Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-18
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)
Many people believe that an efficient way to provide anadequate homes in larger city is to build tall apartment buildings. I strongly agree with this view because there is a high demand of homes in larger cities due to larger population.
from my perspective, if we build tall buildings with many floors and every floor consists of numerous apartments then the larger number of people can live in one building. Nowadays, people are moving to big cities due to the better facilities. So, the population are continuously increasing in larger cities. Even many people find difficulties in finding new apartments or houses due to limited options. For example, it is better to build a tall building that consists of various apartments instead of constructing numerous houses. In this way, many people can adjust in one space. Hence, it is better to build the tall buildings instead of constructing numerous houses.
Another reason is that many people can not bear a separate house rent cost. The employees and the students prefer to live in the apartments because the apartment blocks are less costly as compared to the houses. In separate houses, we need to hire a separate security guard. In contrast, apartments are much safer then the houses. The employees and the students have limited budget to bear the living cost. So, the apartments are best option for them.
In summary, I strongly agree with this opinion is to build tall apartment blocks to provide enough homes in big cities because by constructing tall apartment blocks, numerous people can adjust in one space. This will save the space. It is also budget friendly.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The arguments regarding population density and cost-effectiveness are relevant. However, the development is somewhat repetitive; for instance, the idea that 'many people can adjust in one space' is restated in both the body paragraphs and the conclusion without adding new depth. To reach a higher band, you should explore counter-arguments or provide more nuanced analysis, such as the social or environmental impact of high-rise living, rather than focusing solely on space and cost.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'from my perspective', 'for example', and 'in summary'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. For example, the transition 'Hence, it is better to build the tall buildings' feels slightly forced. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'this opinion is to build' in the conclusion, which lacks grammatical cohesion with the rest of the sentence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely heavily on basic terms like 'big', 'many', and 'better'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'provide anadequate homes' (likely a typo for 'adequate') and 'bear a separate house rent cost'. To improve, you should aim to use more sophisticated synonyms and collocations related to urban planning and economics, such as 'urban sprawl', 'high-density housing', or 'financial burden'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('the population are continuously increasing'), article usage ('the tall buildings'), and awkward phrasing ('many people can not bear a separate house rent cost'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency of the writing. Focusing on proofreading for basic agreement and article errors would significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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