Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-23

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)

Building homes in largely busy cities is not a cup of tea anymore. On one hand, people agree to live in tall apartments and still enjoy the facilities of having markets, schools, gardens, hospitals nearby. On the other hand, people feel stuck and prefer to not to live in cities as because of high floor buildings as these are too noisy.

High-rise building all good but upto some extend as when there are many people in the same area a small drive of 10 mins is easily converted in 30-40 mins. Therefore some prefer living bit far away from city will actually be beneficial and could be more settled in the upcoming years.

Though usually, there are couple of building in a society where it takes care of everything from cleanliness to safety. They provide couple of facilities and charge some maintenance fees for that. The building with height might provide many accommodation to people in need but somewhere it is compromising on social touch with neighbours

Nonetheless, it depends onto age group as elderly would prefer living less busy areas and can enjoy nature instead of watching building from their balconies. They usually have complain of not being able to sit outside and absorb sunlight. Others, prefer everything should be nearby as they have so much to do throughout the day so they prefer to spend less time for commute. However, it is a very personal choice, but I reckon an area should a mix of both so that people can choose a suitable living for themselves.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the pros and cons of tall apartment blocks. However, the position is not clearly defined or maintained throughout the essay. While you mention that it is a 'personal choice' and suggest a 'mix of both', the argument lacks depth and specific examples to support your claims. The ideas are somewhat superficial, and the discussion on traffic and elderly needs is relevant but under-developed. To improve, ensure you take a clear stance in the introduction and provide more substantial evidence or logical reasoning to support your viewpoint in each paragraph.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is divided into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'Nonetheless' and 'Though usually'. The transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt, making the flow feel disjointed. For instance, the jump from discussing maintenance fees to the 'social touch' of neighbors lacks a clear logical link. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range expected at higher bands. You rely on informal or imprecise phrases like 'not a cup of tea' and 'all good but upto some extend'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'provide many accommodation' (should be 'accommodations' or 'housing') and 'living bit far away'. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more academic vocabulary and ensure that your word choices are contextually appropriate and grammatically correct.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'as because of high floor buildings', 'a small drive of 10 mins is easily converted in 30-40 mins', and 'an area should a mix of both'. The sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct preposition usage, and practicing more complex sentence structures while ensuring they remain error-free.

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

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