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 often argued that the most effective way to provide sufficient housing in large cities is to construct tall apartment buildings. I partly agree with this view because high rise buildings can accommodate many people but they are not an effective solution. This essay will discuss the benefits of tall building apartments as well as advantages of developing other types of housing.

The main advantage of constructing tall blocks is that they can provide large number of homes in limited area of land. This is particularly beneficial in large cities where land is expensive and population is continuously increasing. In addition high rise building can allow governments to provides facilities such as public transport, schools and shopping areas within relatively small area. For example, In densely populated area like Lahore, constructing tall apartments can provide hundred of people their house without using large area.

However, relying only on tall apartment building can negatively affects the individual quality of life. because some people wants privacy in life and to provide separate room for their children to play with quitter outdoor space. whereas government should develop low rise residential areas in suitable location rather than spending too much on tall flats. For instance, suburban housing communities with good roads, public transport can provide comfortable homes while reducing overcrowding in city centers.

In conclusion, although tall apartment blocks are an efficient way to provide sufficient house in large cities, I partly agree with that they are the best solution because combination of high rise and low rise housing will be more effective.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, taking a clear, albeit slightly contradictory, position that tall buildings have benefits but are not the sole solution. The main ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as the mention of Lahore. However, the development of ideas in the body paragraphs is somewhat limited and feels repetitive in places, particularly when discussing the contrast between high-rise and low-rise developments. The position is stated clearly in the introduction and reinforced in the conclusion, fitting the descriptors for Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is arranged coherently with a recognizable introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, fulfilling overall organizational needs. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points, such as the advantages of tall buildings versus the negative impacts on individual quality of life. Cohesive devices are present, including transition markers like 'In addition,' 'However,' and 'In conclusion.' However, referencing and transitions are at times mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'whereas government should develop,' which slightly interrupts the logical flow and progression between ideas. This positions the response comfortably at Band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'sufficient housing,' 'densely populated area,' and 'residential areas.' There are some attempts to use less common vocabulary, but these are accompanied by word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'provide hundred of people their house' instead of 'provide hundreds of people with homes,' and 'quitter outdoor space' instead of 'quieter outdoor spaces.' Spelling errors are also present, such as 'high rise' without hyphens and 'house' instead of 'housing.' These errors do not impede communication, matching the Band 6 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing pluralization ('large number of home', 'hundred of people'), incorrect prepositions ('in limited area of land'), and sentence fragment issues or punctuation errors, notably the misplaced period before 'because some people wants privacy'. Agreement errors also occur, such as 'some people wants.' Despite these frequent errors, meaning is generally clear and they rarely impede overall communication, aligning with Band 5.5 or 6.0; given the mix of structures and clear meaning, a 6.0 is appropriate.

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

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