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 the modern world, large amount of population are moving to large cities, to provide them enough space to live is difficult because of limited space to build houses. Tall apartments can be the solution of this problem. This essay will examine the merits and demerits of big apartment blocks and present my personal opinion at the end.

There are several advantages of living in apartments, one major advantage is that building tall apartments does not need a lot of space as it is a vertical building and generally there is not height limit. A large amount of flats can be built and stay in apartments. Another advantage is that apartments are very safe and secure and if someone want to enter the building they have to tell the purpose of visit to the security guard and in some apartment they have to take permission from the flat owner and there are very less chances of robbery. Furthermore, in big apartments there are many amenities like gym, sports area, park, and many more which can be used by the flat owners and tenants also in big apartments there are parties on occasions like new year, holi, diwali ,etc .

There are several benefits of living in apartments ,however , there are some disadvantages too. one major disadvantage is that in apartments there are 2 sometimes 3 flats on one floor and peoples living in flats do not like to intract with each other and life can be boring sometimes and some people say that they feel trapped in flats. Moreover, living in apartments means that the land is not owned by you and you don't have any rights do change anything for example if someone want to install solar system in apartments then it is nearly impossible because there are hundreds of people living under one roof and its impossible to install solar panels on roof. In apartments you have very less options to choose the interior of your flat because all the flats are created at the time of construction of apartment building and mostly all the interior work is done at that time so the buyer is left with very less interior options. Nevertheless. if the buyer still want to customize the interior then it can cost him a lot.

all in all, building big apartments are very beneficial to provide enough room to live but it is not suitable for middle class because buying a house in apartment is very expensive and the flat don't justify the cost

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses the prompt by discussing the merits and demerits of tall apartment blocks. However, the position is not consistently clear throughout. While you mention advantages and disadvantages, the conclusion introduces a new point regarding affordability, which was not previously developed in the body paragraphs. To reach a higher band, ensure your position is established in the introduction and maintained consistently, with each body paragraph directly supporting your stance. Some ideas, such as the social interaction aspect, are mentioned but could be better supported with more specific examples or deeper analysis to fully develop the argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Moreover', and 'Nevertheless'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly inaccurate, such as starting a sentence with 'Nevertheless.' followed by a period. Additionally, the flow between sentences is occasionally hindered by repetitive phrasing and some awkward transitions. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would enhance the overall progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'amenities', 'tenants', and 'customize'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'large amount of population' (should be 'large number of people') and 'very less chances' (should be 'much lower chances'). There is also some repetition of basic vocabulary like 'big' and 'apartments'. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and synonyms to avoid repetitive language and enhance the sophistication of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('peoples living', 'flat don't justify'), article usage, and punctuation (e.g., inconsistent spacing around commas and periods). Some sentences are run-on or lack proper coordination. To achieve a higher score, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and increasing the variety of complex structures, such as using relative clauses or conditional sentences more effectively and accurately.

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

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