Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-16

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 large cities the population is increasing day by day. In order to accommodate this huge population enough houses or apartments must be required. Additionally, in large cities where massive population is present the land space has covered very quickly.

In order to provide accommodation to all individuals in large cities there should be a better way out is to build tall building apartments or homes to overcome the issues of residents. In contrast, many people are constructed their homes in a double or triple story buildings so that they live in one single story and rent out the other ones. In that case they also earn money moreover providing resident to other families as well.

However, tall buildings having more number of apartments and are suitable in a way that they cover less land space and provide more houses or apartments. In addition it is actually the best way to cover massive population in a big city. For example, in the city like Mumbai in Indian. this city holds massive population and it also the hub of Bollywood film industry moreover in this city land space is very less so that tall buildings are constructed to manage over populaton of city.

I am strongly agree with this idea to build tall apartments blocks or houses in a big cities in order to cover massive population and provide them better accommodation. In my perspective this idea is best and helpful in order to utilise less land in a big project. Because there is no large empty land present in big cities so this approach is very facilitating. For example, in Lahore the heart of Pakistan the land space is consume day by day so that this idea of tall building having large number of floors are suitable way out for huge population of Lahore city.

AI examiner evaluation

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

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The arguments regarding land scarcity and population density are relevant and supported by examples like Mumbai and Lahore. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive; the essay focuses heavily on the concept of 'less land space' without exploring other potential drawbacks or nuances of high-rise living, such as social isolation or infrastructure strain. To reach a higher band, the response should explore the counter-arguments more deeply rather than simply stating that the idea is 'best'. The conclusion is clear, but the overall development remains somewhat superficial.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In addition', 'However', and 'For example', though some transitions feel mechanical or slightly forced. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the shift from 'tall building apartments' to 'double or triple story buildings' creates confusion, as these are not the same concept. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be more cohesive to ensure that each sentence flows naturally into the next.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. There is frequent repetition of basic terms like 'massive population', 'large cities', and 'land space'. Some word choices are awkward, such as 'provide resident to other families' instead of 'provide housing' or 'accommodation'. There are also minor errors in collocation, such as 'many people are constructed their homes', which should be 'many people construct their homes'. To improve, the student should aim for more varied and sophisticated vocabulary to express complex ideas.

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. Examples include 'the land space has covered very quickly' (incorrect verb usage), 'there should be a better way out is to build' (grammatically redundant), and 'I am strongly agree' (should be 'I strongly agree'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of full stops and capital letters in the middle of sentences. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band.

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

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