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 order to make enough homes in big cities, building tall apartments will be the greatest solution. From my perspective, I totally agree with this idea, because numerous people from the countryside are looking for homes in larges cities, it can be a positive investment for foreign visitors who want to explore the city and shoos to stay in simple accommodations.
To begin with, the majority of individuals who live in the countryside, want to relocate to big cities looking for different opportunities, such as occupation. Nevertheless, they do not find available housing, because of the lack of buildings. Therefore, building tall apartments blocks will be the best option for large cities to attract more people, especially the countryside's population. Furthermore, tall apartments can provide a huge amount of houses, that can be available for sale or rent for people who want to relocate from their own homes.
Another aspect why building tall apartments is the best way to provide numerous houses, is for foreigners who want to experience the reality of a country or a city, by staying in simple apartments rather than booking a room in hotel. Moreover, visitors have to find where they can stay, and building tall apartments will be easier for both the government to attract more guests, and for tourists to exprience the real life of the city.
To conclude, building tall apartments blocks will be the most effective way to have enough houses. I agree with this point, because it facilitates for those who live on the countryside to relocate, and help foreigners to find a simple place where they can experience the life of the city.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of tall apartment blocks. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. While you mention the need for housing for people relocating from the countryside and for tourists, the arguments remain quite superficial. For instance, you do not explore the potential drawbacks or alternative solutions, which limits the complexity of your response. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more nuanced arguments, such as discussing urban density, infrastructure requirements, or the social impact of high-rise living, rather than focusing primarily on the convenience for tourists.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' to link your ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the first paragraph where the connection between rural migration and foreign tourism is abrupt. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your transitions between ideas are smoother and more sophisticated.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on simple, repetitive phrases like 'big cities', 'tall apartments', and 'simple accommodations'. There are also some minor errors in word choice, such as 'shoos' (likely a typo for 'choose' or 'places') and 'exprience' (spelling error). To improve, you should incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to urban planning, such as 'high-density housing', 'urban sprawl', or 'infrastructure development', and work on using more precise collocations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'In order to make enough homes' (should be 'provide' or 'create'), 'it can be a positive investment for foreign visitors who want to explore the city and shoos to stay' (awkward phrasing), and 'facilitates for those who live on the countryside' (should be 'in the countryside'). While these errors do not generally impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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