Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
In today's rapidly changing world many aspects of human life are evolving significantly. The better approach for providing houses in bigger cities will be to construct large buildings. The main idea of this topic relates to the over growing population in bigger cities where there is shortage of homes. I partially agree with this idea because there are a lot of situations which people like. On the other hand, many dislike it as well.
Living in a tall building with hundreds of peoples together is an issue for various people although there will be different apartments. Moreover, some people have larger families, and they can't fit in one tiny apartment. However, it can be better for small families since, the rent is lower than a full fledge house. Moreover, constructing a large building takes many years. Whereas it can hold more people at a time.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 145 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you identify the topic and state a partial agreement, the arguments are underdeveloped and lack sufficient supporting evidence or examples. The prompt asks for an evaluation of whether tall apartment blocks are the 'best' way to provide homes, but your response remains superficial, touching on rent and family size without fully exploring the implications or comparing this to alternative solutions. To improve, you must expand your arguments with specific examples and ensure you address all parts of the prompt in greater depth.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organised into short paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. While you use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'However', they are used in a somewhat mechanical way. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt, and the ideas within the paragraphs do not flow logically to support a clear argument. The lack of length prevents the development of a cohesive structure. To improve, focus on using a wider range of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence followed by supporting points that build upon each other.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'big cities', 'large buildings', and 'a lot of' are common and lack the precision required for a higher band score. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'full fledge house' (should be 'full-fledged') and 'over growing population' (should be 'rapidly growing'). To achieve a higher score, you need to incorporate a more sophisticated range of vocabulary related to urban planning and housing, such as 'high-density residential developments', 'urban sprawl', or 'infrastructure constraints'. Focus on using more precise terminology to express your ideas clearly.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, 'hundreds of peoples' is incorrect (should be 'people'), and 'since, the rent' contains an unnecessary comma. There are also issues with article usage and sentence construction, such as 'The better approach... will be to construct'. While the meaning is generally understandable, these errors occur frequently enough to cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct pluralisation, and the proper use of punctuation within complex sentences.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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