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)

It is often thought that plenty of houses can be provided by transforming big cities into tall apartment blocks. I agree with this scenario as more land could be used for planting of trees or parks. However this could also lead to congested roads and more traffic jam as well.

One of the benefit that planning the city with tall buildings can provide solution to over population. Large buildings can provide comfortable living space for many families. These apartments help reduce land usage and government can develop parks and plant trees in cities. In Islamabad there is greenery as well as high rising buildings its divided into sectors each sector has its own park and shopping centers where they can buy essential items.

In contrast, tall apartment blocks in case of an earth quake can also collapse and the number of individuals who would lose their live is certainly more. Meanwhile, if buildings with apartments are created without any planning this could lead to congested roads in cities and definitely citizens would face traffic jam. Furthermore, currently in the New York apartment prices are way higher than before because of rising prices many individuals do not prefer living in apartments of a building.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you address the prompt and provide a clear position, the arguments are under-developed. For example, the point about Islamabad is a good start but lacks sufficient explanation to fully support your stance. Similarly, the mention of New York is relevant but remains superficial. To improve, you must expand on your reasoning with more detailed examples and analysis to ensure all parts of the task are fully addressed. The current length prevents a more thorough exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. Phrases like 'In contrast' and 'Furthermore' are used, but the transition between ideas within paragraphs could be smoother. For instance, the jump from earthquake risks to traffic congestion in the third paragraph feels abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'they' in the second paragraph, which lacks a clear antecedent. Improving the variety and precision of your linking words will help create a more natural flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'big cities' and 'comfortable living space'. There are also some minor collocation errors, such as 'lose their live' instead of 'lose their lives' and 'traffic jam' (which should be pluralized as 'traffic jams' in this context). To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated, topic-specific vocabulary related to urban planning and housing, such as 'high-density residential areas' or 'urban infrastructure'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'One of the benefit' should be 'One of the benefits', and 'its divided into sectors' should be 'it is divided into sectors'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with missing commas after introductory phrases. While your meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors suggests a need for more careful proofreading and a focus on subject-verb agreement and pluralization rules to improve your accuracy.

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