Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Despite being small covered area Manhattan still considered as densely populated landmark for resident. This essay will enlighten the reasons why large cities could provide enough homes for citizens by tall apartment blocks has benefits. Firstly tall apartments take less area covered in width and contains a lot of room for living and other purposes whereas building homes would cost higher and takes a lot of land. The development in infrastructure focuses more on the scenery and how does a residential area looks like, the tall apartments and their beautiful images from distance is one of the reasons why homes are second preference. Due to increase in population and cost of construction houses on bulk Humans have now believed that renting or buying an apartment in a building has become a profitable trend. However there are some drawbacks to some extent that tall apartments are not as straightforward as houses. It takes immense manpower both in quality and quantity ensuring their regularlity which is a timely problem. The cost of constructing hundreds of levels of building is as difficult as Roblox for a kid. Another fear behind tall apartments is that they are not as resistant to natural disasters as floor based houses. Tsunamis, earthquakes and other damage occuring events can topple Towers in matter of minutes. One of the most historic and iconic event refers this is 9/11. Plane crashing in twin towers collapsing them down js for fun. The lives matter not money and time. In my opinion I would suggest keeping balance between tall apartments and housing schemes so that it gets rid of high population shelter issue and safety of the citizens

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the benefits and drawbacks of tall apartment blocks. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. The argument regarding infrastructure and 'scenery' is vague and lacks clear logical connection to the housing crisis. Furthermore, the inclusion of the 9/11 event is highly inappropriate and lacks relevance to urban planning, which weakens the overall argument. While a position is stated, the supporting points are often under-developed or rely on anecdotal/inaccurate comparisons, such as the reference to 'Roblox'. To reach a higher band, you must focus on relevant, academic arguments regarding urban density, sustainability, and social impact.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is divided into paragraphs, but the internal structure is weak. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often mechanical or misused, such as the abrupt transition to the 9/11 example. The progression of ideas is disjointed; for instance, the jump from construction costs to natural disasters lacks a smooth logical bridge. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the flow between sentences is frequently interrupted by grammatical errors, making the reader work harder to follow the argument. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would significantly enhance the coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and often imprecise. Phrases like 'houses on bulk' and 'Humans have now believed' are unnatural and do not fit an academic context. There are also issues with word choice, such as 'enlighten' instead of 'explain' or 'explore'. The use of 'Roblox' is inappropriate for an IELTS task. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the basic meaning, it lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands. You should focus on learning topic-specific collocations related to urban planning, such as 'high-density housing', 'urban sprawl', and 'sustainable infrastructure'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. There are issues with subject-verb agreement ('Manhattan still considered', 'tall apartments... contains'), article usage ('in matter of minutes'), and sentence structure. Many sentences are fragmented or run-on, and punctuation is inconsistent. While there is an attempt to use complex structures, they are often faulty, leading to confusion. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring subjects and verbs agree, and practicing the correct use of articles and prepositions before attempting more complex grammatical forms.

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

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