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)

It is argued that the exeptional way to give enough living space in big cities is to build highrise residential blocks. I agree because it allows the space to create more buildings and people who can't afford a house can live in an apartment.

This essay will discuss that vertical buildings need less space to create more houses and it is an affordable option for many families.

Firstly, Tall buildings need less area to create more aparments. In developed countries most of the buildings are highrise because these structures can fullfill the space need in these type of areas. People move from small areas to large cities for good education,heath and other facilities. So these highrise buildings are a safe and only option to cater large group of people. For Example, In New York more that 90 percent buildings are skyscrapers because from all over the world individuals move to newyork and a huge amount of people need space to live..

Secondly, Living expense in highrise buildings is less than owning a house in a large city. Most of the people belong to a poor background who move to large cities because they want to live a better life with their families too. Although resedential buildings has different options. if someonw can't buy an apartment they can rent it out or they can look for one or more bed apartment options ased on their choice and affordability. For example, in pakistan more than 50 percent of people are below the poverty line so they can't afford their own home that's way this is a reasonable option for most of the poeple.

In Conclusion, tower apartment blocks are the best option in huge cities because those are relatively cheap and gather minimum space to create maximum number of living spaces for people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task and maintains a clear position throughout, agreeing that tall apartment blocks are the best solution. The main ideas are relevant, focusing on space-saving and affordability. However, the development of these ideas tends to be somewhat superficial and relies on generalisations. For example, the assertion that 'in New York more that 90 percent buildings are skyscrapers' is inaccurate and overstated. Similarly, the reasoning in the second body paragraph is repetitive rather than fully extended. Despite these limitations in depth, the writer successfully covers the prompt and presents a coherent argument with supporting examples. This performance aligns well with the requirements of a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement and a logical progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with a clear introduction, two distinct body paragraphs focusing on separate arguments, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to connect sentences and paragraphs, such as 'Firstly,' 'Secondly,' and 'For Example,' although some referencing is occasionally mechanical. While the logical flow is mostly clear, the connections between sentences could be smoother. Overall, the organizational structure meets the criteria for Band 6.0, as the progression is generally easy to follow despite some minor faults in cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The writer uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'highrise residential blocks,' 'skyscrapers,' and 'poverty line.' However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, including 'exeptional' instead of 'exceptional,' 'aparments' instead of 'apartments,' 'heath' instead of 'health,' 'cater large group' instead of 'cater to a large group,' 'resedential' instead of 'residential,' and 'that's way' instead of 'that's why.' These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score. This places the performance firmly in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range; a 6.0 is awarded as the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning adequately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like conditional and relative clauses ('people who can't afford a house can live,' 'if someone can't buy an apartment they can rent it out'). However, there are frequent grammatical and punctuation errors, such as capitalization issues ('newyork', 'pakistan'), missing prepositions, and run-on sentences ('that's way this is a reasonable option for most of the poeple'). Although these errors are noticeable and detract from the overall fluency, they rarely impede communication. The control of grammar and punctuation is consistent with a Band 5.5, as the frequent errors prevent the text from achieving a stable Band 6.0.

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

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