Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)
It is often argued that money has a great impact on life satisfaction. Some people believe that money plays a vital role in shaping our personality and happiness. As far as I am concerned, individuals can still enjoy a happy life without much money. Moreover, several non-financial factors contribute greatly to genuine happiness.
On the one hand, money is the most important part of human life because it helps us to meet basic necessities and buy expensive products. We can buy everything with money. Secondly, it also helps us to maintain a high standard of living. For example, it promotes a balanced lifestyle, which helps us create strong bonds with family and friends. In addition, it assists people in achieving a high standard of living. For instance, they work hard with determination towards their goals in order to earn a high income and fulfil their dreams.
However, having a large amount of money does not guarantee happiness. Many wealthy people experience loneliness and depression despite having a large amount of money. Moreover, many people suffer from different types of mental and physical illnesses.
Besides money, there are several factors that have a great influence on happiness. First, healthy relationships with family and friends create strong bonds and give people a sense of peace. Second, a healthy lifestyle enables people to overcome difficult situations. For example, maintaining a healthy lifestyle promotes a balanced life.
To conclude, although money is a crucial part of human life because it meets basic needs, it does not bring happiness by itself. I believe that strong relationships, good health, and job satisfaction are equally important in promoting a joyful life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 2.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 2.0
The response is completely off-topic. The prompt asks for an opinion on whether building tall apartment blocks is the best way to provide housing in large cities. However, the essay discusses the relationship between money and life satisfaction. Because the response fails to address the specific task prompt entirely, it cannot be assessed for task achievement in relation to the question asked. In an actual IELTS examination, this would result in a very low score for Task Response as the candidate has not answered the question provided.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, and there is a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The writer uses cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'However', and 'To conclude' to transition between ideas. While the content is irrelevant to the prompt, the structure itself is coherent and follows a standard essay format. The progression of ideas within the paragraphs is logical, and the referencing is generally clear, which demonstrates a basic level of organizational skill despite the failure to address the task.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, though it is somewhat repetitive and lacks sophistication. Phrases like 'meet basic necessities', 'high standard of living', and 'life satisfaction' are used correctly in context. There is little attempt to use less common or idiomatic vocabulary. While the range is sufficient to express the writer's irrelevant argument clearly, it does not demonstrate the flexibility or precision required for higher band scores. The word choice is functional but basic.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is generally good control over basic grammar, and errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. For example, 'Although money is a crucial part of human life because it meets basic needs, it does not bring happiness by itself' is a well-constructed complex sentence. Punctuation is generally accurate. The grammatical control is consistent, though the range of structures is somewhat limited, relying heavily on standard subject-verb-object patterns.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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