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 areas 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 for 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 person. 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, 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 5.5

The response presents a clear position regarding the provision of housing through tall apartment blocks. However, the development of ideas in the body paragraphs is occasionally confused and contradictory. For instance, the second paragraph mentions that tall buildings reduce expenses and loneliness, while the third paragraph introduces a counter-argument about natural disasters and noise pollution before discussing single apartments. Furthermore, the length requirement has NOT been met, as the response contains only 236 words, falling 14 words short of the 250-word minimum. This under-length impacts the full development required for a higher band. Consequently, the task achievement score is limited to Band 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay attempts a logical structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, using some basic cohesive devices such as 'First and foremost', 'In addition', and 'Furthermore'. However, paragraphing and referencing are sometimes faulty, and the progression of ideas lacks clarity. For example, the third paragraph abruptly shifts between the risks of tall buildings and the benefits of single apartments without smooth transitions. While there is an overall organizational framework, the mechanical use of cohesive phrases and unclear referencing reduce the effectiveness of the cohesion, supporting a Band 5.5 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'urban areas', 'rapidly growing population', 'environmental degradation', and 'peaceful environment'. However, there are noticeable limitations and occasional awkward word choices, such as 'enhance the residential issue' and 'natural accidents', which do not use standard collocations. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main points, inaccuracies in word choice prevent the score from reaching a higher band. Therefore, a Band 6.0 is appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over sentence structure with attempts at relative clauses and conditional ideas. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'lead to requiring a sufficient amount to establish for these projects' and 'tall buildings could be a risk of disasters'. Punctuation errors also appear, including a stray double period in the third paragraph. These errors sometimes cause difficulty for the reader, placing the grammar performance firmly within the Band 5.0 descriptor.

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