Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14

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)

The issue of building tall apartment blocks so that we have sufficient homes in big cities is a hot topic these days.

I would like to agree with this statement to a certain extent. As much as i would like to say no, but the reality is that with the increasing population, and people constantly migrating from villages or small cities to developed cities in search of jobs or better education, it has become inevitable. In the 90's or early 20's, there was no extra space occupied with big office buildings, and shopping malls. Over the past few decades, with the increasing technologies, we have been introduced with different electronic gadgets like cars, phones, and computers, all of them require space for their exhibition such as shopping malls. Young people have been taking more interest in entertainment and various kinds of ammusements for the sake of their mental and physical health, consequently more and more buildings have been constructed for different purposes.

As a result of that, big cities kept on expanding from jobs, luxury, healthcare, to finance. Everything became far more advanced in large cities unlike small areas. Therefore, people kept moving here which became one of the biggest reasons for building tall apartments to provide enough accomodation for all the people. However, that resulted in having more cramped spaces rather than greenery and fresh air, which caused more harm to people than benefits such as increased mental health issues like depression and anxiety, physical issues like asthama, all of which are a consequence of these apartments that left no open spaces in big cities causing people to suffer.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing whether building tall apartment blocks is the best solution for housing shortages in large cities. The writer presents a clear position agreeing with the statement to a certain extent, noting both the inevitability of vertical growth due to migration and the negative consequences, such as cramped living spaces and reduced green areas. However, some arguments wander into peripheral topics, such as the rise of shopping malls and electronic gadgets, which distracts from the core housing debate. Ideas are relevant and supported with explanations, but some expansion is slightly underdeveloped, placing this response at Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear stance stated early on. However, the paragraphing is a major weakness: the entire body of the essay is compressed into a single, excessively long paragraph that contains multiple distinct ideas, from migration to shopping malls to health consequences. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'As a result of that' and 'Therefore', but referencing and transitions within the single massive paragraph feel forced and lack structural clarity. Overall, logical progression is hindered by the lack of appropriate paragraph breaks, warranting a Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'inevitable', 'exhibition', and 'consequence'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors ('ammusements', 'accomodation', 'asthama') and occasional word-choice inaccuracies, such as 'early 20's' (likely meaning the early 2000s) and 'extra space occupied with big office buildings'. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they reflect a lack of precision, capping the lexical score at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over multi-clause structures ('with the increasing population, and people constantly migrating...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues, including lowercase capitalization at the beginning of clauses ('As much as i would like...'), comma splices, and run-on sentences that link too many ideas together without proper separation. The majority of sentences contain minor structural or mechanical flaws, though communication is generally maintained, placing this performance at Band 5.5.

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