Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-08
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)
It is certainly true that, building tall apartment blocks is the best method to met the rising demand of houses in large cities. I partially agree with the statement because their are also some other ways of doing so.
On the one hand, the demand of homes in large cities is rising our time due to the migration of public from rural areas to urban areas in the search of better life. to meet this ongoing demand building tall buildings is the best method as their is less area in urban cities so vertical buildings is the only method to provide homes to people.
On the other hand, to provide enough homes, firstly the government should take some initiatives to make rural improve infrastructure in rural areas, so that people do not migrate to cities. Secondaly controlling population could also be a better way of providing home.
Overall
In conclusion, the even though building apartments is a good initiative to provide shelter to people, controling the population and improving the life and infrastructure of rural people and areas would well also be a great idea to meet this demand.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 189 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you have identified a position and provided some relevant points, the arguments are underdeveloped. For example, you mention 'improving infrastructure in rural areas' and 'controlling population' as alternatives, but these points lack specific examples or logical expansion to fully address the prompt. Because the essay is substantially under-length, the depth of analysis is insufficient to reach a higher band. To improve, you must expand your body paragraphs with concrete examples and detailed explanations to meet the length requirement and fully explore the implications of your arguments.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to signal shifts in your argument. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. Some transitions are missing or awkward, such as the abrupt start to the conclusion ('Overall In conclusion'). Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus that links back to your main thesis.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You use phrases like 'best method' and 'provide homes' repeatedly, which limits the range. There are also some minor word choice errors, such as 'met the rising demand' (should be 'meet') and 'migration of public' (should be 'migration of people' or 'population'). You have not demonstrated the use of less common or more sophisticated vocabulary that would be expected at higher bands. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and synonyms to avoid repetition and add nuance to your writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'their are also some other ways' (should be 'there are'), 'rising our time' (should be 'over time'), and 'make rural improve infrastructure' (should be 'improve rural infrastructure'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and spelling errors to improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.