Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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 this modern era, it is hard to provide homes to all people in large cities due to increasing number of population. However, many people think that by developing high-rise buildings, we can provide more homes. I disagree with this statement.

There are several reasons, why I disagree with this statement. To begin with, it is expensive and hard to build and maintain tall apartment blocks. This will make them more difficult to costly, hance many people cannot afford it. For example, Mukesh Ambani a billion from India spends around $1 million a year to maintain his employees residence building of 50 floors. Moreover, if they face any natural disaster like Earthquake than it is hard for them redevelop and it become dangerous to live in that apartment. Recently, in Japan owner of an apartment carried out research about his building and he found the base of the building is week because of recent Earthquake.

On the other hand, there various benefits of tall apartment blocks. To start with, they are often cheaper than a private house. People with the low income can purchase these apartments and they fulfill the dream of their own home. What is more, due to increasing number of population it is the best way to provide home to more and more people on less land in large cities. Last but not least, it is easier for city center keep records.

In conclusion, it is too expensive to build and maintain tall building, also it may have effects of natural disasters. If we talk about advantages of these kind of buildings then it helps to provide more homes on less land.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt, but the position is inconsistent. While you state you disagree in the introduction, the second body paragraph presents several arguments in favor of tall buildings, which contradicts your initial stance. This makes your overall position unclear. The ideas are relevant, but the development is somewhat superficial. For instance, the example of Mukesh Ambani is not directly relevant to the general issue of providing affordable housing for the public, as it describes a private residence. To improve, ensure that every paragraph supports your stated position and provide more logical, generalized examples that directly address the housing crisis in large cities.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'On the other hand'. However, the logical flow is disrupted by the contradictory arguments presented in the second body paragraph. The transition between the disagreement in the first half and the advantages in the second half is abrupt and confusing. Additionally, some referencing is slightly mechanical. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments follow a consistent logical path that reinforces your thesis statement throughout the entire essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several word-choice errors, such as 'difficult to costly' (should be 'costly to maintain') and 'base of the building is week' (should be 'weak'). You rely on basic phrasing like 'good things' or 'best way'. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and precise terminology related to urban planning, such as 'high-density housing', 'infrastructure maintenance', or 'urban sprawl'. Spelling errors like 'hance' for 'hence' also detract from the overall quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'increasing number of population' (should be 'increasing population'), 'if they face any natural disaster like Earthquake than it is hard' (should be 'then'), and 'owner of an apartment carried out research'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on subject-verb agreement and correct article usage.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.