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)

I wholeheartedly agree that the tall apartment blocks can fulfill the need of homes in large cities. As the population in large cities is increasing, its essential that the tall apartments should be build.

Many people from rural areas are migrating toward the large cities to get basic facilities and get high quality education. So the land for houses is decreasing and there is need to build tall apartments, so that families can live in those apartments without acquiring too many land in cities. In large apartments, its easier to settle many families as the apartments contains a large number of rooms and floors. From my personal experience, my uncle was moving from village to the city. He tried to buy land for house but its very expensive and was not near the markets. Then he visited an apartment, the 8th floor was available which he bought at a reasonable price as compared to the new land where he was planning to build his own house. In that apartment, many families live which reduces the need to buy land for their own houses. It has an advantage that it reduces the number of concrete infrastructure. In my hometown, there are many apartments which are build for families.

Building tall apartments could have a few drawbacks, for instance, large buildings can be affected by earthquakes. But through proper planning and strong infrastructure this thread could be prevented.

In conclusion, building tall apartments is the need of the time to provide houses for families in cities. But these apartments should be build carefully.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of urban migration and land scarcity. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding earthquakes is introduced but not fully explored, and the explanation of 'concrete infrastructure' is vague. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your supporting points with more depth and nuance. The conclusion effectively restates your position, but the overall development remains somewhat superficial, which is characteristic of a band 6 performance.

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 some cohesive devices, such as 'For instance' and 'In conclusion', to link your thoughts. However, the use of referencing is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions between sentences feel abrupt. For example, the shift from the uncle's experience to the general point about concrete infrastructure lacks a smooth logical bridge. Improving the variety and sophistication of your linking words would help the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'urban migration' and 'infrastructure'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of awkward word choice, such as 'acquiring too many land' (should be 'using too much land') and 'this thread could be prevented' (likely meant 'threat'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing. Expanding your range of synonyms will help you express your ideas with greater sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is a positive start. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'its essential' (it is), 'should be build' (should be built), and 'apartments contains' (subject-verb agreement). These errors are noticeable but do not generally impede communication. To achieve a higher band, you need to focus on accuracy in verb forms, particularly passive voice constructions, and ensure consistent subject-verb agreement. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining control over punctuation will also be beneficial.

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

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