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)

It is no denying the fact that, homes play a very crucial role in an individual life. The best way to provide suffient homes in big cities is to make tall apartment blocks. However, inspite facing serious challenges I largely agree with the statement. A number of arguments can be represented to defend my opinion.

The first argument in the favour of argument is that as in large cities there are number of facilities which can be benificial for people living there. Tall apartment blocks can provide more homes as in large cities there are not much living spaces, however making tall apartment blocks will provide spaces for people thus, creating living. Apart from that tall apartment blocks will not require much land for building homes and can save greenery. To add to it, as making homes horizontally will occupy more land this involves cutting of trees and further deforestation. Moreover making apartments vertically will not induldge cutting of trees. Furthermore giving more opportunities to those who are migrating in search of job towards urban cities.

The opposite argument in favour of not building of tall apartments it would lead to more consumption of resources. To explicate it, as there would be more and more people living there and would occupy more natural resources , thus exhausting the resources. Moreover this would also leads to pollution as there would be many number of private vehicles in the cities, therefore it would create more pollution.

To put it in a nutshell I pen down saying that although building apartments is a best alternative for providing homes but upto some extent as it can be harmful in several ways.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the benefits of tall buildings regarding land conservation and urban migration, the arguments are repetitive and lack specific examples or deeper analysis. The counter-argument regarding resource consumption is relevant but remains superficial. To improve, you should aim to expand on your points with more detailed explanations or concrete examples of how high-density living impacts city infrastructure or social dynamics. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not effectively summarize the main points discussed in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'The first argument', 'Apart from that', and 'To put it in a nutshell'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'The first argument in the favour of argument'. Additionally, some transitions between sentences are abrupt, which affects the overall flow. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would help to elevate the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'making tall apartment blocks' instead of 'constructing high-rise buildings' and 'induldge cutting of trees'. You also rely on repetitive vocabulary, such as using 'tall apartment blocks' multiple times. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and synonyms to avoid repetition and demonstrate a more sophisticated command of the language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'It is no denying the fact that', 'inspite facing', 'there are not much living spaces', and 'this would also leads to'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors suggests a need for more careful proofreading and a better grasp of subject-verb agreement and prepositional usage. Focusing on sentence variety and accuracy in basic structures will help improve your score.

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

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