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)
Many people believe that the best way to provide homes in large cities is by building tall apartments blocks.I agree with the statement to a larger extent, because I feel this is the best way to make optimum use of land.
Firstly, a growing trend of urbanisation is noticed.People often migrate from rural areas to the urban areas in search of better education, greater job opportunities, higher standards of living and more.So they will require a space where they can stay, to fulfil this increasing demand for accommodation it becomes indispensable to ensure the optimum utilisation of land.This objectives can be achieved by building tall apartments where many families can live comfortably, they may purchase the place to settle permanently or rent it for a certain period of time.
Secondly, there are many people out there who can not afford to buy land and build a house because it costs a huge sum of money.Therefore, it becomes very necessary to provide such facilities.For instance, a student who used to live in a village got into one of the best university of the world which is located in an urban area so he/she planned to migrate to the city side, this approach is quite convenient.
In contrast, many people prefer to have their own house rather than staying apartments because they are habitant to staying in house and they do not like to go to places consisting big crowd or are very rich and fond to experience luxury.
To conclude, it is very crucial to to provide homes for people and to match the growing demand for requiring home, apartment blocks plays key role.
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 land utilization and affordability are relevant, though the development is somewhat superficial. For instance, the example of the student is a bit vague and does not fully illustrate the broader societal impact of high-rise living. While the counter-argument is acknowledged, it lacks depth. To reach a higher band, you should provide more detailed explanations and concrete examples to support your claims, ensuring that the link between the problem (urbanization) and the solution (tall buildings) is more robustly articulated.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In contrast' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally weak, such as in the sentence 'This objectives can be achieved', where the pronoun reference is unclear. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that directly relates to your main argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. However, there are instances of awkward phrasing and collocation errors, such as 'habitant to staying in house' (should be 'accustomed to living in houses') and 'fond to experience' (should be 'fond of experiencing'). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and relies on fairly common terms. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and synonyms to avoid repetition of words like 'people' and 'homes'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'apartment blocks plays key role') and punctuation errors, such as missing spaces after periods. Some sentences are also slightly fragmented or run-on. To improve, pay closer attention to basic grammar rules, particularly pluralization and verb tense consistency. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring they are error-free will help you move into the higher band categories.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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