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)

This topic was ongoing debate over the past decade because the mass industrialization of cities lead to a home crisis. For me I agree that building a tall apartment would be beneficial for citizen and also for the government. Building a tall apartment could dramatically improve the home crisis in the cities and make the economy rising.

On the other hand, constructing a tall building apartment would significally solve the home crisis in the cities. Because the citizen could rent for a affordable price and reduce the people of becoming a homeless because they can't afford the rent. For example, I have a cousin of mine who was living in the city and she can't cope up with her living expenses. Mainly because her rent has increased dramatically because many people need a apartment to rent with. So the government establish a tall building apartment that gradually help to reduce the rent. Furthermore having a tall building apartment could help the citizen to afford the rent and use the extra money they have to buy a food rather than paying it to the rent.

On the other hand, it also could be beneficial for the government because it can help to drive the economy more faster and more efficient . Mainly because having a tall building in the cities can attract more investor to invest in the country and with that it can create more opportunities to the citizen. For example, the city of mine before their no building at all and it lead to a staggering unemployment rate that cause a low taxpayers. But after they build a tall building and apartment it gradually help to create more job and the taxpayers increased. So they have more budget to use for some infrastructure to invest it. Basically it is a domino effect having a tall building and apartment can create more job and more taxpayers that help the economy and the government.

Overall, building a t

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. While you provide examples, such as the cousin's rent situation and the city's economic growth, the reasoning remains simplistic. To reach a higher band, you should focus on exploring the complexities of the issue, such as potential drawbacks (e.g., infrastructure strain or social isolation) to provide a more balanced and nuanced argument. The conclusion is incomplete, which is a significant omission that prevents a full summary of your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive. For instance, you use 'Mainly because' and 'On the other hand' repeatedly, sometimes incorrectly (e.g., using 'On the other hand' to introduce a supporting point rather than a contrasting one). The progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by these awkward transitions. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring they are used logically will significantly enhance the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward collocations and word choice errors, such as 'make the economy rising' instead of 'boost the economy' and 'reduce the people of becoming a homeless' instead of 'prevent homelessness'. You rely on basic vocabulary and struggle to use less common lexical items accurately. To improve, focus on learning collocations and using more sophisticated synonyms to express your ideas with greater clarity and impact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the mass industrialization... lead to'), article usage (e.g., 'a home crisis', 'a apartment'), and tense consistency. Punctuation is also inconsistent, and some sentences are poorly constructed, such as 'For example, the city of mine before their no building at all'. You need to focus on basic sentence construction and proofreading to eliminate these persistent errors.

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

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