Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-15

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 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 lead to requiring a sufficient amount to establish 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 attempts to address the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of tall apartment blocks, presenting a clear position in favor of them. However, the development of ideas is limited and at times confusing, such as mentioning noise pollution and disasters as disadvantages of tall buildings but then contrasting them with single apartments in a way that lacks clarity. Furthermore, the length requirement of 250 words is not met, as the student's response contains only 237 words. This under-length issue prevents full development of the task and negatively impacts the Task Achievement score, placing it firmly at Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is divided into logical paragraphs with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, the progression within the body paragraphs is occasionally unclear or disjointed. For instance, transitional phrases like 'First and foremost' and 'Furthermore' are used mechanically and sometimes introduce arguments that feel disconnected. Referencing is also weak in places, such as 'enhance the residential issue', which creates ambiguity. While basic paragraphing is present, the overall organizational flow lacks precision, justifying a Band 5.5 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully utilizing topic-related terms such as 'urban areas', 'population', 'residential', and 'environmental degradation'. However, there are notable limitations and awkward collocations, such as 'enhance the residential issue' and 'natural accidents', which impede clear communication. Attempts at less common vocabulary often result in unnatural phrasing. Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical control is inconsistent throughout the essay, which aligns with the descriptors for Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and relative clauses like 'It is often argued that...' and 'elderly people cannot use the stairs because their physical health condition does not allow them.' However, grammatical errors are frequent and sometimes hinder comprehension. Examples include missing prepositions and awkward phrasing ('lead to requiring a sufficient amount to establish to these projects'). Control over complex structures is shaky, leading to frequent errors, which firmly places this criterion at Band 5.0.

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

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