Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-28

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)

Nowadays, People are migrating to cities for better growth and opportunities and facing issue of not getting place to live. I strongly agree with the statement that the best way to provide enough homes in urban areas is to construct tall apartment blocks because then everyone get home in cities as this is the basic necessity to live a life.

Building apartments rather than houses are viable choice for each and every person. For instance, when families want house, they required same space as apartments and that much of space will get used and only one family will acquire that much space, in contrast, when flat system is there, lot of families get opportunity to stay in that space. Additionally, building blocks are more benefited in both the ways like economically and environmentally.

One significant advantage is, it reduces the material waste and lower carbon footprints as fewer transport trips are needed for workers and supplies. For example, when we build house then material reusing is not practiced much as compared to apartment construction.so it is wise decision to provide enough homes in large cities by building tall apartment blocks, so every citizen and other person get their homes.

On the other hand, Traditional houses give chance to experience more privacy and outdoor space as compared to apartments, so this is big disadvantage. For example, houses are maintained individually by their owners, enjoying private gardens and sport courts inside the house, but in apartments one common garden will be there. By considering everything, the best way is to build apartments instead of houses to fulfill the requirement of homes in cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The arguments regarding space efficiency and environmental benefits are relevant and supported by examples. However, the development is somewhat repetitive, particularly in the second and third paragraphs, where the focus on 'providing enough homes' is restated multiple times without adding new depth. The counter-argument in the final paragraph is acknowledged, but the analysis remains somewhat superficial. To reach a higher band, you should aim to expand on your ideas with more nuanced reasoning rather than repeating the same points in different ways.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices such as 'For instance', 'Additionally', and 'On the other hand' are used to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel forced. For example, the sentence 'so it is wise decision to provide enough homes...' at the end of the third paragraph is a repetitive summary that disrupts the progression of the argument. Referencing is generally clear, but the use of cohesive devices could be more sophisticated and varied to improve the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'viable choice' and 'carbon footprints'. However, there are frequent inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'building blocks are more benefited' (should be 'beneficial') and 'flat system is there' (should be 'high-rise living' or 'apartment complexes'). The repetition of basic words like 'homes', 'space', and 'houses' limits the range. Improving precision and using more academic collocations would significantly enhance this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the' is often missing), pluralization ('building apartments rather than houses are viable choice'), and verb forms ('they required' instead of 'they require'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences and missing commas. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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