Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-11

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)

Now a days, population is increased significantly in large cities thats why many people believe that the best approach to provide enough homes in large cities is to build tall appartments blocks. I completely agree with this point of view and in this essay I will explain and I will support my opinion with an examples.

Firstly, why I agree with this point of view is that now a day in big cities people face problem to get an accomodation. In big cities people do not able to get an accomodation to live. For example, in Newyork city there is an issue to get an accomodation every year people move to newyork city to get a jobs and for educational purposes. Apartments should be build by government to provide better residencial facilities to people who work and study. If government build tall apartments this will solve the shortage of accomodation. Moreover, apartments are relatively affordable then private housing this is beneficial for student who do not have enough funds to bear their expensive accomodation fee.

Another reason why I completely agree with this point of view is that skyscrapers uses less area compare to a house. For instances In big cities such as Newyork and berlin their is a scarcity of land to build houses. So, large buildings are build by the government to provide affordable residence to tenants like students and employees.

In conclusion, large buildings provides affordable housing facility to students and employees who come to big cities for studies and jobs. Moreover, buildings grab small area than a private house which benefical for cities to accomodate large number of people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. While you mention New York and Berlin, the examples are brief and do not fully explore the complexities of the issue, such as social or environmental impacts. The arguments rely on basic points—affordability and space efficiency—without expanding into the broader implications of high-rise living. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more nuanced reasoning and ensure that each paragraph introduces a distinct, well-supported point rather than restating the same benefits.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear introduction and conclusion. You use some cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. For instance, the transition between the second and third paragraphs feels slightly abrupt. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the flow between sentences is smoother, avoiding the repetitive structure of starting sentences with 'In big cities' or 'Apartments'.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You frequently repeat words like 'big cities', 'apartments', 'accommodation', and 'government'. There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'apartments should be build' (should be built) and 'grab small area' (occupy less space). To achieve a higher score, you need to demonstrate a wider range of vocabulary, including less common lexical items and more precise collocations related to urban planning and housing, while ensuring accurate spelling and word formation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally hinder the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('population is increased', 'skyscrapers uses'), article usage ('in Newyork city'), and verb forms ('apartments should be build', 'buildings are build'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with capitalization of proper nouns like 'New York' and 'Berlin'. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors prevent the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for verb forms would be highly beneficial.

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