Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-07
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)
In this new era, with the population rising at an alarming rate and to keep up with the housing needs ,the best way to deal with this issue is by building high rise buildings and skyscrapers. In my opinion, I believe that to cope with these increasing demands tall apartment blocks must be built.
On the one hand, there are many benefits that comes with building high rise building. Firstly, in crowded metro cities there is limited space available to keep building houses and bungalows for everyone. For example, Mumbai is over populated and the housing situation is being solved by building tall buildings. This helps saves space and provide home for a large number of people. Secondly, these towers are built near commercial areas which results in shorter commute to the workplace for people. In addition, buying apartment is cheaper compared to a traditional house.
On the other hand, there are significant numbers of challenges that rises with these buildings. Firstly, building and designing these complex and complicated high rise building requires a lot of engineering and computation. Furthermore, materials like iron , copper and many other things are required abundantly which are very expensive. This results in high maintenance fee to keep the building amenities well maintained.
Moreover, if the population is tightly packed and concentrated in one area, it cause traffic congestion and pollution which leads to health problems as well as poor quality lifestyle. In addition, if the building is not properly maintained there could be a serious safety hazard and cause problems that might lead to the building collapsing.
In conclusion, while these tall building provides a lot of space for large amount of population to live. If not looked after this could have serious consequences. Although, i agree that tall apartments are necessary to meet the modern needs of society.
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 essay addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of high-rise buildings. The main ideas—space efficiency and proximity to amenities—are relevant, and the counter-arguments regarding infrastructure and maintenance are also well-integrated. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the mention of 'engineering and computation' as a challenge is vague and lacks depth. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific evidence or deeper analysis of the socio-economic impacts of high-rise living rather than listing general points. The conclusion clearly restates your position, ensuring the task is fully addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use a range of cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'In addition', 'On the other hand', and 'Moreover' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. For example, the phrase 'these buildings' is used frequently to link ideas. To improve, try to vary your cohesive devices and ensure that the progression between sentences within paragraphs is smoother. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the central ideas are easy to follow throughout the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'commercial areas', 'traffic congestion', and 'safety hazard'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'building and designing... requires a lot of engineering and computation' (which is slightly unnatural) and 'materials... are required abundantly'. Additionally, there are minor errors in pluralization, such as 'benefits that comes' (should be 'come') and 'challenges that rises' (should be 'rise'). To achieve a higher score, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure subject-verb agreement when using complex vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you successfully use complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('benefits that comes', 'challenges that rises') and article usage ('buying apartment' should be 'buying an apartment'). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are some issues with comma placement and spacing before punctuation marks. The errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and refining your control over complex structures will help improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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