Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-11
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 often argued that the best way to provide enough homes in large cities is to build tall apartment blocks. Because it saves land in metropolitan cities. I agree with this idea of providing houses in apartments to the people. High-rise apartments are useful to accommodate a large number of people and it is easier to provide public transport and services.
Firstly, the main reason why I agree with this view is that it provides so many homes on limited land. This is because of the rapid growth in population led to finding a good home. For example, recently in some cities all tall apartments are called well planned residential communities with multiple benefits. Therefore, these tall buildings are useful and beneficial for all the population in cities.
Secondly, another important reason is that it helps transport and public services, in other way when a large number of people live in the same area, public transport, schools, hospitals and other facilities can be provided more efficiently. For instance apartment owners should provide a bus for community members and provides a lot of parking space. As a result, people will have lots of useful things to complete a day in apartments.
In conclusion, i strongly agree that building tall apartment blocks is an effective way to provide sufficient housing in large cities. They can accommodate many people on limited land and the people of high-rise buildings will get more facilities than others, which can significantly improve their overall quality of life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The arguments regarding land efficiency and the provision of public services are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the example provided about 'apartment owners providing a bus' is slightly underdeveloped and lacks a broader context regarding urban planning. While the main points are clear, they could benefit from more detailed explanation or more sophisticated real-world examples to reach a higher band. The response is consistent in its stance, but the depth of analysis remains at a basic level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions are slightly awkward, such as 'in other way when a large number of people live'. Referencing is generally clear, but the connection between ideas within paragraphs could be smoother to improve the overall progression of the argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. The student relies on common terms like 'useful', 'beneficial', and 'good home'. There are some attempts at topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'residential communities' and 'metropolitan cities', but the range is limited. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'complete a day in apartments'. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise collocations and a wider range of academic vocabulary to express complex ideas more effectively.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'Because it saves land in metropolitan cities' (a sentence fragment) and 'the rapid growth in population led to finding a good home' (awkward phrasing). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are occasionally inconsistent. While these errors do not impede communication, they demonstrate a lack of control over more complex grammatical structures, which is necessary for a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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