Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-05

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)

In mordern times, large cities experience heavy crowd areas which leads to a problem of accomodation of people in the city. Some proponents believe its the best solution to build tall apartment blocks. On the other hand, some proponents believe its not a feisable for long-term solution.

I totally agree with the people who believe its best to build tall appartment blocks in large city to resole the issue of accomodation.

Building tall appartments in the city requires the permission from the government and it involves generating reports on the land, by the experience engineers to approve of the plan. When a building is contrustructed, all the necessary points while constructions are followed by good builders and so its safe and prominent of the audience to choose this solution. For example, when a personal home is constructed we give a plan to the builder and after process is handled by them. Moreover, this idea is very effective in utilizing the vertical space.

But looking at the practicailty of the norms followed by the citizens in my country, it is hard to believe that a tall buildings will sustain the weather turminols in the future, which leads to a risk involved and is considered as not a long term solution. Again this risk can be handled if the buildings are constructed using the strict guidelines and will be a great enhancement to the city life.

To conclude, an idea can invole possible risks but while implementation it is mandatory to look after the policies and guidelines to mitigate risk. Ensuring the safety and giving it a priority can lead to great enhancements for a city.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you mention the benefits of vertical space and the necessity of government oversight, the arguments lack depth and specific, illustrative examples. The third paragraph introduces a counter-argument regarding weather risks but fails to fully integrate this into your overall stance, leading to a slightly contradictory flow. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph focuses on a single, well-supported point that directly reinforces your thesis, and provide more detailed reasoning rather than general statements about builders or government reports.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear introduction and conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'some proponents believe'. The transition between the second and third paragraphs is abrupt, and the logical progression within paragraphs could be smoother. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the third paragraph where the link between 'norms' and 'weather turminols' is not well-explained. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows naturally from the previous one would enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are several spelling errors, such as 'mordern', 'accomodation', 'feisable', 'appartment', 'contrustructed', 'practicailty', and 'turminols'. Additionally, some word choices are imprecise, such as 'heavy crowd areas' instead of 'high population density' or 'prominent of the audience' which is used incorrectly. To reach a higher band, you should focus on accurate spelling and expanding your repertoire of topic-specific collocations related to urban planning and housing, while ensuring that words are used in their correct context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'a tall buildings will sustain'), incorrect article usage, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'it involves generating reports on the land, by the experience engineers'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and practice constructing more complex sentences with correct subordination and tense usage.

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.