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)

This is an opinion essay which discusses the presence of high rise buildings in large cities that provide sufficient number of homes to people.

In general, I partially agree with the given opinion that tall apartment blocks in urban areas have many facilities such as solution to people's accommodation. Whereas, these buildings have many problems such as parking issues and sewerage line malfunctioning.

One the one hand, there are many benefits of tall buildings in the urban areas. Firstly, these buildings consist of many residential flats which are useful for people who commute to cities for better education and elite lifestyle. So, it is a solution to housing shortage. Lastly, flats are interlinked by a gallery, which is beneficial for all families. A number of families create a group and starts sharing of many things such as electronics, crockery, books and meals, which may lead to good neighborhood that is essential for family mental health. These reasons force me to support the given statement.

On the other hand, people living in high rise buildings usually face many issues which encourages me to disagree with this statement. There is a single parking area for all localities of a building. Many people parked their cars and bikes at same parking which leads to security issues. Moreover, drainage pipelines of building may cause blockage after sometime, which may leads to moisture in flats. Ultimately, high rise buildings are the precursor of noise and air pollution in the big cities.

In conclusion, although there are many plus points of tall apartment blocks such as more accommodation options and elite lifestyle, but these buildings also lead to many issues.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of tall apartment blocks. You maintain a clear position throughout, although the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, the point about 'sharing electronics and crockery' is a bit unusual and lacks a strong link to the broader urban planning context. To improve, ensure your supporting arguments are more focused on the core issue of housing density and urban infrastructure. While you cover both sides, the arguments could be more robustly extended to reach a higher band. Overall, the response is relevant and addresses all parts of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Lastly', and 'On the other hand' to signal transitions. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'these reasons force me to support the given statement' which follows a point about sharing books. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'urban areas', 'accommodation', and 'precursor'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'sewerage line malfunctioning' (should be 'sewage system failure') and 'localities of a building' (should be 'residents'). Some phrasing is also slightly unnatural, such as 'elite lifestyle'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, but lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'Many people parked their cars' (should be 'park') and 'drainage pipelines of building' (should be 'the building'). Additionally, there are issues with pluralization and tense consistency, such as 'which may leads to' (should be 'lead'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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