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)

Most metropolitan cities nowadays prefer apartments instead of building homes because they occupy less space by giving more accommodation options.

In my opinion I totally agree with this statement because big cities are becoming overcrowded day by day and high rise buildings are affordable for students and workers.

The first reason to justify my argument is that areas with greater population require considerably higher number of facilities compared to the small cities. People from small hometowns relocate to the cities which have variety of options for example education , jobs and career opportunities. In order to accommodate all the public more houses are required which covers more area. Instead of building separate homes for everyone government and real estate businesses are focusing more towards apartments which can help in many ways. For instance one building consists of hundreds of flats that can become homes to 100s of students. In this way people get what they want and limited land is used.

Secondly, It can also be beneficial for the individuals who can't afford living in separate houses because the living cost in prominent urban areas is not affordable for everyone. Numerous workers and students who come from low income background only live in apartments because they are cheap and also are easily accessible to the people who want to live alone and pay less. For instance students who come for higher studies from small towns can live in hostel or either flats because they want accommodation for a single person.

To conclude my stance I think high rise apartments are best solution for the cities with overcrowded population and can provide living for people who come from low income background.

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. The ideas are relevant, focusing on space efficiency and affordability. However, the development is somewhat repetitive; for instance, the argument about students and workers is mentioned in both body paragraphs without significant new insight. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the broader urban planning implications, such as infrastructure sustainability or social community aspects, rather than focusing primarily on individual affordability. The conclusion is brief but restates the position effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'The first reason', 'For instance', and 'Secondly', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the sentence 'Instead of building separate homes for everyone government and real estate businesses are focusing more towards apartments' lacks a clear link to the previous sentence. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer to their antecedents would enhance the logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the message to be conveyed clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'metropolitan', 'accommodation', and 'urban areas'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on simpler phrasing. There are also minor collocation issues, such as 'accessible to the people who want to live alone', which could be phrased more naturally. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and collocations related to urban development and housing policy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('the government', 'a small town') and punctuation issues (e.g., 'In my opinion I totally agree'). Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'areas with greater population require considerably higher number of facilities'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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