intended meaning.
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 affect clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'building... raise', 'tall apartment creates'), incorrect article usage, and punctuation errors (e.g., the use of backticks instead of apostrophes). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly with verb tenses and pluralization, and aim to use more varied complex sentence structures with greater precision.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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