Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-25

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)

The great method to offer sufficient houses in vast cities is to build tall apartment blocks. This has become widely discussed topic in this contemporary society. From my perspective the advantages of building skyscrapers and apartment building outweighs the disadvantages . In this essay we will discuss the benefits and drawbacks.

To commence with the disadvantages several

Individuals believe that it can create a lot of crucial problems. One major reason is scorching temperature that these buildings can made. The individuals think that building vast apartment building in cities will make the city a concrete jungle. The concrete and cement does not stop heat eventually it will absorb it in summer this will rise the temperature in cities.

Furthermore it is not reliable and convenient for elderly citizens. Such as if an individual is diagnosed with some disease it would be a trouble for him to go from floor 1 to 12.

On the other hand there are numerous benefits of building these in developed cities. Especially China and Japan had proved this. They build them in cities like Tokyo and Nagasaki. Earlier in these cities there was no place to live however government initiative of designing and building them proved citizens to live within cities on low rent. Fortunately there is no evidence that states that these buildings creates heat and there are lifts in buildings.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt but fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which significantly limits the depth of the argument. While you state your position clearly in the introduction, the development of ideas is superficial. For instance, the argument regarding 'scorching temperatures' is mentioned but not fully explained or supported with logical evidence. Similarly, the counter-argument regarding elderly citizens is brief. The examples provided (China and Japan) are relevant but lack specific detail to fully support your position. To improve, you must expand your body paragraphs with more detailed explanations and concrete examples to ensure the response is fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is sometimes mechanical. You use basic cohesive devices like 'To commence with' and 'Furthermore', but the transitions between sentences within paragraphs are occasionally abrupt. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the final paragraph where 'these' is used without a clear antecedent. Additionally, the paragraphing is somewhat inconsistent, as the conclusion is missing entirely. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence followed by supporting ideas that flow logically to a conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. You rely on somewhat repetitive or simplistic phrasing, such as 'crucial problems' and 'vast apartment building'. There are also some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'The great method to offer sufficient houses' (should be 'The best way to provide sufficient housing') and 'this has become widely discussed topic' (missing an article). To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to urban planning and architecture, and pay closer attention to collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'these buildings can made' (should be 'can make'), 'The concrete and cement does not stop heat' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'these buildings creates heat' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing commas after introductory phrases. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage.

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

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