Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-21

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 argued that high-rise buildings provide an effective solution for accommodating a large urban population. I partially agree with the statement as it can utilize limited land efficiently, but it will create overcrowding and reduce green cover in cities.

Construction of tall buildings for housing purposes in metro cities are efficient way to use small areas for providing sufficient space to urban society. As the rooms availbility are higher in large buildings, home facilities become high in that area. Therefore, it will reduce struggles of residents to search for houses in such large region. However, instead of having many accommodation services in these buildings, it can raise other concerns which affect other developments.

Apart from the large residential facilities , this will create other problems such as ovrercrowding and lack of greenery. Firstly, number of individuals will be increased per appartment, increasing traffic pollution and road destruction. As a result, air quality will be deteorite and accident chances will be increased. Secondly, by establishing tall living blocks, there will be less plants nearby due to blocking of sunlight by these buildings. As a consequence, these areas may feel hotter than open areas. For instance, urban cities like delhi and mumbai have highest poplulation because of availability of large apartments to live, ultimately give rise to traffic jams and air pollution.

In conclusion, although by constructing tall buildings can solve the problem of housing availability, it will create other concerns like crowded cities and lack of green shrubs, herbs and tress.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position and providing arguments for both sides. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention that high-rise buildings save space, the explanation is brief and lacks depth. Similarly, the points regarding overcrowding and environmental impact are relevant but could be better supported with more nuanced analysis. The conclusion is a bit abrupt and merely summarizes the points without adding a final thought. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph fully explores the 'why' and 'how' behind your claims rather than just listing them.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly,' 'Secondly,' and 'In conclusion' to signal the structure. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing could be more sophisticated. For example, the transition between the benefits of housing and the drawbacks of overcrowding could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several spelling errors (e.g., 'availbility', 'ovrercrowding', 'deteorite', 'tress') and some awkward collocations like 'home facilities become high'. While you attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'urban population' and 'residential facilities', the range is somewhat limited. To reach a higher band, you should focus on accuracy in spelling and aim to use more precise, academic vocabulary. Avoid repetitive phrasing and try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms to express your ideas more clearly and effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('Construction of tall buildings... are efficient') and incorrect article usage ('number of individuals will be increased'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some errors in sentence construction. To improve, focus on mastering subject-verb agreement and proofreading for basic grammatical slips. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while ensuring they remain error-free will help you achieve a higher score in this criterion.

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