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)

Urbanization is an undeniable problem faced by the current world. One solution that engineers have come up until now is building flats to reduce the requirement of space for living in cities. This is brings to belief that sky scrappers and buildings are the best approach in metropolitan cities to cope up with housing demands and save space until new effective solutions are discovered.

To begin with, high rise buildings in overpopulated cities not only provide accommodation to large number of people but also gives the city a modern look, which in turn attracts tourism. For instance, in highly populated city of China, Shanghai the skylines and robotic cafes has made it renowned as modern city.

Additionally, tall buildings saves space on one hand while on the other hand it provides facilities of parking along with other luxury perks could be terrace swimming pool or a garden to all the residents of the apartment. Moreover, in high storey buildings the quality of air is more fresh compared to a ground floor house. Many sky scrapers provide picturesque view of sunrise and sunset at a highest levels.

Thus, constructing high rise apartments in cities can provide many benefits along with providing accommodation to citizens such as extra facilities of parking, swimming and garden sometimes. Furthermore, in high floors of skylines view of nature is unimaginable and the AQI is also better in higher altitudes compared to ground levels.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by arguing in favor of tall apartment blocks. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum, which significantly impacts the development of ideas. While the position is clear, the arguments are somewhat repetitive and lack depth. For instance, the points regarding 'modern look' and 'fresh air' are mentioned but not fully explored or supported with robust reasoning. To reach a higher band, you must expand your arguments with more detailed explanations and ensure you meet the minimum word count requirement to allow for a comprehensive discussion of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a basic attempt at logical progression. You use some cohesive devices like 'To begin with', 'Additionally', and 'Moreover'. However, the flow is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between ideas could be smoother. The concluding paragraph is quite brief and essentially repeats points made earlier rather than synthesizing the argument. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, distinct focus that contributes to the overall argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. There are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'come up until now' and 'cope up with'. While you attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'urbanization' and 'metropolitan', the range is somewhat limited. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and idiomatic expressions, and pay closer attention to correct word combinations to ensure your writing sounds more natural and academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'This is brings to belief', 'tall buildings saves space', and 'at a highest levels'. These errors, while not always impeding communication, are frequent enough to affect the overall fluency. You should focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed accurately. Proofreading for these common errors will help improve your score significantly.

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

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