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)

Nowadays, in urban cities the population is increasing rapidly, so the best way to provide enough shelter is to develop tall buildings blocks. I strongly agree with building tall apartment is highly effective solution to provide more home to individuals with less land and more hall buildings.

One of the main reason why I support this view is that high rise building can accommodate large number of people in small land area, also it takes fewer space to build multiples block of apartments. Although, tall building cost cheaper than normal house on land and many urban cities higher number of building as compare to normal homes. For example, cities around the globe , such as Mumbai, Dubai or others cities have more high rise apartment rather than plot house.

Another significant advantage is high rise housing can provide shared facilities, such as swimming pool, gym or garden in free of cost. While, normal house didn,t have this types of facilities at all. Additionally, some of apartment provide zero maintenance fee with no other additional charges, along with they also organise different types of festivals celebration. For instance, to maintain the normal house cost higher than flats, and in high rise building there is less years hidden cost at all.

In conclude, having tall building is symbol of positive development and i agree that large cities must have tall building to tackle for housing space problem.However, high rise buildings can solve land problem in tear 1 cities with less space of land.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of tall apartment blocks. The ideas are relevant, focusing on space efficiency and shared amenities. However, the development is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding cost is vague and lacks a clear explanation of why high-rise buildings are cheaper to maintain compared to individual houses. While the position is consistent, the supporting points could be more thoroughly explored to reach a higher band. The conclusion is brief and repeats the main idea without adding significant depth. Overall, the response covers the requirements but lacks the depth of analysis expected for a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. There is a logical progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'While, normal house didn,t have this types of facilities at all.' The referencing is occasionally unclear, and some transitions between sentences feel abrupt. While the overall structure is coherent, the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that the relationship between ideas is more explicitly stated.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'hall buildings' (likely meaning tall buildings), 'plot house', and 'less years hidden cost'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on repetitive structures. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated or precise lexical items prevents the essay from achieving a higher score. Improving the use of collocations and academic vocabulary would significantly enhance the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'many urban cities higher number of building'), incorrect pluralization, and punctuation errors (e.g., 'didn,t'). There are also issues with article usage and prepositions. While the writer attempts to use complex sentences, these are often marred by errors. The frequency of these mistakes suggests that the writer has not yet mastered the control of complex structures, which is necessary for a higher band score.

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

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