Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-03

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)

With the rise in population it is getting difficult to accommodate people. Even with many houses building every year it is getting challenging to secure homes. Many argue that building homes very closely will help solve that problem. I believe that instead of building too many houses it will be useful to build tall apartment blocks.

Not only tall apartment bocks will give people shelter but it will also help save the city. People, in order to get homes in large cities, destroy the livelihoods of mammals and sea animals. They dry up sea to create more space for their homes. They destroy zoos, animal friendly neighbourhood just to be secured, whereas, thousands of animals are left to die. Moreover, they cut trees, both to create space and to get wood. Doing this cause an alarming rate of global warming issue, which is already faced my countless. So building tall apartments will require less space just enough to satisfy people with their homes. Making people happier, saving the animals, and protecting the environment.

However, there is a downside to it as well. Only creating tall apartments without measuring proper safety tool will require people to suffer even more. For example, along with building tall apartments keeping a detector to predict any natural calamities before hand, will alert the people in the high rise buildings and reduce any risk. In addition, more people in an apartment means more usage of electronics. So, keeping all the wires in an organised way without being to exposed is an important safety measure.

In my opinion, it has both the effect, so being careful and taking all the necessary measurement beforehand is a safe way to keep people accommodated and safe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. You successfully argue for the benefits of tall apartment blocks, particularly regarding environmental preservation. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The second paragraph makes broad, slightly hyperbolic claims about 'destroying the livelihoods of mammals' and 'drying up the sea,' which lack nuance and logical grounding. While the position is clear, the supporting arguments could be more grounded in realistic urban planning concepts. The counter-argument regarding safety is relevant but remains somewhat superficial. To improve, focus on providing more balanced, realistic justifications for your position rather than relying on extreme scenarios.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Not only,' 'Moreover,' and 'However' to transition between ideas. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. For instance, the transition between the environmental argument and the safety argument is a bit abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is unclear, such as 'they' in the second paragraph, which lacks a specific antecedent. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows naturally from the previous one would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your ideas, but there are frequent inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. Phrases like 'destroying the livelihoods of mammals' and 'measuring proper safety tool' are unnatural. You also use 'faced my countless' instead of 'faced by countless people.' While your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate your meaning, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and using more academic terminology, such as 'urban density,' 'infrastructure,' or 'mitigate risks,' rather than relying on general, imprecise language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

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 ('Doing this cause'), article usage ('dry up sea'), and awkward sentence construction ('keeping all the wires in an organised way without being to exposed'). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and punctuation prevent the writing from reaching a higher level. You should focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed accurately without missing prepositions or articles.

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

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