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)

Provide enough homes in large cities and build tall apartment blocks become more challenging . Some people believe that building new houses is only solution of this problem.

I partially, agree with this statement because high rising building accommodates a lot of people while making use of houses in urban land areas. However, they should be planned and helped by government services.

Initially, building houses in cities extremely too expensive and limited. By rising new houses in cities can required a huge amount of land . It help hundreds of people live in these houses. For example, the cities like Hong Kong and Singapore have used high building to accommodates a huge amount of people within limited space.

Secondly, building new houses in cities provides easier facilities and services by government. when new houses build in cities the government provide services like transport, hotels, shopping malls, schools and colleges. Residence also available closer for them . which can reduce a traffic jams and also traffic problems.

While, building new houses is not only solution of this problem.

A huge amount of space is require for rising houses that is very expensive. Growing new houses in cities become overcrowded and lack of greenery or space. Most of the middle class people can not afford these expensive houses. That's why government ensure that theses houses are safe, affordable, well design and vast.

In conclusion, i agree with this statement, building new houses in cities become one of the most best way of accommodate a huge ratio of people. Nevertheless, they should be a part of well planned development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the role of tall apartment blocks in urban planning. You clearly state a position, although the development of ideas is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, you mention the benefits of high-rise buildings in Hong Kong and Singapore, which is a good example, but the subsequent paragraph regarding the drawbacks (lack of greenery, affordability) is slightly contradictory to your initial support for the statement. To improve, ensure your arguments are more logically connected to your thesis. The response covers the main points but would benefit from more depth in explaining why high-rise living is the 'best' way compared to alternatives.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'Initially' and 'Secondly' are used, but the transitions between sentences are sometimes abrupt, such as 'Residence also available closer for them . which can reduce a traffic jams'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between the advantages and disadvantages could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring they are used in the correct context would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely on repetitive phrasing, such as 'building new houses' and 'huge amount of'. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'high rising building' instead of 'high-rise buildings' and 'rising new houses' instead of 'constructing new housing'. While your meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated vocabulary and occasional errors in collocation limit the score. Using a wider range of topic-specific vocabulary related to urban development would help you reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('building new houses... become'), incorrect verb forms ('when new houses build'), and article usage ('the cities like Hong Kong'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the placement of periods and commas. While you attempt complex structures, they are often faulty. Focusing on basic sentence construction and ensuring subject-verb agreement will help 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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