Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

It is often argued that the best method to provide a large quantity of housing in urban areas is to build tall apartment blocks rather than single-storey houses. From my perspective, I strongly believe that in the modern era to control the rapidly growing population in urban cities it is essential to construct tall apartment blocks.

First and foremost, the government should construct tall apartment blocks which leads to require a sufficient amount to establish to to these projects. For instance, tall buildings enhance the residential issue such as in a single- storey house all expenses are the responsibility of a single man. In addition it is a more difficult situation to manage all the things. Furthermore, in a single-storey house, individuals and elders suffer from loneliness and depression due to no gathering.

Furthermore, tall buildings could be a risk of disasters like natural accidents and noise pollution. Too much noise pollution creates a disturbance for elder people. Because they want a peaceful environment in old age. By contrast, a single apartments provide a peaceful environment for elder people. It is beneficial for their mental health. For instance, elderly people cannot use the stairs because their physical health condition does not allow them.

In conclusion, some people argue this issue. In my opinion, I contend that the government and authorities should plan to construct tall apartment blocks in urban cities. In this way, they can control the environmental degradation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response presents a clear position regarding the construction of tall apartment blocks in urban areas. However, there are significant issues with task achievement. Firstly, the word count requirement is not met, as the response contains only 239 words against the minimum requirement of 250 words, which incurs a penalty. Secondly, the development of ideas is often confusing and contradictory. For instance, the second paragraph mentions that tall buildings reduce expenses compared to single-storey houses, but the reasoning is disjointed and hard to follow. The third paragraph introduces counter-arguments regarding noise pollution and elderly residents, but concludes abruptly. Because the ideas are underdeveloped and the word count falls short, the response aligns best with Band 5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

Paragraphing is attempted, with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, the logical progression within paragraphs is frequently disrupted. The use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as using 'First and foremost' followed by confusing financial points, and 'Furthermore' repetitively. Referencing is also unclear at times, particularly in sentences like 'tall buildings enhance the residential issue' and 'a single apartments provide a peaceful environment.' While an overall structure is present, the lack of smooth transitions and clear links between sentences places this criterion at Band 5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student attempts a range of vocabulary relevant to urban living, such as 'urban areas', 'rapidly growing population', 'environmental degradation', and 'natural accidents'. However, there are numerous inappropriate word choices, awkward collocations, and phrasing errors, such as 'enhance the residential issue', 'establish to to these projects', and 'single apartments'. Repetition of phrases like 'single-storey house' and 'peaceful environment' also limits the lexical range. Because the vocabulary is adequate to convey basic meaning but contains noticeable errors that cause some difficulty for the reader, it meets the Band 5 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing prepositions, subject-verb agreement issues, and incorrect infinitive structures, as seen in 'leads to require a sufficient amount to establish to to these projects' and 'Too much noise pollution creates a disturbance for elder people.' Punctuation is also occasionally neglected, such as missing commas after introductory transitional phrases like 'In addition' and 'For instance'. These frequent errors frequently impede smooth reading, justifying a Band 5 score.

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