Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-26

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 best way to provide enough housing in big cities is to build tall residential building. I believe that it could be very beneficial and I hold partial views and will discuss in following paragraphs.

In recent years world has changed significantly and now more people prefer to live in cities and this rapid urbanisation leads to overcrowding and dense population and people have to pay much higher rents and in some cases cities runs out of houses. So, to cool down the housing crises cities start building tall apartment buildings as these building can hold thousands of people in a compact space, it will help cities to save up space and will significantly reduce high cost of living. for example in new york city more skyscraper were build just to accomodate the population of the city and to save up some space for parks and gardens.

But it could have some disadvantages also, as such tall buildings could be very expensive to build therefore can leads to the same proble problem of expensive housing for example in my city apartments are comparatively more expensive than houses. So, sometimes it could not be the wise choice. However cities can build more houses than apartments to tackle this situation as it could be relatively cheaper and much economic in some cases.

To Sum up, tall building as help to solve housing problem but other factors should be concern too and sometimes it can be more convenient to build houses that apartments it depends on the situation of the city.

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 position is somewhat inconsistent; the introduction mentions 'partial views,' but the body paragraphs lack a clear, sustained argument. While the ideas are relevant, they are under-developed. For instance, the argument that tall buildings are expensive is mentioned, but the counter-argument that cities should build 'more houses' is vague and lacks logical support regarding how this would solve the density issue in large cities. To reach a higher band, you need to provide more depth to your reasoning and ensure your position remains clear and consistent throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive feature. However, the progression of ideas is often hindered by a lack of cohesive devices. Many sentences are linked by simple conjunctions like 'and' or 'so,' leading to a repetitive structure. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the transition between the housing crisis and the example of New York feels abrupt. The use of linking words is mechanical, and the essay would benefit from a wider range of cohesive devices to better connect the arguments and improve the flow between sentences and paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. There are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'cities runs out of houses' instead of 'cities face housing shortages' and 'much economic' instead of 'more economical.' Spelling errors, such as 'accomodate' and 'proble problem,' also detract from the overall quality. While you attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'urbanisation' and 'skyscraper,' the range is limited, and the errors occasionally make the text feel less professional. Focus on learning collocations and checking spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures. While there are attempts at complex sentences, they are often marred by grammatical errors, such as 'more skyscraper were build' (subject-verb agreement and passive voice error) and 'as such tall buildings could be very expensive... therefore can leads to' (incorrect verb form). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several run-on sentences that lack proper commas or conjunctions. To improve, you should focus on mastering subject-verb agreement, consistent verb tense usage, and the correct application of complex sentence structures to demonstrate a wider grammatical range.

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

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