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)

In this globalized era, tall apartment blocks are not a good option to provide enough home, because Tall buildings cause pollution and dirt, however some people believe that tall building blocks are a good option to provide enough home in large cities. and I totally agree with the notion.

First paramount reason is that tall building blocks are cheaper and provide more facility . Tall building blocks are the best option to provide enough home to everyone because almost everyone can afford that block. For example, In United Arab Emirates they only made tall building blocks and almost [redacted phone] peoples live in one building there they provide every thing such as they have their own grocery stores and they have their own elutriations and plumbers so you have no need to go anywhere so we also have to make tall building blocks to provide enough homes.

Secondly, the reason is small usage of land, tall building blocks do not need a large place to build. A large building was build in a very small space and it can provide homes to many families in one building. For example in China they have a very large number of population and they build alot of buildings to provide enough homes to every one the size of a building block was not so big but

it is enough for a family and they managed it very well.

To sum up, it is important to build building blocks to provide a home to everyone, because the ratio of population was increasing day by day.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of tall apartment blocks. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you provide examples from the UAE and China, the explanations remain superficial. For instance, mentioning that buildings have 'grocery stores' or 'plumbers' is a good start, but you could further explain how this addresses urban density or sustainability. The introduction contains a contradiction, as you initially state that tall buildings are not a good option before concluding that you agree with the statement. This inconsistency impacts the clarity of your position. To improve, ensure your main arguments are fully explored with more depth and logical consistency throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'First' and 'Secondly'. Some sentences are poorly connected, and the flow between ideas is occasionally disjointed. For example, the transition between the introduction and the first body paragraph is abrupt. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when using pronouns like 'they' or 'that'. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each sentence logically follows the previous one to create a smoother progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher score. You rely on basic terms like 'good option', 'big', and 'make'. There are also some noticeable errors in word choice, such as 'elutriations' (likely meant 'electricians') and 'provide enough home' (should be 'provide enough homes' or 'housing'). The range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic expressions. To improve, try to incorporate more academic vocabulary related to urban planning, such as 'high-density housing', 'urban sprawl', or 'infrastructure'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the ratio of population was increasing'), incorrect verb tenses (e.g., 'A large building was build'), and punctuation errors, such as missing commas or incorrect capitalization. The sentence structure is often repetitive, which limits the range. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like tense consistency and pluralization. Incorporating more varied complex sentences, such as using relative clauses or conditional structures, would also help demonstrate better grammatical control.

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

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