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)

It is argued that building tall apartment blocks is the best way to provide enough houses in big cities. High building with hundreds of houses may be a best solution but I, partly agree with the statement because this situation has both positive and negative sides which i discuss further.

To begin with, population growth is a leading problem of the world and to provided houses to as many people is a kind of headach for government. To deal with this issue in government build tall apartment to accomodate as much people as poosible but these apartments have limited space for kids activity with no play areas. Moreover, such crowded buildings put pressure on transport services and school buses, when every body left house in morning .

Secondly , such blocks with so many floors also have privacy and safety issues whcih ultimately increased the crime activities. Hence , due to high land pricies it is very difficult to buy own house so that in big cities people have limited option. Housing societies on vast area should be build with beautiful infrastructure and play ground. On the other side land prices should be minimum so that people can buy own houses. Government should anounce some housing loan schemes to facilitate people.

To conclude, there are many other ways to provide enough houses to people rather than focus on building tall apartmants blocks. I partly agree with the argument in the above mentioned points. It can be a solution but not the best way to deal with it.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear, albeit partially developed, position. You acknowledge both sides of the argument, which is a good approach. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, you mention 'privacy and safety issues' and 'crime activities' but do not explain how or why tall buildings specifically lead to these outcomes. Similarly, the alternative solutions suggested, such as 'housing societies on vast areas,' are not fully explored in relation to the feasibility of urban planning. To improve, ensure that each main point is supported by a clear explanation or a concrete example to demonstrate a deeper level of critical thinking.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices like 'To begin with,' 'Moreover,' and 'To conclude' to signal transitions. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where the connection between ideas is weak, such as the sudden shift from crime to land prices in the third paragraph. Additionally, there are some issues with referencing and pronoun usage, which occasionally make the progression of ideas feel disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'population growth,' 'infrastructure,' and 'housing loan schemes.' However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'headach for government' (headache) and 'buy own house' (buy their own houses). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on repetitive structures. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensure that you are using words in their correct grammatical form.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there is a high frequency of grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'government build tall apartment'), missing articles (e.g., 'in big cities'), and spelling errors (e.g., 'poosible,' 'anounce,' 'whcih'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma placement. While the meaning is generally clear, the density of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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