Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-19
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)
Nowadays many large cities are facing shortage of housing because their population are increasing rapidly. Some people believe that building tall apartment is the best solution for this problem. I partly agree with this because high rise building provide many homes.
The first advantage is that tall building is a very convenient way to provide accommodation for a large number of people. Land in big cities are very limited and expensive so building upward is a very significant way to save land. For example, one building can contain hundreds of apartments in the same way these apartments in land can require large amount of land. Moreover, mostly buildings are built near public transport, schools and shopping malls which make people daily life easier.
On the other hand, there are also some issues if many buildings built in a small area, so cities are overcrowded and transportation system are damaged very badly. Most families who have young children do not like to live in tall building. Therefore, government should also consider building housing in suburban area and developing smaller residential communities.
To conclude with my personal opinion, I agree that tall apartment blocks are an important solution to the shortage of homes in large cities because they use land efficiently and can accommodate many people. However, I do not believe they are the only and best solution. A combination of high-rise apartments, suburban housing and proper urban planning would be more effective.
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 by taking a balanced position, acknowledging the benefits of high-rise buildings while suggesting alternatives. However, the essay falls short of the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of development. While the main ideas are relevant, the supporting arguments—such as the claim that transportation systems are 'damaged very badly' by high-rises—lack specific evidence or logical depth. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your examples and ensure the word count is met to allow for a more thorough exploration of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'The first advantage', 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude', which help guide the reader. However, the flow between some sentences is slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as in the sentence 'one building can contain hundreds of apartments in the same way these apartments in land can require large amount of land', which is confusing. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between ideas would enhance the coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'accommodation', 'residential communities', and 'urban planning'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'transportation system are damaged very badly' and 'make people daily life easier' (should be 'people's daily lives'). The range is somewhat limited, and you rely on fairly simple phrasing. Incorporating more precise academic vocabulary would help elevate your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'population are increasing', 'Land... are very limited', 'buildings built') and missing articles (e.g., 'in tall building'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic agreement and article usage will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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