Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Nowdays, the population is rising in urban areas due to the accessibility of various facilities. Constructing tall building is an excellent way to provide homes.

I partially agree with this statement because building homes in a vertical manner provides space to build other appartments; however, tall buildings are not ideal as it reduces the chance to escape if the building caught fire.

To begin with, constructing tall appartments may help to include many homes in it. In cities majority of the constructions are taller than countryside as it provides more space to build other homes, shops, companies with in the city.For example, in Delhi, most of the homes are built vertically to

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response is significantly under-length, containing only 112 words against the 250-word requirement. This severely limits your ability to develop your ideas. While you state a position, the argument is incomplete and the essay ends abruptly mid-sentence. To achieve a higher band, you must provide a full introduction, two or three well-developed body paragraphs with supporting evidence, and a clear conclusion. Currently, the response is too brief to address the prompt fully, resulting in a failure to meet the basic task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay shows some attempt at logical organization, using transition signals like 'To begin with' and 'For example'. However, the lack of a complete structure and the abrupt ending make it difficult to follow a clear progression of ideas. Paragraphing is present but underdeveloped. To improve, ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that your ideas are fully expanded before moving to the next point. The use of cohesive devices is currently too limited to demonstrate a flexible range.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally functional but basic. You use some relevant topic-specific words like 'urban areas', 'accessibility', and 'vertically'. However, there are spelling errors such as 'Nowdays' (Nowadays) and 'appartments' (apartments). The range of vocabulary is insufficient to demonstrate the flexibility required for higher bands. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and ensure accurate spelling. Avoid repeating the same words, such as 'homes' and 'build', by using synonyms or paraphrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors. For instance, 'Constructing tall building' should be plural ('buildings'), and 'if the building caught fire' contains a tense inconsistency ('catches' would be more appropriate). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after periods. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of grammatical errors and the lack of a variety of complex structures limit your score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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