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)
Building tall apartments is the most effective way to provide enough homes in large cities. I completely disagree with this. Tall apartments can be homes to a lot of people, but there are limits to how tall apartments can be and how many apartments can fit in a city. I believe proper city management and house management can be an effective way to provide enough homes in large cities.
On one hand, tall apartments can house a lot of people at the same time, but it also comes with serious drawbacks. Tall apartments are prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and can have devastating consequences compared to shorter apartments. For example, if an earthquake hits a city, the tallest apartments will face the most damage because of their heights. Not only that, if a tall apartment collapses, it will damage the surroundings as well. There are also limits to how tall an apartment can be and how many apartments can fit inside a city. For example, tall apartments can attract lightning strikes more often, compromising their structure. As a result, they might collapse.
On the other hand, if a city has proper city management, such as proper housing plans, roads, and empty spaces, then the city will be able to provide enough homes to people. For example, if the apartments were planned, then most of the city's spaces would be utilized. Proper planning will also include parks, fields, and other facilities that the people need. Another way is proper apartment management. For example, if every apartment included supershops, clinics, gyms, pools, and other facilities all under one roof, then less space would be wasted. As a result, it would be possible to provide enough homes to people.
In conclusion, although it may sound like an effective way to build tall apartments to provide enough homes in large cities, it has some serious consequences. I believe it would be better and more effective if the city and the apartments were more planned and organized in how they design the city and build apartments to provide sufficient homes to people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position against the statement. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. The argument regarding natural disasters like earthquakes and lightning strikes is a bit simplistic and lacks nuance, as modern engineering often mitigates these risks. The alternative suggestion of 'proper city management' is mentioned but remains vague; it lacks concrete examples of how urban planning policies actually solve housing shortages compared to vertical density. To reach a higher band, you should provide more detailed, logical explanations for your alternatives and address the counter-argument more thoroughly by acknowledging the benefits of high-density living before refuting them with more sophisticated reasoning.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the counter-argument from your own position. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On one hand,' 'On the other hand,' and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences within paragraphs can be slightly repetitive, and the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the transition between ideas is smoother, rather than relying on a standard 'For example' structure for every point.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'natural disasters,' 'urban planning,' and 'utilized.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a tendency to repeat basic words like 'apartments,' 'city,' and 'proper.' There are also some minor collocations issues, such as 'house management' instead of 'housing management' or 'urban planning.' To achieve a higher score, aim to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and idiomatic expressions related to urban development and infrastructure.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is always clear, there are frequent minor errors in grammar and punctuation. For instance, 'Tall apartments can be homes to a lot of people' is grammatically functional but could be more naturally phrased. You also have some issues with article usage and pluralization, such as 'if the apartments were planned' (which is slightly ambiguous in context). Your control of complex sentences is developing, but you should focus on increasing the frequency of error-free sentences to move into the higher bands.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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