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)

I believe that building tall appartment blocks is the best way to provide enough homes in large and populated cities because in this way more people can have a place to live.

As we know that by the passing years more and more people are adding to worlds population and there is possibly not enough space to build separate homes for each family especially if the city is not that wide. So the best way in this situation is to build tall buildings with numerous appartments. By doing this, more people can have a safe space to live instead of finding or buying some small and congested house. Even the poor people can buy or rent a small appartment instead of being homeless.

I think that if the government starts to focus on constructing houses instead of buildings there will be a time in the near future when there will be no space for a possible amount of people to live and the results will not be as exciting. But if they focus on the buildings, the buildings need comparatively small area to build on and they provide enough space for people to live their life.

The only reason by which i wouldn't possibly agree to this statement is that most of the people don't like to live in the appartments and prefer to live separately in their own houses and a separate house is the safest option of all. So the government has to construct houses for these type of people.

In conclusion, i believe that government should focus on constructing more buildings because that's one of the ways of a secure and better future for the people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you argue for tall apartment blocks, the reasoning relies on repetitive points about space efficiency. The counter-argument in the fourth paragraph is brief and lacks depth, failing to fully explore the social or psychological implications of high-density living. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or evidence, such as mentioning urban planning concepts or the impact on infrastructure, rather than repeating the general idea that buildings save space.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, each with a central topic. There is a logical progression from the introduction to the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'by doing this', 'in this way', 'so the best way'). The transition between the third and fourth paragraphs is abrupt. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and phrases to connect your sentences and ideas more fluidly, and ensure that referencing (e.g., 'these type of people') is grammatically accurate to maintain smooth flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on basic terms like 'big', 'small', and 'good', and there are frequent spelling errors, such as 'appartment' (which should be 'apartment'). The range of vocabulary is limited to common, everyday language. To achieve a higher score, you should attempt to use more sophisticated, topic-specific collocations related to urban development, such as 'urban sprawl', 'high-density housing', or 'infrastructure sustainability', and ensure accurate spelling throughout the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'more and more people are adding to worlds population' (missing articles and possessive apostrophes) and 'these type of people' (should be 'this type' or 'these types'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles.

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

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