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)

The population grew steadily over time. Every person demand basic right like respect, dignity, protection as well as all other things which are necessary for survival such as food, house, job, etc. The number of resources are not enough for growing population, therefore many alternates are taken and attempts are made to fulfil there needs.

All humans also need a shelter(home) to live, and mostly peoples move toward large cities but housing societies are not enough for such a growing mass. So, best way to provide homes in cities is to build tall apartment blocks, and I agree with this statement.

On one hand there are some advantages of increased population in cities that people will move toward urban areas, as a result literacy rate increases. These individuals with higher education get good jobs and help to increase economy of country. They know their good and bad, they can make difference and choose right ways. In addition these peoples can get all facilities like hospitals, schools, theaters, malls, parks, sports areas easily.

On the other hand, the rising population in large cities has many drawbacks like builders clear land and cut down tress for housing societies, industries, roads etc. The deforestation for urban development is very hazardous because it can cause many problems such as global warming, ozone depletion, population and climate change. Due to lack of tress, oxygen also decreased and it have also cause heavy rains which wash out nutrients. Furthermore, natural food is replaced by artificial food like broiler.

In conclusion, every natural thing is replaced by man made things because of limited resources. Researchers are making progress in every field and try to find other substitute to fulfil requirements of this growing population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by stating a clear position in favor of tall apartment blocks. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. While the essay touches on the benefits of urban living, the arguments regarding the environment in the second body paragraph are somewhat tangential to the core issue of housing density. The essay lacks a deep exploration of why tall blocks are the 'best' solution compared to alternatives like suburban expansion or urban renewal. The conclusion is also weak, as it fails to summarize the main arguments or restate the position effectively, instead drifting into general comments about researchers and technology.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is often disjointed. Transitions between sentences are sometimes mechanical or missing, such as the abrupt shift from discussing population growth to the benefits of urban living. The use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally repetitive (e.g., 'In addition', 'On the other hand'). Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the second paragraph where the link between the topic of housing and the broader environmental concerns is not explicitly connected, making the flow of ideas feel fragmented rather than cohesive.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There is a reliance on basic, repetitive terms like 'good', 'things', and 'people'. Some word choices are inaccurate or awkward, such as 'growing mass' instead of 'growing population' or 'alternates are taken' instead of 'alternatives are explored'. There are also minor spelling and collocation issues, such as 'tress' instead of 'trees' and 'population' used where 'pollution' was clearly intended. The range is sufficient to communicate the main points but does not demonstrate control over less common lexical items.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('Every person demand', 'it have also cause') and article usage errors ('increase economy of country'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some missing spaces after commas and unnecessary parentheses. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors requires the reader to make an effort to interpret the intended message, which is characteristic of the Band 5 level.

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

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