Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-15

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)

Unanimously, in this period of modernity the best solution to provide enough homes in large cities is to build tall apartment blocks. This has been the prominent topic of discussion amongst people. Well, in my opinion, I strongly agree with this notion and the supporting toward my view will be discussed in further paragraphs with a suitable conclusion.

Firstly, supporting my agreement to the given statement, I firmly have a belief tall apartment buildings is that they make efficent use of limited land. In crowded cities, land is extremely expensive and difficult to find. Moreover, tall building is very useful and beneficial because of create the many flat under in the tall building. Instead of constructing many separate houses, goverments can build high rise apartments and provide homes for thousands of residents in a relatively small area. This can help reduce urban sprawl and protect open spaces on the outskirts of cities.

On the other hand, explaning some of the disadvantage points in favour this statement, high rise buildings are not a one size fits all solution. If too many towers are built without proper plannning, they can cause overcrowding, traffic congestion and pressure on water and electricity supplies. Therefore, cities should also invest in infrastruture green space and other types of housing.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that tall apartment blocks are an effective way to provide sufficient housing in large cities. They should be constructed as part of a wrell planned urban development strategy rather than being the only solution.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The main ideas—efficient land use and the need for urban planning—are relevant. However, the development is somewhat limited. For instance, the second paragraph mentions 'create the many flat under in the tall building,' which is unclear and lacks specific supporting evidence or examples. The counter-argument in the third paragraph is a good attempt at balance, but it is slightly underdeveloped. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your arguments with more detailed explanations or concrete examples of how tall buildings impact city life, rather than just stating the benefits and drawbacks in a general sense.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use cohesive devices such as 'Firstly,' 'Moreover,' 'On the other hand,' and 'In conclusion' to signal the progression of your argument. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'supporting toward my view' and 'explaning some of the disadvantage points in favour this statement.' These minor mechanical issues with cohesion slightly disrupt the natural flow of ideas. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure is easy to follow, but the transitions between sentences could be more sophisticated to achieve a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'urban sprawl,' 'infrastructure,' and 'congestion.' However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'supporting toward my view' (support for my view) and 'disadvantage points' (disadvantages). Some phrasing is also repetitive or unnatural, such as 'create the many flat under in the tall building.' While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, you need to work on more precise collocations and avoid awkward phrasing to move into the 7.0+ range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'tall apartment buildings is that they make efficent use' (subject-verb agreement error), 'because of create' (incorrect prepositional phrase), and 'wrell planned' (spelling error). While you attempt complex sentences, the control over them is inconsistent. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct preposition usage, and proofreading for minor spelling errors. Increasing the accuracy of your complex structures will significantly boost your score in this criterion.

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

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