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)

Utilising an urban area as mindfully as it could be is very important nowadays, as there are more facilities in large cities, more people are planning to own a house in such cities.

Firstly, having an apartments does have benefits, most of the times people rent out the apartments because of affordability. So, buliding tall apartments are considerable as some people tend to prefer them more. In addition to this, tall apartments can store more people instead of buying individual housing which can make the space being efficently used, for instance if people buy houses for their family separately then the consequence would lead to more space coverage and lesser individuals being in those houses.

Secondly, building large apartments could be problematic as well. tall apartments are conjusted which means they have less space and are generally more crowded, not only this but also they do not provide as much privacy. futhermore, tall buildings are highly at risk to natural disasters for example earthquakes. Building tall apartments are more expensive because the materials which are used to build such tall building to withstand those natural disasters. Another issue would be the strict regulations which people must follow in order to live in the apaertments.

In conclusion, having a separate house can bring a lot of comfort to people and they can have enough privacy as well, nevertheless, it can be quite expensive and consumes large amount of space whereas renting an apartments have some problems but it can provide homes for good amount of people as overpopulation plays a major role in this sector nowadays.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the pros and cons of tall apartment blocks. However, the position is not clearly established or maintained throughout the essay. While you present arguments for both sides, you do not explicitly state your own extent of agreement in the introduction or conclusion. The ideas are relevant but remain somewhat superficial; for example, the point about 'storing' people is underdeveloped and lacks a clear link to urban planning principles. To improve, ensure you take a clear stance in the introduction and provide more detailed, logical support for your arguments rather than listing points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'most of the times' and 'not only this but also' are used, but the logical flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed. For instance, the transition between the benefits of renting and the efficiency of space is abrupt. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun usage in the second paragraph. Improving the variety and precision of linking words will help create a smoother progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'store more people' (instead of 'accommodate') and 'conjusted' (a spelling error for 'congested'). You also rely on repetitive phrasing like 'tall apartments' and 'building tall apartments'. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to urban development, such as 'high-density housing', 'urban sprawl', or 'infrastructure requirements', while ensuring accurate spelling and word formation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('having an apartments does have'), incorrect pluralisation ('an apartments'), and awkward phrasing ('the space being efficently used'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma splices and run-on sentences. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would significantly improve your accuracy.

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