Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-10

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 believed that to provide accommodation in big metropolitan is to construct tall apartment blocks. To a large extent, I agree with this viewpoint. My preference is justified further.

The foremost argument to support my view is that, there is less space available in the city areas. This is because they allocated land for building factories, schools, hospitals and shopping mall. As a result, less space available for the residing individuals. For example, there is shortage of residential homes in many cities like Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara. In addition, more people can live in high apartment. Since the tall apartments are build in the urban areas, it allows facility to accommodate more residents. Therefore, it is helpful to solve shortage of houses in the city areas.

Furthermore another reason is that, building tall buildings are affordable for many families. When apartment buildings are build, there price remain lower compared to single house. Consequently it is beneficial for the lower income families. For instance, nowadays many residents prefer to stay in the apartments rather than private house.

However, the other views cannot be rejected due to many reasons. The most important reason is that more people live in the building leads to overcrowding. If many individuals live together in a one place, it leads to loss privacy and comfort. Hence, many people loss the independance.

In conclusion, although many people live in the same building leads to overcrowding, I believe that it gives benefits such as more people can reside in one place and affordable my lower income families.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The arguments regarding land scarcity and affordability are relevant, though they are somewhat under-developed. For instance, the explanation of why tall buildings are more affordable could be expanded with more specific economic reasoning. The counter-argument is acknowledged, but the development remains superficial. To reach a higher band, you should provide more detailed explanations and perhaps a more nuanced discussion on how urban planning can mitigate the downsides of high-rise living, such as overcrowding, rather than simply stating that privacy is lost.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'The foremost argument', 'In addition', and 'Furthermore'. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'The most important reason is that'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'Since the tall apartments are build in the urban areas, it allows facility to accommodate more residents', where the subject 'it' lacks a clear antecedent. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. You rely on basic terms like 'big', 'good', and 'many'. There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'loss the independance' (should be 'lose their independence') and 'build in the urban areas' (should be 'built'). While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of more sophisticated or academic vocabulary limits the score. Try to incorporate more topic-specific collocations related to urban development and housing policy to demonstrate a wider range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('building tall buildings are affordable'), verb tense/form errors ('apartments are build'), and missing articles ('in a one place'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some awkward phrasings that hinder clarity. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that passive voice constructions are formed correctly. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences will be essential for moving into the 6.5+ range.

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

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