Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-02

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 contended that sufficient housing is possible if we establish a large number of multi-story buildings in metropolises. I strongly agree with this statement and I will elucidate the reasons behind my stance.

To begin with, to reduce the congestion in urban cities. It can be seen that megacities have a higher population rates due to numerous career options , which influence people to migrate from the countryside to urban areas and the government constructs tall apartment blocks, it is beneficial for the public to find convenient places and also overcome congestion. For example, recently it is difficult for developers to provide enough homes , in addition they build tall buildings in order to everyone live peacefully.

Furthermore, it helps the economy of a particular city. If authorities invest money to buy a number of plots and establish apartment blocks, it is not profitable to the government or owner as well as it is costly for local people. For instance, the price rate of small piece of land is expensive in megacities ,if landlord allocate funds in one tall building , it will reduce resources and money .Moreover, they sell in affordable price apartments so middle class family purchase without worry.

In contrast, higher responsibility with the highest buildings . It is constructed with caution because it depend on heavy base so they tackle any natural climate and people live without fear of harm .Although, I firmly opine that much more favorable to establish tall apartments blocks for enough home requirement .

To sum up, it can be reiterated that it is significant to considerable homes in urban cities to reduce congestion and grow of economic value in with the greatest responsibilities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument regarding economic benefits is confusingly phrased, stating that building tall blocks is 'not profitable' while simultaneously arguing it is a solution for affordability. The explanation of how tall buildings reduce congestion is also underdeveloped, lacking a clear logical link between vertical density and urban traffic or infrastructure. While the position is consistent, the supporting arguments require more depth and clearer logical progression to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a basic attempt at logical progression. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, the phrase 'To begin with, to reduce the congestion' is a sentence fragment, and the transition 'In contrast, higher responsibility with the highest buildings' is unclear and does not effectively signal a counter-argument or concession. Referencing is sometimes ambiguous, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of ideas. Improved control over linking words and better sentence-level cohesion would significantly enhance the clarity of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'price rate of small piece of land is expensive' and 'grow of economic value'. The student relies on basic vocabulary and struggles to use less common lexical items accurately. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the lack of sophisticated control and the presence of errors in word formation and collocation limit the score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'it depend on heavy base'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing that affects sentence structure (e.g., 'it is significant to considerable homes'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas and periods. While the student attempts complex sentences, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the writing from reaching a higher level of accuracy.

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