Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-01

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 method to facilitate citizens with more homes in big urban areas is to construct a large residentials blocks. Having more homes in a city occupies more space than having building blocks. In this essay, I will discuss this problem and give my opinion.

In big cities, most of the individuals mostly prefer to be resided in big apartments of their own. One main reason is that they want to have a lifestyle of their own choice because living in personal home will give them the opportunity to decorate their home according to their own will while building tall apartments can also give them benefits because they will not have to spend much amount of money to buy a separate property. If government will construct tall building blocks, it can save many lands to do something else there. For instance, if many individuals will get agree on living in a big apartment together, they would be able to save their money as well as it will also benefit the administration to construct orphanage or something free of cost for people. Consequently, the citizens would be able to contribute more to such building blocks.

Furthermore, if building blocks can be manufactured, it will enhance the sentiments among individuals. people can get more close to each other as they can have a meetup daily with the people of their apartment. So, it will give them opportunity to understand emotions like sympathy, assistance and value of life. it can be beneficial for the welfare of the society. The individuals would be able to learn teamwork as they would be connected to each other. Moreover, when their connections get strong and trustworthy, they can leave their apartment for more time because they have someone to look after their house. To illustrate, if someone gets sick and he needs an emergency help, he would be able to get that assistance from the people immediately from the apartment while in separate home, it can take much time to reach a hospital.

From my perspective, although building tall apartments can prove beneficial for the residents but they may not have an entertain lifestyle. I believe that one must have a separate home so that he can enjoy many amenities of his own choice that he cannot in an apartment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages of tall apartment blocks, such as land conservation and social cohesion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat inconsistent. While the social benefits are explored, the argument regarding 'lifestyle' is contradictory; the introduction suggests a preference for apartments, but the conclusion shifts to a preference for separate homes without fully reconciling this tension. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments lack depth and occasionally rely on generalizations, such as the claim that living in apartments automatically leads to better teamwork or emergency assistance. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph directly supports the central thesis with more logical, well-reasoned evidence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Furthermore', 'For instance', and 'Consequently', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. The referencing is generally clear, although the connection between the idea of 'orphanage' and 'tall building blocks' is somewhat tenuous and confusing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that the logical links between sentences are more sophisticated and natural, rather than relying on simple transition words at the start of every paragraph.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and sophistication. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'facilitate citizens with more homes', 'residentials blocks', and 'manufactured' (when referring to buildings). The term 'entertain lifestyle' is also non-standard. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there is a reliance on basic descriptors. To achieve a higher score, you should focus on learning more precise collocations and academic vocabulary, such as 'high-density housing' instead of 'tall building blocks' and 'urban planning' instead of 'do something else there'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'most of the individuals mostly prefer to be resided', 'if many individuals will get agree', and 'if building blocks can be manufactured'. There are also issues with article usage and subject-verb agreement. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, you should practice the correct use of passive voice, conditional structures (e.g., 'If the government constructed...'), and verb patterns to ensure greater accuracy in your complex sentences.

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

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