Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-30

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 big urbanised cities the best way to provide enough homes is to build tall apartment blocks. I largely agree with this view tall building apartments gives enough homes in large cities.

The primary reason for my view is that urban cities are densely populated and can't meet everyone's need for a large single-family home. If they start to build large house for everyone or single family by their choice, which mens that they need to cut and promote deforestation. For instance, India is a most populated country in the world and in 1990 were people migrated towards large cities like Mumbai they started building houses there and used the agricultural land for residential purposes. However in 2010, Indian government took action on this and started a tall-building apartment system which provide 200 to 500 apartments in a single tall building.

The second most important reason for tall-building apartments is that they give individuals personal space. In recent times, everyone requires privacy, which means that it can't be achieved in joint family or nuclear family system and person is looking for a separate place to live and for that apartments are the perfect decision to choose. For example, in USA they have skycaps buildings, and people prefer to live alone in their separate apartments. I strongly agree tall buildings provide enough homes and residential spaces for everyone.

In conclusion, although large single home provides value, tall building apartments give home to everyone according to their choice. Government should build tall buildin

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you provide examples like India and the USA, the explanation of how tall buildings specifically solve housing shortages is a bit simplistic. The conclusion is incomplete, cutting off mid-sentence, which prevents a full summary of your argument. To improve, ensure that your supporting points are more thoroughly explained and that your conclusion is fully developed to reinforce your main position. The response is just over the minimum length, so ensure you have enough time to finish your final paragraph in future tasks.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'The primary reason' and 'In conclusion', to signal the structure. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the transition between deforestation and the Indian government's action feels abrupt. Additionally, the abrupt ending of the essay negatively impacts the overall coherence. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring a complete, well-structured conclusion will help move your score higher.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your meaning, such as 'urbanised', 'densely populated', and 'residential purposes'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'big urbanised cities' (redundant) and 'skycaps buildings' (likely referring to skyscrapers). Some phrasing is also repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'tall-building apartments'. To achieve a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and ensure that your collocations sound natural. Expanding your range of synonyms will help you avoid repeating the same terms throughout the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'tall building apartments gives' (subject-verb agreement), 'which mens that' (spelling/grammar), and 'in 1990 were people migrated' (incorrect preposition/structure). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with missing commas in complex sentences. These errors do not generally impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and proofreading for basic grammatical slips to improve your accuracy.

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

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