Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-12
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 large cities the best option to provide residence for many people is to create heighted building so that there's room for more apartments. The essay agrees with statement. There will be the cost distribution for the people who cannot afford the whole house in their favorite area. Also, due to increase in population there will be enough blocks available for everyone to afford a living.
One of the reasons to build the heightened buildings is to make living affordable for everyone. If someone wants to have an apartment that is low in cost, there will be multiple option available even in a developed area. For example, my uncle lives in the apartment opposite to sea view because he loves the cool breeze and the sound of the waves. He managed to afford it in one of the tall residential buildings opposite to Karachi's sea view.
Another reason for having the tall apartments block is that due to increase in population there will be enough flats available for residence. For example, Karachi is really overpopulated city, but the trend of the long buildings has saved many people from living on the streets. If there is not enough residential area available, then people have no better choices for living in the crowded cities.
In conclusion, creating tall buildings is a good option to have many homes for people because it will distribute the cost of living for various apartments in the building. Also, due to overpopulation crisis everyone will be able to afford a living in crowded cities.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position agreeing with the statement that building tall apartment blocks is the best way to provide enough homes in large cities. The writer provides two main arguments: affordability through cost distribution and accommodating a growing population. However, the ideas are relatively underdeveloped and rely heavily on a single personal example regarding Karachi in both body paragraphs. While the task is addressed, the support remains somewhat limited and repetitive, preventing the response from reaching the higher bands. Overall, it satisfies the basic requirements of Task Achievement at a Band 5.5 to 6.0 level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates a clear overall structure with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. However, cohesion within and between sentences is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, the transition 'Another reason for having the tall apartments block is that due to increase in population...' feels slightly awkward, and referencing is not always completely smooth. Logical progression is evident, but the heavy reliance on similar phrasing ('Another reason', 'For example') makes the cohesion repetitive. This places the response firmly within the Band 6 category.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms such as 'overpopulated', 'residential', and 'distribution'. However, there are notable word-choice and collocation errors throughout the text, such as 'heightened building' instead of 'high-rise buildings' or 'tall apartment blocks', and 'apartment opposite to sea view'. Vocabulary is occasionally repetitive or basic, and these lexical inaccuracies sometimes detract from precision. Nevertheless, meaning is generally communicated, meeting the criteria for Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, such as conditional structures ('If someone wants to have an apartment...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as articles missing or misused ('the best option to provide residence', 'due to increase in population') and pluralisation issues ('tall apartments block'). While these errors are noticeable and require the reader to occasionally pause, they do not completely impede communication. Control of grammar is inconsistent, which aligns with a Band 5.0 performance.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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