Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-24

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)

In today's fast paced world metropolis plays a major role in the development of the nation and boost the economic growth of the nation. Nowadays, many people do not have any house for living so the administration should provide them a place where these people can live peacefully. I partially agree with this statement, but both aspects related to this trend are highlighted in the upcoming paragraphs.

To commence with, there are multifarious reasons why the tall apartment blocks are the best way to provide enough homes in big towns. The first and foremost reason is, the cost of production will be reduced and save lot of space. To explain, in several nations they face difficulty for empty space, most of the denizens prefer living in big and developed cities. As a result, apartment blocks will be beneficial for them rather than separate house. Apart from this, it gives a new society and help to make friendly environment. To be more specific, many people feel stress and loneliness when they do not have friends or family members, here society play a major role in providing them peaceful and friendly environment where they can spend lots of time with other people.

Nevertheless, there are numerous reasons why the tall apartment blocks are not the best way to provide enough homes in metropolis. The prime one reason is, citizens waste there lots of time to reach apartment. To elaborate, there are many apartments in tall building, sometimes the elevator or lift does not work properly, it becomes a major problem for the citizens.

To conclude, although in developed cities tall apartment blocks provide many facilities for the people who live in like parking, playing ground and friendly society but sometimes it causes many problems for the citizens.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of tall apartment blocks. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention cost-efficiency and social benefits, the arguments remain superficial. For instance, the counter-argument regarding elevator maintenance is a minor point that does not effectively challenge the core premise of the prompt. To achieve a higher band, you should provide more substantial, well-developed arguments, such as the impact on urban infrastructure, mental health, or environmental sustainability. Your position is clear, but the supporting evidence lacks depth and critical analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear introduction and conclusion. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'To commence with', 'Apart from this', and 'Nevertheless', which help guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the logical progression within paragraphs could be smoother. For example, the transition from the benefits of society to the disadvantages of elevators feels abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, and the use of cohesive devices is occasionally repetitive. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring a tighter connection between ideas would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'multifarious', 'denizens', and 'metropolis'. However, there are instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'cost of production will be reduced' (referring to housing construction) and 'waste there lots of time' (should be 'their'). Some phrasing is also slightly unnatural, such as 'provide them a place where these people can live peacefully'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, you need to use more precise, academic collocations and avoid basic errors to reach a higher band level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the administration', 'the cost'), subject-verb agreement ('society play a major role'), and word order. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some run-on sentences and comma splices. The errors do not significantly impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like pluralization and article usage.

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

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