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)

I agree with the statement that the best way to provide enough homes in large cities is to build tall apartment blocks. In my point of view, the large cities has very small open spaces to build personal homes for everybody in the city. Moreover, in a large city there are huge number of people living there. We can decentralize the homes but it will hamper the working hours of people and would possibly destroy the natural green forest outside the city. That's why I agree with the statement.

To talk about my own personal experience, I work in a software development company in the city, living with my 8 family members. It is not possible for me to live outside the house and attend the office in time and will become late night to reach home safely. Also, my children can get good education in the city. Furthermore, my family members can get proper healthcare if they live in the city.

Also, it is true that building tall apartments can harm the environment from the construction dust and particles. But we need to do safety measurements before building tall buildings.

To further explain the reason behind my agreement with the statement, I think without destroying the nature in wild forest the human should live in the large cities in the tall apartments though they can have their quality time in the weekend with their family in the nature outside the city.

To conclude, I would say that living in tall apartments with all the facilities a family needs is more suitable for both the human and the nature in way.

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 limited. While you mention the benefits of tall buildings regarding space and environmental preservation, the arguments are repetitive and rely heavily on personal anecdotes rather than broader societal or urban planning perspectives. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the implications of your arguments, such as the economic benefits of high-density living or the challenges of infrastructure, rather than focusing primarily on your personal commute or family situation. The conclusion is present but lacks a summary of the main points discussed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'To conclude' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the logical progression within paragraphs could be smoother. For instance, the transition from discussing personal experience to environmental concerns is abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the phrase 'in way' at the end of the conclusion, which lacks a clear antecedent or logical connection to the previous clause.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'large cities', 'tall apartment blocks', and 'good education'. While the meaning is clear, there is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic language. Phrases like 'do safety measurements' are slightly unnatural; 'implement safety protocols' or 'adhere to safety standards' would be more appropriate. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to urban development and sustainability.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'the large cities has' (subject-verb agreement), 'huge number of people living there' (missing article), and 'without destroying the nature in wild forest' (awkward phrasing). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency. You should focus on subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and refining your sentence structure to ensure greater accuracy in complex constructions.

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.