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)

Building taller houses blocks is the better thing to give accommodations to the individuals in larger cities. In my opinion. I agree with this statement, as the cities are already crowded, and people have fewer homes to accommodate further people. To provide them with the best possible options is to help them make taller buildings and apartments.

People living in the larger cities have suitable employment as well as lifestyle opportunities. They have facilities the countryside citizen lacks. But they are living far away from home, without meeting their families. So to facilitate such individuals, the government should plan to make more homes. However, this is not easily possible, as the larger cities are already filled with people and there are no available homes available. For instance, the recent data regarding the ratio of people and houses states that around 120,000 people are living without their own houses in the rental conditions.

The ultimate solution for this problem is to increase the number of homes by building more double or triple-story apartment schemes. This can provide the personal place to live to such people who came from the rural cities in search of jobs. The taller apartments can fill hundreds and thousands of people, as the problem of insufficiency of homes has been removed completely. One of the examples I want to state is that, in my neighborhood, an aunty made several-story apartments, and she is earning a lot by renting them.

In a nutshell, there is inadequacy of homes in larger cities due to population increase, but by constructing taller building blocks can provide people with living places.

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. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the need for housing due to population growth, the arguments remain quite general. For instance, the example provided regarding an 'aunty' making apartments is too informal and lacks the academic weight required for Task 2. To improve, you should focus on broader socio-economic benefits or drawbacks, such as urban planning efficiency, infrastructure strain, or social isolation, rather than anecdotal personal experiences. The conclusion is present but brief, and the overall argument could be more deeply explored to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive. Phrases like 'In a nutshell' and 'For instance' are used, but the transitions between sentences are sometimes abrupt, making the flow feel disjointed. For example, the jump from discussing employment opportunities to the lack of homes could be smoother. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'The taller apartments can fill hundreds and thousands of people', where the connection between the solution and the problem is slightly awkward. Improving the variety of linking words will enhance the logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range expected at higher levels. You rely on basic terms like 'better thing', 'make', and 'filled with'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'rental conditions' and 'rural cities' (which is a contradiction, as cities are urban). To improve, you should aim for more sophisticated vocabulary related to urban development, such as 'high-density housing', 'urban sprawl', or 'infrastructure capacity'. The word choice is sufficient to convey meaning, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility or awareness of style required for a higher score.

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 distract the reader. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'there is inadequacy of homes'), article usage (e.g., 'the best possible options is to help them make'), and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'the problem of insufficiency of homes has been removed completely'). While the meaning is generally clear, these errors are persistent. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like missing articles or incorrect verb forms before attempting more complex structures.

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

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