Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-04

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)

I completely agree about this statement that the best way to provide enough homes in large cities is to build tall apartment black. First reason is space . In big cities . Land is very limited and expensive . If we built one tall building, hundreds of families can live in it. But if we built separate houses. Only 4 or 5 families can live on the same land. So apartments save a lot of space. For example, in Lahore, Baharia Town and other areas have many tall buildings and many people live there comfortably. The second reason is cost. It is cheaper for the government to give water , gas and electricity to one big building than to small many houses . People can also travel less because shopes and office are near the apartments. Some people says that life in apartment is not good because there are no garden and have no place to play. This is true but the government solve this problem like parks and playground near the apartments. In conclusion that I believe tall apartment blocks are the best solution for housing problems in big cities. They save space and save money and help many people get a home.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of tall apartment blocks. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum, which limits the development of ideas. While the arguments regarding space efficiency and infrastructure costs are relevant, they are presented in a very basic manner without sufficient elaboration or depth. The conclusion is brief and repetitive. Because the response is 46 words short of the requirement, the development of the argument is underdeveloped, preventing a higher score. To improve, you must expand on your points with more detailed explanations and specific, well-integrated examples.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is very limited and mechanical. You rely on simple transitions like 'First reason' and 'The second reason', which makes the flow feel somewhat repetitive. There is a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect ideas within sentences. Additionally, the paragraphing is basic; the counter-argument is introduced abruptly within the second paragraph rather than being developed in its own section. Improving the variety of your linking phrases and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate basic ideas but is quite limited and repetitive. You use simple terms like 'big', 'good', and 'save' repeatedly. There is a lack of less common or academic vocabulary that would be expected at a higher band level. For instance, instead of 'big cities', you could use 'metropolitan areas' or 'densely populated urban centers'. Spelling errors such as 'black' instead of 'blocks' and 'shopes' instead of 'shops' also detract from the quality of the writing. To improve, focus on learning synonyms and collocations related to urban planning and housing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures. While there are some attempts at complex sentences, they often contain grammatical errors, such as 'Some people says that life in apartment is not good'. There are frequent errors in article usage ('the government solve this problem'), pluralization ('small many houses'), and subject-verb agreement. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before periods and commas. To achieve a higher score, you need to practice using a wider variety of complex structures, such as relative clauses or conditional sentences, while ensuring your basic grammar remains accurate.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.