Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-14

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)

In recent years it has become increasingly common to discuss that whether the best way to provide houses in urban areas is to build tall apartment blocks. To a large extent i agree with this statement that it is practical way to provides homes to people, and this essay will explain why I hold this view.

To begin with, one major reason is that tall buildings cover limited landmark and for accomodation vertical space used. This means that large apartment have a thousands number of houses in it and it covers vertical area, which means in less surface area there are plenty of houses for people to live, and other spaces use for build green areas which is necessary for the clean environment. For example, In many big cities there high-rise buildings and it has too many floors and each floors has numerous houses, additionally there is a place left for garden area or playgrounds.

Another important reason is that big flats can reudce the problem of shortage of houses in large cities. In other words, In big cities many families suffers from housing crisis and sometimes it is hard to find proper home to live, therefore tall apartments are build to solve the problem of housing shoratage. For Instance, In Ireland before there were many people who live in one small tent or on the road because they could not found accomodation to live, the reason is that people used to constructed individuals houses rathar then big flats and it was covers large spaces, as a result there were no space left to build accomodation for others, however now it has a large apartment blocks and it has many houses which is really helpful to the families who faced difficulties to find place to live.

In conclusion, To a large extent i firmly agree that build tall buildings in a big cities is the best way to provide enough homes to people because of less landmark requires and there is a place which use for environmental friendly activities and it can reduce the problem of shoratge of homes because one blocks includes several houses in it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The arguments regarding land efficiency and housing shortages are relevant and supported with examples. However, the development is somewhat repetitive, and the example regarding Ireland is vague and lacks specific context, which limits the depth of the argument. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more nuanced analysis rather than repeating the same points about space and housing shortages in different ways. The conclusion effectively restates the position, but the overall development remains at a basic level of argumentation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To begin with', 'Another important reason', and 'In conclusion', which help the reader follow the flow of ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. Additionally, there are instances where referencing is unclear, such as the phrase 'it has a large apartment blocks' which lacks a clear antecedent. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the internal cohesion within sentences could be improved to ensure smoother transitions between ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward word choices and collocations, such as 'limited landmark' (likely meaning 'land area') and 'thousands number of houses'. Spelling errors are also present, such as 'accomodation', 'reudce', 'shoratage', and 'rathar'. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety and the frequent spelling errors indicate a limited lexical range that struggles to convey complex ideas with sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('many families suffers'), article usage ('the best way to provide houses'), and awkward phrasing ('it has become increasingly common to discuss that whether'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and capitalization of 'i'. While the errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they are frequent enough to suggest a lack of control over complex structures.

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.