Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-08

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)

It is undeniable that urbanization is significantly increasing. Some people believe that apartment blocks are reliable alternative to provide adequate accommodation in metropolitan areas.

This paragraph will show that benefits of high rise buildings in cities. The primary merit is that its construction required less space as compared to row houses and also a larger number of families can live a similar place as it is extended in horizontal way. In addition, generally, the basement of high rise building have adequate amount of space for car parking as it is serious issue in large cities. Moreover, the price of high rise home is convenient then ground home because tax regarding to land is much higher in rural areas.

Another advantages of tall apartment blocks is that it creates stable employment opportunities for not only certain engineers but also for physical labours. Furthermore, some people preferred to live in apartment home due to several reasons such as high-defined privacy, and highted rooms are more likely to allow fresh air and ecofriendly environment. For example, in India citizens of many cities such as Mumbai, more likely to live in high rise buildings for overall convenient.

Admittedly, there are some negative consequences related to high-rise flats is that, it is less likely for the senior citizens and people who have some physical inequalities to live in such type of accommodation. Moreover, rooms are generally congested so that it is problematic for families who have many members.

In conclusion, although tall apartment block can be challenging for senior citizens and joint families, its affordable and convenient living conditions and privacy in metropolitan citites outweigh its disadvantages. I firmly support the construction of tall apartment blocks in cities

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of tall apartment blocks. The ideas are relevant, such as space efficiency, parking, and employment, though some points are slightly under-developed. For instance, the mention of 'physical inequalities' is a bit vague, and the explanation of why high-rise homes are cheaper is logically confusing, as land tax is generally higher in urban areas, not rural ones. While the position is consistent throughout, the development of ideas could be more nuanced to reach a higher band. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore' are used to link ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving from the benefits of high-rise buildings to the drawbacks and finally to a conclusion. However, there are some minor issues with referencing and sentence-level flow, such as the awkward phrasing in the second paragraph's opening sentence. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'urbanization', 'metropolitan areas', and 'accommodation'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'physical labours' instead of 'manual laborers', 'highted rooms' (likely meaning 'high-ceilinged' or 'elevated'), and 'physical inequalities' instead of 'physical disabilities'. These errors do not impede communication but demonstrate a limited range of sophisticated vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('benefits... is', 'basement... have'), missing articles ('in Mumbai, more likely to live'), and awkward phrasing ('price of high rise home is convenient then ground home'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. The student shows an attempt at complex structures, but control over them is inconsistent.

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

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