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)
It is often argued that the best practice is to build high rise apartment blocks for creating enough space for residents living in big cities. I completely agree with this statement, because it plays a crutal role in lowering rent prices and people can also find other accomadations in a shorter period of time in case of any dispute with landlord.
On the one hand, construction of tall buildings are needed to be in large cities. This is because, people can get more living options and find cheaper rooms or apartments and also find any other places in case of any trouble with landlord. For example, in Bangkok there are lot of high rise buildings so in case people would face any difficulties such as sudden rise in prices of electricity or water bills by landlord. As a result, they can easily book or shifted into any other building which they easily find on social media.
On the other hand, there are some other critical issues rises with these high rise apartment blocks such as environmental and social. Due to these buildings, people can not get a complete access to sunlight which may cause problems related to health. For instance, a person living in an apartment block which is covered from all side by some other tall apartments can not get access of any sunlight. Furthermore, due to large volume of residents there is a need of powerful administration or staff to resolve issues such as robbery.
In conclusion, it is better to build high rise apartments for providing more living space to citizens living in large cities. As a result, people can easily get rooms or apartments on cheap rates through internet.
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. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive, particularly the focus on 'landlord disputes' and 'rent prices' in the first two paragraphs. While the example of Bangkok is relevant, the explanation of the counter-argument regarding environmental and social issues is a bit thin and lacks depth. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the implications of your arguments rather than restating the same points. The conclusion is brief and does not fully synthesize the points made in the body paragraphs.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices like 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Furthermore' to link your points. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the flow between sentences within paragraphs can be slightly disjointed. For instance, the transition between the benefits of high-rise buildings and the specific example of Bangkok could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure could benefit from more sophisticated linking words to improve the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, but it is somewhat limited and repetitive. You use basic terms like 'big cities', 'cheap rates', and 'good/bad' concepts. There are also some spelling errors such as 'crutal' (crucial) and 'accomadations' (accommodations), as well as minor collocation issues like 'shifted into' instead of 'move into'. To improve, you should aim to incorporate more precise, topic-specific vocabulary related to urban planning and housing, such as 'high-density living', 'urban sprawl', or 'infrastructure'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'construction of tall buildings are needed' (subject-verb agreement), 'there are lot of' (missing article), and 'access of any sunlight' (incorrect preposition). Additionally, there are issues with pluralization and article usage throughout the text. While these errors do not prevent communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading and a better grasp of basic grammatical rules.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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