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)

The best way to supply adequate homes in substantial cities is to develop tall apartment blocks. In my view, I fully agree to this statement.

The largest cities anywhere in the world are holding an immense population. People from smaller cities or villagers migrate in big cities for jobs security. Due to vast population is has become a need to build several tall buildings in large cities. It has become a trend to develop tall buildings in major cities. It has become a need to build tall buildings by providing a shelter to each and every households. For instance, Karachi is the largest city of Pakistan. The population of Karachi has exceeded, so countless tall buildings are being constructed in Karachi in-order to supply a roof to common people. Tall buildings anywhere in the world has become necessary to hold vast population. However such tall buildings should be monitored while being constructed as they holds billion lives under their roof.

Nevertheless, the construction of tall buildings could hazard our society by generating pollution. Large buildings has the potential to harm our environment. In many states the development of tall buildings has been banned. For instance, a naturist in my village, Zubair protested against the developers to halt building tall apartment blocks. He protested and urged them not to construct tall apartment, as they could hazard their village. He became successful and halted them by being such a great example of the society

In conclusion, tall buildings has become a need. As the population of the world is bursting so it is mandatory to create limitless tall buildings. On the other hand it is dangerous for our society to construct tall buildings.

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 Karachi as an example, the explanation remains repetitive, and the counter-argument regarding pollution is not fully explored or linked back to the main argument effectively. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not synthesize the points well. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph provides a deeper analysis of the 'extent' to which you agree, rather than simply restating the need for tall buildings.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive (e.g., 'It has become a need' is used multiple times). Transitions between ideas are sometimes abrupt, particularly in the transition from the benefits of tall buildings to the environmental concerns. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the anecdote about 'Zubair', which feels disconnected from the broader argument about urban planning. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'big cities' and 'tall buildings' repeatedly. There are also some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'hazard our society' (instead of 'pose a hazard to') and 'naturist' (which usually refers to nudism, rather than an environmentalist). While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated or less common lexical items limits the score. Expanding your range of synonyms and focusing on accurate collocations will help.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You frequently struggle with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'tall buildings has become', 'Large buildings has the potential', 'they holds billion lives'). There are also errors in article usage and pluralization (e.g., 'in big cities', 'a roof to common people'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical concord and ensuring that plural subjects are paired with the correct verb forms.

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

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