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)

It is widely believed that tall apartments are best for large cities to cover up less space and provide enough homes. While high rise-buildings can accommodate huge amount of people and invade people privacy. I totally disagree with this concept since, children don't have space to play. In addition, a lot of noise and it's cause to mental or physical health as well. There is no objection regarding that high-rise buildings provide a lot of accommodation to people but this system damage people mentally.

On the one hand, there are a lot of cities that only have flats rather than suburban. Furthermore, huge amount of people are in one roof and the people who own an apartment they don't have space to take fresh breath in air because they don't have their own roof. One of the disadvantage is the place is so overcrowded and people don't have privacy and there are numerous voice of people. For suppose, a aged person who is living in an apartment and he is not well so, this is not the good place for his health. And the biggest problem most of people face is stairs. I consider that their is a lift in most of apartments so it's so convenient for the people who are not able to use stairs and for the people who are use lift in their daily life. Although what's about those people who are not able to take a lift because of claustrophobia. So, they are still using stairs and plenty of apartment have no lift and what about the people who don't have even option between choosing a lift or stairs.

On the other hand, the people who are living in suburban are enjoying their life. Moreover, they are more happy rather than the people who are living in an apartment. You are with your family and take pure air because you own a roof and a courtyard.

People who have suburban , they don't have any issue regarding expensive bills because they equipped their roof with solar panels.

It's your choice to make your house detached or single story house and in house there are plenty of rooms and everyone have their own space to rest. You design your home by your own choice. No one will you because you own your home. When you come home from a tired day you need some privacy and home gives you a comfortable place to rest.

So, overall I prefer to living in suburban rather then living in tall apartment blocks. As suburban gives you more privacy and place to rest. Additionally you Utilize your roof for solar panels and courtyard to take fresh air instead of an apartment where you don't have any privacy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position against tall apartment blocks. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you mention health, noise, and lack of space, these points are repetitive and lack depth. The argument regarding elevators and claustrophobia is slightly tangential and distracts from the main point about urban planning. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph focuses on a distinct, well-supported argument rather than listing several loosely connected points. The conclusion is clear, but the overall argument would benefit from more sophisticated reasoning regarding urban density and infrastructure.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is often hindered by awkward transitions and repetitive phrasing. While you use some cohesive devices like 'On the one hand' and 'In addition', their usage is sometimes mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'For suppose' instead of 'For example'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of your argument. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence builds logically upon the previous one would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There are several instances of unnatural collocations and word-choice errors, such as 'cover up less space' (likely meaning 'conserve space') and 'numerous voice of people'. You rely on basic vocabulary and struggle to express more complex concepts accurately. To improve, focus on learning topic-specific collocations related to urban development and housing, and try to avoid repeating simple words like 'people' and 'place' throughout the essay.

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 communication. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'plenty of apartment have no lift'), incorrect article usage, and awkward sentence construction (e.g., 'No one will you'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma placement. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence structure and proofreading for common grammatical slips will help improve your accuracy.

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

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